Reading Journal

Social Media Rhetorical Analysis

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https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/1313538127030517761?s=20

 

The rhetor is Clay Travis, a sportswriter and founder of Outkick the Coverage, a website dedicated to covering sports and sports betting. He is tweeting about the precipitous drop in viewership of the NBA and its finals this year. Mr. Travis has been outspoken about what he views as a serious encroachment of party politics into sports. He believes that this encroachment is detrimental to the realm of sports, which has historically been isolated from party politics. The latest part of this development he takes issue with is the NBA’s embracing social justice during this last basketball season. He has repeatedly complained about what he sees as a hypocritical NBA that releases statements condemning the actions of the American police as a whole but staying silent on the issue of the Chinese government’s crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong or outright silencing members of teams who mention the issue there. He says this silence on Chinese injustice is because of the league’s greed and desire to maintain a market in China. In his tweet, Travis mentions Mark Cuban, the celebrity owner of the Dallas Mavericks who he has gone back-and-forth with about the NBA in the past year. Travis directs his tweet at multiple audiences besides his own. By mentioning Mr. Cuban, Travis hopes to bring more eyes to his argument as well as encourage Cuban, with ten times as many twitter followers, to reply. Travis backs up his argument that party politics has been detrimental through demonstration of logos: he references the cable/satellite viewership of this year’s NBA finals, which are down “an unbelievable 70% from the last time LeBron was in the finals two years ago.” Travis emphasizes this statistic with unbelievable. He also mentions LeBron James, who is arguably the face of the NBA to casual fans who are more likely to watch the finals with him in them. James is also another person Travis has taken issue with for his political views. By mentioning James, he is implying that the finals would have even worse ratings if he was not there. Travis is also demonstrating that LeBron does not have the appeal he did two years ago. With this large drop in ratings, Travis maintains an unassailable position that the NBA is suffering this year. He uses this position to ask Cuban why he has not mentioned the ratings, which he has repeatedly described in favorable terms. His tweet is in confrontational, argumentative language, hence his mention of Mr. Cuban. His tweet lacks pathos and ethos, but his appeals are backed up by data. A fallacy of his argument is that he does not account for viewers who either legally or illegally streamed the games, which is probably a million or more. The initial impact of this tweet is that Mr. Travis demonstrates that the NBA is suffering. The deeper impact of this tweet is that he gains more ammunition for his argument that the NBA is suffering due to its embracing partisan politics.

Grant-Davie Reading Journal

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Title of Article + Proper MLA Citation for Works Cited page “Rhetorical Situations and Their Constituents” by Kieth Grant-Davie

Grant-Davie, Kieth “Rhetorical Situations and Their Constituents”. Rhetoric Review Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 264-279, Taylor & Francis Ltd. Spring 1997
Summarize the article — include your reaction, thoughts, anything to help you remember its claims. 100 to 150 words The author begins with a rhetorical situation based on a Ken Burns’ documentary. He shows we can gain a greater understanding of history through the study of the rhetoric relating to its events. Next, the author defines what a rhetorical situation is and what tools a rhetor can utilize in these situations. Then, he brings up the three defining characteristics of a rhetorical situation as defined by another author: exigence, audience, and constraints. He builds on these three characteristics. The rest of the essay is dedicated to these three characteristics and another rhetorical situation. The essay makes sense of a rhetorical situation and articulates how the rhetor(s) are themselves part of the situation because they are influencing the outcome.
Define new terms and concepts by quoting or paraphrasing the original author. Rhetorical situation: a situation where someone, by utilizing rhetoric, can alter the outcome of the situation

Tools for good rhetoric: integrity – the ability of the rhetor to use a defined set of strategies in any situation. Receptivity – the ability of the rhetor to recognize the strategy needed in a situation.

Exigence: the initial impetus for rhetoric.

Rhetor: someone attempting to change a situation through discourse. There can be more than one in a given situation.

Audience: anyone who comes into contact with the rhetoric, people in a rhetorical situation, the author’s intended audience, and the audience as defined by the rhetoric.

Constraints: outside factors that can limit or aid the rhetor.

Compound situation: when two rhetorical situations overlap.
How does this reading connect to other articles from class and/or your own research?

 

 Dr. Mona-Attisha utilized rhetoric to influence the outcome of the Flint Water Crisis. She used integrity of data to show that there was a problem. She also appealed to her audience by holding up a baby’s bottle at a press conference. This reading is also similar to Jones’ article about rhetoric. However, this article simply talks about the different parts of rhetoric while Jones illustrates how rhetoric appeals to people.
Based on the reading, craft one question to act as a springboard for class discussion. When have you ever used rhetoric to change the outcome of a situation?

 

Jones Reading Journal

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Title of Article + Proper MLA Citation for Works Cited page “Finding the Good Argument OR Why Bother With Logic?” By Rebecca Jones

Jones, Rebecca. “Finding the Good Argument OR Why Bother With Logic?” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing Volume 1 pp. 156-59, 166-168 /edited by Charles Lowe and Pavel Zemliansky. Author themself, 2010
Summarize the article — include your reaction, thoughts, anything to help you remember its claims. 100 to 150 words 156-159: Jones’s main point is that the way American society approaches debates and arguments is flawed. She assesses these flaws as manifesting from our approach to argument as a war in which “there are only two sides, someone must win decisively, and compromise means losing.” She offers an alternative to this psychology with a debate or argument being a dance and that acting on an argument does not necessitate violence. She continues that the debates like the presidential ones broadcast to the American public are shoddy examples of true debate and argument. More examples include the shows on the news that supposedly have different viewpoints in discourse but in practice lack “research, consideration of multiple vantage points, and, quite often, basic logic.” She notes that the pundits on these shows don’t actually debate or argue but rather attack the other side or vehemently defend their own predetermined position. They circumvent the questions asked by bringing up something somewhat related.

166-168: The parts of rhetoric that make it effective is its appeal to us so that we relate to it. These appeals commonly use ethos, pathos, and logos (values, emotions, logic). The most prevalent form of these appeals is in marketing. The example Jones uses is car commercials.
Define new terms and concepts by quoting or paraphrasing the original author. “argument is war” is how Jones describes the modus operandi of argument and debate in this country.

 “argument is dance” is how Lakoff and Johnson want people to think of having a debate with someone. I imagine this concept as two dancers on stage. They can each dance alone showing off their style, but they can also dance together, meeting in the middle.

“Aristotle imagined logos, ethos, and pathos as three kinds of artistic proof. Essentially, they highlight three ways to appeal to or persuade an audience: ‘(1) to reason logically, (2) to understand human character and goodness in its various forms, (3) to understand emotions’ (Honeycutt, Rhetoric 1356a).”
How does this reading connect to other articles from class and/or your own research?

 

 In my own experience, what Jones says about argument and debate as it’s presented to us on radio and television is true. Our country has a problem with having true, reasonable discussions in which the participants can have a dialogue rather than attack each other. This problem is even more severe today, ten years after this article was written. We have to look no further than the presidential debate this last Tuesday night where the candidates (one more than the other) showed blatant hostility toward each other and didn’t speak more than maybe a minute at a time before being interrupted by each other. The whole thing was borderline unwatchable and does not give a good look to either of the parties which are trying to encourage young people to vote. Frankly, I am more confused after the “debate” than before it. The problem is also misinformation and people refusing to accept they were wrong. Even when they do admit they’re wrong they attack the other person and say they are even more wrong. This misinformation given by people in debates is similar to that of the local, Michigan, and federal government in What the Eyes Don’t See. It’s hard for consumers to know who is wrong or who is right if both sides vehemently maintain that they are right despite reason and data.

I see the appeals in commercials just as Jones does. These appeals can also extend to nostalgia or previous experience. Long-standing brands such as Coca-Cola and McDonald’s consistently rely on the consumer already knowing what a Coke tastes like or what their experience with a quarter-pounder is.
Based on the reading, craft one question to act as a springboard for class discussion. Have you ever gone out and bought something just because of an ad? I got the Wendy’s 2-for-$5 because of the ad.

 

Fishman Reading Journal

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Reading Journal

 

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Title of Article + Proper MLA Citation for Works Cited page “Literacy and Cultural Context: A Lesson from the Amish” by Andrea R. Fishman

Fishman, Andrea R. “Literacy and Cultural Context: A Lesson from the Amish.” Language Arts, Vol. 64, No. 8, National Council of Teachers of English, December 1987 pp. 842-854
Summarize the article — include your reaction, thoughts, anything to help you remember its claims. 100 to 150 words Fishman begins the essay with a scene of her family and an Amish family after dinner. The Amish patriarch, Eli Sr., reads to his son after dinner. She comments on how normal that act seems, but proceeds to dive deeper into how the Amish approach literacy. An element of Amish literacy which is not as prevalent in other people’s lives is ritualized singing, with the children joining in by imitating the older members of the group. Imitation is a common theme in the Amish development of literacy. By allowing children to imitate older children and adults, the Amish are encouraging cultural and intellectual homogeneity. Letting children participate also makes them feel like a contributing member of the group. The Amish also enjoy antiquated practices such as hand-writing letters. Families implicitly reinforce their homogeneous way of writing by all reading their letters out loud to each other. When the children are involved in these activities involving literacy, they begin to understand the importance of it. Fishman points out that as we get older, we lose our ability to learn from life around us. Fishman begins to make her main point. Her argument is that every child starting school for the first time must be treated as someone who has already been engaging in literacy. She uses Eli Jr. as an example. I found her analysis of the Amish literacy interesting. Their literacy is just like everyone else’s except they do not spend any time analyzing literature; they focus on the content.
Define new terms and concepts by quoting or paraphrasing the original author. “Through his at-home experience, Eli had also learned which other, more specific, less obvious abilities count as reading in his world: (1) the ability to select and manage texts, to be able to find his mother’s letter in “Die Botschaft ” or to find a particular verse in the Bible; (2) the ability to empathize with people in texts and discern the implicit lessons their experiences teach, to empathize with Lambert the lion who taught the possibility of peaceful coexistence, and to empathize with the Anabaptist martyrs who taught the Tightness of dying for one’s faith; (3) the ability to recall what was read, to remember stories, riddles, and jokes or to memorize Bible and hymn verses; and (4) the ability to synthesize what is read in a single text with what is already known or to synthesize information across texts in Amish-appropriate ways, relating one Bible portion to another or making coherent sense of what is read in children’s books, newspapers, and the Bible about how people should relate to each other.” Fishman, “Literacy and Cultural Context: A Lesson from the Amish” pp. 851
How does this reading connect to other articles from class and/or your own research?

 

 This reading is similar to both the Gee reading and the Brandt reading in its focus that every individual develops literacy differently based on their experiences growing up and continues to develop literacy in school and in their job. Fishman also presents what Brandt would call “sponsors of literacy” in her essay. Fishman’s essay also gives an in-depth look into what Gee would call the “primary discourse” of an Amish child.
Based on the reading, craft one question to act as a springboard for class discussion. Does anyone have an older sibling they would imitate when they were younger? 

 

Gee Reading Journal

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Reading Journal

 

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Title of Article + Proper MLA Citation for Works Cited page “What is Literacy?” by James Gee

“James Paul Gee on Learning With Video Games” by Edutopia

Gee, James Paul. “What is Literacy?” Journal of Education, Vol. 171, No. 1, pp. 18-23, Trustees of Boston University, 1989 http://jamespaulgee.com/pdfs/Gee%20What%20is%20Literacy.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnEN2Sm4IIQ
Summarize the article — include your reaction, thoughts, anything to help you remember its claims. 100 to 150 words Gee’s argument is that literacy sprouts from discourse in our lives. He sorts discourse into two different stages: primary and secondary. He says that primary discourse is the discourse we acquire growing up with those intimate with us (friends, family). He goes on to claim that we learn a secondary discourse once we are interacting with individuals and institutions we are not intimate with (school, athletics, work, camp). Gee says that these discourses affect our use of language. He then makes the claim that literacy is the mastery of the secondary discourse because the secondary discourse requires language which we did not acquire, but learned. Gee has an understandable thesis and makes good points about how our individual experiences and discourses affect how we use language.
Define new terms and concepts by quoting or paraphrasing the original author. “By ‘a discourse’ I will mean: a socially accepted association among ways of using language, of thinking, and of acting that can be used to identify oneself as a member of a socially meaningful group or ‘social network’” (Gee, “What is Literacy”, 18).

“Acquisition is a process of acquiring something by exposure to models and a process of trial and error, without a process of formal teaching.” (20).

“Learning is a process that involves conscious knowledge gained through teaching … This teaching involves explanation and analysis, that is, breaking down the thing to be learned into its analytic parts.” (20).

Primary discourse is the original language we acquire through face-to-face interactions with intimates. (22)

Secondary discourse is the language we learn when interacting with institutions outside our intimates. Secondary discourse always builds on primary discourse. (22)

“Literacy is control of secondary uses of language (i.e. uses of language in secondary discourses)” (23)
How does this reading connect to other articles from class and/or your own research?

 

 This reading makes similar points to Brandt’s “Sponsors of Literacy”. Both articles make the case that every individual becomes literate differently based on their background. Brandt makes the case that our development of literacy is driven by individuals and forces outside ourselves. Gee’s point is similar except he articulates the driving forces of our literacy as the language we learn/acquire based on our circumstances.
Based on the reading, craft one question to act as a springboard for class discussion. Do you agree more with Brandt’s or Gee’s idea of how we become literate?

 

Brandt Reading Journal

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Reading Journal

 

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Title of Article + Proper MLA Citation for Works Cited page “Sponsors of Literacy” by Deborah Brandt

Brandt, Deborah. “Sponsors of Literacy.” College Composition and Communication, 

Vol. 49, No. 2 , pp. 165-172, National Council of Teachers of English, May 1998
Summarize the article — include your reaction, thoughts, anything to help you remember its claims. 100 to 150 words Brandt’s main point is defining the way most people become literate: through what she calls “sponsors” of literacy. She begins with explaining her terminology. She equates it to television brought to you by sponsors you see in commercials. She next defines sponsors as anyone/anything that influences how people become literate, whether withholding or peddling literacy. Most often, sponsors are people who will gain something from encouraging someone else’s literacy (teachers, clergy, parents). She also explains that there are socioeconomic forces affecting how all of us interact with sponsors and become literate. She gives examples of how people become literate in different ways based on their background. She is spot-on in her observations that literacy is driven by individuals’ interactions with each other. She is also accurate that many people have needs which lead to literacy. But, she does not discuss enough the role of public education in the rise of literacy in this country. While there are special cases in which other sponsors have a larger role, the majority of literates have public education to thank for their literacy.
Define new terms and concepts by quoting or paraphrasing the original author.  “Sponsors [of literature], as I have come to think of them, are any agents, local or distant, concrete or abstract, who enable, support, teach, model, as well as recruit, regulate, suppress, or withhold literacy—and gain advantage by it in some way.”
How does this reading connect to other articles from class and/or your own research?

 

 One example comes to mind: Joshua from de la Pena’s article about how our backgrounds affect how and why we read and write. He did not have a physical sponsor encouraging his literacy. He had to develop his own literacy which reflects the stigma in his community associated with reading and writing for fun. De la Pena becomes a sponsor of literacy for Joshua by interacting with him and offering to read his work. He also references how the works of John Green have encouraged literacy too.
Based on the reading, craft one question to act as a springboard for class discussion. Does anyone have anything interesting that affected how they became literate? My dad gave me little cards with all the information about the planes he flew for Delta. I read them voraciously so that I could understand his work thoroughly. This reading developed not only my literacy but also a lifelong passion for aviation.

 

Reading Journal: FASTrack/Writ Podcast Round Table

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1. A useful piece of advice from the podcast was using material from my reading journal in my Major Projects. I have never had a class where I have been allowed to re-use material that came directly from my previous efforts. I feel like taking advantage of this part of the class will streamline my writing. Another piece of advice from the podcast was to step out of my comfort zone. This advice resonated with me because I am a firm believer that college is as good a place as any to meet new people and get involved in new things. I believe this because college is the place where people from all walks of life, backgrounds, and social status come together in a common environment where we are all on the same playing field. Everything from high school is gone and you basically have to start over. Stepping out of my comfort zone will make me more aware of the world around me and make me a better person.

2. I am most looking forward to living on my own. Living away from home will allow me to grow as a person as I embrace new responsibilities. I feel pressure from this newfound status but I am sure I will take it in stride and adjust to anything college throws my way. I am least looking forward to not having any in-person classes. I feel like I am going to lose out on a lot of the experiences of college that millions of students before me have had. I am not pleased that I will not have direct communication with my professors. I feel like I will glean less from them because there will be less real conversation among them and the students, although I hope this will not be the case.

3. Advice I would give to a rising 9th grader, particularly myself, would be to take high school slowly. You’ll be in college soon enough and along the way you will find out a lot about yourself and other people. You will find out that you cannot control everything, especially the actions of others. So take everything one day at a time and everything will work out.

Reading Journal: “Inviting the Mother Tongue”

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Reading Journal

 

Title of Article + Proper MLA Citation for Works Cited page

“Inviting the Mother Tongue”

Elbow, Peter. “Inviting the Mother Tongue”. JAC Online Journal, Vol 19.3, pp. 59-65

www.jaconlinejournal.com/archives/vol19.3/elbow-inviting.pdf
Summarize the article — include your reaction, thoughts, anything to help you remember its claims. 100 to 150 words

Elbow points out that in American history dialects deemed inferior have been suppressed by academia. He elaborates that this suppression comes from a variety of motivations. He cites that Standard Written English (SWE) is encouraged by teachers and schools in order to make their students’ writing more uniform and understandable. In his explanation, he writes that teachers often equate writing in SWE as vital to being a good writer. He also cites that SWE has been imposed upon students of backgrounds not associated with it so as to separate them from their roots. Coming from a high school where SWE was paramount in our English classes, I can attest that the former motivation was articulated to us at least once a year at the beginning of the term. Elbow goes on to profess his belief that students should be allowed to write in whatever sort of English they are comfortable with, even if it means they do not conform to many mainstream English conventions. He expresses empathy for students who feel pressure to write “correctly” and cannot properly articulate themselves when they try to do so. Reading this essay, I feel the same sentiment. I can only imagine being made to write in a language familiar yet alien at the same time.

  
Define new terms and concepts by quoting or paraphrasing the original author.

“Standard Written English is the usage,
grammar, syntax, punctuation, and spelling that will pass muster with
most university faculty around here as correct or at least acceptable.”

“Home voice-that is, in
whatever language comes naturally to hand and mouth.”

“Certain dialects are widely seen as
inferior, defective, or broken, (e.g., African-American English, Latino
or Hispanic English, Puerto Rican English, Mexican-American English,
Inviting the Mother Tongue 363
or Hawai’ian Creole English). If I spoke a stigmatized dialect, my
speech would be widely experienced as stupid-and I along with it.”

 

  
How does this reading connect to other articles from class and/or your own research?

In my experience with English, I have seen that the language has evolved and changed over many centuries. English continues to evolve today as our world becomes more interconnected. In some cases, English has become uniform to all it’s speakers. An example of this evolution is the dialect “textspeak”: how we talk to each other on our electronic devices via SMS, Snapchat, etc. It seems to me that everyone knows what I am talking about if I text them “np” or “lmk”. No one seems to mind if I text with fragments, run-ons, or incorrect punctuation-unlike when I am writing an essay. This new dialect seems to be universal and allows us to concisely express ideas.

  
Based on the reading, craft one question to act as a springboard for class discussion.

What is everyone’s opinion on “correct” writing? I have the sentiment that in order to be universally understood by English speakers I would have to write in Standard Written English.