One rhetorical implication of the topics addressed in the Vimeo tutorial videos is that the ‘instructors’ have  an already established ethos due to the fact that they are offering these ‘how-to’ mini-videos  on a Vimeo, a video publishing site.  Obviously they have a prior thorough understanding of the tricks of camera equipment and editing software if they are hosting a ‘video school’ of sorts.  Also, the caption at the top references that the people featured in the video are a part of Vimeo’ s video staff, accrediting even more professionalism. Even without Vimeo itself as a foundation, the ‘instructors’ gave the amateur tips and tools that might be small, but are very significant for the final project.  Only people who have had a lot of experience would know what nuances to look for and remember when filming.  Even more, only people who have have spent a lot of time behind a computer editing would be able to provide an efficient list of what to do and how to do it as swiftly as ‘Steve from Vimeo’ did.

Another rhetorical implication that I noticed was the presence of kairos.  The ‘instructors’ are under the realization that only people who are interested in filming and editing are going to be watching and taking notes on their video school videos.  Therefore, they did their best to try and point out things that most people forget to do, and regret later; basically saving others heartbreak and disappointment that they themselves had no doubt previously experienced.  Another way that they use rhetoric here is by posting the video school videos under the ‘join’ tab.  They are insightful in doing so because they know who their target audience is, and by giving free and efficient tips out, they are indirectly inviting  others to join, kind of like leading a dog with a bone.

Both of these are rhetorical implications that I noticed in the assigned viewing.

I am sure I am not the only one who has been a subject to the incessant onslaught of religious societies recently in Penn State.  In fact, I KNOW I am not the only one, and I am sure all of you have experienced this as well.  Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I pass Willard Building on my way to Sackett, which holds my math class, at about 1:15.  And every Monday, Wednesday, and  Friday I can expect a certain red-sweatshirted someone to be standing in front of the Willard steps with a smirking group of students sitting around casually, sometimes engaging in argument- or rhetoric depending on your perspective.  I am not particularly sure what his goal is when he talks, or why spending time usually talking to no one in particularly is appealing to this man, but I do have to give him credit for his dedication- he is almost there every single time I walk by going to math class.

He is not the only one I have seen in the last few weeks preaching the “word of God”.  In fact, I can almost guarantee a flyer every single day, advertising one ideal or convention or something along the same lines.  One day, there were huge posters towering over students with random quotes about redeeming ourselves.  Unfortunately, while these people might have legitimate things to say, their approach is wrong.  Having signs that ostracize a particular group and damning them to Hell is not going to persuade them to want to be saved.  The usual yelling of the “poster people” is not going to want me to associate with or learn about their stories or causes.  Their rhetoric is completely off, and thus more often than not the opposition parties are the only ones to congregate around these people and the trash cans fill with the flyers.

There are, however, many calm preachers and other people from some churches and religious organizations who seem to be a lot more approachable, and do not attract as much negative attention.  But for those that do, all I can say is that their attempt to persuade me is a… fail.

What do you think about the preachers of State College?

If you would like to know more about the Willard Preacher, Onward State tried to get to know the guy behind the red sweatshirt a little more in a survey that is kind of interesting.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Z-4uq9TGuLbmx3eGg1eVlnXzg/edit?usp=sharing

I tried to incorporate many different principles from the reading thus far.  I tried to engage the audience and set a slight foundation of kairos in attempting to connect with the audience through identifying an event which many can reflect on and associate with.  In doing so, I appealed to them with pathos by talking about something that hits home for many Americans, and sharing a personal story.  Also, I used ethos near the end of my talk by quoting Chief Justice John Roberts.  Deriving from the article on how to give a TED Talk, I tried to be conversational with the audience when talking about the body scanning machines and other devices like the supercomputer.  In addition, I tried to practice my speech before actually presenting it, in order to memorize it, however I do not feel as if that ended up being as effective as I had hoped.  Also concerning the execution of my techniques, I was not as powerful in conveying my pathos as I had planned to be because I was extremely nervous.  In the future, I have to write and edit my speech outline way before I am scheduled to present.  This way, I will be allowing an ample amount of time to practice my speech enough so that I am comfortable and confident enough to conquer my anxiety.  In order to do so, I need to gather my friends and force them to sit in front of me while I talk nonsense to them for a few minutes.  Another aspect of speeches that I have to work on is containing the length of my speech while practicing so that I do not go over time.  This is a huge problem for me that hinders my grade and the overall outcome of my presentations.  I have to plan the content so that I am not bordering on going over time during practice.  Even more, since I know I  am naturally a fast talker, I have to habituate myself with speaking more slowly so I am not focusing on the speed of my speech rather than what I am actually saying.

I am happy that I was able to deliver the quote by Chief Justice John Roberts effectively.  I was also able to talk about the extra side comments, although I do not think that I did that effectively as I had wished either.  For some reason, my eye contact seemed to be more often with the floor than the people in the room.  I am not sure why this happened, since eye contact is not usually a component of speeches that I have a problem with.  I also forgot about the power point slides that were supposed to be accompanying my speech since I did not know how to effectively practice my speech while using the power point in my dorm.  Humorously, I said bomb detonators instead of saying bomb detectors. Oops.  One of the most disappointing mistakes I realized I made looking back on my TED talk is the huge delay in the beginning when trying to connect with the audience through my personal story.  I kept saying first grade/ first grader too frequently and I took too long to deliver the message and then the transition and in doing so, the effect I was aiming for was lost in my hesitation.

For my TED Talk, the topic I chose to present is the question of whether or not the government is overriding our privacy rights when administering law enforcement and national security.

Since the topic of my paradigm essay was the change in national security since the September 11^th terrorist attacks, I plan to incorporate a picture of the attacks and display it to my audience, asking the people within it to think about what that picture means to each of them.  In doing so I plan to make an appeal to pathos because even if the 9/11 attacks did not affect someone personally, it still had a profound impact on our country, people around us, and it changed our everyday lives.

In order to establish the logos and ethos aspect, I plan on quoting influential people in our government about the different security measures that have been taken as a result of the attacks.  I also plan on including statistics, since those seem to give more weight to what I am saying.  Also, statistics are something that people can usually take away from a good speech depending on the way they are presented by the speaker.   This is something that I aim to accomplish.

I also plan to write and present my talk with a clear indifference that shows I am unbiased toward one argument or another.  Furthermore, I will attempt to connect with the audience in asking rhetorical questions that will hopefully stimulate them to reflect on their own lives.  An example of a question might be “how many times do you use your computer each day” and “are you aware that the government has such advanced technology that it can store and retain each individual computer/ Internet user’s history.

My primary objective in this TED Talk is to establish when national security became so enforced (post 9/11) and how it has morphed technology that is able to monitor individuals.  Maybe this will encourage audience members to not only think about what they post, but think about who might see each post or decision they make to view something on the Internet.

So I am sure if any of you have been to the bathroom in your dorms, you have seen that your RA puts a new edition of the East Halls Stall Stories up each week.  If you do not live in East, I think they other residence halls do it as well.  Anyway, I was thinking about what I was going to write my RCL post on this week, and for some reason, the stall stories popped into my head.

While they are a good toilet read, if you like that kind of thing, the stall stories actually provide freshmen with a lot of useful information about what is going on here at State College, and just some handy tips in general.  There is even a different posting in each stall, just in case people get bored of reading the same stuff the entire week while doing their human business.

Nevertheless, the mini-articles written for each week’s posting provides many opportunities for rhetoric.  First, it gives the whereabouts of different events going on in Penn State throughout the week (i.e. there was Homecoming itinerary the week of Homecoming).  By attending these events, students are given the opportunity to meet others and engage in conversation.  The Stall Stories also include a lot of “food for thought” articles that get students thinking about a riddle, reflecting on their own lifestyles, what they are going to be doing for housing next year, etc.  There are also advertisement-y articles incorporated as well, like how the student government is selling condoms (wait what?!?—yea I know.  I guess because we are at Penn State… WE ARE going to do it anyway, might as well be safe right?) every Friday in the lobby of Findlay Commons (rhetorical choice to sell on Friday?? Parties, hookups, yea they only happen on the weekends…).

Does anyone else read the stall stories?  Do you enjoy them?

As I am sure many of you saw, the kinesiology program here at Penn State was up and running (literally) at various locations throughout campus this past week.  On certain days, one could see many different physical activities available for people to take part in, and maybe break a sweat.  Students had elliptical machines in front of Willard Building one day, providing a chance to burn some calories- without having to pay the hefty price of a gym membership.  There was also hopscotch drawn in chalk for people to take advantage of when passing by (and reminisce of the good ‘ole recess days)—one girl even went through it in heels!  Other activities presented were jump ropes, a mini trampoline that, after being used, people can calculate their heart rates, fitness tests where people can measure how in shape they are, and many other things.

What was the purpose of all of this commotion?  Well the kinesiology program was obviously trying to attract the attention of students and get them to see how much fun physical activity can be.  However, there was also a very apparent underlying purpose, to spread information on the importance of physical activity and wellness.  This is where rhetoric really comes into play.  Students are trying to convince other students to maximize their lifestyles by managing their time well enough to fit a workout into their daily schedules, and to be aware of what they are eating and how that will ultimately affect their benefit their bodies and overall health.  This was done through logos and pamphlets that provided information and statistics relatable to college students (i.e. it takes 45 minutes of exercise to burn off a venti pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks).  Other information handed out included tips on healthy exercise and eating habits and general material on kinesiology itself.

I cannot say that I actively took advantage of this opportunity, because I had to get to class.  However, I took away a little tip that I had seen posted on a bulletin, it read “Walking is the best exercise, habituate yourself to walk fast”.  Thus, I proceeded to walk a little faster to class.  Did you see the kinesiology activities?  Did you participate in them?

While some might think that a fall weekend at State College without Penn State football would keep most students indoors, or leave them bored, he or she is sorely mistaken.  Despite the absence of packed IM fields due to dedicated tailgaters, or the committed Penn State fans during a football weekend, or even the crowds of students gathered around televisions throughout campus watching an away game, many Penn State students still have their weekend agendas packed.  What specific event would I be alluding to? Canning, of course!

I am not going to take the time to delve into what canning is, or the specifics of the organization students here put so much time and effort into making possible and successful, because the only people that will be reading this post are fellow Penn Staters.  Thus, I am assuming that everyone knows what THON is and that the purpose of canning is to raise money for it.

With that being said, THON as an organization here at Penn State has a huge amount of ethos.  First off, it is the largest student-run philanthropic organization in the world.  Second, it always makes headlines each year when the actual event occurs, partly because it draws such a huge crowd, but also because each year the bar for the amount of money that has been raised is lifted.  Furthermore, students have molded the event as something that others want and aspire to become a part of, which is particularly essential to any successful program.  I remember when I attended the New Student Orientation and when my orientation leader asked each of the people in my group what they are most excited to participate in or do here, the top two answers were going to the football games, and somehow being involved in THON.

 Canning itself involves a lot of rhetoric.  Students stand on sidewalks jumping up and down, trying to grab people’s attention that are passing by and have many other things on their minds, with the intentions of getting those people to stop and donate money to their cause.  The students also have to appeal in persuading them to donate.  Since the money is raised in support of finding a cure and helping families of kids with pediatric cancer, pathos is a huge aspect of why people end up donating.  Most of the kids affected are very young, and have been affected by the disease for most of their lives.  These facts really pull on others’ heartstrings because the kids have not had a chance to live freely without the burden of such a disease as cancer.

Overall, THON is a big characteristic of our culture here at Penn State, but it would not be nearly as successful without the tools of rhetoric and persuasion.

The topic I chose to do my paradigm shift essay on is women in the military.  Being a woman aspiring for a career in the military, or at least serving a few years in the military, I have personal insight on this subject.  I also chose to do it because it personally interests me, because on my father’s side, many of my relatives and ancestors have fought and served in our nation’s Armed Forces throughout its history, however they have all been men.  Obviously, I am going to have to conduct some more in-depth research in order to write this paper, so I have come up with some questions I would like to investigate and explore so that I can obtain professional opinions and facts, as well as some more information as to when this shift actually occurred.  I have listed some of the questions below:

–       When did the shift start?

–       Why did the shift happen? (Specific events, dates, etc.)

–       Causes and Consequences

• Women becoming more individualized
• Sociological influences
• Women’s Rights Movement
  • Women becoming increasingly more prominent figures in the work field

–       Is this a trend in just America, or in other countries/regions as well?

–       Facts and Statistics

• Percentage of Women in the Armed Forces
  • Increase over time
  • Women slowly allowed to partake in more things over time
    • Initially only nurses
    • Now pilots
    • Still not allowed in Cavalry
• Successful women in the Armed Forces
  • Impact on the Armed Forces
  • Impact on the women’s role in the Armed Forces

Although this topic only applies to a certain group of people, since not every man or women is interested or able to join the Armed Forces, the increase in women joining and serving our country is something I think is important to our society as a whole.  The Constitution states that all men are equal, but that statement is only implying briefly that women are included as well.  Not to be overly feminist, but if someone wants to fight to keep our country free, he OR she should be more than able.  The shift in attitude on this idea over the last century is essential to everyone truly having equal opportunities.

A couple of weeks ago, I had posted about a little booklet my roommate had received while walking to and from class.  It was PETA endorsed, so basically its purpose was to raise awareness of animal cruelty and use pathos to persuade readers to cease the consumption of meat cold turkey (no pun intended).

This past week, I received what I like to refer to as the “better” booklet.  Now the title on the cover is called “Something Better”, but the important part that I would like to  emphasis on is that I believe this recent booklet achieved a more efficient job at rhetoric than its predecessor.  Although I do not believe that both are from the same company.  This tidbit may have aided the recent booklet in a sense because the public was not already attuned to the sometimes eccentric PETA supporter attitudes and beliefs, thus an unfamiliar brand might be able to draw in more interest.

Another technique that this pamphlet used was testimonial propaganda, through the inclusion of quotes from renowned celebrities/people about why they chose to eliminate meat from their diets and how that has improved their overall quality of life.  This was an appeal to ethos, in an attempt to establish credibility by using significant figures in our society’s culture.

Furthermore, the writers of this pamphlet drew pathos from the booklet’s readers by assigning names to each meat-source species they talked about (i.e. Symphony the Chicken or Oscar the fish).  These names or the stories may not be completely real, but they make the animal more relatable because we tend to want to help animals that have names more since we associate them as being someone’s pet, or our own for that matter.

This pamphlet was not as “in-your-face” vegan/ vegetarian, as the last had been.  In fact, I believe that the authors were more strategic about how they used rhetoric to persuade their audience.  In doing so, I believe that their goal was a lot more efficient in accomplishing its goal.

For my rhetorical analysis essay artifact, I chose to analyze a speech given by Steve Jobs, late CEO of Apple Computer and Pixar Animation Studios, to the 2005 graduating class of Stanford University.  At face value, the speech is not very complex, however there is a lot of hidden meaning interlaced throughout the text.  This hidden meaning is what I plan to analyze, and bring to the surface during my analysis.

The speech is organized into three main headings- the three stories he tells during the commencement.  Since the words of the speech are flowing from the mouth of a billionaire, they have a large amount of ethos in the eyes of the public, especially one that is on the threshold of an opportunity palette.  Who wouldn’t want to take the advice derived from experience of a billionaire??  Entwined throughout the entire speech are many commonplaces that one can relate with to.  Jobs also appeals to his audience by touching on some ideologies, and he connects with the audience in using “real” stories.

All in all, I chose this speech because not only can I relate to it, but it is also something I can understand and follow without nodding off.  There are also many ideologies, commonplaces, etc. burrowed in the wording that I hope to make apparent through my analysis.