Civic Artifact Speech Outline

Introduction

  • The power and meaning that four words or even less can hold
    • We are Penn State
    • Black Lives Matter
    • The Ultimate Driving Machine
    • Make America Great Again
      • Remove him from the context, look at it as an initiative for returning America to its idealized roots and examine the rhetorical devices a simple slogan uses
    • Strategically conveying a message in a simple way, deeper meaning beneath surface
      • Overarching theme of all of his views and the content of his speeches
        • Restore America and bring jobs, glory, money, success back to US
        • Originally used by Reagan, beloved president by Republicans who he’s appealing to
        • Implies return to the glory years of conservatism
      • Whole idea is improvement and change
      • Tacky, catchy, uplifting
      • Imperative tone, a command, calling us to do something, be a part of something
        • Associates voting for Trump with making America great again
      • Rhetorical strategies
        • Kairos
          • Many Republicans in his party he is speaking to are upset of eight years of Obama and want change
          • Issues he addresses are current problems regardless of how he frames them or proposes to fix them…terrorism, economy
        • Audience
          • Americans who are upset with past 8 years and overall, the current state of the US
          • Targets them and their gripes
        • POV
          • Recognizes that there is a disparity between him and the average voters so he attempts to appear relatable…wears the ball cap, no tie
        • Purpose
          • Wants to persuade people to vote for him by motivating them with the promises of a better America
        • Pathos
          • Speaks to emotions, says things that people might think but that aren’t always acceptable to say
          • Idea of making America great again gives a sense of hope
          • In contrast, those opposed to him could be victimized by his rhetoric
            • Women, minorities
          • Ethos
            • Past successes in business give him credibility in some voters’ minds
            • People are listening to what he has to say
            • Confidence he displays gives supporters a sense of security that he has the answers
          • Logos
            • Cites issues, proposes simple solution: remove the situation, regardless of how well his propositions actually fit American values
          • Style and tone
            • Rant…says what people want to hear about being displeased with current nation
          • Conclusion
            • Not justifying his actions, but so much is lost and missed because of what else he says
            • We forget that politics revolves around rhetoric
            • Rhetoric of campaigns is so fascinating because so much goes into it, yet is so simple very often
            • Regardless, it is effective, show through the support he has generated and overall national attention, good or bad
            • We are all voting for the first time and our future is in our hands, so he is also speaking to us
            • In effect calling to vote and be a part of the nation’s renaissance that he believes he can bring
            • Making America Great Again is our duty, regardless of how we feel that we should do itàBeing civic

The Circle Blog 2

Data and privacy are inversely correlated entities. Both are important in any society and both also have their strengths and weaknesses, which more often than not, are in conflict with each other. The Circle demonstrates how the tradeoff between the two allows for both the positive and negative consequences that arise from increasing or decreasing one or the other.

The surplus of data online in the novel is meant to aid society as a whole by improving lines of communication and catering to individuals in better ways by gathering information about people’s preferences, experiences, and lives. All of this information is readily available in one spot on the Internet: their Circle accounts.

There are advantages to having so much data organized and readily accessible, such as in SeeChange’s design to reduce crime and to give surfers updates on the tides for the day. However, users have to be willing to forfeit their rights to any sort of privacy, which Mae experiences when that same SeeChange technology catches her “stealing” a kayak.

Complete privacy though also has its drawbacks.

While most people enjoy the protection of personal information, it is not completely desirable, as shown through Mercer’s opposition to modern business and technology. The Internet enables people around the world to share information, and though they sacrifice certain aspects of their individual privacy, it promotes the connectivity of humanity. Mercer’s frustration with Mae publicizing his business demonstrates how people opposed to progress can in effect, stagnate and be left behind in an evolving world.

The idea of all this readily available information where privacy does not exist is quite utopian. In a perfect world, there should be no need for privacy, which the novel expresses through civilian arguments against government leaders who don’t want to “go clear.” However, as shown time and time again throughout our history, utopia is unattainable.

Ethical or not, and even with the benefits that abundant data provides, there will always be reasons for privacy on multiple levels. Whether it be lawmakers choosing to keep certain confidential information from citizens or a person not wanting a future potential relationship partner to have a comprehensive perspective of him or her prior to meeting, not all that happens needs to be known.

People have to make the decision between the innovative prospects of readily available personal data and the satisfying comforts of privacy on case-by-case scenarios. Sure, there are times when privacy protects us and when ignorance truly is bliss, but there are also times when we want to take advantage of the information available to us. Because of these varying circumstances, as a culture, we shouldn’t be completely invested in one or the other. The Circle portrays the dangers of a world lacking any privacy.

Conversely though, a world of complete privacy is also dangerous. It is uneducated and isolated.

As a society, we just need to understand that there is a tradeoff between privacy and data and accept the advantages and disadvantages that they both pose. The system will never be perfect but we as a people hold the power to determine our fates and the extents of our privacies.

Civic Artifact Essay and Rhetorical Analysis Speech Idea

donald-trump-for-president-2016-make-americaI plan on analyzing the rhetoric of Donald Trump’s infamously polarizing campaign slogan in my civic artifact speech and rhetoric analysis essay. “Make America Great Again” is so simple, yet there is so much packed into those four words, from the rudimentary focus of Trump’s speeches to a call to citizens to be civic, something we have thoroughly dissected in the first four weeks of this class. The civic artifact speech will study how such a simple slogan has become so 6359712857427363911155185075_makeamericagreatagainmeaningful to so many Americans for various reasons, good or bad. In the rhetorical analysis essay, I want to compare Trump’s use of the slogan with Ronald Reagan’s very similar use of the same words and potentially other presidential nominees calling for a return to greatness in America. Another potential comparison I could address in the essay would be #MAGA with some of the criticism it has faced, rs-189998-18692_lgsuch as at the Democratic National Convention or in the media, much like how Aja Romano did in the sorority article that we read in class. Neither the speech nor the essay will take a political stance in support or in opposition. I will simply analyze his effective use of rhetoric that has drawn both heavy support and heavy publicity, whether positive or negative, throughout the country.

 

 

 

 

The Circle Blog 1

The Circle begins with Mae’s initial reaction to her new company’s campus: “My God…It’s heaven,” a feeling of awe analogous to what many newly baptized Penn Staters experience in their fledgling days on campus, whether that be marveling at modern architectural feats like the Millennium Science Complex and the Life Science Bridge, venturing down College Ave. and seeing every possible  type of restaurant and clothing store all 0b8509a5e60ee3e692d96bb64773daafbunched together, getting their first whiff of the fresh dairy at The Creamery, or walking through the turnstiles and into Beaver Stadium for the very first time.

Like the Circle’s campus, University Park is an oasis, radiating with man-made beauty and filled with seemingly endless opportunities for activity and fulfillment. Even though Penn State is not an overbearing and controlling corporation like the Circle, the two institutions share similarities much deeper than just their physical appearances and channels for involvement.

Community is a premier value at both the Circle and Penn State. Circlers a deep bond with each other and the brand that they must represent. This relationship is very similar to the connection that past and present Penn Staters share and that can be summoned by a simple “We Are” chant in places all over the world. The way Mae is warmly welcomed by Circlers like Denise and Josiah is very similar to the way that new students are greeted with open arms at NSO and Welcome Week by students, professors, and locals who are strangers, yet connected to them through a shared passion for Penn State.

creameryclintonWhen Annie gives Mae a brief history of The Circle, I wasreminded of the ways Penn Staters treasure their schools’ history and all of its nuances, from Erwin Mueller being the first person ever to see the atom at the Osmond Laboratory to Bill Clinton being the only person ever to be served two flavors together at The Creamery. The admiration that Annie and her co-workers pay to The Three Wise Men parallels the endearment that Penn State has to its own influential leaders, such as William Atherton, Milton S. Eisenhower, and Joe Paterno, who are all 010716-cfb-joe-paterno-pi-mp-vresize-335-220-high-55deceased yet immortalized around campus in students’ hearts and buildings’ names.

On top of being leading institutions in their respective fields, both the Circle and Penn State are thriving communities driven by a rich culture embodied by its individuals. The reasons both places are
so successful are the passion that its constituents have and the commitment that they have to each other as members of one community.

AJC

The True Value of Social Media

           Last Saturday, after spending the day away from my phone while volunteering at the Fresh Start Day of Service, I sat in my dorm room and checked my social media accounts, which I had been cut off from all day. Scanning through the various Snapchat stories posted while I was “off the grid,” I was surprised to see that my dad had posted one. Curiously, I opened the story and was even more surprised to see the first image. A picture featuring a geotag from Camden, NJ.

            “What is he doing in Camden of all places?” I thought to myself.

          The following posts were videos of Jimmy Buffett singing some of my family’s favorite songs in front of a raucous and inebriated crowd. While I had not talked to parents all day, suddenly, I was updated on their lives and felt a part of the moment, 196 miles away in State College.

           This is the power of social media.

            Although I would much rather keep tabs on my parents’ new lives as empty nesters through actual conversations over the phone, this instance showed me the changing scope of our culture, where social media connects people in so many more ways than we give it credit for doing. On top of the shifting nature of modern communication, what made this experience so intriguing was how my father, who is 52 years old, documented and shared his night with the same social media platform that my friends and I use daily. In spite of differences in age, nationality, race, and socioeconomic status, social media is a universal tool that has the power to connect anyone who has a WiFi signal to worlds that seem so foreign, yet are just a mere click of the iPhone away.

            I am devoting this passion blog to the world of social media, that is so often overlooked and undervalued. Social media serves purposes deep than whining on Twitter or posting videos of a concert. Each week for the rest of the semester, I will highlight just a few of the infinite unique ways that social media is relevant to the real world in business, politics, journalism, humanitarian work, and most importantly our ever-developing society.

AJC