AOW 20

2012 State of the Union Address
(first 15 minutes)

Barrack Obama
As he is the president, despite any political misgivings the audience may have, Obama’s authority on matters of national policies is indisputable. He was elected by the people to not only be an expert on such policies but also to create them.

Summary:
In an hour, Obama summarizes the accomplishments of 2011 and his plans for the upcoming year of 2012. In the first 15 minutes, he only begins to delve into his plans for controversial topics such as tax breaks and the job market. Primarily, for the entire first ten minutes, he appeals to the audience and gets them riled up.

Analysis:
This is a very critical speech for Obama. His audience, educated future voters who follow and are interested in politics, are also watching the progression of the republican primaries. Obama’s concerns lie not only in national job security, but also in his own in the upcoming election. While this is by no means a campaign speech, it is his chance to show that under his administration the nation has progressed.

The very first thing he does is address his audience, ending with “fellow Americans”. He then embarks on a journey of appeals, beginning with acknowledging the soldiers in and returning from the war. He sings their praises for several minutes and offers them a “proud salute”. He knows these views are most likely shared by all American citizens, for even those that don’t support the war do support those forced to fight it. Obama then, cleverly, incorporates this military into a larger analogy, or hypothetical situation. After mentioning how focused there are on their missions, how they can set aside their differences to work together, he encourages viewers to “imagine” a country that could follow that example. He then supports this with solid evidence, post WWII US. This not only serves to provoke feelings of nationalism but to preserve ethos when he talks about his American grandparents of the time.

We then leap from the flash back to a modern America. Obama utilizes a lot of contrast to show not only how far we’ve come since his administration took office, but also to show how far we can go “As long as I’m president”. He then, very systematically, presents a “blueprint” of his plans for the future, and puts thrusts the fate of America into the voters’ hands.

IRB Final Post

Blink

Malcolm Gladwell

Summary:

Most of the conjectures offered by the book have ended at this point. No new theories, such as the concept of thin slicing, were present in this quarter of section, only support and credibility in the form of anecdotes. Shifting the focus to when these mental processes go wrong, Gladwell begins to offer a new scientific view of a common yet tragic occurrence: when cops kill innocent people. He talks about some famous instances when this occurred, and when it was prevented. Using scientific studies, the results of which have played a crucial role in the development of new police training procedures, he explains how in times of stress the brain begins to focus on one particular threat. As adrenaline pumps time slows down and people become quicker to come to the wrong conclusions. This is yet another real life application which can mean the difference between life and death.

Analysis:

Gladwell offered a lot of fascinating but wild theories backed by solid scientific evidence in the book. By keeping the stories and tone light hearted he was able to prevent it from taking the position of a research paper, but with any such book there is the danger of losing the audience. I believe this portion of the book, serving as a conclusion, was written with the purpose of proving to the audience how much weight the applications of this research carry. The case studies of the police who killed innocent people really served to send the message home. With this new knowledge, people can save lives, not only relationships or the consequences of a bad decision. In the context of this real world example, the science becomes real, and the purpose of the book as a whole is better served. Gladwell very explicitly states that he wants readers to use this knowledge in their lives and careers. I think I will certainly give it a shot.

Rhetorical Devices:

Anecdotes: I said this before, but using this as the chief rhetorical device the author is able to make the book interesting and relatable.
Narration: A good writer, using narration before his stories he draws the reader in and maintains interest throughout the book.
Appeals: Though common, these are what give the science meaning. This is probably what is making his book a best seller.
Dialogue: At the end of the afterward it is almost as if the author is talking with the reader, predicting their responses, and answering them. Though not a straight out dialogue, this makes the reader feel as if they are on a more personal level with the writer.

Unit 3 Reflection

          As we previously grasped in units one and two, society are an integral and prominent part of in individual’s way of life. People tend to gravitate towards a collaborative lifestyle, in which individuals depend on the diverse skills of others to better as a whole. From reading such as The Republic and Allegory of the Cave, we learned that to receive the benefits offered by a society, all people must sacrifice or contribute something. This can be referred to as a social contract, neither binding nor inconsequential. However, the strength of these contracts are directly correlated with the strength of the society which depends on them for support. In this unit, we took this philosophical idea to a world where we may apply it: our world.

          Society is established to benefit the individuals within it, mostly by offering protection and stability. This organization is provided by an institution called a government. However, it is not established to govern the people, rather to serve their interests. By sacrificing some liberties, individuals reap the benefits of such organization. For example, as citizens of America we agree to sacrifice our rights to carry our "illegal" actions, but in return we get the benefits of a safe and stable nation with additional benefits such as public education and health services. As stated in the United States Declaration of Independence, this government should rule by “consent of the governed”.  A democracy is not the only justified system, but it is established “of the people, by the people, for the people” as stated by president Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address. When this contract between the individual citizens and their government fails it becomes time for reform.

          Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence that when it becomes necessary to break the "political bands" than hold a government and the people together, it is our obligation to do so. To maintain a functioning system that benefits not only ourselves but also our society reform is critical. This has been prevalent countless times in  American history. Modeled after this very document, women's activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton's speech in New York clearly demanded reform. The system had failed to serve 50% of the nation's population, and women felt it was their right and their obligation to promote change. Similarly, Martin Luther King Jr. pushed for change during times when the enormous African American population in the US was being oppressed, a sign that the government has begun to fail at its duties. As he said in his famous speech I Have a Dream, "The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges." As part of this society, they deserved to gain and contribute to society. This came with reform.

          As we are privaleged enough to attain this education, it is our obligation to apply it to help others. This was the underlying theme of Allegory of the Cave, which we read earlier in the year, but also became the values upon which this nation was built several centuries after that document. Using our power to improve our society can be done on an national scale, or as implied in John F. Kennedy's inaugural speech, a global scale. This education was given to us by our society, and we in turn must protect our beneficiary by using our knowledge to improve, reform, and develope an ever improving world for ourselves, our neighbors, and the generations to come.

AOW 18

Revenge of theAloof

TIME Magazine

Joe Klein (author)

Longtime Washington D.C. and New York writer, Klein is not only the author of several award winning books such as Primary Colors and Politics Lost, but also has also written articles and book reviews for The New Republic, The New York Times, TIME, and more. He is currently of the Council of Foreign Relations.

Summary

Perhaps the most recent, and followed, news is the upcoming 2012 election. TIME magazine relays news, and this article is about the recent craze about politician Mit Romney, who is hoping to become the next republican candidate. Despite his recent rise in fame and popularity, Klein doesn't seem convinced. He points out that Romney is an elitist, "clunky" when it comes to his campaign, inable to deliver even the most basic statements without a teleprompter, and not nearly as qualified as his recent success has made him out to be.

Analysis:

As stated above, the context is the presidential craze that has begun to sweep the country. The audience, anyone who reads TIME magazine, is just the type of educated and involved group that would  be interested in following the campaigns of the candidates. Whether the purpose of the piece was to sway the audience one way or the other is not clear, as viable alternative to Romney is offered. Despite rather strong language the tone of the writing seemed objective, merely pushing the flaws of the new campaign rather than solely the candidate (this point is actually reiterated by the magazine in many of the following articles... the magazine seems unhappy with the turnout of the primaries)

Rhetorical Devices:

Diction: While this seems to be a common device, in this piece it was utilized extraordinarily (and comically) to emphasize the author's purpose. For example, when describing Romney's public speaking abilities, or lack of, Klein describes his speeches as a "stump speech, a dreadful agglomeration of political cliches".

Citations (logos): Although this writer does not need to build credibility (the magazine says it all) he uses the knowledge that his audience is made of independent and intelligent readers who can make their own conclusions, conclusions he drives them to make with selected soundbytes from the candidates campaign. Through these particular references Romney is represented as arrogant, elite, and a man who greatly lacks finesse.

Prediction: After all the harsh language, Klein finishes with a softer yet condescending tone, where he claims he has "a certain sypathy" for the floundering candidate. One begins to wonder why, which is when the article swiftly concludes with an entirely confident prediction about the upcoming election, and a joke: "Gentlemen, start your teleprompters!"



AOW 17

The Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Howard Gardner

A World of Ideas

Howard Gardner, Hobbs Profesor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, is codirector of Harvard's Project Zero, a program dedicated to imroving education in schools by emphasizing Creativity in thinking and problem solving.

Summary:

Intelligence is not a sweeping term. Although things like standardized tests often accurately predict how well a student may do in a classroom setting, it does not necessarliy reflect success in one's career. Great artists, musicians, and athletes are considered smart in their career, but in the classroom they are often pegged as average, or worse. There are seven main kinds of intelligence: musical, bodily-kinesthetic, logical mathematical, linguistic, spatial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. They are part of a repertoire that we draw from to solve certain problems. They are all independent from one another (brain damage often leads to the loss of one or two, while others are spared). Therefore, traditional IQ tests are inaccurate, as it is often the combination of certain skills that creates the diversity of human ability, rather than just the one intelligence tested for by such exams.   

Analysis:

The book was published, so it is available to a wide audience. However, I believe that the purpose of this writing was to cause reform in education. From what I understand, Project Zero is striving to create a new method/understanding of individual potential. Current standardized tests lack an understanding of how the human brain works, and the influence of our culture and surroundings on the ways we solve problems. Being interested in science, I found this peice not only satisfying but enlightening. It is perfect to put it in a high school/college book as we are being bombarded by standardized tests that I already KNOW mean little to nothing.

Rhetorical Devices:

Hypothetical situation: Several times Gardner proposes that the reader conduct a thought experiment, such as opening our minds away from the context of a classroom. For example, if we went to a concert, wouldn't we consider the musicians geniuses? So why condemn this form of intelligence in the classroom?

Definition: He begins explaining his theory by first defining intelligence. This was critical because before that he spends two pages telling the reader that their view of intelligence is wrong. The passage would have been extremely confusing if he hadn't then explained his definition of the term.

Narration: He begins the fairly complicated passage with a fairly simple scenario, where two boys are taking the same standardized test. This not always serves as an extended hook, but it is relatable as everyone in the audience has been in that position, and felt distressed when their results ended up as "average".

Ethos: Before he launches into his theory, Gardner gathers credibility by saying he got his results by "studies of exceptional populations, data about the evolution of cognition over the millennia, cross-cultural accounts of cognition, psychometric studies..." and the list goes on.

Divide and Conquer (my own term): He physically demonstrates the differences between the different forms of intelligence by completely separating them in his writing. They all get their own section and are not intermingled once.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton Presentation Link

https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dg4k3z6r_55dtjm8zwc

AOW 16

IRB: Blink

Malcolm Gladwell

Summary:

While the basic premise of Gladwell's book has remained constant through the reading, that our subconscience plays an inexplicable yet critical role in our decision making, he introduced a set of new theories in this part of the book. He started by talking about the idea of a hypothetical "closed door" behind which we may never know what goes on, yet must accept and embrace. He then begins to launch primarily into a vast number of fascinating and very different anecdotes. Ranging from American military tactics to medical doctors to car salesmen, he provides examples that offer new meaning to the theories he put forth earlier in the book.

Analysis:

Much like the format of an essay, Gladwell is now providing details and examples to support his points. Part of the reason his writing is so appealing to a wide audience, which I am sure he hopes to expand as much as possible, is its universal appeal. Just as was stated in An Introduction to Rhetoric, the powers of narration are limitless as it "has the advantage of drawing reader in because everybody loves a good story." In this section, it seems that good stories are Gladwells means of maintaining/piquing interest. In regards to his success in achieving this goal, I would say it did the job. I have remained hooked since the beginning of the novel, despite the fact that I was very interesting in the science behind it and not only the anecdotes.

These stories (so far I have read about 7) serve to add credibility to his claims. While they may not be considered entirely outrageous, they certainly may be difficult to believe wholeheartedly at first read. From a variety of contexts, time periods, and sources he maintains one thing constant: relatablity. His references to problems faced by advertisement branches of corporations involved Coca Cola. His salesman approach was told from the view of a car salesman, a person who almost all readers have had some contact with. It pulls the science down to Earth for those people who may not understand, or feel interested in, the brain, but rather in the applications of this new research. In other words, this section, although rather redundant in its rhetorical devices (a lot a short digressing stories) served to answer the much emphasized question, "so what?"