Friday, January 16 2008
January 10, 2009
Today’s Agenda:
1) Journal Entry: (10 Minutes)
2) Now that you have identified some specific kinds of arguments that fit within certain categories of argumentation, we are going to get a little more specific. You will now write a 1.5 page journal entry on specific kinds of arguments you encounter on a day-to-day basis. Remember that the book tells you that just about anything can be an argument as long as it is attempting to lead you towards some kind of truth. Identify some arguments you encounter on a day-to-day basis. What kinds of arguments are they? What are the arguments about? How much attention do you pay to these arguments? Be as specific as you can be. This journal entry is to be 1.5 pages long, and you are to focus on NO MORE than THREE separate arguments.
3) Group Discussion (5 Minutes)
4) Class Discussion of journal entry and group work (5 Minutes)
So, we have spent some time informally summarizing a few arguments over the past 48 hours. This kind of thinking can be very useful for considering the general arguments that you encounter on a day-to-day basis.
However, we also need to be able to summarize academic arguments IN writing.
We are going to learn a tool for doing that today. This tool is one that you will work on over the next two weeks.
We are going to be writing summarizes of formal, or academic, arguments.
There is a new vocabulary word you will need to know in order to do this. The word is “précis” (pronounced pray-see).
We write a précis to summarize moderately complex arguments for people who will not, themselves, be reading the entire argument. Being able to write a précis is an extremely useful professional skill:
- Break down complex ideas into their rhetorical components
- Demonstrate your clear understanding and mastery of a text
- Create useful documents for disseminating ideas within the workplace
There are other benefits, which will become more apparent to you as we work through this part of unit one.
The Précis (Pray-SEE)
There are three simple parts to a Précis.
The point of a précis is to lay out an argument for an audience who needs to know about the argument without reading the entire ten, twelve or twenty page document. We have to inform the audience on the argument without “dumbing it down” or oversimplifying it!
To write a précis, you will need to incorporate direct quotations from an article to express those points that are better articulated by the author than you yourself could articulate them. You will sometimes need to use words in quotes to emphasize the author’s original tone. It is hugely important to show an author’s bias without commenting on it and editorializing, without using “I” anywhere in this piece.
You will need to paraphrase quite a bit in this document, and can expect to use phrases like “according to….” or “X claims” every couple of lines. The point here is to report on the author’s thoughts and comments, and to leave your own opinions at the door (there will be time enough for voicing your opinions in the future).
The three parts of the précis: Situation, Issue, Thesis
*Each section should be titled as such. This is okay in a précis.
Situation
- The very beginning of your précis.
- It should lay out what the audience needs to know about the author, the full title (including subtitle), and whatever publication info you have in MLA style (except for the author’s name which should be done first name first).
- Next, you need to establish the basic context for the writing: who is writing it (what do we know about the author and or his or her position, profession etc), to whom are they addressing the piece (audience), when was it written, and whether there is any particular EVENT that has driven this response. Some arguments may have this, some may not. You can expect to take the better part of a paragraph to convey this information.
- SITUATE the writing for an audience who WILL NOT READ THE FULL ARTICLE. What general information do they need to know about it?
Section II
Issue
- The author may use technical jargon or academic lingo in the argument. You need to begin your ISSUE section by defining these terms for the reader. Clarify for the ready any terms or phrases you think may cause him or her difficulty.
- Lay out the basic questions that the author addresses (NOT the answers).
- END WITH THE MAJOR ISSUE QUESTION. The major issue question is the question the author attempts to answer with his or her thesis.
Section III
Thesis
- Thesis section. This is where the THESIS appears (the answer to the major issue question.)
- It is also where the other claims and evidence for those claims (as well as the major claim) will appear.
- This is the lion’s share of the précis.
Homework for Monday:
1) Write a précis for:
“Those Unnerving Ads Using ‘Real’ Women” - Meghan Daum 6 1 8
I also want you to print off three copies and bring them to class, so we can examine them in groups.
Read:
“Arguments from the Heart: Pathos“. Readings: Required 45-59
Write a 1.5 page blog post on the following topic:
Clearly identify and describe in detail a pathos-based argument that you have encountered recently. What was the argument? How was the argument designed to appeal to your emotions? Did this appeal work? If so, why? If not, why not?
[...] Friday, January 16 [...]
My day begins when my alarm clock sounds, arguing that I should get out of bed. The alarm is telling me to wake up. This is an argument because the alarm is telling me to do something, whether or not I decide to comply with the alarm, or press the snooze button is my own decision. One could argue that the alarm clock would be an argument to inform, another could say it would be an argument to make a decision. I think that the alarm could be both. At first the alarm is an argument to inform me of the time and that I need to wake up. However, the alarm also leads me to make an argument that will lead to a decision. I need to decide whether I will wake up or if I will press the snooze button. Another argument that I encounter is road signs on my way to school. A stop sign is arguing with me to stop. This argument is one that leads to a decision. I need to make the choice to stop my car, or do a casual slow down, “rolling stop”. I normally completely stop at stop signs unless I’m in a hurry. The third argument that I can specifically say happened today, was with two of my friends. One of my friends invited me to drive to Portland with her tonight to visit her brother. The other friend invited me to hang out with her and a group of friends at her boyfriends house. I would love to do either one of those things. I needed to make the decision on which I was going to do, since I could not do both. The friend driving to Portland argued that she would really enjoy my company on the drive down, and way back. The other friend argued that hanging out with a group of people would be a lot more fun. I made the choice to go to Portland since that friend had asked me first. My friends used arguments to persuade.
1/17/09
R&C II
“Pathos” Arguments
Many people use “pathos” based arguments to really get inside of the audience that they are presenting to. These arguments can make the audience sympathize with the ideas the writer portrays, realize how others effect who they are, make them hate another, sway them to imagine suffering, and make the audience feel as though everything is good. All of these examples affect people through an emotional stand point. Probably one of the most common “pathos” based arguments that most everyone has encountered growing up and playing sports is when your coach makes you hate the other team, and in return making you want to rally against them. When I played basketball our coach was just like this, saying things to make us want to win even more. Through “pathos” based arguments my teammates and I were ready to defeat our unworthy opponents.
During our basketball season we had a great many opponents that we felt we could beat, but some on the team did not believe. This was until our coach before every game we played would give us the edge that we needed to win. He would remind us of our strengths and where we always played better over our opponent. He would always say how much harder we work than the other team, and how we deserve the win more than our opponents do. This was not only to get us pumped up and ready to play, but also getting us ready to go out there and have the confidence that we needed to win. Our coach’s emotions to win the game rubbed off on to everyone. It did not matter if they seemed stronger; our coach would make it seem as if they had never played the game before giving us even more confidence than ever. This is how “pathos” arguments are suppose to work; giving us evidence that made us discover a truth within ourselves. Portraying a side of us that we knew existed, but never had the chance to discover until then. Our coach’s appeal to make us over come our opponent had a very positive effect on our performance. All of our coach’s enthusiasm, spirit, will to win, and the confidence that he had in us was there for the taking all the time, but we just did not have the ability to see this until his emotional argument about the way we play.
Throughout the course of my life there have been many emotional arguments over every aspect of life, from saving the polar bear, to starving children in Africa. All of these arguments hit a note within you that connects with you on an emotional level. It does not matter if the argument is over something small like an opponent of a basketball game, or over a huge spectrum like an opponent in a war. At the core of these arguments lies a specific unit and that unit is “pathos”. For me the one argument that I will always remember was from basketball. Another very common “pathos” argument that we encounter almost every day could be photographs that show different kinds of animals or children in hard times telling you to contribute in some way so you could help them. Something as simple as a picture and be an emotional appeal.
In April of 2008 I was asked to play in the Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl, a benefit all-star football game for the Kora Temple Shriners children’s hospitals all across the country. One Saturday morning I had to wake up at 5:30 a.m. to be at the Kora temple for a pre camp meeting. The meeting was a lunch-in with the people who help put on the game and a special guest. The meeting was mainly to discuss the fundraising that you had to do to participate in the game. After they explained in detail just how much money you had to raise and the perks of exceeding that goal, they bought the pathos into mix. They told a story of little boy named Timmy who had at a very young age had to go through many life altering surgeries. They told us how Timmy’s parents didn’t have the money to get him the medical attention that he needed to save his life, but the Shriner’s Children’s hospitals took him in and got all the medical treatment he need for free. Timmy was blinded for one of his surgeries and continued to do normal childhood activities such as soccer, and his passion in life singing. With everyone still waiting for the special guest to arrive the room went dark and singing stated to be broadcasted out into the room. It was Timmy coming to perform for us and tell us just how great it was for use to be doing the fundraising for the children’s hospitals so all the less fortunate children could still receive adequate health care services.
This argument that the Shriners and Timmy both were making grabbed everyone’s attention. The emotions that were in that room I had never felt anywhere else before. That miraculous story about Timmy and the help the children’s hospitals were able to give him, made me want to get out and raise all the money I possible could. Just to know that someone’s child may live to see there graduation who may not have if it wasn’t for the money we raised to help them. The whole presentation and build up of story was well executed. They told a very personal story that had lots of heart wrench and with extreme triumph that reached out and grabbed the hearts of everyone in the audience.
I would say that this example of pathos worked very well. It was textbook they used emotion to connect with the audience to pursade us to raise a set amount of money that was to help pay for health care for children in need, and did a great job doing so. It probably worked so well because Timmy the child they told stories about was actually present. It may not have brought out the same emotion in everyone if he wasn’t. The energy that kid brought to the room was amazing even though he was blind and had trouble walking; he had a tremendous positive out look on life.
Pathos arguments
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of an emotional argument is an experience that turned out to be the biggest changing point in my life. Almost immediately after becoming settled in my new high school as a freshman, my parents told me that they were looking for jobs outside of Fryeburg. At first, my reaction was that it was no big deal; living in a small town, like Fryeburg, many of my friends’ parents were forced to find jobs that required a little commuting. As soon as I processed this thought, they informed me that by outside of Fryeburg, they meant Florida. I was absolutely devastated. After begging them to wait until my graduation with no avail, they promised that they would at least let me finish out the year.
A few weeks later, we made a family trip to Florida so that we could see the town as well as the new private school where my parents would both work and where my brother and I would study. After living in Maine all of our lives, my brother and I were easily convinced after looking at the surface of all of it. When we started looking at the house we would live in, we were sold. I was filled with the promises of our own swimming pool, as well as my own wing of the house, let alone my own bathroom. All of these luxuries were ones I had never even dreamed of. Finishing out my freshman year in Fryeburg soon turned into finishing out the semester, which then turned into finishing out the month. Before I knew it, my whole life was in boxes and I was left standing in the driveway saying goodbye to everything I knew. Everything had moved so quickly that I didn’t even get a chance to think about what I would be missing.
My dad drove down with our car, golden retriever and pet hamster while my mom, my brother and I flew down with our terrified cat. When we arrived, all the drawbacks of moving were suddenly presented. Our moving company had been in a bad accident and we were left in an empty house with nothing but air mattresses that we had picked up. We quickly learned how much we took for granted the tiniest things, such as chairs. To add to our problems, we found out that our school required uniforms.
Eventually, we realized that we were Mainers at heart, especially after spending Christmas at Cinderella’s Castle because we had no family to visit. My parents started looking for jobs back in Maine and we soon left our luxury life behind. Even though I was persuaded more by the benefits of moving rather than the emotional side, I was still faced with consequential emotions that followed.
Amanda P.
January 18, 2009
Homework #2
Pathos Arguments
Arguments from the heart also called “Pathos” are used to persuade audiences by arousing their emotions. “Emotional appeals are powerful tools for influencing what people think and believe. We all make decisions, even important ones, based on our feelings” (Lunsford, 46). On the television and in advertisements in magazines and newspapers you will see these ads that will trigger emotional feelings because there is something in your heart that feels for the people in the advertisement.
The most common advertisement that always makes me feel sad is when you see the Save the Children foundation commercial on TV or their advertisement in a magazine. The pictures that they pick to put on there are really sad; I couldn’t imagine how many small children are like that. I feel so bad for them. So when I was in high school we had this idea of helping a little child out by sponsoring him. I was getting confirmed into my church in my hometown, it was a two year process and then after the second year you will be a confirmed member of the church. One of our things that we wanted to do as a class was to sponsor a little child in need from the Save the Children foundation. We all felt emotionally attached to these commercials on TV and wanted to do something to give to charity, to help out another life in need. We could have just given a donation to the charity as a whole or we could have sponsored an individual child. We picked an individual child; it was 28 dollars a month. As a group of six we sponsored a little boy, he lived in Africa, we would write to him every class which was on the weekends and send him little things that would help him out. For example, we would give him children’s books so he and his family could help him read and write and some everyday necessities. With the money that we gave every month in sponsoring the child we made him healthier, he could go to the doctors and his family could feed him because he was under fed and you could see his bones clearly under his skin. So seeing those ads on TV and in the magazines for Save the Children Foundation, made us all feel persuaded to help out, to make a difference. We were emotionally attached; we had an argument from the heart. After we wrote him letters we got back a letter from him saying that he was grateful that we were helping him out and that he is doing much better now. We got new photos from the Save the Children foundation. He looked 100 % better than he did when we got the first photo when we started to sponsor him. So our group kept up with this boy for two years and watched him progress and then later church groups took it on after us. So to this day we are still sponsoring a child. As a group we made a difference in the world. We helped out someone in need and saved a life.
The biggest argument I have encountered recently is why am I in college? It’s not that I always like to think about it; it’s that my professors have been repeatedly stressing the question to me. The question though can leave me arguing with myself for days though, and I only no basic goals that I intend to get to. Through statistics and common knowledge though, I realize that I can be better off in life with a college education then without one.
My teachers bring these pathos to me very easily. Whatever they say about going to school and the college experience is easy for me to relate to through feelings because I’m currently living the college life and trying to figure it all out. These feelings make it easy for me to start thinking about the argument I’m in with myself. Is my life going to work out attending school, or am I just wasting time and money? Do I need to be here or can I get to the same spot I’m going to get in life without college? These feelings bring uneasiness but at the same time I see why my professors want me to think about it.
A lot of arguments can go on forever and this is one I can only wait and see, and time will tell. I will never know what could have happened if I never came to college so my battle needs to be won with the satisfaction of completing college. I have really strong feelings about these thoughts because really it’s my future.
This question to myself “why am I here” also brings a whole new argument with myself. I mean sure I know the basics of I’m here to get an education to better my success in life hopefully. The question though hit me in a different way other then education itself. It made me think about the other big picture that comes with college and that’s starting your life. It made me realize that Maine isn’t where I want to be starting my life away from all family and friends and really there is nothing to make up for that fact.
For me to just figure out where I want to be graduating is really impossible for me. I know I want to finish school and that’s about it. I have a pretty good trip to do that goal though and need to figure out what it is I exactly want out of my college experience. That’s where this reading has helped me realize one decision I need to just go with my feelings and figure it out from my heart.
Arguments from the heart also called “Pathos” are used to persuade audiences by arousing their emotions. “Emotional appeals are powerful tools for influencing what people think and believe. We all make decisions, even important ones, based on our feelings” (Lunsford, 46). On the television and in advertisements in magazines and newspapers you will see these ads that will trigger emotional feelings because there is something in your heart that feels for the people in the advertisement.
The most common advertisement that always makes me feel sad is when you see the Save the Children foundation commercial on TV or their advertisement in a magazine. The pictures that they pick to put on there are really sad; I couldn’t imagine how many small children are like that. I feel so bad for them. So when I was in high school we had this idea of helping a little child out by sponsoring him. I was getting confirmed into my church in my hometown, it was a two year process and then after the second year you will be a confirmed member of the church. One of our things that we wanted to do as a class was to sponsor a little child in need from the Save the Children foundation. We all felt emotionally attached to these commercials on TV and wanted to do something to give to charity, to help out another life in need. We could have just given a donation to the charity as a whole or we could have sponsored an individual child. We picked an individual child; it was 28 dollars a month. As a group of six we sponsored a little boy, he lived in Africa, we would write to him every class which was on the weekends and send him little things that would help him out. For example, we would give him children’s books so he and his family could help him read and write and some everyday necessities. With the money that we gave every month in sponsoring the child we made him healthier, he could go to the doctors and his family could feed him because he was under fed and you could see his bones clearly under his skin. So seeing those ads on TV and in the magazines for Save the Children Foundation, made us all feel persuaded to help out, to make a difference. We were emotionally attached; we had an argument from the heart. After we wrote him letters we got back a letter from him saying that he was grateful that we were helping him out and that he is doing much better now. We got new photos from the Save the Children foundation. He looked 100 % better than he did when we got the first photo when we started to sponsor him. So our group kept up with this boy for two years and watched him progress and then later church groups took it on after us. So to this day we are still sponsoring a child. As a group we made a difference in the world. We helped out someone in need and saved a life.
“Built Ford tough” is what came to my mind when reading the final pages of the reading assignment. When I see the Ford’s truck advertisements on TV they make it look like their trucks are indestructible. They know the most important thing to customers purchasing a truck is reliability and power. Ford uses this to their advantage; they show you customers pushing their trucks to the maximum dropping huge amounts concrete in their beds and driving them off-road and in extreme conditions.
Ford is arguing that they have the toughest, most durable trucks on the market. They interview customers that own a ford truck the customers talk about how happy they are with their purchases. These advertisements are aimed at men, in particularly men that work labor intense jobs. They put the idea out that Americans need a tough truck that can stand up to the elements of our country. It is obvious who they are targeting when you watch the commercial, it is always men driving and talking about their trucks.
At the end of the commercial they drop the Ford emblem on the ground and the ground cracks, leaving the emblem perfectly intact. They want the view to think that they will be viewed as tougher or manlier if they drive a big Ford truck. They also make their audience think that it’s the American way of life. Many of the commercials are filmed out in the west with wide open, tough terrain behind them. They put the idea out there that if you live in America and need a truck a Ford truck is the one you need.
This “Built Ford Tough” slogan has defiantly worked for ford. The reason it works so well is the people they interview are “normal” everyday workers. They use and abuse their trucks like the typical young American male and they are proud to own a Ford truck. Another reason it has worked well is because everyone that watches TV has seen a Ford truck commercial and if they haven’t they have seen one of their advertisements in a magazine. Ford puts a lot into advertising to make sure their product are heard of. Their thought being that when you go to buy a truck you going to remember the commercial and therefore buy a Ford truck. This has some truth to it, only if the customer knows they want a truck and don’t know which brand. They will at least go to a Ford dealer and test drive one of their trucks before they buy another brand.
Almost all car makers use these same advertising techniques, for Chevy’s truck commercial they use the slogan “Like a Rock”. This implies the same idea strong powerful, and indestructible. Every major company has a slogan; there is a reason for this. The reason being if they hear it enough and associate it with a brand, when they go to purchase a product they think of the slogan (ex. “Like a Rock”) and then want to try that product. The commercials by automakers are not intended to make you get out of your seat and go buy one right then and there. That would be near impossible to inspire someone that much to go buy a truck that cost $30,000 when they have a perfectly fine one in their driveway. The point by displaying the advertisements a lot is when they do go to buy a new car in a year or two they will remember the brand name and associate positive thoughts with the name.
Homework
A pathos argument that I have seen recently was one involving Donna Karan. Karan is a fashion designer, whose clothing includes animal fur. I regularly get text messages from Peta (an organization that believes in the rights of animals) A few months ago, Peta sent me a text message informing me of Karan’s animal fur usage including a link to a website that had videos and info about the killing of animals for her clothing. The name of the website was donnakaranbunnybutcher.com. The videos on the site showed violent killings of bunnies, as well as rabbits screaming. The site linked her fashionable clothing to the messy killings of bunnies. The main idea of the site was to show how horrible and sad it is to kill bunnies, and that people should stop supporting Karan since she uses real fur. Watching the videos of the bunnies being killed, screaming, and skinned, it was almost impossible not to feel sick and want to cry. The site urged people to spread the word, and help support them. The site wanted to show people that their pretty hat was once alive, and the animal had to suffer and die for it. Also they urged people to tell Karan to stop using fur, and to not buy her furry clothing. By feeding off of people’s emotions (or those people who could bare to watch the animal killings) Peta made a successful pathos argument. Seeing animals being killed and suffering, really digs emotionally into people. No one wants to watch any animal suffer and die. When Peta adds that these animals are dying so you can wear fur (when faux fur is just as great) makes people feel embarrassed and sad. The website does not exist anymore, because it was so successful. Many people were persuaded by the website, and acted upon it. Karan announced that her new line of clothing would not include fur, and she would continue to be animal friendly. I was greatly affected by the website and argument. It helped modify the opinion I already had on animal rights, and persuade me to try and help and support the cause as much as I could. The argument would not have been as effective if it did not use violent or graphic content. People needed the argument to affect them emotionally for it to matter to them. The websites argument caused me to have strong emotions of sadness, helplessness, and anger. Seeing bunnies killed so people could have stylish clothing made me angry and sad. People that wear and buy real fur probably don’t think much into it. They don’t realize that an animal was killed so they could have a pretty hat. The argument by Peta made an impact on me because it affected me emotionally, thus making the argument a pathos argument.
Jack Hersom
Assignment #2
Pathos Argument
After reading, “Arguments from the Heart: Pathos,” I discovered a new type of argument existed which is the argument to draw emotion. By stimulating the audience and their emotion, different outcomes can be reached which may not have been the same if the information was presented in a dry fashion. Stimulating emotion allows the audience to make possible different decisions on topics due to the fact that they are now making these decisions with their heart rather than logic. Informative arguments such as commercials or magazine ads sometimes touch the emotions of the audience. If these emotions are touched, then the advertisement will truly hit home and persuade the audience in favor of what the advertisement is for.
A Pathos based argument that I recently encountered was a non-smoking adds on television, which presented a young boy who lost his father to smoking. The boy urged smokers to quit and to give their children a chance to be with their kids. This was emotionally appealing to me because although neither of my parents smoke, I have aunts and uncles who do and also have children. I feel like if my aunts and uncles saw this particular commercial they might change their ways and quit smoking, not only for their personal health, but also to be there for their children. This anti-smoking advertisement made me realize that I will never become a smoker because eventually I plan on having children and I want to be there for them unlike the boy’s father in the commercial. The reason why this commercial was so affective was the fact that it seams so real and has an impact on so many people. If the people who see the commercial are not smokers or have parents who are not smokers, then odds are they are still affected because they will either have friends, relatives, or other significant individuals in their life who do smoke. The fact that the commercial is real for such a wide audience of viewers makes the commercial extremely affective.
Pathos based arguments are affective because they have an emotional impact on the audience or viewers. Arguments that tug at the emotions of the intended audience have a direct affect in the decisions they make about the topic and hand. Arguments that are able to gain emotional attention from the audience have a significant impact on the decisions they make; making Pathos based arguments all the more successful.
Pathos appeals can influence our ideas through our emotions. It is a style of expression that can evoke feelings of compassion, anger, or sympathy. Emotional appeals can be used to make a stronger point of view or to establish an emotional reaction that someone can relate to. Because most decisions are based on our feelings, there are many persuasive methods that can manipulate someone’s ideas. Advertisements, political campaigns, and even stories or articles are all tools that influence a person’s emotions either positively or negatively. A pathos-based argument I have encountered recently has been a constant emotional rollercoaster with my mom. Although it is not a picture or story that has influenced me, fighting with her has changed my emotions and ways of thinking. With the decision my parents made to move to Maine from Georgia, it has been a long journey for me because I have had to pick up everything and leave my life behind.
Towards the end of my senior year of high school, I had my future planned exactly the way I wanted it to be. I was accepted into the University of Georgia and had already started planning when I would move to Athens with friends. Not only was I excited to be at UGA with friends and finally be away from my parents, my boyfriend was attending college less than two hours away from me. But all of my plans disappeared when my mom informed me that we were moving to Maine just one week after my high school graduation. I had about three weeks to choose a college I had never even seen or heard of. Because I was so distressed about the situation, I did not even bother to apply to any of the colleges my parents told me about. I remember coming home from school one day to my mom asking me to look over the application she had filled out for me to attend Husson College. It was then that I broke down and finally realized that everything I had ever wanted was just a dream. I got accepted to Husson and moved to Maine two weeks later.
Ever since I was dragged up here for college, it has been an ongoing emotional battle with my mom, friends, and boyfriend. I rarely ever talk with my friends from Georgia because they are all at school and living their life the way they want to, not how their parents want them to. My boyfriend and I try to see each other as much as possible. My mom just does not understand that we want to make our relationship work and always wonders why he flies up to see me every month. This ongoing argument with my mom has altered my thoughts and feelings towards her, which is why we do not get along anymore. She made the decision to bring me up here and is starting to finally realize how this change has influenced my emotions negatively of the relationship we have as mother and daughter. This argument that we continually experience is an example of pathos and the negative effects it can have on a person and their emotions.
Arguments from the Heart: “Pathos”
“Pathos” is used to catch your eye with powerful words, pictures, and tools that spark an emotional appeal influencing what we believe and feel. Most decisions are made with emotions or impulses because of the impression that was left on us. You see it in magazines, books, T.V., movies and much more. Sometimes you find yourself mesmerized by all these emotions you are feeling especially when it “hits the right note” (Lunsford, 47). There was one particular day that left me speechless.
It was one day before graduation and the auditorium was filled with excited buzzes about what life was going to be like out of high school. Shortly after all the seniors arrived matching practice began for the very last time, and something just didn’t feel right. Our beloved principal slowly walked to the front of the stage and began. The auditorium was pin drop silent, and I could feel the anticipation building. “Class of 2008 I regret to inform you some of your fellow classmates have been in an awful car accident, but the good news is they all survived. These young men are extremely lucky to be alive today, with one day left before graduation. Ladies and gentlemen please make wise decisions these next few days, because I want to see all 208 of your smiling faces on graduation day. Making rash decisions, being reckless, and not thinking could cost you your life like it almost did to your classmates.” I could remember his words so clearly in my mind, and I was taken back. Everything he was saying was true, and yet whether he knew it or not that day had a profound effect on all of our lives. He began again by saying, “never take life for granted, for life is way too short. We had someone tow their car here, to the high school parking lot to show you just how lucky these gentlemen were.” Marching practice was quiet that day, and no one really realized how lucky they were until they saw the car. I couldn’t believe that anyone survived because it looked like an accordion and the hood was mangled and standing upright. The whole front of the car was smashed in, and glass was scattered everywhere inside the car. With barely any room to move inside, and the air bag was imploded it had such an emotional impact on every senior in my class. It sent chills down my spine, and it made me sick to my stomach. From that day on I have been nothing but careful when driving; cars are like weapons don’t fool around. This was a devastating event that influenced me and my friends greatly, it had a profound connection with my emotions and I felt relieve yet thankful for my classmates. Something as scary as a car crash can really have an emotional appeal to our thoughts and beliefs; this is called path
Many people when they speak try to use emotions to influence people to think and believe in what they are trying to say. These are called “pathos”, emotional appeals. All people make decisions based on their emotions. A pathos argument I came across was during my senior year. One day we had an assembly for the entire senior class, one of those public speakers that usually come in at least once a year just to talk to you about different things. This public speaker though was dear to all our hearts because she was a girl that was killed by a drunk driver in Rhode Island which is where I live. The speakers were the girl that died parents and her best friend that was in the car with her the time of the accident who also lost her mom in that accident too. Katie was the girl’s name that died and her parents and Katie’s best friend told the story of her death. Katie was hanging out and sleeping over at her best friend house and Katie, her best friend and her best friend’s mom decided to go out. They went out and it was Katie’s best friend’s mom driving, Katie’s best friend in the passenger seat and Katie behind the passenger seat in the back. They were driving on the highway minding their own business. Katie’s best friend asked Katie if she could move her seat to behind the driver so they could see each other better and talk easier, so she did. Katie’s car was hit from behind by a guy who was drunk trying to pick up his cigarette that had fallen on the ground that lost control of his car and smashed into Katie’s car. Katie’s best friend’s mom lost control of the car and it ended up going down the median, up the other side of the median, into oncoming traffic on the other side of the highway. The cars could stop in time and smashed into Katie’s car where Katie and Katie’s best friend’s mom died instantly and Katie’s best friend was the only survivor. To hear this story period was heart wrenching, it was so sad that such a young and nice girl was killed for no reason. What was so painful about this speech was hearing her parents talk about it and see them cry in front of my senior class. It broke your heart to see them in so much pain, you just felt like crying with them. Not only did just Katie’s parents speak, Katie’s best friend spoke also. She spoke about how she felt about what happened and her side of the story. Though it was the same she had many different feelings that were inside of her. She lost her best friend and her mom all in one night. She told us that she often asked herself why didn’t she die, how come her life was spared? She even sometimes wished that it could have been her and not Katie. Another emotion that was running through her was hatred, hatred at the guy that crashed into them and hatred toward the people that were giving Katie, her dead best friend, all the attention. She screamed at us you know my mom died to. “Why didn’t it seem like any one cared about that”, she said. It was all the emotion that was put into this speech that made it a good pathos argument. They cried, laughed, showed pictures of the accident, showed a video of a reenactment of the crash, they did everything to make you feel what they felt and to put you in their shoes. They were trying to get their point across to not drink and drive and to show how you can destroy someone’s life and hurt a family.
This speech definitely was effective it taught you something, to not drink and drive. The emotions during this speech made you feel connected to the family. You could have cried with them. So yes I definitely think that this emotional appeal worked one hundred percent. The seniors were so shocked and into the presentation that in the auditorium where the speech was held you could hear a pin drop that’s how quite it was. The reason why I think it work was because everyone could relate with death and everyone could feel their pain and so because we felt for the family and felt attached it made the speech more real.
Sherry C
Arguments From The Heart Pathos
The most recent emotional argument that I have come across would probably be an article that I was reading about the arguments against cloning. The author was arguing that clones have an extremely high chance for ending up with genetic abnormalities such as physical deformities or mental issues. There is also a direct link between cloning and shortened life spans. Cloning would also cause limited genetic diversity and eventually, in theory, an entire generation could be wiped out by a single disease. The author showed pictures of deformed mice, cows, sheep, dogs and numerous other animals. These pictures were very graphic in nature making them hard to look at. The author argued that with so much going on in the world around us and with so many animals already on this planet that already need our help, how can we in good conscience bring to life more animals with problems, instead of helping the ones that are already here? The author also worries that should the cloning be allowed to continue, imagine the problems that it would cause to the family dynamic as it is today ie mother, father, brother, sister, grandparents etc… Imagine the problems that could be caused when a husband sees a exact replica of the woman that he fell in love with 25 years ago. He also states that “Cloning is an attack on the dignity of man. The wonderfully complex and unique design that makes each of us human should be treated with profound awe and respect, not subject to experiments by scientists.” This path could also lead to designer children and organ farms. Cloned children would be mere products of the whims of scientists and the miracle of child birth would be taken away.
The author starts out by giving proven scientific facts that support his arguments that cloning will lead to nothing good in the future. He then leads into the emotional part of his argument by saying that cloning could lead to the destruction of family life and would take away a child’s individuality, therefore causing emotional issues during its extremely shortened lifespan. He puts the picture of a mad scientist into our heads taking away our dignity and adds to the aversion that most people have to doctors and our inherent fear of the unknown, the “what ifs” we all have. In the end he seems to dare us to willingly put a child at huge risk for genetic and mental defects. By doing this he puts a picture of a defenseless child in our heads and predictably our protective instincts rise to the surface and protests this idea.
In the end I believe that the emotional argument is often the best way to state an argument because even with the facts staring us directly in the face, we can be deluded into overlooking them if our emotions are leading us in the other direction.
CBW
Assignment 2-Pathos
“Pathos” refers to how emotional appeal is used to capture an audience in an argument using sympathy to make them see your point of view. It’s a powerful way to manipulate people into thinking in a certain way. Emotion can override people’s decision making in many different ways, using words, sounds, and images which gives them a sense of either feeling sad, angry, excited, and so on. One reason you may want to use emotion to get through to someone is by using anger to think of someone or something as being the enemy.
When I was in high school I played on a lot of sports teams. Every year, no matter what sport I played, everyone hated playing our town and thought of us as rivals, no matter what type of team we were or if we were good or bad at a sport. All of this anger was originally built up from the past too and it was just tradition for them to have grudges on us. It was usually nothing personal on our players though.
In this situation pathos plays a role because the opposing coaches who play us pump their players up into saying that we are the bad guys, and that they need to kill us in any competition played. So then they get all pumped up before the game and try to release it out all on us. They would even try going to the very extent of their emotions and attempt hurt extremely badly during the game, even if it’s just a non-contact sport being played like baseball. In a baseball game they would try to shove us running on the base paths, try to peg our players up to bat, and swear at us on a regular basis.
On the other side of the situation though, it would be the same for us to try to take out a bunch of anger on our opponents too. Just about every coach I played under talked about it and tried to fire us up that way. He would try to argue and use pathos to convince us that we were better that the other team, and that we needed to play to our peak performance to prove it. He’d try to remind us of all the hard work we’ve went through in practices to become that good. He also told us we needed to play as a team, that we needed to focus on the task being challenged, and to not blow all the hard work to get to that certain playoff game. All this was said to us in a screaming fashion too to make sure all of our emotions were intact, and so that he’d know who could perform with the pressure being put on them during the game, and who would break down and have to sit on the bench. All that negative talk made you nervous, but it’s a way to teach and encourage at the same time and grasping your attention by using emotions.
Sometimes though depending on what coach I have, they try to use different methods to get your attention and set you to play the best you could. In a pre-game talk they might try to use a calmer tone of voice so you feel relaxed and they’d try to build your confidence up with more of a positive attitude on things saying that we do well at this and that, that there’s no pressure of beating the other team, and to just have fun.
One popular way that pathos is used is when it is displayed in advertisements. One is those commercials on television which advertise all the homeless and starving children around the globe who are without a home, parents, food and so forth. They use arguments from the heart and try to encourage you to adopt one of these children by trying to make you pity them. They also use sadness and emotion to try to draw you in with the images they show of the starving children, and use an emotional bridge to try to make you understand in depth what kind of situation they are dealing with. All their stories they tell too are tool for drawing us in and understanding their viewpoint,and you can’t help feeling bad for them.
Sitting in my living room going over some school work, I look up to the television when I hear the soft eloquent, semi-depressing music for the mistreated animals at the ASPCA. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals partake in a program to save mistreated animals and try and find them a home with a responsible, loving owner. The advertisement they run on the television strikes strong emotional notes within the public by using melancholy music paired with sad, depressing pictures of sad looking animals behind small cages at the animal shelter. Not only do the shots make the animals look as hopeless as possible, but they also use a differing collection of animals to strike many different examples into your heart.
You may not think that seeing a group of cats and dogs on the television screen would pose much of a threat to stirring up your emotions, but the ASPCA does is in such a way where I felt almost as helpless as watching the commercials for the poor, suffering children in lesser countries. One of the animals, for example, is a small little dog with a droopy, bad eye, clearly due to the mistreatment the pet was given by its previous owner. Seeing these defenseless creatures appeal to my animal loving instincts immediately, and an emotional argument begins within me. I know that I don’t have the money or resources to be able to go down and adopt one of these animals, but at the same time I feel horrible for not doing anything about it myself. As I sit and watch the rest of the ad a woman comes on in a soft, comforting voice pleading with you to do something for these animals. The woman’s pleads are paired with the slideshow of all the animals they have down at the ASPCA, trying to find new places to live.
This type of appeal is directly related to trying to strike into a person’s emotional ties with the world around them. The ASPCA knows that by showing these sad animals, playing the particular music, all combined with the voice of this woman will be a much more effective way to get people down there to adopt an animal. If I had plenty of money and a living quarter where it would be easy to bring a dog home, I myself would have fallen into the emotional trap they laid during this commercial. If it would have worked on me without the resource constraints, I know without a doubt that it must have worked on someone, somewhere. After all, even if the ASPCA gets one person down there to save one animal, that is better than putting one more animal down to sleep because they can’t find them a home. This one commercial has stuck with me for weeks after I have seen it, and that alone shows the real power that an emotional argument can strike into the heart of a tempted person.
Emotional connection is the key to every argument. If you truly want to get someone involved with an argument you need to find something that will affect a person more then just looking at in at continuing on with their life. Some people use emotions in a negative way to make a person feel compelled to contribute to a cause or to get on the losing side of a certain situation. Words or emotion can really affect the way someone holds them selves and can change who they are at any moment. Playing high school football you are suppose to hate your opponent. There is no mutual respect, there are no friends, you are taught to hate the opponent. The best high school coaches are the ones that can properly motivate you finding the emotion that gets you ready to play. Some coaches don’t say anything and you know by this that its time to go. Other coaches scream and holler and actually get you going, were some people just can’t be taken seriously when screaming and hollering.
An argument I have been in the middle of that really changed who I was as a person. When I was a senior in high school I decided to move out of my house. There was probably an argument going around the whole town about me bringing up the question, I could make it or not? This wasn’t the question that was concerning my life at this moment. Yet, the questions that were being posed all around me were one of the issues that would never allow my self to fail. The argument that I faced was if I could ever consider my mom anything more then someone I knew ever again. There was always an argument within my house hold if the lack of ordinance in the home was due to me. If my brothers were miss behaving it was probably because they were following my lead. If stuff wasn’t done around the house to perfection it was probably my fault. So when the opportunity was presented I decided it was time to move on with my life. My mom was very upset by this decision and felt as if I was being a bad person.
The reason I mention this argument within this section is because I have never felt as much hatred towards anyone as I did over the six months I lived elsewhere. My parent’s felt as if I was leaving them hanging, they felt as if I was disrespecting them. I felt as If they never respected me, I felt as if I couldn’t live underneath their roof anymore. This was a lot more emotional then a regular argument because I constantly wondered what was going to come from it all. I was so angry at my mom for just never asking me to come back, yet she would keep saying how it’s my fault. I was able to stay angry and never really care about anything. If I would have been in the right mind set, were emotions weren’t as big of an issue. I would have been able to calm down and come to terms with my mom. Instead I had to wait eight months until neither of us was stubborn anymore. Emotions in arguments are the fuel for a fire. If there were no Pathos based emotions there would be no arguments. No one would feel any pride towards anything.
Andrew Wheeler
Assignment #2
Arguments from the Heart: Pathos
After reading the “Arguments from the Heart: Pathos” story, it made me realize again how many different types of arguments and how they can work. It also made me realize how many different ways there are to deal with or understand arguments and how they tend to work. Most people react certain ways because it is how they are feeling at that certain time, or because it is something they feel strongly for. Some people react with feelings from their heart, which are usually more serious feelings. Some people use their emotions to build strong ties with others, some use emotions to sustain and understand an argument, and some people use humor. These are all special ways to deal with things, and some people can understand situations better because of how they feel.
When I think of a recent argument that I have encountered using pathos, I think of the way a friend of mine was raised. He basically raised himself because he never knew his father, and his mother was an alcoholic who never gave him anything. Although I cannot complain with the way my parents have raised me, because they have done everything they can to help me, I cannot thank them enough. I never paid much attention to how badly my friend was hurt deep inside because he is the type of person to hold everything in, and not express his feelings. Until my sophomore year, when it really started to take a toll on him, he finally let it all out. He expressed how much it hurt him to not have a father-figure in his life; a person to teach him right from wrong, or try to teach him what being a man is about. This made me think about how I never want this to happen to my children. It made me realize how important it truly is to build a solid foundation of love with your children and be there for them to talk about anything, good or bad. I never want to be the type of parent that kids talk about their friends with saying that I am a jerk, or I am not the type of person to talk to, because in my mind, there is nothing above family, and being able to show your love for them at all times.
In conclusion, I believe that pathos based arguments are incredibly important because they deal with every day emotions that can effect people in different ways. They are also important because there are several different ways to express them. You can express them in anger, love, or humor. Three basic traits that every human carries. They have a significant role on how you look at different things, meaning that they carry on with you throughout your entire life. You can never be too young or too old to have a pathos based argument, which make them that much more important.
When I think about a pathos-based argument I have encountered recently I believe it would have to be the fact on whether or not I really want to be here. Something has happened recently in my life that has made me question whether it is all worth it. I know that I want to go to college and be successful but recent events have caused me to think outside of the box. I always wanted the perfect life. A good job, a nice home and a healthy family but is that what I really want? What about just going out there and exploring what this life has to offer. How could I make a difference in this world? What if I just decided to travel and do some odd jobs to get money to survive. I have begun to see many things differently, for instance what is truly important to me. Like do I really need half the objects I possess. I understand the reality is that I need to finish college and work for a while if I wish to really make a difference. I can always use what I learn to work for a company that as a bigger community can have a greater impact in the world. These arguments I have begun to question everyday in my life. I have a choice of how I present myself throughout the day. How I react to the people around me can have a huge impact in my life. Every choice has a consequence good or bad and you just have to learn to live with it and do the best you can.
The definition of pathos is emotional appeals or appeals to the heart. It allows the audience to respond with heartfelt emotions to what the author is writing about. When writing pathos using descriptive language can help paint a picture for readers that lets them connect with what the author has to say. Therefore people are more likely to respond in a certain way when reading a pathos based argument.
When I was younger I was adopted and came to the United States from India. I came to the U.S. in 1992 to New York where my new home was going to be. My real parents gave me up when I was little and I had no clue why. I have no recollection of what they looked like or if I had any brothers or sisters. As I got older I sometimes had arguments going through my head wondering what the reason for giving me up was. Was it they could afford having me? Didn’t want me because I was girl? If my real parent loved me why would they have given me up? When I arrived here I was confused, my surroundings were completely different from what I was used too. I was taught by the people at the orphanage hand gestures so I could communicate with my new parents since I didn’t know a word of English. I had never seen such a place like the United States and everything around me was new and unusual. When I arrived to the airport I was greeted by my family who was light colored compared to me and something that I haven’t really seen before. I was nervous because I was going to be put in the hands of people that I didn’t know and didn’t know my culture. As time went by I eventually learned to speak English pretty soon it came to the point that I didn’t even remember how to speak my native language. It was long before everything that I was taught in India went right out the door and was taken over by a whole new culture.
Having been adopted there are many emotions that appeal to your heart. It’s always kind of awkward when you tell people that you are adopted because you can tell they feel bad for bringing the question where are you from up. They try to make you feel better by saying that’s so cool you were born in another country I wish I was. I’m not saying that I’m not proud to be from India because I am. But in the back of my mind there are always those pondering questions of what my life would be like if I still lived there? Is my family still there and who are they? I plan to go back someday because I don’t really know what the culture is like except from reading or hearing about it.
Pathos based arguments can really touch the hearts of audiences; it allows them to connect with the author and what they have to say. Using descriptive language helps create an image in the reader’s mind which can appeal to their emotions. Pulling the heartstrings of the audience in an pathos based argument can make them connect with you in a whole other way.
Every decision is an argument in some way. Some just happen to appear to be a lot more noticeable and apparent than others. The more detail people pay is greatly reflected on how it strikes their emotions. Certain words, images, smells, feelings will all get people’s attention and instantly there’s some sort of debate going on judging and “feeling up the situation” taking place.
In the business world and job market that’s where I see the most arguments happening. Different people with different lives at some sort of corporation hopefully all trying to reach the same goal, but views on how to get there can cause great disputes. In every decision in the business world there has to be a motive and the list of necessary steps or plans on how to reach the goal. With peoples interests and what they think the correct view or plan is could very easily not be. During these preparations for the final plan I can only imagine it gets pretty hostile if everybody isn’t on the same page, especially if there’s good money involved.
I can relate to the process without money involved and it still can be very hard to reach a decision with people sometimes. A good example I can think of is as simple as trying to figure out where I would want to spend a couple hours fishing before the sun goes down. Well I don’t fish all by myself and I don’t want to bring someone to a spot where we don’t catch nothing so I try to negotiate on fishing holes till were both content with a spot.
This decision is met purely on agreement and there are no guarantees that we will catch anything during the adventure at all. So I get there and 10 minutes I don’t have a bite and I’m already feeling uneasiness with the decision I made. Was there somewhere better? Where should I go? Maybe I just need to give it longer. All ready I’m arguing with myself and all I’m doing is fishing. Then there’s another set of questions to myself such as am I using the right bait? Am I in the right spot? Do I need to move?
I do see the everyday arguments it’s just what catches people’s attention the most that makes them stop to analyze how their thinking about the subject. I realize a lot of arguments will be untold and never be able to know what the final outcome should be and if there is one what could have happened the other way.