Revision to Paper

Argument in the Everyday Life

To understand how to effectively present an argument in the form of a written language. I asked myself just how does arguments apply to our everyday life? Does it have any bearing to the argument when am I trying to write what I mean? To understand what an argument is in a piece of writing and how it can convey to its audience effectively, my research lead me to the studying  of Rhetoric — which is the study of persuasion in order to effectively speak or write— Making a point is one thing, but making a point that will evoke a response or an emotion is a skill that some may lack. Boyd explains “that choosing how to express your meaning is every bit as important as the message itself.” (2011, 87) Writing is no different, expressing the meaning in an argument is the ability to convey that message to its readers. What is the purpose of the message? How do you want the readers to react once the message has been reached? To better understand Rhetoric, let’s look at how it may tie into our every day events. My long time friend Bombe Lee, a captain of the United States Army, whom I haven’t spoken with since 2010 when he was deployed to Afghanistan as a Platoon Leader and Convoy Commander for 2nd Platoon of the 109th Quartermaster Company had contacted me as he visited back home. I knew that this was an opportunity to not only catch up with him about his life experience in the past 5 years, but to also to explore his writing and how it is being used for in his current position as a captain to make his arguments.

An argument begins when there is a establishing statement, it describes the who, what, where, when, and how. During my conversation with Bombe, I found out that he is currently applying for the MA program at John Hopkins University to further his knowledge and earn the title from the prestige college. In Bombe’s Statement of Purpose, he wrote to John Hopkins University about why he was interested in earning a MA in communication and how it will help advance his career in the army. In the document, Bombe wrote about his professional aspirations in the Army, that his goal is to become an Army Foreign Area Officer (FAO). This will allow him to advance his career overseas as a defense attache or as a political military planner for service headquarters, Joint Staff, or in other agencies in the Department of Defense in various locations around the globe. He mentions in the paper that the position is very limited and only a few will be selected. The Statement Bombe wrote establishes the who, what, and where. By knowing his audience, Bombe was able to focus his letter in an argument to persuade the university in selecting his application for the MA program. Lunsford stated “ In many situations, writers want not only to convince audiences but to move them to action…” (2012, 9) In this case, Bombe hopes that the university will put into action by admitting him into the MA program for communication. 

An argument must make an appeal to its audience, to provoke an emotion reaction, or simply just to evoke a response, or even just a thought. To appeal to his audience, Bombe talks about his experience in 2010 during his deployment to Afghanistan. It was an emotional moment for Bombe as he remembers on multiple occasions when he and his troops were engaged in direct enemy contacts which included complex attacks, ambushes, and improvised explosive device (IED) attacks, which resulted in over 24 combat action badges being awarded to him and the soldiers involved. Then he goes on to note that his experience was a frightening but an extremely rewarding one. The story resonates an emotional appeal, or pathos, to his audience. Lunsford agreed, “[by generating] emotions, the writer hopes will lead the audience to accept a claim.” he continues that it is important to make “an emotional appeal that can create a bond between writer and readers.” (2012, 27) The bond was created when Bombe wrote about his experience in Afghanistan, even though the subject matter is non-related, it clearly spoke volumes about Bombe as a person and that a respect is earned from his peers based on his actions. If I were to enter a photo contest right now about an image I created, will I be able to appeal to my audiences in writing a short piece about my work? Will the words I wrote have an emotional impact and connect to my audiences? There are many ways in which Bombe could appeal to his audience as to why he would be the perfect candidate for the MA program at John Hopkins University, the meaning of Rhetoric is define best from Burton “how one says something conveys meaning as much as what one says.” (Silva Rhetoric, rhetoric.byu.edu) I asked Bombe in his writings, how he thought about his approach to appeal to his audience, the simple answer was that he just wrote about his story, about how someone will get to know him better from reading about his experiences.

The use of Rhetoric is all around us, even in our everyday job. As a Captain, Bombe also runs the Logistics Division of the Army. As such, he is responsible for writing policies that describes the division that he runs. By examining his writings, the use of Rhetoric is clear as he lay out the course and a sense of expectations for the unit in his group. Bombe states “It is very important that I communicate information to my group” it is the basis of “mean what we say” and writing a policy is no differ. How does this help Bombe’s position? Logistics is important function of the Army. How does one deliver a tank to a base camp? Simply, how does something gets sent from one place to another and the time it takes to do so? what are the financial impact of sending it now than later but with better quality? These are just a few concerns that a logistics officer will encounter in an everyday situation. Reports are written to convince to superiors that certain methods might be more logical than others. Facts need to presented along with details of every possible solution that can be used for the assignment at hand. As such the use of Rhetoric to convey those meanings are essential to ensure the job gets done in the most effective way possible. Bombe recalls a situation where he needed to deliver supplies to the troops at another camp location. As he drafted up the proposed logistic information to the higher authorities, he made sure that he convey all of the possible routes, delivery times, cost, as well as safety. Through the facts he gathered, he made an argument with his commanding officer that even though the quickest route will be ideal, the safety of transportation is more important and the safest route is to wait it out until the days that are safest for travels. Bombe’s use of Rhetoric convinced his superiors that a delay in delivery time can ensure the safety of the troops. 

As I conclude my paper I’ve reached a better understanding with the use of Rhetoric in our arguments, that we practice it and it is all around us each and every day. Some times we don’t see the meaning behind it unless we stop for a second to think about what we wrote. I definitely see the importance of Rhetoric in my career with photography as I think it will allow me to better convey to my clients of the job at hand, using the most effective and logical way to create an image that fit the client’s needs. 

Rougher than Rough Draft

Argument is Everywhere

As I began writing my paper on how I can effectively write by understand and applying rhetoric, I began my research with a definition from webster “Rhetoric is the art of speaking or writing effectively” What does that truly mean? Does it happen in everyday conversations? Let’s break down rhetoric from the famous Aristotle, he believes that rhetoric is “the ability, in each particular case to see the available means of persuasion.” He mentioned three main forms of rhetoric — Ethos, Logos, and Pathos. Would understanding these three forms of rhetoric help me to become a better writer? As I prepared to write my paper, I was reunited with my old friend Bombe Lee, who attended the military right out of high school and is now a Captain in the United States Army. 

We got the guys together and hangout like old times. However, I realized our conversations with one another isn’t quite what it used to be. Instead of talking about how we are gonna best each other in the latest video game as we would’ve when we were in high school, our conversations always ended up debating on current social issues and this time was no differ. We all sat outside of a local Starbucks and began to debate about the roles of science in christianity and the validation behind such claims. Bombe and Brian were the head of the debate as each made their statement that was backed by a solid track of empirical evidence, it was well thought out. They would quote verses from the bible, from well known authors and key figures such as Ken Ham and Bill Nye. About two hours into the conversation — still speechless siting in my chair — I began to realized the use of rhetoric is unfolding right in front of my eyes. I see the use of the three artistic proofs to validate their stance, appealing from Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. 

I came to realized that even in real life situations we are all prone to think like a writer. It started with Ethos, an argument that starts with credibility. Without credibility, the statements being made cannot possibly make a stance and expect the readers to agree or disagree the position at hand. Lunsford points out that “When writers and speakers come across as trustworthy, audiences are likely to listen to and accept their arguments…” (26) Language can also define the character of the writer, using languages that are too strong or extreme can cause the reader to mark the writer as someone that is bias or even loony. Their credibility comes from knowing the bible and its quotes from the back of their head, doing extensive research by listening to NPR with its prominent key figures in religion and science. It made me believe every word they speak because of the credibility they made for themselves. 

Then I notice the use of Pathos was presented when an argument was made by Brian, using his experience in life to relate to the argument, it was clever and to the point. I felt an emotion reach upon hearing his words of how he found God and had spoken to him in an indirect way. Rather than to stop and think about the logic behind it, I was persuaded by the emotions behind his story . Lunsford states “making an emotional appeal that can create bond between writer and readers” (26). However, Pathos can corrupt the judgement as Aristotle warns us. He advises writers at length in getting readers to receive ideas by making them “pleased and friendly” or “pained and hostile”, playing on reader’s emotions can, in ways, make them mindless of concepts and consequences and will ultimately lead to the corruption of judgement. 

The reason everything sound so believable was that both parties presented the facts, the use of logic, also known as Logos. Brian made the claim that to be able to see his point of view, one has to look upon the events of the world from God’s point of view, in his words “from the top looking down” to understand his words and his meaning. If both of them didn’t quote from passages from the bible or from key experts Ken Ham or Bill Nye, I would most likely would’ve questioned their stance as it would just be an opinion rather than a factual, logical statements. Lunsford believes “audiences respond well to the use of reasons and evidence — to the presentation of facts, statistics, credible testimony, cogent examples, or even a narrative or story that embodies a sound reason in support of an argument” (27). At the end of it all, Bombe reach out to thank Brian for the great argument they just had. He felt that the argument was intellectual, mind opening, and within reasons. At that moment, I had an understanding, that the use of Rhetoric is all around us and that the same rules can be applied when it is being used in writing. 

I knew that from the moment the argument ended that studying a piece of writing from Bombe and understanding his use of rhetoric will give me a direction in bettering my writing. In Bombe’s statement of Purpose, he explained why he is interested in earning a MA in communication in conjunction to help boost his career in the Army. In his writing, he talks about his position during his deployment as a Platoon Leader and Convoy Commander for 2nd Platoon of the 109th Quartermaster Company. Bombe’s experience in Afghanistan was frightening but also in his eyes an extremely rewarding one. Through it, he was able to work with some of the most intelligent and gifted people from around the world. As I examine this piece of writing, I realized that the used of Ethos, Logos, and Pathos were presented throughout. Creating his credibility by stating his position in the army as well as tying his educational goals has made myself, as a reader, earn a respect for his career goals. The experience during his deployment in Afghanistan — which includes complex attacks, ambushes, and improvised explosive device attacks— made an emotional attachment by understanding the pain and hardships that Bombe might’ve experienced. Finally with his use of reason and logic to pursue a Master of Arts degree in Communications at John Hopkins University, he believes that it will give him the opportunity to work in overseas assignment as a defense attache or as a political military planner for a service headquarters, Joint Staff, or in other agencies in the Department of Defense in various locations around the world. By earning his MA, he will have a competitive advantage as well as giving him the essential skills in furthering his career. 

Bombe knows his audience well as he wrote this paper, appealing to them using the art of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. It also made me realized that using rhetoric in my own writings will help me further along in my own career in the field of Photography. The audience will be clients that will ultimately select me from the many applying for the job at hand. The use of Rhetoric is all around us, from the conversation with our friends, to the application of our education that may land us the next step in our career paths. We must not forget the steps in creating a meaningful piece of writing as it will be essential for our future. 

Thesis Statement

As I began writing my paper on how I can effectively write by understand and applying rhetoric, I began my research with a definition from webster “Rhetoric is the art of speaking or writing effectively” What does that truly mean? Let’s break down rhetoric from the famous Aristotle, he believes that rhetoric is “the ability, in each particular case to see the available means of persuasion.” He mentioned three main forms of rhetoric — Ethos, Logos, and Pathos. Would understanding these three forms of rhetoric help me to become a better writer? let’s take a look at each one of these forms and break it down to the most simplest of forms.  

Interview Questions with Rob Winner

Rob Winner

1. As a photographer, what are some of the important business functions that you would tie your ability to write to?
2. Tell me about your role in BrainStorm3000 publishing business?
3. How has your writing help you in your publishing business?
4. Creating a contract or release requires capturing the details in a well written documentation. What are some of the writing principle you need to prepare for before the document is even written?
5. When bidding for a job assignment, what are some of the writings that’s involved in making sure you are engaging with your clients?
6. How much information is being exchanged between you and the client once the job has started?
7. Has your ability to write ever landed you a job over someone else?
8. Compare your writing style now to when you first started in the industry, how did it change? or is there a change?
9. Have you learned anything new about writing tying into photography since you started teaching?

How to Argue Like a Pro

I think this week's reading has some really good points. Making a good argument to your readers is just like trying to win an argument with a good friend. You first try to theorize your position in the subject matter, then let the research began. Fact finding with the internet on your phone, trying to gather as much facts as possible for ammunition. You gather the facts and formulate how you would present your argument to your friend and think of all the possible rebuttal that they might give you. As you present your argument, in hopes to persuade your friend to just take that short second to think about what you said and find a common ground to agree to your position.

Artifact Analysis

http://sites.showitfast.com/35612/34085/0311_piea1.pdf

The artifact I’ve chosen for this analysis is a piece that doesn’t promo or highlight the interviewee but rather a piece that was spoken from the heart about another individual in the profession that has a strong tie to being human and going out of his way to help the ones in need. It is a well written piece of story telling that really touched my heart, to see someone affiliated to our school that stepped away from his career to help those that are in need, no matter which part of the world they are from. 

It is through this piece of artifact that confirmed my choice to interview Rob Winner, an instructor for our school, someone that can understand the human aspect of being in this profession and what it means to be involved in the profession.

Finding Evidence

Fact finding now-a-days is to believed to be a lost art. The phase "let me google that" has become the primary source of gaining knowledge even though sometimes it can lead to a fallacy. A lot of bias opinions are on the internet about the facts of the matter and I think it is up the fact finder to distinguish what's fact and what's fiction.  I always try to find the facts from more than one source, and usually a reliable one at that. Then as I gather all the facts and evidence, I will then formulate my own opinion in my writing.