Saturday, December 4, 2010

Paper C source


  1. Recycling is not as good as everyone makes it out to be.
  2. Those who think recycling is so great.
  3. To inform those people of some of the negative effects of recycling.
  4. Ethos: The writer of this article had to do a lot of research in order to deliver many hidden facts. He was able to find other studies and facts on forest growth, pollution from different kinds of manufacturing plants and so on. After gathering all of these, he could really get his argument going and point to these facts as proof that what he was talking about really was true.

Logos: He also used a lot of logic in structuring his argument. The article is entitled the 8 myths of recycling which is good because it causes the reader to be curious about these myths. It is also organized well with each myth and a short description on why it is indeed a myth and not a fact. The author also uses simple logic to explain how people fear garbage and what that fear is driving people to do and how that fear is often misinformed.

Sufficient: The article addresses all of the major issues with recycling and gives a clear argument as to why these things are bad with recycling. I feel it is very sufficient and does a great job explaining the issue.

Typical: It is also written in a way to help his audience understand his reasoning. There aren't a lot of jargon and difficult words throughout the article to confuse his audience. He also addresses the concerns his audience would have and gives good counter arguments to solve those issues for them.

  1. I feel the article was effective. It covered many things about recycling and set up the argument very well to get his point across.

Words: 306
Article: Eight Great Myths of Recycling
http://www.perc.org/articles/article179.php

Thursday, November 18, 2010

President Monson's Gratitude Talk


  1. Gratitude will help you to be happier.

  1. Members of the LDS church plus all those throughout the world who lack happiness.

  1. To bring happiness to those that need it and to remind about the importance of gratitude.

  1. Pathos: President Monson uses some appeal to emotion as well by telling an old story. The story is about a family that gets electricity one year and many trials that same year. As the family complains about the hard times, the father turns off the lights and brings back the candle lights to show how great their lives really are compared to last year. He also speaks of death and of losing loved ones with regret because of never showing gratitude to them. These strories spark emotions in our hearts as we listen and learn and become a powerful motivator.

Ethos: President Monson makes several references to the scriptures as to the importance of gratitude. Many people of his audience regard the scriptures as authority from God, so referencing them will give his talk and purpose a lot more authority. He uses Luke 17 to show the story of the 10 lepers, Doctrine & Covenants 59:7 to show a more modern example as it is a revelation give to Joseph Smith.

Sufficient: President Monson covers scriptures, stories, and several examples of why gratitude is so important. No one could really argue against his points, so I believe he is quite sufficient.

Typical: He always speaks to his audience very well. His use of scriptures will appeal to those who are church goers while his use of personal stories and examples will appeal to those who do not know the scriptures. His audience will be able to relate and enjoy his talk.

  1. Effective: His talk had Ethos, Pathos, it was sufficient and typical to his audience so I would deem it very effective. His arguments would be tough to counter and they are solid with authority from the scriptures.
    Words: 330

Friday, November 5, 2010

Paper A - Married with Games


  1. Playing video games excessively damages the marriage relationship.

  1. The spouse that plays video games.

  1. To help the married video gamer to not play so excessively.

  1. Ethos: This argument used many sources from scholarly research articles that hold a lot of authority. There were studies cited from BYU that had researched the effects of video games on relationships as well as an article that was published in The American Journal of Family Therapy. Quoting and citing from this articles gave the argument a lot more weight as to what was being said.
Logos: As well as authority, the paper took on a very logical stance. There was listed the types of situations where excessive gaming takes place, how it starts, and the consequences of playing too much. It talks about how a gamer that plays excessively will neglect his/her spouse and that will cause problems in the relationship, which logically, it would.

Sufficient: I think this argument just skimmed the surface. It made good points that were valid and for some people it might be enough. But there is more out there. More points could have been made. Narrower arguments could have been brought up to meet the needs of a narrower audience. These things would be more persuasive for the audience.

Typical: The writing is typical for the audience and brings up valid points. Both the gaming spouse and non-gaming spouse would be able to understand all of the terms and situations that the paper covers.

  1. Effective: The paper was generally effective. The logic was clear and solid as well as the sources. The trick would just be to keep the gamer addict reading and keeping an open mind. The gamer might feel the argument doesn't quite relate to him/her specifically enough. Other than that, I think it was effective.

Words: 305
Paper A: Married with Games – Devon Dewey

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Macbook Selling.


  1. Buy this Macbook.

  1. Devon, a 24 year old married BYU student.

  1. The goal is to sell a Macbook.

  1. Logos: The argument was pretty logical and matter-of-factly. The seller said I should buy a Macbook because they are great quality, last a long time, and don’t get any viruses. These are all good things for anyone looking for a laptop because they don't want to buy something that falls apart in a year or two. The seller also skewed their argument towards me as a student. She told me that I could take notes in class, connect to WiFi on campus to study, and that it would help me to be more organized and to be a better student.

Ethos: There were a few claims to authority by stating that this Macbook is made by the famous company Apple. Apple has made a good reputation for itself in past years which makes retailers to really talk up how great Apple and its products are. Once the seller can make that connection and say “hey, Apple made this so you know it is going to be great,” then the sooner you can feel more confident about making your purchase.

Sufficient: I don't feel like the argument was completely sufficient for my needs. We talked a lot about things I already knew and most of the strong points the seller used could be found in other laptops made from other companies that also have a great reputation. The seller could have talked more about some of the capabilities of a mac versus a PC rather than just what a laptop in general is good for.

Typical: The seller definitely hit me correctly in being a student. Most of the claims being made were all pro student claims. Talking about how I can take notes and do better in class are all things that appeal to me as a student.

  1. Effective: I don't feel like the argument was as effective as it could be. It was typical and it did provide some good facts and appeals to authority, but it lacked in other ways. After our conversation, I was not totally sold on buying a Macbook so that it is why I feel it was not completely effective.

Words: 381
BYU Bookstore Mac store seller.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Music Video

Words: 279
  1. We are destroying the world.

  1. People who don't know what terrible things humans do.

  1. The goal is to show what awful things have been done.

  1. Pathos: The music video is heavily based on emotion. The video shows many dramatic images of animals being abused and dying. They show pollution and entire forests that have been chopped down. All of these images are meant to stir up emotion and make people feel horrible about what we have done to mother earth. Many of them are shown back to back with beautiful healthy animals and trees and then shows them all dead.

Logos: The video also uses a little bit of logic to reach its audience. By showing the happy, healthy animals followed by dying animals, the film reaches a new aspect to its emotional strengths. By pairing logical images together, the logos helps the pathos and will hopefully promote people to change the world and not kill animals and trees so much.

Sufficient: I do not believe the argument was very sufficient at all. It has a great start, but it would need to cover a few more things to make it better. Maybe some more images that don't look so staged and so on. Real people doing real things that are bad.

Typical: I do think it is typical though because the people it targets eat stuff up like this. Just with these images and words paired up, they will feel the need to do something. 

5. Effective:  I do think it will be effective to its audience.  I do feel it could be better with some better images and pairing up, but as it stands now, I do feel it will get the job done.  People will be touched.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2F0HmajCwU Michael Jackson: Earth Song

Friday, October 15, 2010

Source Paper #2 Review

  1. Video games help in learning processes.

  1. Researchers and educators in this field of learning.

  1. The goal is to show how games help education.

  1. Logos: The article is very logical in its approach. It starts by explaining education and the various ways we learn as the foundation. After that, it shows how games have positive effects on self-learning and how exactly that works. They use several examples and different types of games ranging from single player games to multi player games to cover all their bases.

Ethos: As this is a scholarly paper, there are claims to authority all over the place. The writers have done their homework and appeal to experts in many different fields to back up any claim they make. Several studies are mentioned throughout the entire article.

Sufficient: I do feel that this article is sufficient because it covers so many areas and questions that a person could have about video games and education. The way they split it up between single player games and multi player games helps strengthen their claims and makes sure their studies were not too narrow or bare.

Typical: They do well to write to their audience. I, however, am not their audience, so I easily get lost or bored with some of their jargon and wording. It is written for smarter people than me, but as we learned in class, that is still lame writing no matter who you are.

Effective: Yeah, way awesome effective. It is fun to see so much research and studies that have been done to see some of the positive effects of video games. They use many sources to make sure this somewhat different approach on video games can be easily verified.

Words: 290
The article went over the effects of digital games and their impact on self-learning.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Source Paper Review


  1. People should limit their excessive gaming habits because it ruins their relationships.

  1. The audience would be family counselors and psychologists.

  1. The goal is to show the damaging effects of excessive gaming and to point out the warning signs and how to help those that need it.

  1. Ethos: The author points out several other studies and news articles to make her point clear and give it a lot of authority. For example, she has 32 sources for her paper to make sure her bases are covered according to other experts and their studies.
    Pathos: There is a little appeal to emotion, though maybe not intentionally. Her examples of the man dying from playing so much really plays on your emotion of fear on how addictive these games can be. Also the entire paragraph dealing with the impact on families talks a lot about how it hurts relationships and can cause marriages to end in divorce which also scares people and makes them worried about it. It can also cause sadness to think of those negative effects on loved ones.
    Logos: The entire article is very logical as it is basically a scientific study. She lays out her argument by listing extreme examples of people who have played too much as well as listing several studies that have been done and have discovered lots of negative impacts it has on relationships. She is clear and uses a high appeal to Ethos to back up all her points and it all makes sense.
    Sufficient: She is quite sufficient. In fact, she is very thorough in her research to show the most important facts about gaming, the effects of gaming, the signs of too much gaming, and how to solve the problem. All it needs is a little bow and it is a perfectly wrapped present, ready to open and enjoy.
    Typical: This article is perfect for her audience and I believe her audience will be grateful to have it. It lays out so many things that they will need to know in order to help other families with this new addiction that is becoming more and more prevalent.
  2. Effective: The article is extremely effective. The only thing I think it is missing is some clear cut counter arguments, but it does such a good job on its initial argument, that most counter arguments do not come up. She achieves this by having so many sources and covering every base in order to convince her readers that this is a total package and the research is solid. 

    Words: 428
    The article is a scholarly study on the effects of excessive online gaming on adolescents, young adults and relationships.  It covered the impact gaming has on family, friends, and relationships as well as describing all of the symptoms of an addiction to gaming and how to best handle the addiction.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Avett Brothers - Shame

1.  The girl should take him back because he is truly sorry and will do better this time.



2.  The audience is the girl who he used to be with.
  1. The goal is to get back together with this girl.



  1. Ethos: The songwriter never makes any kind of appeal to authority. He does not use any statistics or experts in the field whatsoever.



Pathos: The songwriter uses a lot of emotional appeal because he knows his audience well. He knows that she is a female and that females are more persuaded by emotional arguments. He also knows her very well and what went wrong last time and what needs to be said to fix the problems that she would have with taking him back this time. Those things include him saying his life is different now, he knows what it means to care, he's sorry for the mean things he said and he feels lots of real shame for his actions. All these things are supposed to show the girl that he is truly sorry and remorseful and that things really will be different this time around.



Logos: Although most of his argument is based around emotion, I feel that that is a very logical sense to his structuring as well. He lays out what he did that was wrong and attaches a promise to each one telling her that things will be different. He logically shows her that he has grown up in a sense and will be more mature about their relationship. He shows this by saying how he knows how to care about her and promises that things won't end the same.



Sufficient: In this case he shares a sufficient amount of evidence to his changed heart for her. The lines that tell her how sorry he is and how he knows what he said was wrong and a lie and he wants those things to go away prove to her of this change. He goes through a few more examples to reinforce this idea of a change.



Typical: His argument is very well crafted to his audience. He knows exactly why she's mad at him and his statements are pointed right at those problems. He uses terms and situations that she is familiar with so that it is acceptable to the audience. You can also tell that he is very knowledgable with the situation since he was the man in the relationship.

5.  I believe this was effective because of all of the above stated facts.  I'm sure she took him back because girls almost always do.
Words: 423

Lyrics to Shame :
Okay so I was wrong about
My reasons for us fallin’ out
Of love I want to fall back in

My life is different now I swear
I know now what it means to care
About somebody other than myself

I know the things I said to you
They were untender and untrue
I’d like to see those things undo

So if you could find it in your heart
To give a man a second start
I promise things won’t end the same

Shame, boatloads of shame
Day after day, more of the same
Blame, please lift it off
Please take it off, please make it stop

Okay so I have read the mail
The stories people often tell
About us that we never knew

But their existence will float away
And just like every word they say
And we will hold hands as they fade

Shame, boatloads of shame
Day after day, more of the same
Blame, please lift it off
Please take it off, please make it stop

I felt so sure of everything
My love to you so well received
And I just strutted around your town
Knowing I didn’t let you down
The truth be known, the truth be told
My heart was always fairly cold
Posing to be as warm as yours
My way of getting in your world
But now I’m out and I’ve had time
To look around and think
And sink into another world
That’s filled with guilt and overwhelming

Shame, boatloads of shame
Day after day, more of the same
Blame, please lift it off
Please take it off, please make it stop

And everyone they have a heart
And when they break and fall apart
And need somebody’s helping hand

I used to say just let ’em fall
It wouldn’t bother me at all
I couldn’t help them now I can
[ Shame Lyrics on http://www.lyricsmania.com/ ]

Saturday, September 18, 2010

#2 commerical - Old Spice


  1. The argument is that old spice is for manly men and not girly men because it makes smell like a man, man.
  2. The audience is men, specifically men who think they should be manly.
  3. The goal is to sell more Old Spice to men.
  4. Logos: Old Spice uses logic to play on the part of man's thinking that they should be masculine. Most men have the desire to be and seem like men, so Old Spice tells their audience that using Old Spice will make you smell like a man. Other than just flat out saying this, they also make you want to use it to be like a man by saying other girly men use other things that smell girly and say it in a way that seems wrong.
Ethos: By having a strong, attractive, confident male to endorse their product, they use Ethos to a degree. Men can watch this and automatically want to be like him and will want to use Old Spice to be manly like he is.

Pathos: Old Spice uses a little bit of comedy and surprise as they go through this commercial as well. It plays on the audience's emotion of surprise and curiosity as the commercial goes through from a bathroom to a ship to a beach on a horse. The entire commercial has a manly feel to it as it is done quickly and confidently. The main star exhibits everything that a man should and the audience can feel that as he doesn't have a shirt on and speaks strongly towards the audience.

5. I think this commercial and argument is very effective because it makes their audience want to be manly and provides a product that will provide that manliness. The strong character and interesting way the commercial is played all contribute to this manly feeling. Also, how the character makes fun of other girly products and speaks strongly of how manly Old Spice can make you. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE
Words: 331

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Still Advertisment

1.  The argument is that ice cream is still for adults and is fun.


2.  The audience is fun-loving adults.


3.  The goal is to sell more Nestle ice cream.


4.  Logos:  The ad uses a logic sense by using this unsaid arguement: "Kids love to have fun and ice cream is fun.  But it is also okay for you as an adult to have fun and eat ice cream, too.  So join in and buy our ice cream and start having fun!"  It all flows and seems logical and makes people think, "yeah, I want to have fun, too!"


Ethos:  The only ethos the advertiser uses is by putting a picture of an adult female to prove and show an adult eating their ice cream.  Other than that, there is no attributing fac 
ts to doctors or scientists or of anything of that nature.


Pathos:  The ad can play on your child-like emotions.  It makes you remember of what it was like being a kid with a care-free life and doing fun things.  For a lot of people, those will be good memories and they will connect those memories to this ad and think "Maybe if I buy that ice cream, I'll have fun again like when I was a kid."
5.  I think this ad was very short and simple and that made it effective for me.  It catches my eye, sells me the deal, and everyone is happier.