At the beginning of the quarter, I came up with my version of the ideal citizen: Rick Ramirez. Rick was a pretty amazing guy because he was both an informed and involved citizen. He watched the news, read about government and economy, and volunteered in community service projects. And so, he seemed to be as ideal of a citizen as I could come up with. However, after this quarter, I have learned more about service and activism. And although I still think Rick is an ideal citizen, there are some aspects about him that I would like to change. First off, I don’t think he’s realistic enough because he seems to be too ideal. In reality, what really makes a good citizen is an individual who helps meet the needs of the whole. They do not necessarily need to be as involved and have the same interests as Rick, but they should understand that they are a part of the community and that they should be willing to play their part. If I were to recreate Rick, I would definitely tone him down in order to better represent the average citizen, which in my opinion, can be just as ideal as Rick without being as gung-ho as him.
Looking back at this quarter, I’ve learned a great deal about writing and rhetoric. In terms of writing, I’ve certainly learned how to break away from the traditional 5 paragraph essays which have always seemed to be too mechanical for my taste. In terms of rhetoric, I have become more aware of the techniques of persuasion and I foresee a great deal of its use in future papers. In particular I learned a great deal about the rhetoric of service and activism and how activists try to convince their audience of the value of their cause. Going back to my modifications on Rick, I stressed the importance of the individual acting on the group. In a way, one could say that rhetoric is a powerful tool for the individual to influence and even rally the group to their cause. Thus, rhetoric is a necessary component of service and activism because without it, the individual would have to go with their cause alone.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Black in America 2
“Black in America 2” was an event that was held by the African-American Student Association and a few of the major black fraternities and sororities. The main purpose of the event was to showcase CNN’s second season of “Black in America” as well as discuss its commentary on the African-American society. It was appropriately held at the Hale Center, which is OSU’s African culture center. Much of the rhetoric dealt with the struggles that African Americans face in America and what needs to be done in order to fight it.
“If we come together, like the million man march…then we can have an impact on the future of African Americans.” This inspiring quote came from one of the panelists at the event. When I attended the event at the Hale Center, I was particularly impressed by the speakers who were there: the majority of them were students. And although I was not swayed to think one way or another (because much of the rhetoric was directed towards black youth), I was quite moved by the speakers. Many of the panelists brought their own experiences to the fore including the moderator, Dr. Deandra Mole of the College of Humanities who told her story of being the first individual in her family to have gone to college. She talked of the struggles that she faced both because of her race and because of being the first one in her family to go to college.
Also, much of the debate dealt with the “stereotype” of black adolescents, which one student called the “college gangster.” Many of the students who attended were outraged by what they called an unfair media representation of the individual. The irony of this is that being “gangster” is equivalent with being “cool” nowadays. And I was inspired that so much of the audience, members of the stereotyped group, was rebelling against an obviously negative stereotype. To them, respect for their racial group was more important than being “cool.”
After the discussion on stereotype came the one on how to fix the image of the black society- or as one girl put it black societies (plural) to represent the complexity of her group and to oppose the “lumping effect.” Many of the phrases that I heard included “You must represent” and “Get past the mental bondage.” There were even metaphors of how in the past, blacks were slaves to their white masters and now they are slaves to stereotypes emplaced by the majority. Basically, what the audience and the panelists were saying to each other was that each and every black individual must be held accountable for their actions and take it upon themselves to better represent their community. As two students put it, “The three problems are ignorance, insecurity, and lack of community…the solution is innovation, working hard, and overcoming stereotypes.”
And so, coming from a primarily white community, I found the experience at the Hale Center highly educational. Although I am no stranger to being a minority (I’m Asian), the majority had never been African-American and it was an interesting experience. More importantly, I gained a new perspective on the black societies existing in America since the few black friends that I had back in my hometown often played the role of the “gangster” or “thug” (even though none of them are from the “ghetto” as much as they want to believe so). Most of all, I felt honored to listen to such an intelligent discussion coming from some of OSU’s most exemplary students.
“If we come together, like the million man march…then we can have an impact on the future of African Americans.” This inspiring quote came from one of the panelists at the event. When I attended the event at the Hale Center, I was particularly impressed by the speakers who were there: the majority of them were students. And although I was not swayed to think one way or another (because much of the rhetoric was directed towards black youth), I was quite moved by the speakers. Many of the panelists brought their own experiences to the fore including the moderator, Dr. Deandra Mole of the College of Humanities who told her story of being the first individual in her family to have gone to college. She talked of the struggles that she faced both because of her race and because of being the first one in her family to go to college.
Also, much of the debate dealt with the “stereotype” of black adolescents, which one student called the “college gangster.” Many of the students who attended were outraged by what they called an unfair media representation of the individual. The irony of this is that being “gangster” is equivalent with being “cool” nowadays. And I was inspired that so much of the audience, members of the stereotyped group, was rebelling against an obviously negative stereotype. To them, respect for their racial group was more important than being “cool.”
After the discussion on stereotype came the one on how to fix the image of the black society- or as one girl put it black societies (plural) to represent the complexity of her group and to oppose the “lumping effect.” Many of the phrases that I heard included “You must represent” and “Get past the mental bondage.” There were even metaphors of how in the past, blacks were slaves to their white masters and now they are slaves to stereotypes emplaced by the majority. Basically, what the audience and the panelists were saying to each other was that each and every black individual must be held accountable for their actions and take it upon themselves to better represent their community. As two students put it, “The three problems are ignorance, insecurity, and lack of community…the solution is innovation, working hard, and overcoming stereotypes.”
And so, coming from a primarily white community, I found the experience at the Hale Center highly educational. Although I am no stranger to being a minority (I’m Asian), the majority had never been African-American and it was an interesting experience. More importantly, I gained a new perspective on the black societies existing in America since the few black friends that I had back in my hometown often played the role of the “gangster” or “thug” (even though none of them are from the “ghetto” as much as they want to believe so). Most of all, I felt honored to listen to such an intelligent discussion coming from some of OSU’s most exemplary students.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Analysis of "Self-Evident" by Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco’s poem “Self-Evident” is her commentary criticizing the current state of America. She includes major issues such as the questionable outcome of the 2000 election, September 11, rising oil prices, the Iraq war, and the general stagnation of American culture. At the same time, the author seems to try and convince the general public to become more aware of the injustices occurring in the country around them and perhaps even tries to convince them to take action. She appeals to them using the techniques of rhetoric.
Logos, ethos, and pathos are used to convince the audience of existence of many unaddressed problems in America. Through logos, she appeals to her audience’s common sense with solid evidence and examples. For example, she cites the results of the 2000 presidential recount election in Forida: “…under the thumb of some blue blood royal son who stole the oval office and that phony election…”DiFranco hopes to persuade the audience by pointing out real-life examples of problems in the government. DiFranco’s logo is somewhat difficult to pick up, however, because much of it is in the form of metaphors and other poetic devices that somewhat distort the understandability of phrases. Besides logos, she appeals to the audience’s confidence in her credentials simply with her words. The complexity of the poem itself is enough to gather the attention of the audience. Using complex metaphors such as comparing people to poetry helps give the audience a sense of DiFranco’s ability as a poet. However, overall, the ethos is weak because there is not enough room to focus on DiFranco’s life and accomplishments. Instead, the attention centers on DiFranco’s ideas and beliefs. Finally, pathos is used in the poem in the form of buzz words such as KGB and toxic smoke, which both evoke negative connotations. DiFranco wants to link the problems in America with these words in order to operate on the audience’s emotions. Furthermore, DiFranco uses strong phrases such as “I’ve got no room for a lie so verbose,” which also sparks a sense of indignation in the audience; making them feel deceived by the government. Thus, DiFranco uses pathos rather effectively through her medium since poems allow the author to evoke a great deal of emotion. In effect, DiFranco’s contemporary examples, poem structure, and syntax are the basis for the poem’s rhetorical cocktail.
The rhetorical technique for poetry and written mediums in general differ from other mediums such as audio and visual because the audience cannot see the pictures nor hear the voice of the author. Instead, the audience must paint the pictures themselves and must provide the voice. As a result, the author’s ability to use some forms of rhetoric, such as ethos, is rather limited because it simply would not fit in the medium. On the other hand, other mediums can fit more information into one sitting which allow for greater flexibility. Furthermore, written language is more subject to interpretation. Without the voice of the author, the audience must guess what emotions are evoked based on diction. Without the visuals that the author wants the audience to see, the audience might imagine different interpretations of the same words. Thus, it is somewhat more difficult to use some aspects of rhetorical analysis when it comes to written mediums.
Logos, ethos, and pathos are used to convince the audience of existence of many unaddressed problems in America. Through logos, she appeals to her audience’s common sense with solid evidence and examples. For example, she cites the results of the 2000 presidential recount election in Forida: “…under the thumb of some blue blood royal son who stole the oval office and that phony election…”DiFranco hopes to persuade the audience by pointing out real-life examples of problems in the government. DiFranco’s logo is somewhat difficult to pick up, however, because much of it is in the form of metaphors and other poetic devices that somewhat distort the understandability of phrases. Besides logos, she appeals to the audience’s confidence in her credentials simply with her words. The complexity of the poem itself is enough to gather the attention of the audience. Using complex metaphors such as comparing people to poetry helps give the audience a sense of DiFranco’s ability as a poet. However, overall, the ethos is weak because there is not enough room to focus on DiFranco’s life and accomplishments. Instead, the attention centers on DiFranco’s ideas and beliefs. Finally, pathos is used in the poem in the form of buzz words such as KGB and toxic smoke, which both evoke negative connotations. DiFranco wants to link the problems in America with these words in order to operate on the audience’s emotions. Furthermore, DiFranco uses strong phrases such as “I’ve got no room for a lie so verbose,” which also sparks a sense of indignation in the audience; making them feel deceived by the government. Thus, DiFranco uses pathos rather effectively through her medium since poems allow the author to evoke a great deal of emotion. In effect, DiFranco’s contemporary examples, poem structure, and syntax are the basis for the poem’s rhetorical cocktail.
The rhetorical technique for poetry and written mediums in general differ from other mediums such as audio and visual because the audience cannot see the pictures nor hear the voice of the author. Instead, the audience must paint the pictures themselves and must provide the voice. As a result, the author’s ability to use some forms of rhetoric, such as ethos, is rather limited because it simply would not fit in the medium. On the other hand, other mediums can fit more information into one sitting which allow for greater flexibility. Furthermore, written language is more subject to interpretation. Without the voice of the author, the audience must guess what emotions are evoked based on diction. Without the visuals that the author wants the audience to see, the audience might imagine different interpretations of the same words. Thus, it is somewhat more difficult to use some aspects of rhetorical analysis when it comes to written mediums.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Link to Rick's Profile
This is a link to Rick's profile. You have to sign into your Facebook first to view it, however.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Rick-Ramirez/1685797750#/profile.php?id=1685797750&v=info&viewas=1685797750
http://www.facebook.com/people/Rick-Ramirez/1685797750#/profile.php?id=1685797750&v=info&viewas=1685797750
Rick Ramirez: The Ideal Citizen
Rick Ramirez is a sketch of what I view an ideal citizen to be: he loves his country, he values his individualism, and he is tolerant of the beliefs of others. It is my belief that one can only truly appreciate something if one is in the absence of it. In a sense, immigrants, those who have been in the absence of the freedoms and luxuries found in this country, are sometimes better able to appreciate their citizenship than those born with it. Rick is an immigrant whose family moved from Mexico to escape poverty when he was young. Because Hispanics make up a great deal of immigrants in today’s society, I thought it would be appropriate to give Rick and Hispanic background. For Rick, appreciation of his country goes beyond simple words and is manifested in his interest to serve his community through volunteer organizations and being a member of the Red Cross.
Although Rick appreciates his country, he also questions it as well. The ideal citizen should be well-informed and value their individualism. Rick’s political view is “whatever makes sense” because he embodies this principle of individualism. Although some government textbooks label non-politically aligned people as individuals who are either politically apathetic or are simply uninformed, this is not the case for Rick. In fact, Rick enjoys watching the news, reading the newspaper, and is interests include politics and the economy. One of his favorite movies is the John Adams miniseries, which explores some of the important principles of the current republic form government. Despite not being politically affiliated, Rick is an informed citizen and he decides on how he exercises his right to vote not on what a particular party believes to be right, but what he believes to be right. Like the wild horses in his profile picture, his beliefs are not restrained by the saddle of partisanship.
Openness is another aspect that an ideal citizen should have. Living in America, one deals with people of different backgrounds quite often. Rick is an agnostic, who by definition is one who neither believes nor discredits the existence of God. In other words, Rick is able to walk the line between all religions because he has no stake in a particular one. At the same time, he does not condemn atheism like some religions because he is open to the possibility. His openness and tolerance of other backgrounds is perhaps illustrated further in his choice of music, which includes Bob Marley and Wyclef Jean. Both musicians were known for their positive music, which promoted peace, tolerance, and good will. Rick’s principles are also reflected in his choice of books: The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi. Both of which describe the lives of two important activists who fought for social equality.
Although Rick appreciates his country, he also questions it as well. The ideal citizen should be well-informed and value their individualism. Rick’s political view is “whatever makes sense” because he embodies this principle of individualism. Although some government textbooks label non-politically aligned people as individuals who are either politically apathetic or are simply uninformed, this is not the case for Rick. In fact, Rick enjoys watching the news, reading the newspaper, and is interests include politics and the economy. One of his favorite movies is the John Adams miniseries, which explores some of the important principles of the current republic form government. Despite not being politically affiliated, Rick is an informed citizen and he decides on how he exercises his right to vote not on what a particular party believes to be right, but what he believes to be right. Like the wild horses in his profile picture, his beliefs are not restrained by the saddle of partisanship.
Openness is another aspect that an ideal citizen should have. Living in America, one deals with people of different backgrounds quite often. Rick is an agnostic, who by definition is one who neither believes nor discredits the existence of God. In other words, Rick is able to walk the line between all religions because he has no stake in a particular one. At the same time, he does not condemn atheism like some religions because he is open to the possibility. His openness and tolerance of other backgrounds is perhaps illustrated further in his choice of music, which includes Bob Marley and Wyclef Jean. Both musicians were known for their positive music, which promoted peace, tolerance, and good will. Rick’s principles are also reflected in his choice of books: The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi. Both of which describe the lives of two important activists who fought for social equality.
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