Source for Paper C

While researching for paper C I came upon a website for teens about body image and the media. http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/body_image/body_image.html
Audience: teens who struggle with the way they look and are influenced by the media.
Argument: The argument is that if you recognize that there are many influences in the world, you can learn to overcome them and have a healthy image of your own body which will help you to be happy.
Ethos: The website was created by a foundation for teens health so it has a certain credibility, drawing from parents, professionals and doctors. Visitors to the website would probably trust the information that is being given.
Pathos: Teens looking at this website are not talked down to. The information is presented in their kind of language and references situations and feelings they would be familiar with, which would draw on their emotions.
Logos: This relates to the main argument; if you are happy with the way you look and accept your body, you will be happier in general. This would seem logical to everyone.
Effectiveness: I think this website would be effective. It offers helpful information in a way that's relatable. The only critique that I have is that it may be a little too cheesy, and maybe not all teens would want to read it.

Speech: The American President

Audience: the American people,specifically Bob Rumsen,a man who disagrees with him.
Argument: The president is responding to a man who criticizes him and his views and actions. The president says that not only is America built upon freedom and free speech, but it's also about defending the free speech of a person who disagrees with you,someone who's beliefs you would spend your lifetime opposing.
Ethos: Since it is the president of the United States giving the speech, his position gives him authority. People respect him because of who he is and the status he has.
Pathos: The president makes reference to particular historic documents like the constitution and uses them to support his argument. The American people would relate to this and probably feel very emotionally connected to something like the constitution becuase of the values it represents to them.
Logos: After mentioning things like the constitution, the president continues by spplying it to modern day. He says that while we value free speech, it must be available to all, or it is not free. He makes a logical case for this.
Effectiveness: I believe this speech is effective because it draws from common beliefs and experiences and relates to all people and argues for a new way of thinking about things.

Music Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwFS69nA-1w

This is the music for the Bright Eyes song, First Day of my life.
Argument: The argument for this music video is similar to the song itself, but different in that it targets a larger audience and says more specifically that love is found in all people no matter their race, ethnicity, gender, age, or sexual orientation.
Audience: The audience is still Bright Eyes fans, but the music video makes it more applicable to all people because many different kinds of people are represented.
Ethos: This appeals to the idea that the audience can relate to the images of all the people in the music video because it is likely that they will see themselves in it.
Pathos: The images of the people in the video are all couples, or families, who are listening to the song for the first time and are reacting to it. You can see them reacting positively to the song and also how they are reacting to their partner. You can see in their expressions how the song is affecting them and how they feel about their significant other.
Logos: The logic of this video is that it uses real people who are listening to the song. By watching the video, you can see how others react to its message and see how the lyrics and melody affect them.
Effectiveness: I believe this music video is very effective because it appeals to a wide audience. By using real people, listening to the song in the video, we see first hand how others are affected and can relate our feelings of the video to it.

Bright Eyes- First Day of My Life

Audience: Bright Eyes' listeners...more specifically the singer's love interest.

Argument: The song is saying that love isn't always easy, but it makes life worth it and beautiful and so he's telling the person he wants to be with them.

Ethos: He is arguing that love makes him alive and makes him want to be a better person. He is also asking for forgiveness so he is appealing to the person's charity.

Pathos: He is flattering the person and making them feel good about themselves and seeing him as someone who makes them happy. He is appealing to their empathy for how important they are to him.

Logos: He is being realistic about the difficulties of love, and being honest with the person about his short comings. He is also reminding the person of feelings they have previously had towards him. He is suggesting that love is always hard so they should stay together because they won't find something that isn't.

Effectiveness: I think that this song is very effective. It tempers its romanticism with realism. It is believable. This song appeals to our desire to hope for the best and place faith in people. It appeals to our sentimentality for the past, it is apologetic. It appeals to its wider audience by articulating what they would want said to them by their significant other.

(lyrics) http://www.plyrics.com/lyrics/brighteyes/firstdayofmylife.html

Paper A

The argument in my paper a says that cell phone use decreases our ability to make new friends because it inhibits our intereaction with the environment around us.
Audience: teenagers to early twenty somethings who frequently use cell phones and do not see a problem with it.
Ethos: My paper uses some examples from my life and also cites research and quotes that suggest cell phones isolate us from the world around us.
Pathos: There is not much in the sense of pathos. A lot of the argument is some what dry and probably wouldn't appeal to the audience's emotion. Maybe when I say how texting directly affects their friendships.
Logos: I use a fair amount of research to back up my argument, but it may not be the best to persuade my audience. I think I would need to do a better job at making my research and sources more credible.
Effectiveness: I believe my paper would be some what effective for my audience, but not as much as it could be. The tone needs to speak more to them and their interests. They would need to feel more involved with my paper, as right now it's more talking at them than with them.

Tracking in Schools

While researching for paper B, I found an article titled "Detracking in the Social Studies: A Path to a More Democratic Education?" It discussed how detracking social studies classrooms improved the quality of education for students of all races and classes because it allowed the share of information and experience that helped create well rounded citizens.
Audience: This was for an academic audience, sociology backround perhaps, who are interested in the affects of tracking.
Argument: Detracking schools decreases the unequal education students receive.
Ethos: The article is published in a major sociological journal so its findings are considered relevant and respected. The author's article is based on studies and researh so it is credible to the audience.
Pathos: The author stresses how detracking will lead more aware and responsible students and therefore a more democratic society. The audience would agree with these more abstract ideals.
Logos: This would correspond with the scientific studies and research that was done. The audience would find statistics logical would make sense to them.
Effectiveness: I believe that this article would be effective considering the audience it was intended for. It incorporated sociological theories that they would recognize and applied them to the author's findings. The only thing I would critique is that the audience would probably have wanted more quantitative research and maybe a larger sample size than a few classrooms.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/nickandnorahsinfiniteplaylist/low.html

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is a movie that came out earlier this month.
Audience: The audience this movie is targeting is late teens to mid twenties who love music, and more specifically, less main stream, indie music and that life style.
Argument: It is a little unclear, but I think that it's showing how these kids are just like you (audience) while at the same time showing how their lives are appealing and almost glamorous at times.
Ethos: This movie would appeal to its target audience because the actors it uses, like Michael Cera, embody this kind of lifestyle in the movie as well as in real life. The audience would be able to relate to him and other actors because they would be familiar to them, while at the same time being a celebrity.
Pathos: The main appeal the emotion in this trailer is its use of music. Music takes a main role in the movie which would resonate with the audience who also takes music seriously. The singers and songs used would very much appeal to the audience.
Logos: I think that the logic in this trailer is the idea of "they're just like you". It is targeting a specific kind of teen/twenty-something, and they would, naturally, want to see something that they could relate to.
Effectiveness: I think this movie would be successful for all the reasons mentioned. The audience would appreciate music and actors they like and relate to. The movie emphasizes music, something that is important to them. The only thing that might now work is that it could be somewhat of a generalization of this group of people. Maybe not all would like it.