Topic Proposal - Group Presentation

Topic/Issue: Homelessness in America.

Why? We feel that this is an important continuing issue across the country that has not been paid much attention to in the past. Especially in the time of a recession it is an important issue to pay close attention too and to give help to those who are in need.

Solution: -Local government funding to help create jobs and to put in place more shelters. 

 -Involve local communities in the issue, to help give funding to the issue, possibly by  setting up places to donate.

Media: Power Point, including brief video, pictures, and text.

SWA # 8 Rhetorical Analysis Redux

Dear Sir,
I am writing to you in regards to one on the new women’s ads that our department has recently created. It is my understanding that the ad has not produced the type of response that we were hoping for and I hope that we can work together to fix this problem. The purpose of this ad was to reach our female customers on a more personal level. The ad was designed to reach out to athletic women and the purpose was to not only to sell them on our product, but also on the idea that it is okay for women to have athletic bodies. The ad was meant to sell our brand as both a clothing line and a healthy lifestyle.
The body part used in this ad was the thigh, since we found that women who run and play sports are often self-conscious of this body part. It was our idea to justify having an athletic body to make women feel better about themselves, which would lead to the purchase of our merchandise. I am afraid that this may be were our problems first arose. I would suggest that for the new ad we could change this body part to something less offensive, like the shoulders or arms. That way we could still show a piece of Nike clothing on the model in the ad; also they are both something that women who have athletic bodies may also feel self-conscious about.
The text of the advertisement was meant to convey the thoughts of the everyday athletic woman who is proud of the way her body looks. However, some of our customers may have found the use of “Thunder Thighs” to be offensive. Again, simply changing the body part used in the ad to something else could solve this problem. In my opinion we should stick with the style and manner in which the ad was written and simply change the body part, and then give the ad some time. Also the color scheme of the ad was designed to catch the eye. By keeping the picture in black and white and the text in color, it is likely to attract the reader to the ad more quickly. I would also suggest keeping a similar feminine color scheme, since the ad is meant for a female audience.
I hope that you find these suggestions useful in solving the problem of this ad. If you have any questions or concerns that I have not covered in this memo then please do not hesitate to ask. Thank you for allowing me to explain our ideas and I hope this information was helpful.

Sincerely,
Roxine Chapski

The Rhetoric of the Market

1) My first ad is one of the E*trade baby commercials.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiF-4LbgHn4

1. This ad is persuasive in selling it’s product on the basis that it is very easy to use, since a baby is the one using it in the commercial. The ad is also persuading the viewer to but and sell stocks online, since that is what their product helps you to do. The commercial is also persuasive in that their product can be used on a mobile device, which is something desirable in today’s world.
2. The implicit element of this commercial would be the fact that a baby is using the product on the commercial. This argues for the simplicity and ease of using the product, even though the audience is aware that babies cannot actually buy and sell stocks using a phone.
3. For this particular product I do not think that the consumer would loose use value by switching to a generic version of the product, unless maybe that version did not include the mobile option that is highlighted by the commercial. Also I do not think that any exchange value appeal would be lost by using another company’s product.
4. I would say that the imagined audience for this ad is people who are interested in buying and selling stock, since that is what the product helps you to do. Also the audience would be people who own mobile devices, especially a blackberry (since that is the one mentioned and used in the commercial).

2) My second ad is an ad for Nike women’s clothing.

http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050818/050818_nike_hmed1p.hmedium.jpg

1. I find this ad to be very persuasive, not only for the product that Nike is trying to sell, but for the lifestyle that it talks about. The ad is not only selling their brand to women, but they are also selling them the idea that it is alright for women to be athletic and muscular.
2. The implicit argument of the ad would be that is selling the audience more than just the shorts on the model in the ad. By the text used the ad is not only selling the brand, but the lifestyle that comes from using that brand.
3. No use value would really be lost from buying a less expensive version of the product, since all workout clothes, including shorts, are designed to do exactly the same thing. However, the exchange value appeal would definitely be lost by using a generic version of the product. This is addressed in the ad by the simple placement of the Nike logo on the pair of shorts in the advertisement.
4. The audience for this ad is athletic women, especially those who like to run, since running is specifically mentioned in the ad. I would assume that this ad would appear in either a women’s magazine or in a fitness magazine.

Topic Proposal #3

For this essay I will be doing a news article for The Onion. My article will be down-playing the issue of global warming and all the attention it has been getting in recent news. The essay will cover how I don't think it is important and how it does not seem to be happening as quickly as scientists suggest. I will be talking against articles that explain the importance of paying attention to global warming.

SWA # 5

1. Say by John Mayer

Take all of your wasted honor
Every little past frustration
Take all of your so-called problems
Better put them in quotations

Say what you need to say (8x)

Walking like a one man army
Fighting with the shadows in your head
Living out the same old moment
Knowing you’d be better off instead
If you could only

Say what you need to say (8x)

Have no fear for giving in
Have no fear for giving over
You better know that in the end
It’s better to say too much
Than never to say what you need to say again

Even if your hands are shaking
And your faith is broken
Even as the eyes are closing
Do it with a heart wide open

Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vuW6tQ0218&feature=related

Topic Proposal for Essay #2

Issue: What negative affects have blood doping and the use of EPO had on the sport of professional cycling?

Terms of Issue: The issue is concerned only with blood doping and not the issue of anabolic steroids or HGH. The issue is however concerned with EPO or Erythropoietin, which is a protein hormone normally produced by the kidney that stimulates the production of red blood cells. Also by “professional cycling” I mean those athletes who are sponsored by teams and compete in professional races.

Sources:

1. “The Circus Formerly Known as Cycling” Author: Austin Murphy. Sports Illustrated. Academic Search Premier.

The article, written in May of 2007, goes into details of the current state of the sport of cycling. The article discusses former riders who had been caught cheating and goes into the troubles that they have faced. The article talks about how the personal lives of the athletes were splashed across the media amidst the blood doping scandal.

2. “Cycling Team Loses Another Sponsor” Author: Sal Ruibal. USA Today. Academic Search Premier.

The article explains the financial problems that have come as an aftershock to the numerous blood doping scandals that have recently rocked the world of professional cycling. Team that had been sponsored for 16 years were forced to drop because they had their sponsorship pulled.

3. “Zipp Speed Weaponry tied to tainted sport: recent blood doping allegations in cycling could spill onto Speedway accessories manufacturer.” Author: Anthony Schoettle. Indianapolis Business Journal. Health & Wellness Resource.

This article explains how a manufacturing company, of bike parts, is in danger of being pulled into the blood doping scandal. The products of the company seem tainted since the spokesman for the company was implicated into the abuse scandal. The article brings up the issue of tainting the image of the company by sponsoring riders to get their product seen, but at what cost, since some of their riders have been implicated in the scandal.

4. “Tour of California Ramps Up Testing” Author: Sal Ruibal. USA Today. Academic Search Premier.

The article talks about the recent crack down in Tours other than the Tour de France. The Tour of California is happening in the next coming months and the article talks about the stricter testing for doping that will take place.

5. “Anti-doping Agency Seeks a Better EPO Test” Author: Elizabeth Rosenthal. New York Times.

The newspaper article discusses how the test being used for EPO has been deemed faulty, and do not always work properly. It now has to fund projects to create a new test and must work quickly.

essay topics:

1. blood doping in Cycling
2. artificial reefs
3. should we dump iron in the ocean

Topic Proposal #1

Topic Proposal
Light-Bulb Jokes: Charting an Era

For the first essay I have chosen to write about the article from Laughing Matters titled Light-Bulb Jokes: Charting an Era, written by Daniel Harris. In this essay the author sets out to show the importance of humor in society and how it has adapted over time. The author forms his argument around the ever popular Light-Bulb joke. By opening his argument with a timeline of these jokes and giving more examples throughout the work, the author shows that no social class, culture, or technology is ever free from ridicule. The essay also argues that through slight manipulation of the joke the insulted can easily become the insulter. The essay also shows how jokes and humor change from generation to generation, and the content often relies on what is occurring in that era.

The questions I plan to use in order to formulate my essay are as follows:

1. What is the purpose of the argument? What does it hope to achieve?
2. Who is the audience for this argument?
3. What shape does the argument take? How is the argument presented or arranged? What media does the argument use?
4. How does the language or style of the argument work to persuade an audience?

SWA #2 January 27, 2009

Out of the three chapters in Comedy Writing Series I found that the concepts discussed in chapter 3 surprised me the most. The concept discussed here was that of the recipe for humor includes six essential ingredients and they are represented by the acronym THREES. THREES stands for target, hostility, realism, exaggeration, emotion, and surprise. Target represents the audience of the humor and your humor must be suitable for your audience. Hostility is the second ingredient and its presence shows that humor is cruel. The next two ingredients are the antithesis of each other, but they are both needed for good humor. Since “good humor is a paradox.” The next ingredient emotion is important for building tension in your audience and can often be used as a trick. The last key ingredient is surprise, since surprise is one of the primary reasons why people laugh.
The book claims that if any one ingredient is missing that the humor will most likely be ruined. At first I found this concept hard to wrap my mind around, it seemed impossible to have all six of these components present in a simple sketch or joke. However, the more I though about the things that I found funny the more I found that indeed all of them were present, more often then not. In looking at things I found funny, I found that one my favorite comedy skits from Monty Python’s Flying Circus did indeed fit into the THREES model for ingredients of humor. I found that the more I practiced using the model the easier it became to identify each part of humor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piWCBOsJr-w&NR=1

Reading Response #1

Chapter one in Comedy Writing Secrets gave an overview of why humor writing is important. The chapter explains how comedy writing is something that can be taught and is very useful in everyday life. The chapter gives many exercises to help one become a better humor writer and to use ones imagination more. One example of these exercises is to collect cartoon strips and then to analyze who the humor is targeting and why the joke is funny. The chapter also shows how humor can bring fame and fortune to those who have mastered the art. Along with those rewards humor can also allow someone to gain respect from others. One important fundamental that is talked about in chapter one is the MAP acronym. MAP stands for material, audience, and performer. This acronym is important for understanding the dynamics of comedy and humor writing. It shows that no matter what type of humor is being used the audience is always the most important piece of the puzzle. The audience is the ones trying to be persuaded; therefore the humor must always try to match their ideas and interests.

The first reading out of Laughing Matters also discusses what makes good humor writing. The chapter brings up and interesting point on how humor is completely a human element. So that when we find things other than humans to have humor it is because we have noticed human characteristics in that thing. The writing also talks about how the more natural something is the more funny it will be. The second section in Laughing Matters explains how humor often comes from out perception of the world and not by fitting into a model. The other uses his own life experiences to illustrate his point. A suggestion is also made in this writing, similar to Comedy Writing Secrets, to keep a journal of things one finds funny to help improve ones humor writing. The writings in this book were much wordier than those in Comedy Writing Secrets and it was often hard to follow the authors’ train of thought.

I found both of the assigned reading to be extremely insightful. However, I found that the Comedy Writing Secrets book was much easier to follow and held my attention better. I thought the exercises given, as well as the many quotes to be very helpful and fun. The thing that surprised me the most was how much time and effort comedians and humorists put into their work. I always thought that humor was something that came naturally to a person and not that it was something that could be studied and learned. I found the information on the importance of audience to be very true. I fell that both books will help greatly in becoming a better comic writer.

Question: Is comedy and humor strictly a learned ability or is it something that can also be inherited?