Assignment 6

The rhetorical analysis assignment was a big eye opener for me. I have never written a rhetorical analysis, and in a lot of instances it was very confusing. Yet with all the examples in class and on this blog, I started getting the hang of it. Writing about the readers appeal to his/hers readers was new and challenging. I never knew I could defend an author in one single essay. One thing I noticed different on this essay was that it was much easier to write a longer essay. I found a lot of important information and reasons from the article and backed him up.

The article chosen for my group was very difficult, in my opinion. Oiled wildlife rehabilitation was something I did not know much about. It had a lot of information, but it was confusing on where it all went. In addition, it did not have much evidence for the use of pathos. So therefore, I had to search deep and thoroughly break apart the essay to find some relevant uses of pathos. He was still effective in many other ways.

In daily life, rhetoric use is very common. In one way, I can use rhetoric to persuade my mom into letting me go to a certain concert or increasing my allowance. I can say her hair looks great in order for her to be flattered and in turn, in a good mood. Once she's in a good mood, I can ask her for anything I want, and my chances are greater. This is just one way I can get her to let me go to a concert or increase my allowance. In campaign commercials, or any other commercial for that matter, representatives will say anything or promise to do anything to get us to vote for them or buy their product. They'll give statistics to show logic and persuade us to do what they want. They'll tag along a former president or senator to show authority and persuade us to do what they want. They'll show a dramatic scene to appeal to our feelings and persuade us to do what they want. In Johnson's "Daisy" commercial, that is one strong and powerful example he appeals to their emotions and persuades Americans to vote for him. Rhetoric is generally using any type of appeal to get what you want. And the person who has the best rhetoric techniques will come out on top and get what they want.

In conclusion, this specific type of writing was very influential to me and broadened my writing. It was something I have never experienced before. In this class, I've learned not only how to write rhetoric, but also how to find it and see if it was effective or not. Johnson's "Daisy" commercial was intense, maybe too intense for some people, but he definitely got his point across with fear and grief. We can possibly learn from Johnson's political commercial, but it is only one way people can use rhetoric. And whoever uses rhetoric the best will overcome anyone who challenges them. I enjoyed this type of writing.