E P L

Alrighty, let's talk about the triangle, the E, P, L, the appeals that make YOUR paper rock star and persuasive:

o   What is Ethos? Why is it important to the writer? What makes the writer credible? How?

§  Ethos is an ethical appeal, a moral appeal and an appeal that one makes to establish their authority as a writer.

§  It’s important to the writer because as the speaker of this argument you put a face to a position and you have to defend that. You cannot defend a position if you do not establish yourself as an authority with a moralistic appeal (and by moralistic I don’t mean religiously based, but one where a certain standard is established)

§  What makes a writer credible is their understanding of the situation (the history of if, a knowledge of the conversation going on), an authoritative tone (whether established by a decisive and powerful language, a use of humor to appeal to the audience, etc.

o   What is Pathos? How is an appeal to pathos an effective form of persuasion for an audience? What does it do specifically? How do you make an appeal to Pathos?

§  Pathos is an appeal to emotions, a tug on the heartstrings if you will.

§  It’s effective because it’s appealing directly to the audience, taking an argument and giving it a human aspect, a tangibility that the audience can feel and relate to.

§  It creates a bridge between the writer, the argument and the audience. It provides a method by which the audience can find a connection and relationship with the argument, thus forming a better persuasive understanding of it.

§  You can make an appeal through humor (one of the most effective), a sad appeal, a personal appeal, and so forth. You give a face to the argument essentially

o   Why is it important for your argument to have Logos? What might happen if Logos is lacking in your argument? What does that do to your credibility as the writer?

§  Logos ensures that your argument is one that IS arguable. It’s the foundation that holds your rhetoric and argument together.

§  If your argument doesn’t have a logical appeal, if there’s no sure foundation for the reality of your argument, then you lose credibility and persuasiveness.

§  Logos shows that he writer knows what they are talking and that what they are talking about is something significant. It shows that the writer can articulate a sound argument and one that can be analyzed and one that is significant. 

Let me chat about myself, eh? Okay, that sounds a bit pretentious.

Alright. You're probably wondering why on earth I've asked you to write about yourself. And start a blog...

You're probably sitting in your chairs thinking how horrible this semester is going to be, stressing about tests, and quizzes and papers and deadlines.

Maybe you're thinking about how terribly crazy your writing teacher seems to be.

And maybe I am a tad crazy. Just a little.


Then again, maybe I'm also a fun person who might just make this semester of writing an interesting one for you.

AND, maybe, just maybe that sounded a little inflated.

I promise I don't have a big head and I promise I'm not an over inflated or full of myself.

I AM, however, a girl from a small town in Southern Utah. Kanab...ah glorious Kanab, with it's two stoplights, tourist traps and gleaming red rocks.



It's hard not to be fond of a place so peaceful and serene. Though, I do suspect that cows outshine the human population of the county.

I had around 48 people in my graduating class...

And after school I came up to Provo to study at BYU. THAT was a culture shock for me. So many people, so many buildings...what was a small town girl to do?

Get lost in the book store apparently. And then get lost in the library.

AND in the JFSB

And, you get the idea. I'm rubbish at directions.

Though, apparently, not enough to evade living here permanently.

You'll find me now, quite content with the size of Provo, able to navigate the streets rather well (or well enough anyway) and somewhat good at giving directions now.

Small victories, people. Small victories.

Other than that? I'm a rather dull homebody who likes spending time with her family.













I know I know. You may be thinking:



Not everyone's cup of tea, I realize. But I enjoy it. And because I enjoy being home, I also have fun little hobbies that I take delight in as well.

Like baking guys. Baking is brilliant. AND, you may get treats from time to time because I enjoy it so much.

On the other hand, I'm also a graduate student, which MAY make me certifiably crazy, given that I've got a rather busy life with children.

But I tend to thrive in chaos.

And I've got the best thesis in the world. It's about Tolkien and Sir Walter Scott.




All the feels guys. All the feels.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg that is my life. I have many movies and shows and music that I adore. And I'll be happy to tell them to you if you really want to know...

But I think that's enough chatter about me for one day.

I will say this though. Writing is a beautiful thing and I am very passionate about it. You can express yourself in so many ways. Creativity abounds in writing, whether technical or trending towards the more 'artsy' forms of expression in the written word.

But writing takes practice. It's taken me a long time to master my voice as a writer, but that practice has opened my eyes to the importance of courses like Writing 150. And I hope, by the end of the semester, that you'll come to understand and appreciate writing in a new way. Even if you don't consider yourself a writer now, I know that you will all create some pretty brilliant pieces of writing this semester.

NOW, back to my thesis research.

Arguing Just to Argue?

In writing, do you often feel as though you find yourselves arguing just for the sake of an argument?

If so, do you think that's effective?

Me, personally? Not really.

Especially in writing, it's important to remember that there has to be a purpose behind your argument, some form of conviction that you hold to that motivates your approach to a topic and the different points you attach to your stance.

Otherwise, what's the point of arguing?

Are you more like Monty Python's 'Argument Clinic' or are you more like the educated persons who understand how to construct a decent, reliable argument that will engage people in conversation rather than leave them scratching their heads wondering WHY you are even bothering to discuss a subject.



So, what do we do? If we want to effectively articulate an argument HOW do we construct it?

The Prompt:

Here is the prompt for your Issues Paper. It is very specific, to be certain, but it is one that can provoke A LOT of useful research!

Your religious congregation has sent you to an inter-denominational council of American churches concerned that in the last few years, young adults have been fleeing religious services in large numbers, claiming on surveys that they have no religious affiliation. Your church is interested in your perspective because you participate in religious groups and you always seem to have an informed, and sometimes passionate, opinion on interesting topics discussed. Your leaders want you to go this council meeting and then write a report explaining why the trend is happening, what consequences it might have for these young adults or the country in general, and how religious groups of all kinds might bring youth back into the fold. Your report should be well-researched; your leaders aren't interested in "just opinions" related to the issue. They also want a thorough report. They admit that they know nothing about this trend (when did it start? why? what are the more appealing alternatives to religion? what are churches doing to drive out young people?), nor do they really know how to reverse it. But they're open to your advice. Prepare an 8-10 white paper on this issue directed at church leaders from multiple religions concerned about this trend. (A white paper is a research paper meant to help stakeholders understand an important issue so they can improve their judgment and/or act on the issue. White papers take stances by proposing policies or courses of action. They take the form of a standard research paper, but their audience is specific.) Include at least one graphic (image or table, chart, or graph) embedded in the paper. It may be helpful to keep in mind that these leaders are a little out of touch, and they will be skeptical of your claims. 

Also, keep in mind here is a video to help you sort of contextualize the issues paper with an example: 

How to approach your Op-Ed

Below you'll find a few links of information that may help in constructing your Op-Ed. Each site holds valuable information and hints on how to construct your papers and write more effectively:

Opinion Writing Editorial

How to Write an Op-Ed

What's this thing they call an argument?

When you hear the word 'argument' what do you generally think of?

This perhaps?



Well, yes, technically, this IS an argument...of sorts.

And yet, there seems to be something lacking, wouldn't you agree? While entertaining, certainly, there's no depth to this particular scene.

It's a rather silly thing, really.

So, back to the original question:

What constitutes an argument?

What facilitates discussion?

Do you ALWAYS have to take an opposing view to what someone argues?

What if I were to tell you that THIS is also an argument:

The basic aspects of this scene denote that argument is taking place. If you watch closely, you'll see that Dumbledore is arguing something to Snape, trying to PERSUADE him to do something, to act in some way.

What might that be?

How do you know?

NOW, let's define things a titch, shall we?

An argument is made up of 3 basic parts:

CLAIMS: 

What you're stating

REASONS: 

The supports

ASSUMPTIONS:

What you deduce about your audience as well as what you might deduce as a reader (the subtext, the unspoken knowledge)

Let's go back to the Snape video:

What's Dumbledore's claim? What does he WANT from Snape?

-It's obvious that Dumbledore is asking for Snapes help in protecting Harry.

What does he do to support this? What reasons does he give?

-Dumbledore does a few things to qualify his argument here. Not only does he say that Voldemort will return he also does something else:

'He has Lily's eyes'

If Dumbledore's argument is effective what can you infer about his knowledge of Snape? What persuaded Snape to accept Dumbledore's argument?

-The entire series is based upon Snape's willingness to assist Dumbledore in protecting Harry Potter. So, we can assume that it was an effective argument. But, what was effective about it?

'He has Lily's eyes'

THAT is the moment you see Snape's investment in the cause to protect Harry. However, this statement, while seemingly pointless if used on you or I, seems to hold great significance for Snape.

Clearly, Lily was VERY important to him.

SO, what do we assume about the argument and the reasons and Dumbledore's knowledge about Snape? How did he make everything persuasive and effective?

He ASSUMED (or knew) that Snape loved Lily. And by bringing Lily's memory to the forefront of Snape's mind, he created a personal connection with his audience (Snape) and made his argument much more appealing.

Introductions:

What's there to say about me? I'd like to claim that I'm this utterly fascinating creature who would entertain you with various tales of my success and grandeur.

Really, though, I'm a rather boring person.

And that's okay. I don't mind being boring. 

 

Anyway, about me. I'm a homebody, as I stated before. I'm from a small town in Southern Utah. You may or may not have heard of Kanab, with it's one stop light and tiny population. Truly, I think there were more cows in the county than people...

I came to Provo to study my undergrad at BYU after high school and, well, I've been here ever since. 

My life includes a variety of things like baking (I'll bring treats occasionally to class), taking care of my adorable children, and writing.

I also have the uncanny ability to memorize movies the first time I watch them. I can recite the dialogue to you and tell you what pieces of the soundtrack fit where.

A tad geeky, and a bit useless, but it's a talent nonetheless.

Admittedly, I'm a bookworm. I love perusing the bookstore for new and exciting books, or rereading old favorites. And, there are simply too many of those to count! 

Austen.

Tolstoy.

Tolkien.

Lewis.

Lund.

Just to name a few...

I also have a soft spot for certain television programs and movies as well:

(You MAY have guessed that one)

And the list could go on...

As for this class? For me, writing is an essential part of life and rhetoric is the very foundation on which most of our interactions rely. 

Rhetoric focuses on our capacities to persuade and defend out beliefs. If we can do that, we can accomplish great things. 

Writing is a great outlet that we can use in order to persuade others. It facilitates thoughts, ideas, arguments, etc. 

If you can write well, you can do just about anything. It's my goal, and hope, this semester to help you realize the potential you all have as writers and to help prepare you for your futures in academic studies (and the writing that comes with it.).