Post 13

For project 4 I have decided to examine the first student organization I joined here at Ohio University. Phi Gamma Nu Professional Business Fraternity has been the main focus of my student involvement for the past year and a half and I consider myself to be a highly involved member. For the purpose of this essay I plan on focusing mostly on Wenger’s article concerning modes of belonging, participation, and identity.

Wenger suggests that in order to make sense of identity formation, we must consider three distinct modes of belonging: engagement, imagination, and alignment. Although all three of these are distinct modes of belonging, one mode of belonging may affect another. Engagement is active involvement in mutual processes within the organization, or being included in what matters. In Phi Gamma Nu I consider myself to be highly involved in important interfraternal processes; however, not all members are as involved as I am. Some may only attend mandatory weekly chapter meetings and may not voice their opinion on important negotiations.

Through all three modes of belonging one will begin to identify themselves within a discourse community. Identification is the process through which modes of belonging become constitutive of our identities by creating bonds or distinctions in which we become invested. The Phi Gamma Nu pledging process is how new members become involved. By the end of a pledging quarter, a new member will have been given the tools needed to identify with the group or decide that it is not something they wish to be identified with. For ten weeks pledges go through intense processes which force them to engage, imagine, and align themselves with Phi Gamma Nu.

Post 12

In “Identity, Authority, and Learning to Write in New Workplaces,” Elizabeth Wardle quotes Sociologist Etienne Wenger’s theory of communities of practice. Wenger describes the three interrelated modes of belonging as engagement, imagination, and alignment. Engagement involves defining a common goal among veteran members of a discourse community and newcomers. Both new comers and old members pursue this goal together in order to shape interpersonal relationships among each other.This goal, or common enterprise, could be to plan an event, raise money for a charity, or accomplish a specific task within their community. The next mode described, imagination, entails newcomers locating their engagement in a broader system. During this newcomers create a course that connects them with their new goal within the discourse community and their external identity. Newcomers can come up with new ideas for an organization based on their pillars or main goals. This can either lead to a positive mode of belonging or can turn out to be disconnected to the goals of the community and detach newcomers. The third mode of belonging inside of a discourse community is alignment. This involves negotiating perspectives, finding common ground, and discussing broader visions and goals. Newcomers may talk in depth to old members about the ideas they have thought about and how they might work. Alignment may cause newcomers’ and oldcomers’ boundaries to merge or it could also be a violation of a person’s sense of self that crushes their identity.

In the group that I have chosen for Project 4 (Phi Gamma Nu Professional Business Fraternity) engagement comes in the form of active members informing pledges of our goals as an organization which include professional development, social, and philanthropy. Next, during the process called imagination, they are required to create an event for each pillar. A professional speaker, a philanthropic enevt, and a social event. Finally, they work together with active members to make sure that these ideas fit well with the Phi Gam objectives.

Post 11

Many clubs and organizations on campus fit John Swales’ standards of a discourse community. The organization that I am most involved in, Phi Gamma Nu Professional Business Fraternity, also fits all six of Swales’ requirements. Phi Gam’s goals are clearly stated in public records. According to our bylaws, the goals of Phi Gamma Nu are based upon our three pillars; professional development, social, and philanthropy. Above all else Phi Gamma Nu is an organization with the intent to prepare its members for professional work endeavors in a business work place. Phi Gam has multiple mechanisms of intercommunication among its members in the form of weekly chapter meetings, quarterly newsletters, and e-mail updates to members. In addition to having these participatory mechanisms, Phi Gam uses them primarily to provide information and feedback. Weekly chapter meetings are mandatory for all members in order to keep members actively involved in the discourse community and to ensure that information and the opportunity to give feedback is open to everyone in the discourse community. Swales asserts, “A discourse community utilizes and hence possesses one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims.” I believe that Phi Gamma Nu also meets this requirement. The genre utilized within this discourse community is professional and formal during meetings and other professional tasks and informal and laidback during social events. There are many occasions that I find myself discussing Phi Gam outside of our formal meetings or around people not in this discourse community. When others hear the conversation it is usually hard for them to follow along. This is because Phi Gam has acquired some specific lexis. This ranges from abbreviations for leadership positions within our organizations (CPR for communications and public relations, Pro-D for professional development, etc.) or simply events that are specific to us that other people may not be aware of (Balls for Balls which is a philanthropy event, Business Olympics which is an annual event we throw within the college of business, etc.) The members of Phi Gamma Nu change every quarter when we receive a new pledge class and seniors graduate. Survival of our discourse community depends on transition from novice pledges to students holding leadership positions. Phi Gamma Nu has a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise. It is assumed that by the time one finishes a pledging quarter they should be prepared to hold a leadership position or be on the road to getting there before graduating and becoming Phi Gam Alumni.

Post 10

I can’t remember a time in my life when technology didn’t play some sort of role. From my very first Barbie computer game when I was four to the Kindle I got last Christmas, technology has altered literacy drastically since Baron wrote “From Pencils to Pixels.” Technology based learning has infiltrated education from preschools to universities. Many students today would struggle to write a paper without any electronic aid to lean on. Since word processing programs like Microsoft Word, handwritten documents have become a thing of the past and I believe that this is just the beginning. Learning today is highly focused on visual aids in place of textbooks. Power Point presentations are used in the majority of classrooms in place of blackboards. These changes have definitely changed my literacy. When I write papers online search engines like Google are used frequently in addition to an online thesaurus. Also, other people’s opinions and pieces of work are at our fingertips 24/7 through online articles, blogs, and social media outlets. Reading these have a major effect on my own writing style simply because it is like an ongoing conversation that I am constantly learning from.

Alphabet writing is becoming a thing of the past. With the use of the internet people can now make visual arguments with digital video and pictures in order to get their point across. Whether it be a photo album uploaded on Facebook, a TwitPic, a smiley face sent in a text message, or a photo embedded into a blog, composing my feelings and ideas is way beyond writing them out. Not only are there other ways to express my thoughts but the amount of people it can reach through the internet is huge. There is absolutely no denying the fact that technology has changed literacy in the past 12 years and I believe it will continue to change the way in which we become literate in years to come.

Children of Parents who Smoke, Get to Heaven Earlier

Smoke Halo: Children of Parents who Smoke, Get to Heaven Earlier

In recent years, cigarette smoking has become the focus for many non-profit and healthcare organizations. Anti-smoking advertisements flood websites, the walls of public buildings, and the pages of magazines. Many may not realize it but when looking at these images a visual argument is presented. Exigence, rhetor, audience, and constraints are tools used to analyze these images and their purpose in “Backpacks vs. Briefcases” and“Rhetorical Situations and their Constituents.”

 In the process of a rhetorical analysis, Grant-Davie explains that it is necessary to identify the exigence, audience, rhetors, and constraints (Grant-Davie). The obvious audience in this advertisement would be parents who are smokers. However, I think it is important to think about other people that may be affected by the content of the argument and could possibly achieve rhetorical objectives. For example, this ad may also have an effect on any adult who smokes, whether they have children or not. This is because most adults are around children at one point or another. If a friend or family member of a current smoker sees this ad they may pressure that person to quit the habit by informing them of the bad effects smoking has not only on their own personal health, but also the well being of others. Another possible audience of this visual argument may be the children of parents who smoke. If a child sees this advertisement it would more than likely scare them. This may cause that child to pressure an adult in their life to quit smoking.

Rhetoric is “the way we use language and images to persuade,” explained by Carroll in”Backpacks vs. Briefcases” (3). The people or institutions involved in the way the rhetoric is portrayed are rhetors. Rhetors are people, real or imagined, responsible for the discourse and its authorial voice (Grant-Davie). In this campaign there is a rhetorical team that works together to create the discourse. The rhetors may be the corporation that sponsored the making of the ad and similar ads, the advertising agency hired by that corporation that designed the advertisement, the creative director of the campaign, the photographer of the image, the little girl modeling, in addition to many other or many other things. In the right hand corner you can see that the campaign if funded by the Child Health Foundation. This organization is be one of the rhetors. All of these people act as a rhetorical team that is trying to reach their goal of reducing the amount of cigarette smokers in America. Together, they create the discourse of the advertisement.

This visual argument arises because of the health risks second hand smoking causes – especially for children. According to Bitzer, who is quoted by Grant-Davie in “Rhetorical Situations and their Constituents,” the rhetorical exigence is “some kind of need or problem that can be addressed and solved through rhetorical discourse” (105). In this visual argument the exigence is the harmful effects of smoking. This answers the question “Why is this discourse needed?” The discourse is needed in order to reduce the amount of smokers, which will in turn reduce the effects of second hand smoke on children. This advertisement clearly states the problem that prompts the visual argument in plain text by saying “Children of parents who smoke, get to heaven earlier.” Grant-Davie, however, goes into more detail about the exigence of an argument. First, he asks what the discourse is about (106). The discourse in this ad is about the danger of smoking around children and the harmful effects of second hand smoke. Next, he asks why the discourse is needed, in this situation the discourse is needed to make adults aware that smoking around children is dangerous and can lead to illnesses that may ultimately lead to death (107). Finally, Grant-Davie asks what the discourse is trying to accomplish in the process. In this anti-smoking advertisement the discourse is attempting to lessen the amount of smokers in America, especially those with children or those who are commonly around children (108). The specific argument that the rhetorical team is trying to make pertains to the dangerous effects of smoking. They want the audience to believe that smoking around children is harmful. There is also an aspect of the article that might make the audience think that it is unfair for parents to subject their children to second hand smoke because it will have harmful effects on them that they cannot control. A beneficial affect that the rhetors may hope for in the discourse of this argument is to simply get people talking about the problem with second hand smoke. The advertisement, above all else, appeals to the readers emotions. Many people care about the well being of children. After reading this visual argument someone may feel obligated to get others to stop smoking or inform others of its destructive effects. After examining this visual argument, the rhetorical team ultimately wants smokers to quit the habit.

            Grant-Davie describes constraints as “factors in the situations context that may affect the achievement of the rhetorical objectives,” (Grant-Davie). A constraint of any advertisement could be how well it’s marketed and who actually sees it. However, there are still some constraints that are specific to this campaign. Some of these may be that it mainly targets smokers and their affects on children. Also, if the rhetors are trying to target children as well as adults, the campaign may be constrained by children being too young to read the text. A constraint could also be pure ignorance is its audience. Many people who smoke may not truly believe that second hand smoke is bad for the health of non-smokers.           

            The rhetorical team utilizes some artistic appeals in order to persuade the reader that second hand smoke is harmful. Like I have previously stated, this visual argument focuses mostly on appealing to the reader’s emotions through the use of pathos. The purpose of using pathos is to evoke an emotional response of sympathy or empathy. Whenever you accept a claim based on how it makes you feel without fully analyzing the rationale behind the claim, you are acting on pathos. This advertisement does exactly this. It uses emotionally loaded language and vivid descriptions in order to appeal to the reader. Nowhere in the ad does it state any statistics about the detrimental effects of smoking around children, however, the image of the halo around the little girl along with the powerful language in the sentence beside it attempt to cause the reader to be saddened about children dying because of smokers.

Another appeal used in this advertisement is ethos. When appealing to ones ethos, the author aims to demonstrate their reliability, competence, and respect for the audience’s ideas and values through reliable and appropriate use of support and general accuracy. The use of the Child Health Foundation logo at the bottom of the advertisement adds ethos to the visual argument because it demonstrates reliability, assuming that the Child Health Foundation is a credible organization. Although there is only one short sentence in the ad, it still uses correct grammar and vocabulary that can be understood by the audience, which helps to develop ethos within the campaign.

            In my opinion the advertisement is very successful in trying to appeal to the readers’ emotions. When I first saw the ad I immediately felt saddened. I was reminded about how dangerous smoking is and I felt compelled to remind people I know who smoke to stop. I believe that outside of its constraints this advertisement is achieving exactly what it aims to. This said, I think that the advertisement would be more successful with the use of logos. Even just one statistic would add to the argument without taking away its simplicity. This ad appeals to its audience fairly well and overall I believe it was successful.

References:

Carroll, Laura Bolin. “Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps Toward Rhetorical Analysis.” Writing Spaces: Reading on Writing. Vol. 1. Parlor Press. 2010. Pg 45-58. Web. 5 February 2012.

Grant-Davie, Keith. "Rhetorical Situations and Their Constituents." Writing about Writing. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2011.119.

"Children of Parents who Smoke, Get to Heaven Earlier" http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/nonsmokingcampaign_smoke_ring

Post 8

A literary sponsor can come in many different forms. Brandt defines what a literary sponsor is in "Sponsors of Literacy." According to Brandt literary sponsors are "powerful figures who were usually richer, more knowledgeable, and more entrenched than the sponsored, sponsors nevertheless enter a reciprocal relationship with those they underwrite, but also stand to gain benefits from their success." A literary sponsor could come in many forms, be it a person or an institution. The most common sponsors include political leaders, teachers, priests, supervisors, military officers, editors, and other influential members of society.

Malcolm X’s goal was to gain social justice for African Americans. At this time in the United States this goal seemed far-fetched. In order to succeed, Malcolm relied on influential leaders in the fight for African American justice. These people would be considered his literary sponsors. Some of these leaders included the Norfolk Prison Colony, Bimbi, and Elijah Muhammad. All of these people were knowledgeable and under better socioeconomic conditions to succeed. His access to sponsors was determined by socioeconomic conditions contingent upon race and class because his social isolation only allowed him to gain a tapered view of society. This caused him to have a radical view on over coming white power and brutality against blacks.

 In my opinion, Malcolm’s literary sponsors constrained his literacy acquisition in different ways. While in prison, he had access to limited resources. This may have caused him to read mainly about white people’s oppression upon African Americans. Also, Malcolm idolized Muhammad and wanted to please him. He read things and believed things that he may have necessarily not thought if he had never encountered Muhammad, which may have lead to his radical behavior. Malcolm met Muhammad at a vulnerable time in his life and with hopes of someday being as wise as Muhammad; he may have been missing the whole picture.

Project 2 Draft

Rhetorical Analysis

For my visual argument I chose an anti-smoking advertisement. This particular ad is part of a campaign that targets parents who smoke and the effects it has on their children and their self. This also pinpoints the rhetorical situation.

In the process of this rhetorical I will first identify the audience, rhetors, exigence, and constraints. The obvious audience in this advertisement would be parents who are smokers. However, I think it is important to think about other people that may be affected by the content of the argument and could possibly achieve rhetorical objectives. For example, this ad may also have an effect on any adult who smokes, whether they have children or not. This is because most adults are around children at one point or another. If a friend or family member of a current smoker sees this ad they may pressure that person to quit the habit by informing them of the bad effects smoking has, not only on their own personal health, but also the risks that second hand smoke has on others. Another possible audience of this visual argument may be the children of parents who smoke. If a child sees this advertisement it would more than likely scare them. This may cause that child to pressure an adult in their life to quit smoking.

In this ad there are multiple rhetors. Rhetors are people, real or imagined, responsible for the discourse and its authorial voice. In this ad campaign theres a rhetorical team that works together to create the discourse. The rhetors may be the corporation that sponsored the making of the ad and similar ads, the advertising agency hired by that corporation that designed the advertisement, the little girl modeling in the ad, a non-profit organization focused on smoking awareness, or many other things. In the right hand corner you can see that the campaign if funded by the Child Health Foundation. This organization would be one of the rhetors. All of these people act as a rhetorical team that is trying to reach their goal of reducing the amount of cigarette smokers in America.

This visual argument arises because of the health risks second hand smoking causes – especially for children. According to Bitzer, the exigence, or problem that prompts the visual argument, is to make cigarette smokers aware of the harm they are putting their children in. This answers the question “Why is this discourse needed?” The discourse is needed in order to reduce the amount of smokers, which will in turn reduce the effects of second hand smoke on children. This ad very clearly states the problem that prompts the visual argument in plain text next to the little girl by saying “Children of parents who smoke, get to heaven earlier.” Grant-Davie, however, goes into more detail about the exigence of an argument. First, he asks what the discourse is about. The discourse in this ad is about the danger of smoking around children and the harmful effects of second hand smoke. Next, he asks why the discourse is needed, in this situation the discourse is needed to make adults aware that smoking around children is dangerous and can lead to illnesses that may ultimately lead to death. Finally, Grant-Davie asks what the discourse is trying to accomplish in the process. In this anti-smoking advertisement the discourse is attempting to lessen the amount of smokers in America, especially those with children or those who are commonly around children.  

            The specific argument that the rhetorical team is trying to make pertains to the dangerous effects of smoking. They want the audience to believe that smoking around children is harmful. There is also an aspect of the article that might make the audience think that it is unfair for parents to subject their children to second hand smoke because it will have harmful effects on them in the long run that they cannot control. A beneficial affect that the rhetors may hope for in the discourse of this argument is to simply get people talking about the problem with second hand smoke. The advertisement, above all else, appeals to the readers emotions. Many people care a lot about the well being of children and by reading this article someone may feel like they should try to get others to stop smoking or inform others of its destructive effects. Finally, after reading this visual argument the rhetorical team ultimately wants smokers to quit the habit.

            Some constraints of this ad may be it only targets smokers and someone who smokes but doesn’t have children may be unaffected by it. Also, if the rhetors are trying to target children as well as adults the campaign may be constrained by children being too young to read the text. Many people who smoke may not truly believe that second hand smoke is bad for the health of non-smokers. The visual argument can also be constrained by this .   

            The rhetorical team utilizes some artistic appeals in order to persuade the reader that second hand smoke is harmful. Like I have previously stated, this visual argument focuses mostly on appealing to the reader’s emotions through the use of pathos. The purpose of using pathos is to evoke an emotional response of sympathy or empathy. Whenever you accept a claim based on how it makes you feel without fully analyzing the rationale behind the claim, you are acting on pathos. This advertisement does exactly this. It uses emotionally loaded language and vivid descriptions in order to appeal to the reader. Nowhere in the ad does it state any statistics about the detrimental effects of smoking around children, however, the image of the halo around the little girl and the powerful language in the sentence beside it attempt to cause the reader to be saddened about children dying because of smokers. The only other appeal in this advertisement would be ethos. When appealing to ones ethos, the author aims to demonstrate their reliability, competence, and respect for the audience’s ideas and values through reliable and appropriate use of support and general accuracy. The use of the Child Health Foundation logo at the bottom of the advertisement adds ethos to the visual argument because it demonstrates reliability, assuming that the Child Health Foundation is a credible organization. Although there is only one short sentence in the ad, it still uses correct grammar and vocabulary that can be understood by the audience, which helps to develop ethos within the campaign.

            In my opinion the advertisement is very successful in trying to appeal to the readers’ emotions. When I first saw the ad I immediately felt saddened. I was reminded about how dangerous smoking is and I felt compelled to remind people I know who smoke to stop.