Rhetorical Analysis- Speech

Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation
Franklin Delano Roosevelt

~WATCO: What are the consequences of Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, on the declaration of war?

~Enthymeme:(Claim): The Japanese attack forced the United States of America to declare war.
Assumption (Reason): Because the attack has shattered the bonds of trust, as well as the safety and security of the people of this nation.

~Audience: The audience is the Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Senate, and the House of Representatives.

~Goal: The goal of the speech is to convince and motivate the House of Representatives to wage war and to stand behind the President in this decision.

~How & Why: President Roosevelt really exercised emotion in the persuasive process. It's also very relevant since just previous to this event, the Japanese had implied that they look forward to maintaining peace in the pacific. Then suddenly, after the attack, there was no point in keeping diplomatic negotiations. Roosevelt assured the audience that to come all the way to Hawaii was a deliberate and planned attack. It was sufficient in stating how America was deceived. Lives were lost, ships were destroyed, and security has been damaged.

~Effective: The speech was extremely effective. It displays determination. As he asks the audience to "Remember the character the of the onslaught against us." Also, he rallies up the American people of the nation as Roosevelt speaks of his faith in them. "...Americans with their righteous might will win through to absolute victory."

After December 7th, 1941 America entered the war.
Twas truly "A Date which will Live in Infamy."


-----------------------

To hear and/or read this speech visit the American Rhetoric site.

Rhetorical Analysis- Music Video

Today, I will attempt to break down a music video to analyze it's persuasiveness.

~WATCO: What are the consequences of pretending to be someone online on how cool I am to others?

~Enthymeme:(Claim): "I'm so much cooler online."
Assumption (Reason): Because I'm someone else online; I can be handsome, talk to women, drive nice cars, play the guitar like Brad Paisley and rock the concert.

~Audience: The audience is "has-been" or "never-was" people who were never popular. They'd still be living with their parents with no excitement and adventure in their life.

~Goal: The goal of the music video teaches a lesson about how aspiring to be someone big and famous is cool at first, but realizing that what you seek in life could be right in front of you.

~How & Why: The role of this guy (Jason Alexander) dreams of becoming someone cool and famous, namely Brad Paisley. The audience can identify with the nerd-like character. Though this analysis is more on the video it correlates with the lyrics how when online, he's six-foot five, he drives a Maserati, gets on the cover on GQ, six pack abs to blow your mind, and 'even on a slow day he has a 3-way chat with two women at one time'. It's pretty accurate, because many people lie about their lifestyles, or make up stories to make them more appealing. It's typical because even if they don't actually impersonate someone, they dream of being like them.

~Effective: The effectiveness of the video gave a twist at the end of the video. Jason Alexander finally realizes that it's not him, but he can be famous/desirable in his own immediate life. The girl next door has always liked him, but he's been to afraid to do anything about it. He makes a bold move and goes for her, and they literally march off into happiness. Thus, the effectiveness in persuading that being online makes you cool isn't great, but a better solution is given to the audience at the end.


Credits: Online by Brad Paisley. From the album 5th Gear.
_______________________
This weeks post may not be the most successful in terms of being persuasive, but I wanted to do a country song. There are a lot of people out there who don't like country music usually due to the twang of artists' voices and the subject/content they sing about. I used to be one of them. I still don't like it too twangy, but many of the songs have much better lyrics than what's being put out these days. Whether it be in terms of clean language, or telling a good story or just a simple love song. Plus, country music videos are usually good to watch because they're tend to parallel with the lyrics and they often quite funny.

So to you who despise country I say, "Give it a chance." If you're one who likes it already, don't be bothered by the haters- We'll always know what they're missing out on.

Kids are so intriguing

DUH Anna!!

Sometimes a child's words are so straight forward and non-figurative, it throws us older people for a loop. This was really funny to me so I thought I'd share.

I was talking on the phone with one of my nieces and I asked her how she was doing. She let me know about the weather warming up, and the ability to go outside and play, and how she got to ride her bike with her Mom and Dad. As she continued on she told me how excited she was and proud that she gave a talk in primary. This is sort of the script of the conversation. Me: So what else is new with you? Niece: I got to give a talk in primary/nursery! Me: Oh yeah? Cool! What did you give your talk on? Niece: On the microphone. ~momentary pause. I was baffled at her wit~ Me: Ha ha, what was your talk about? Niece: It was about Responsibility... (and so on and so on)

The little Blondie

I was trying so hard to hold in my laughter. After all, she answered the question correctly. She did give a talk on (into) the microphone. Ahhh, if I could only hear half of the things she says in a day..... what a character.

March has it's perks

Okay, some may say that I over-do it. But I truly have a "Love for the Game."
Without further ado...

LET THE MADNESS BEGIN!

I go nuts over March Madness and the NCAA tournament. I get into the who bracketology stuff on ESPN, I create several scenarios if my top picks don't pan out, and I watch as many games as possible on cbssports.com. Last year around this time, I brought my computer to class, where I was taking notes on one side of the screen, while I had a game streaming on the other side.

I hope my 'golden bracket' holds up to its name on the ESPN site. I'll update you all (out of what, maybe three people who read this blog?) as the weeks progress.

yeah... I love it

Rhetorical Analysis- Paper A

The gears have shifted because now I am analyzing
my own paper and how persuasive it was.

p.s. this is just a picture of me standing on the world's largest lacolith

~WATCO: What are the consequences of parents teaching the mentality that 'everyone's a winner' on the child's future success?
Enthymeme (Claim): Teaching this 'everyone's a winner mentality will impede future success.
Assumption (Reason): Because teaching this mentality will lead them to believe minimal effort is enough.

~Audience: The audience is parents who influence young people (roughly ages 8-20).

~Goal: The goal of the paper was to persuade parents to help prepare their children for adult life. Sometimes by letting failure occur, youth will better learn from their mistakes compared to always putting them on equal terms with their peers. Not everyone can win all the time, but hard work will excel their children beyond mediocrity. The goal is to help those adults realize they're potential crippling effect on their child's ability to cope with life's upsets and stresses.

~How & Why: This paper is relevant because most parents deeply care about their children. The writer gives a situation where a discouraged young athlete was about to quit, but he was persuaded into finishing the season where they won the championship. This begins to tug at the emotions of winning and losing, and how the outcome of a game (competition) can affect your attitude. The writer explains that parents are too soft and they either don't push their child in terms of competition or they interfere by demanding equality, making everyone a winner. Though this is logical, the writer lacks sources to correctly back up their claim. It also, states that when these children grow up, they are unprepared for the challenges that come with adulthood, yet there is not sufficient evidence to support it.

~Effective: The paper isn't the most effective because of the lack of credible sources. The underlying message would persuade me, but I am not the audience. The audience would need more credible information to convince them of a problem even existing.

Rhetorical Analysis- Film Trailer

This week I bring you a teaser trailer created for the second, of the Transformers series.

Transformers
Revenge of the Fallen

~WATCO: What are the consequences of human life on the return and revenge of the Decepticons?

Enthymeme (Claim): The earth is being destroyed by the Decepticons.
Assumption (Reason): Because they lost the battle to the Autobots in the last fight, but they have come again seeking revenge. Only, the battle is taking place on earth again and affecting the human race.

~Audience: The audience is American teenagers and adults who watch action movies and/or grew up with Transformers.

Switch to Full Screen so you can see the entire frame.

~Goal: The goal of the trailer is to convince you, the human to help in the fight against the Decepticons or perish under their control of the world.

~How & Why: The teaser uses an apocalyptic approach to play with our emotions (pathos). If we are given the feeling that we are being attacked, we must either run and hide, or fight. The scene where the US military was totally ambushed as we see an aircraft carrier destroyed and many fighter planes and debris sink to the bottom of the ocean. Here it feels serious because our security has been breached and we question our safety (ethos) and trust at this point. It is relevant in the pseudo setting because the Decepticons were defeated, but full of resent, they gain strength and attack the Autobots (who are living in peace with the inhabitants of earth) The audience cares about the matter, becuase it's affecting their lives (family, homes, and safety).

~Effective: This teaser was very effective. Those who already like Transformers are excited for the evil forces to attack again because it's another action-packed film to witness. I'm already a Transformers fan, but this teaser was so involving that I'm counting down the days until mid June.

Credits: Director Michael Bay
www.transformersmovie.com