Styles 9/22/2012

In my argument of definition of the idea of a "useful job," I believe I employ the middle style because I do not like being too formal, and for my definition, I think that the low style would not convey my ideas in the right sense. I think my word choice promotes the idea of seriousness rather than playfulness. I think my sentence structure is varied, but could be more varied, which I will look at when I go through my paper again. In my paragraph that looks at the opposition's views, I think I use parallelism in order to argue against their ideas. I think my rhythm could use some extra attention because my use of quotes which should aid in my definition detract from the overall feel of the essay. I do use figurative language, but I could add much more. I need to add more comparisons in order to prove why my definition is better that the one I am arguing against. 

The Offbeat Allure of Cult Films 9/17/2012

Throughout this essay, the author continuously quotes people she talked to about cult films. Mansaray uses many different cult films in order to illustrate the idea of a cult film. She also gets many quotes pertaining to each movie that emphasize why they can be considered a "cult film." I think limiting herself to only mentioning 5 cult movies aids in her definition because there is less room for any other interpretations. I don't necessarily agree with her idea that teens are the seekers of cult films, but I can see why she believes that. In my interpretation of this essay, I think she is making a case for cult films by showing who seeks them out and why they like them. I believe her overall point of this essay is to show that teens look for things that aren't mainstream, and the idea of a cult film is surging through the youth in order to find their own place in the world. Does it matter? Who is to say whether someone's writing matters or not? I'm sure there are people out there who will read this and really connect with it in some way, so yes, I would say this essay matters solely because it mattered as some point to someone.

For me, a cult film is something that is "under the Hollywood radar." I tend to gravitate toward cult films like Donnie Darko, Fight Club, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and Napoleon Dynamite because I grew up watching them. I don't agree with thew author's idea of teens and cult films because teens usually only like what is new/unknown. For me, its like when you know a really obscure band and nobody else knows who they are, and then when they start catching on, you get pissed because everybody starts to like them. I don't think that teens are the ones who keep these cult films alive, its the people who have stuck with the films throughout, not the ones who jump on and off the bandwagon.

Secondary Source 9/10/2012

For my paper, I chose a topic that directly effects me and my future as a musician, the categorization of a useless job. Many people think that there are jobs that are more or less important in society. Recently, musicians have gotten the short straw when it comes to jobs and job security. With the many articles I've read and the people I have talked to, it seems to me that a lot of people think that being a professional musician is a useless job. My intended audience are people who believe that being a musician does nothing to benefit society. I chose an article from the Los Angeles times as my secondary source for thispaper. I believe that is it a credible source because large scale publications like the Los Angeles Times cannot risk a bad publication or else they face repercussions.
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/aug/21/news/la-heb-mental-benefits-music-lessons-20120821

In this article, it is explained how music lessons at an early age help improve mental function later in life. This article is backed by evidence from the Journal of Neuroscience. I think the intended audience for this article are the people who believe that music does nothing to benefit society. The source used is very reputable and I believe anyone reading if would believe it simply because it is the Journal of Neuroscience! As a newspaper, they obviously report on other events, but arts are a very big part of the Los Angeles culture which is why I think they chose to report on something like this.

A skeptical reader might ask why the study groups were not equal in size? They might also ask what else could give a person the same outcome of increased mental capacity other than music?
What else could a skeptical reader say about this article?



Healy, Melissa. "Mental Benefits of Music Lessons Echo Years after Practice Ends." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2012. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://articles.latimes.com/2012/aug/21/news/la-heb-mental-benefits-music-lessons-20120821>.

Structuring Arguments 9/4/2012

As college students, the Classical Oration seems the most familiar to us simply because it is what high school taught us. "If you have ever written a paper in which you introduced a subject, stated a thesis, made a series of supporting arguments, and drawn a conclusion, you've shown the influence of the Classical oration" (173). Since we are so familiar with this type of argument structure, I think it is the easiest way to present an controversial point. We introduce the subject, we provide our opinion with supporting evidence, we occasionally admit there are other possible ways of looking at the subject, and we make our final statements as to why our stance on the subject is better. I think this is the most clear-cut way to present an argument to someone because it is easy to follow, and it has a simple idea behind it. I think this type of argument is best suited for personal interactions not large settings because of the more narrow viewpoint. 
Rogerian Argument is different from Classical Oration because of its use of different contexts. I;m not the most optimistic person, so I believe that most people only really see one way of a subject. "Introduction: The writer describes an issue, a problem, or a conflict. The description is rich enough to demonstrate that the writer fully understands and respects and alternative position or positions" (177). This quote makes me think that this style of arguing is mostly suited to a smaller group of people simply based on how I think people are. The reason we argue and have fights with friends and spouses is because we don't see the other person's point of view on that particular situation. This type of argument is best suited for inspirational speakers. I believe that because they are trying to change something in a larger group of people with a diverse group of beliefs, so acknowledging certain things and then offering a new way to think about it is what makes Rogerian arguments work.
"In the Toulmin model, arguments begin with claims, which are debatable and controversial statements or assertions that you hope to prove" (182). This type of argument is only good for making a statement and backing up that statement. I see this argument being used more in a courtroom setting rather than two friends debating over something superficial. 
"If the glove does not fit, you mus acquit." What kind of argument is this quote from the O.J. Simpson trial? Is it even applicable to any of these three terms?

Ethos 8/27/2012

When thinking of ethos and its broad definition of authority, trustworthiness, and motivation, I can't help but draw my attention to our 2012 presidential candidates; specifically Mitt Romney. I know politics can be a controversial topic, but in talking about ethos, I can think of no better person to talk about that a presidential candidate. Let me just say that I do not support either presidential candidate, so this is not an endorsement for anyone, just an observation. 

Mitt Romney has been described as extremely charismatic with his controversial plans and his background in politics. His authority on political issues is derived from his business degree from Harvard, his stint as Massachusetts Governor, as well as his roles in the 2002 Olympics and 2008 presidential campaign. A casual citizen would look at this list of credentials and see that yes, he does have some authority when talking about current issues because he has dealt with so much of the same sort of things in the past: I am inclined to agree that he has authority in speaking on important issues. In the last couple months, when asked to reveal tax files, Romney has been unwilling to do so, which plays with peoples' view of his trustworthiness as well as his motivation. If a person such as the president is keeping such details from an entire country, are they hiding something? If they can't reveal something so common as a tax file, how will they run a country where everybody wants to know what is going on?

A presidential candidate tries to present their ideas for change in a way that everybody can understand and support. These ideas range anywhere from healthcare to budget cuts. Most recently, Romney aimed his budget cuts at the humanities and the arts in an effort to cut 4 trillion dollars from the federal deficit. These cuts would only amount to about 200 million dollars of that deficit which makes me question the motivation behind this plan. Seeing that Romney cut the Massachusetts debt by almost 3 billion dollars, one could argue that these cuts would benefit the country (I do not agree). I was watching the Daily Show with Jon Stewart when he presented a clip that showed how Romney rarely acknowledges his inconsistencies and problems with his plan. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9eV2b9_bRE  

I think a big part of ethos is being able to see that the person in question acknowledges mistakes and makes an effort to fix them, not cover them up. What other qualities are important when evaluating ethos?

Introduction 8/21/2012

My name is Troy Bottem, I am a senior music performance major from Plano,TX. I am an active freelance oboe/English horn player in the DFW area as well as a substitute musician for local mid-cities symphonies. Here at TCU, I perform with the Symphony Orchestra, the Wind Symphony, and the TCU Marching Band. I plan on going to graduate school next year, most likely at TCU, Rice, or UT because in my field of study, its almost required to get a graduate degree if you want to find a good job somewhere. I am a vegetarian and have been for a bit over a year now and I don't see myself ever going back to eating meat. Most people are surprised when they find out I am a vegetarian probably because I'm a big guy, but that doesn't bother me because I have my own reasons for it. I like for people to see me as a caring person because in my eyes, the people that I want to be around are thoughtful and responsible individuals.
Just this past year, I have had multiple arguments with my friends regarding being a vegetarian. Most recently, my roommate picked a fight with me because he doesn't understand why I don't eat meat. We went back and forth giving reasons for eating/not eating meat, which seemed to not go anywhere because nobody's ideas were changed even slightly. I brought up facts done by independent research, and so did he, but neither of us believed the other even though our facts were published by many reputable sources. In my mind, there is nothing I could have said to him to even try to see things the way I see them. I don't think either of us won that argument, which seems to happen to me a lot. Is there always a winner/loser in an argument?