Rhetorical Activity #1 page 282: Data? What data?

I’ll admit, I can be pretty addicted to hearing the latest celebrity gossip, whether it’s about the latest rumors on Jon and Kate, the travesty of a relationship between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, or the outrageous party habits of a teeny bopper celebutant. What is most interesting about how much the American public thrives on trash gossip is that we don’t require factual evidence to believe what is splashed over the tabloids at the checkout counter at Wal-Mart. Paparazzi take horribly unflattering photos of celebrities at the beach or out and about with their families then post ridiculous captions that don’t make logical sense. I will be the first to admit I flip through the magazines as I’m waiting (and sometimes—if it seems really juicy—I’ll add it to my cart) and I become instantly captivated by the stories and the pictures to go with them. Most of the “testimony” comes from “an undisclosed source” or “close family friend.” Rarely do the celebrities actually defend themselves and testify on their behalf in the tabloids. As a culture, we do not always need to hear the actual evidence or testimony as long as the argument or proposition being presented is interesting and can hold our short attention spans. I’ve noticed with my own interests and by observing my family’s behaviors, we question things when it seems like a serious issue, but rarely do we go the extra mile to find the supporting evidence behind the claims that Reggie Bush has actually cheated on Kim Kardashian with a mystery blonde. The National Enquirer makes enough money to continuously publish its smut by pasting claims throughout their pages without supporting evidence. The article “Kim K Betrayed! Reggie’s Sleepover with Hot Blonde” provides two photographs and four sentences on its online publication. The article is presented as follows:



Reggie Bush's secret rendezvous with a mystery gal ignites split with Kim Kardashian, The Enquirer reports, after catching him red-handed with his hand in a blonde cookie jar.

Reggie has been caught red-handed spending the night with a hot-looking blonde waitress - and The ENQUIRER has the spy photos to prove it!

Reggie's sleepover is only the latest incident in an ongoing cheating scandal, and pals say it's sure to end his romance FOR GOOD with the reality TV
beauty, who was reduced to tears by his philandering.

The ENQUIRER has discovered that the New Orleans Saints running back has set up an elaborate system to hide his two-timing from Kim - including the use of multiple cell phones.


This small amount of “evidence” and supporting claims is enough to be published in a print magazine as well as published online. Clearly, the American public does not always demand testimony and data in pop culture rhetoric. When it comes to rhetoric of the political scale, however, the American public goes back and forth with the demands of factual information. If strongly affiliated with a particular political party, the only evidence most Americans need is to see their party aligned with a certain policy, then they completely support it. If not strongly affiliated with a particular political party, most logical Americans demand evidence that sometimes is satisfying and sometimes is less than satisfying.

When I write an article, I am one of those Type A people who have to have everything in order. I carefully and very meticulously examine my statements and try to find evidence to support that claim. Rereading some of my essays, I know that I do not always provide testimony or data and I know if I would have taken the extra effort to find them, it would have greatly strengthened my argument and my grade.

Rhetorical Activity #3 page 283: My experience trumps your knowledge.

Many “intellectual” conversations I have had with others typically start positively with general discussions on philosophy and politics, but somehow evolve into discussion on religion. It just so happens that the majority of these religious topics ring distant bells of the Protestant Reformation and ideologies of Edward VI. As a Catholic, I vehemently defend my religion as best as I can because, after all, “I’m Catholic. I should know how my church works.” My argument rests heavily on my experience and growth as a Catholic and what I have learned as truth in my life. When arguments are posed to me such as, “Catholics worship Mary” I tactfully refute, “No, we don’t worship Mary. We honor Mary and we pray to her.” Sometimes, after much more rhetorical persuasion on my end, the conversation ends on a pleasant note with an imaginary tally mark added to my side of the argument as a win. However, sometimes the weight of my experiences do not hold enough credibility and authority to sway the opposing viewpoint. For instance, a recent discussion on religion in general which ultimately turned into a discussion on Catholicism as a concept of truth versus fiction brought to light issues such as provability. Many opponents of organized religion use this tact to prove their side of the issue and this is one area where my personal expertise in my religion can be refuted, and in this instance, refuted quite well. The only experience I could offer that was relevant to this experience was my own personal Catholic epiphany that cannot be related to others who are not open to this sort of experience or feeling. The comfort my religion has brought and my knowledge of the development of the church does not mean that it can be scientifically proven. The weight I attach to my pro-Catholic and pro-religion argument can easily be refuted when issues of provability come into fruition.

In some aspects, I truly believe that personal experience can serve as an authority to a given situation because personal experiences reflect a more human aspect than what data and statistical analysis can present. However, there will always be some facets of argument and discourse that cannot be supported by personal authorities.

Rhetorical Activity #3: Appropriate Appeals

Appealing to people’s natural emotions is beneficial in many rhetorical situations. The art of manipulation through exploiting emotional responses is delicate, but effective. An appropriate use of appealing to anger would be to rally a group of people to act on something. As a member of the Associated Students’ Government, I have used this tactic many times when trying to gain students’ interest in issues they should be gravely concerned with. Last year, ASG put together a rally on campus to get a student voting right on the Board of Governors because we felt students should have a voice in the search for the new Chancellor. (If you have not heard, we are currently advocating for a student voting right with the Colorado state legislature. Our voices do matter.) To get students’ attention, prior to the rally we talked to our classes and to students we saw around campus about the atrocity of not being allowed a vote with things regarding our financial investment. The topic that generated the most appeal to anger was the second rally at the state capitol regarding proposed budget cuts to higher education. We researched the statistics and passionately emphasized the financial toll it would take on our education. We roused the classrooms and generated interest on campus that perpetuated into student activism in Denver. Appealing to anger was incredibly beneficial to achieving something wonderful for the students of Colorado State University-Pueblo.

An appeal to shame would be most effective in any position of authority. Parents use shame to generate positive results from their misbehaving children, oftentimes with nothing more than a disapproving look. Teachers use shame to inspire slacking students to work harder with facial expressions and tone of voice portraying disappointment and encouraging higher expectations. Churches—most notably and with which I have the most experience, Catholic churches—use shame to encourage moral rightness by explicitly laying out commandments and promising eternal damnation if the sins are committed and not atoned for. The manner in which I use the appeal to shame most is during my piano lessons in my role as teacher. One student came to lessons claiming to have practiced their goal of thirty minutes per day. By reaching their goals, (at that point; I have since restructured the system) the students would get a reward. As promised, this student got a reward. After the lesson, it was blatantly obvious that the student did not practice nearly as much as stated. I politely asked with my best teacher look, “Did you really practice this much?” The student guiltily looked at the practice record and as if suddenly struck by new memory responded, “Oh, I meant to only put twenty minutes on that day. I thought I did thirty, but I guess I didn’t get it.” The student slowly returned the reward. Ever since this incident, the student has always been completely truthful with the amount of time practiced.

Appeals to compassion are effective in efforts to help people. Late night television frequently displays advertisements showing poor, innocent children living in horrendous conditions. These images bring pity to the hearts of people which result in compassion for those less fortunate. Similarly, natural disasters and images related to the aftermath of the earth’s fury appeal to the compassionate side of humans to do everything they can to make a difference and help.
An example of this appeal in a composition:
We spend each day without taking the time to really appreciate what we have in our lives. We drive to school or work, not thinking that in an instant this all can be gone. We say goodbye to our families in the morning, noting that we will see each other when the day’s tasks are done. These are some of the thoughts that went in people’s minds not too long before the devastating earthquake shook Haiti to its core. Smiles were replaced with tears of agony and despair. Fighting erupts just to gain simple day-to-day items like water, food, and shelter. We need to stand up and engage in helping this nation rebuild their foundation.

Progymnasmata #2: Comparison

To the untrained ear, a piano sounds the same regardless of the style. Traditional spinet pianos and grand pianos will be compared for quality in size, tone, and affordability. While both styles of pianos exhibit the basic qualities of a piano—eighty-eight keys, sets of strings, and hammers (in most modern versions of each piano), two to three pedals, and identical key organization—the fundamental differences lie within the acoustics built into the pianos.




Spinet pianos are designed to fit in smaller spaces and can rest flush against walls, while grand pianos occupy a much larger space and rest much farther away from walls. The design of each piano plays an enormous role in the quality of tone resounded by the instrument. Spinet pianos are designed with the strings running vertically and the wooden casing surrounding the strings in a rectangular shape. In contrast, the strings on grand pianos run horizontally with the wooden casing surrounding the strings in a more rounded shape. The enclosed acoustic casing around spinet pianos results in a much more dull tone. The feature of an opening lid on the grand piano allows for the acoustics from the strings to resound and project much more vibrantly, resulting in brilliant tones. Prices vary greatly between spinet pianos and grand pianos. Spinet pianos are much more affordable because the amount of work producing the pianos is much less than that of producing a grand piano. Depending on the brand of the piano, the prices of spinets—both new and used—vary from several hundred dollars to a couple thousand. In contrast, new and used grand pianos range from several thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars.