Initial thoughts about the Audience for my Argument

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     A general public cannot exist because it implies that everyone thinks exactly the same way, which is not possible.  Everybody has individual opinions and backgrounds that affect the way they view an argument.  We all view the same thing individually; therefore, addressing the general public would most likely cause generalizations.
     Everyone who listens to music on a streaming website could be impacted if popular artists like Taylor Swift start a movement to remove their music from places like Spotify.  I am writing my letter to artists like Taylor Swift, so the most affected would be any singer or record dealer.  Specifically, I am focusing on artists who do not think they are getting a large enough royalty from being on Spotify.  I want them to realize Spotify is not the bad guy, and to put their music back on the free streaming website.  I think my audience will be familiar with Spotify, but I also think they are missing some crucial information and only focusing on what benefits their point of view.  I think anyone interested in the Spotify debate could read my letter if they wanted to hear more information about it.  I think that the artists could be hostile because they believe they are right and do not want to hear dissenting views.  I also think that record dealers could be hostile because I am going to write about how they are taking a lot of the royalties that could be going to artists.  I think my audience needs to understand how the money Spotify acquires is divided among artists, Spotify, and record dealers.

My Proposed Public Argument

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I decided to change my topic to free streaming websites and how it affects the music industry.  I want to write a letter to Taylor Swift or another similar artist who has decided to pull their music from Spotify because they did not think they were getting their fair share of money.  I personally listen to Spotify and I was really annoyed with Taylor Swift and other artists for taking their music off Spotify.  I read their argument, and at first I thought it made a lot of business sense.  However, as I did more research I realized that Spotify is not solely to blame.  Record companies take a lot of the profit and streaming is not the sole income of an artist anyway.  I want to write my letter to inform Taylor Swift and other artists that they should rethink their decision about taking their music off Spotify.  

Analysis of a Sample Public Argument

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     As I enter the University of Arizona website, the first thing I am drawn to is the big photograph that takes up most of my screen and its caption.  After a couple of seconds, the screen changes to a new photograph highlighting another commendable thing the U of A has done.  While the photographs are the largest part of the screen, the smallest part would be the calendar of events.  This is perhaps because the university wants to foremost press why they think they are the best university, so more people will apply, and not focus as much on all the events that are happening.  Even though the photographs are the largest thing on the page, they are not the only thing I am drawn to.  My eyes also go to the top tabs because of how the vibrant red is contrasted to the photographs directly below it.  The overall feel from the website is professional, yet also warm.  It boasts a lot of facts about the college that would entice prospective students, but it does it in a warm way with bright reds and blues, and plenty of pictures.   The U of A website does a nice job of showing its credibility on its home screen because it says that it is #1 because it is the only university in the continental U.S. with its own radio telescope and it has the largest collection of children's and adolescent literature in the world.  The front page's biggest links are to apply, visit, and give; three things the university wants to make the most convient for people to do.  

     I further explore the website by visiting the About the University webpage.  The page is clearly designed to entice prospective students to apply by boasting all the good things the University of Arizona has done.  It gives ten facts that promote the U of A and highlight the many accomplishments of the U of A.  Some of the most commonly used words are research, creativity, innovative, best, brightest, employable, thinkers, curiosity, discovers, and leading because they give a positive light to the U of A's academic reputation.  The page is clearly organized into ten facts with the colors red and blue.  The reader is more likely to read it because it is nicely organized with quick facts.  This page has fewer pictures and more words than the homepage because About the University webpage is for viewers who want to read more about the university.

Rhetorical Analysis Reflection

How my writing is growing

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     When I heard the new assignment for the latest paper, I was a little worried.  How was I going to write six to eight pages on one website or commercial?  When I picked HONY, a blog of pictures, I had no idea how I was going to turn thousands of pictures into one essay.  I did not know where to even start with analyzing.  I finally focused on a few solid points after doing the helpful SOAPSTone and observation/inference chart.  As I compiled these points, the essay began to write itself.  Words started flowing and I became more confident about my paper.  I had written a much better rough draft than my last paper after spending a couple of days really focusing on it.  My improvement showed when I went into my conference.  There was still a fair amount of things to change, but there were also a lot of positives.  I even got a high-five for coming up with an unique argument. 

     As per a requirement of one of the blog posts, I had a friend look at it and make changes.  She was really helpful in pointing out places I could improve.  After all the help everyone gave me in and out of class, I realized this essay was done considerably better than my last.  I think my rhetorical analysis was stronger, clearer, and more concise.   However, next time I want to go to the Think Tank and have them look at my paper because I think they would be a lot of help. 

     Looking back on my writing process, I realize how much I have learned about rhetorical analysis.  For instance, your argument is made considerably stronger when you have an example.  My first draft did not have a lot of examples and Dr. Bell pointed this out at our conference.  When I re-wrote it with examples, my argument was more compelling and authoritative.  Now that I realize how crucial examples are in making a convincing point, I am ready to write my next essay, and hopefully continue to grow in my writing.  

I commented on Laura's, Katie's, and Michael Gee's blogs.

HONY Draft

Here is my HONY draft!

I looked at Kat's and Lekha's drafts.

I had my friend Katie Barton look over my essay.  She said I could improve my sentence and paragraph order.  I realized that was a problem and she helped me figure out a better system of organization.  She said I could add some more analysis to make it stronger, and to add more specific examples from HONY.  I agreed with her, and have now implemented them into my essay and I agree that it is a much stronger essay.  She was very helpful, and now my essay is better written with a stronger analysis.

Thesis and Outline

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Link to the draft of my Thesis and Outline of my HONY paper.

I edited Kat's, Michael Gee's, and Gabi's blog.

Prewriting Activities

     

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     I decided to use SOAPSTone because it helps me organize my information into neat categories.  It covers the basics of the most important information I will need for my essay.  It will also help me when I write my essay to decide what is important to analyze and discuss.  I used an observation/inference chart because it forced me to look at the pictures and form a list of observations I witnessed in the pictures.  I wrote all the observations I noted and then was obligated to reflect on the relevance of my observations.  These inferences I made will help me when I am writing to discuss what the main point HONY is trying to convey.  It helps me determine why Stanton did what he did and what the effects were of his actions. 

Link to my prewriting activities.

I commented on Katie's and Davis's blog.

Personal Response

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     I chose to analyze HONY because I liked the intimate look at individuals.  Stanton, the photographer, does not discriminate when he takes pictures, but rather focuses on the passed over, like the homeless or refugees.  He posts portraits of a wide variety of people who all have unique and individual stories.  I like how he captures the distinct look of all who encompass the vivid streets of New York.  In a city as large as New York, most people are invisible.  Stanton finds these invisible people, and he gives them a voice on HONY.  I also picked HONY because of the write-ups under the pictures.  It gives people an outlet to tell their story.  These stories are thought provoking and insightful on how remarkable people are and how perseverant people can be when facing adversity, especially seen in Stanton's most recent emphasis on refugees. 

I commented on Kat's and Gabi's blog.

Outline Student's Guide Essay

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Link to my outline.

     Mikayla Gerdes-Morgan does an excellent job in her essay of writing strong topic sentences that relate well to the evidence presented in the paragraph.  The organization in her paragraphs is well done; she does a nice job of following the rules of PIE.  She is also very conscious about including evidence that relates directly to her topic sentence and her arguments.  

     She does an exceptional job in the second paragraph of writing a clear topic sentence and then providing evidence that directly backs up her arguments presented in her topic sentence.  Her topic sentence argues that Nolot, a documentary producer and writer, appeals to the viewers' emotions with his dramatic images of victims and how they are treated like objects.  She goes on to include evidence of this, like how girls must walk a dehumanizing 'runway' and comparing the treatment of girls with the treatment of dogs.  Her evidence directly correlates to her argument in her topic sentence, which is crucial to a well written essay.

     However, the following paragraph lacks a strong topic sentence.  It does not present a very strong argument, and the paragraph does not introduce substantial new evidence.  It reiterates the dog piece from the previous paragraph without adding new insight.  The paragraph could be improved by rewriting the topic sentence to make it more argumentative, rather than a summary, and by providing a new piece of evidence.  

Observation/Inference

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Observation

Inference

Photographed by Brandon Stanton  Portraits of people, but not just faces Reaches people on social media sites of Facebook and Tumblr and a print book Comment section on Tumblr and Facebook Write-up of the story of the person below the photograph Reflective and imploring tone Candid pictures-not perfect pictures, but show who the person really is Broad range of people photographed-not just models, but also ordinary people

Likes to tell stories  Interested in exterior and interior Does not always show faces because respects individual preference and anonymity Wants lots of people to see his pictures-makes them available to general public Wants to influence followers and make them think about the stories the people they pass on the street have Wants to show the reality of people, not the Hollywood version

HONY draws in the viewer with its captivating, intimate looks into the lives of a diverse group of humans.  Brandon Stanton, the photographer, focuses on individual people and tells his/her unique, diverse story.  Individuals who would not normally have a place to tell their story are now allowed to through HONY.  HONY opens up a conversation about how everybody has a story to tell.  They just do not always have a place to share it.  I would write my paper on how effective Stanton is in conveying his look at humanity, an intimate look at the personal life of the common man.  I would also focus on how successful HONY is in drawing an emotional response from its readers, and what that emotional response would be.