For my argumentative paper I declared that joining a fraternity or sorority will be much more beneficial to oneself rather than not. It outlined and described the many success’s one could have if they joined Greek life. It talked about the rewarding grades, leadership qualities, community services, and above all friends one could obtain through this life style. I gave a sneak peak for those who were not in a fraternity or sorority, into the lives that the Greeks have to offer. In the end of the essay I described joining a fraternity or sorority as “a great opportunity to get ones feet wet and gather the knowledge and skill required for all career seeking individuals.”
For my visual I decided to seek an audience for those who are interested in joining TCU; an audience that is planning on joining the incoming class. Not for those who have just begun their search for a college they wish to attend. The audience I am targeting is mostly incoming freshman, transfers, students thinking about joining Greek, and parents who are interested in TCU. To me, my picture would benefit these people most, because it shows briefly why Greek life can be so successful for one who is attending college. It shows the responsible young adult that one can become by joining a fraternity or sorority.
The visual I have decided to make is of one of “Exemplary Business Students.” In the picture, along the top, will be the words “Exemplary Business Students” in bold. Below will consist of ten people, men and women all wearing suits or some sort of formal wear. All standing, in two rows, arms clasped together in front of each person’s groin. But for six of them there will be Greek letters placed upon their attire to differentiate them from the rest.
For this visual I have decided to place it in a brochure. Specifically a brochure that is not Greek. I have decided to place it in a brochure for the Neely School of Business. I believe this to be a good spot for it because it will eventually cause people to become curious about Greek life. Since it is in something completely separate from the Greek world it may cause people, who might even oppose it, to begin to investigate Greek life itself. The people interested in the school of business will see the letters on the person’s attire and become curious about the success they see in the picture. This will lead to the reading of perhaps another brochure, one that is written specifically for Greek purposes. The placement of my visual is key in my argumentative picture. If I had decided to place it in a Greek brochure, it will only reinforce people’s beliefs about Greek life. By placing it in another brochure it broadens the audience and may be the persuasion some may need to look further in.
In my picture I believe the deciding characteristic of it is the ratio of people with Greek letters placed upon them, to people who do not bare the Greek symbols. I believe people will see this, and think differently about the stereotype that Greeks are sometimes plagued by. Alongside the placement of the picture inside the business brochure, creating a strong, yet subconscious attraction to the Greek society.
Finally I have learned many things about rhetorical process. The first key thing I learned was who you wanted to broadcast your idea or image to. If you wanted to express that Camel cigarettes are better than Marlboros, you wouldn’t put up a billboard right next to Marlboros main headquarters. Also that you must make some sort of connection with the viewer. This can consist of such things as an actor that one really likes, a striking idea, a picture that pleases the senses, catchy saying, and so on. Lastly, the picture must be able to make its argument in a few seconds. It would be pointless to have a picture that was unclear and confusing, causing the viewer to stare for a while until they got the message. As well as if they had to read a lot. One might get distracted before the punch line. It must be simple and clearly communicated.

visual rhetoric

The picture I chose here is of a man “Ole’ing” a bull in a Spanish bull fight. In the picture the bull is obviously on the lower end of the stick. The bull is upside down, horns stuck in the ground, in mid roll. While the Matador stands there, unarmed except with a mere cape in hand, letting the bull run by and plant its horns in the ground. A picture that to some is amazing. Yet if you look further past the bull and the Matador you notice the audience all cued in on the sight at hand. They do not stand, wave their arms, or even drop their jaws as you might see at a football game. They are sitting calmly as if watching a movie or some rerun on the television set. Obviously unmoved by the bulls unnatural display. Yet with such a spectacle happening before them they seem to be un-amused by it. This may be because it has been tradition for so many years and people may be ignorant of the bull’s pain. Yet to some this picture, perhaps in America, may be considered animal cruelty. I see in this picture two stories. One a women at a conference or meeting describing the picture to her colleagues about the cruelty the bulls have to go through during bull fights. Conjuring up some story on how they can save the bulls from its eminent death. While the other story may be of an advertiser showing how great the Matador that was hired really is; using the picture as advertisement to show the Matadors skill during bull fights. Therefore I think this picture has two audiences. A picture used for a group of people trying to abolish the cruelty of bulls during bull fights, while the other is for advertising and promoting the bull fight and the Matador collectively. I feel the picture was most likely taken out of interest and of great accomplishment from the Matador, but may have unexpected repercussions because of the bulls pain.

To be or not to be, that is the question

Jason McGee
To be or not to be, that is the Question.

“Did you know 48% of U.S. presidents have been Greek? 42% of U.S. Senators are Greek. 30% of U.S. Congressmen/Women are Greek. 40% of All U.S. Supreme Court Justices have been Greek. 30% of Fortune 500 Executives are Greek, but Greeks only make up 3% of the U.S. population.” (North-American Interfraternity Conference.) Now that may seem very little indeed, but Greek students make up a very large portion of successful men and women among our nation. As well as at TCU; there have been actors, astronauts, presidents, professional football players, baseball players and many more. Yet they have not merely staked their claim by themselves. They were supported the entire way and were made into the successful people they are because they all had one thing in common, Greek.
With 28 Greek organizations and nearly 40 percent of students involved in Greek life, fraternities and sororities definitely stake their claim at TCU. Yet this wouldn’t be so if they weren’t so productive in every aspect. Once your Greek, you will help out in all sorts of ways. You will become a better, more rounded person. You will learn, experience, and love things that you may have never encountered. The first thing Greek life stresses is grades. At TCU Grades are number one for all Greek students. You must even make above a certain GPA average to even be initiated. “TCU Greek organizations have been shown to have just as much success in the classroom as non-Greek students"( The Daily Skiff). Greek life is rich in academic success. Because there are so many members in each house at different levels, therefore there are numerous people who can help you with your studies. If you need help with your class there is always someone around with the same class or who has taken the class that can tutor you or help you with any problem your having. Some fraternities and sororities even schedule study hours per week to make sure everyone is doing well in their classes. It is a great means to get things done, and be prepared for all your classes. Yet grades are not the only thing that fraternities and sororities master. They are very good at helping the community in some means.
The first way they help is Philanthropies or According to Wikipedia “the act of donating money, goods, services, time or effort to support a charitable cause.” These events are common throughout Greek life here at TCU. Once a year each house will come up with some way to raise money for a cause. It’s a great way for you to meet people out of your house as well as bond with the people inside it. During it depending on the fraternity or sorority you can expect such things as dancing, swimming, beauty contests, auctions, field events, sports and many more. Its a great way to have fun while raising money for a great cause. Another way Greek helps out people is through community service. Each house partakes in several community service projects each year. Through them you will learn life lessons with your brothers or sisters as well as take part in helping out your community here as a horned frog. Greeks also help each other by joining one another to help out a bigger cause. There are camps to attend for the school such as Frog Camp which many of the Greek students volunteer each year for the entering freshman. Greek life is all about getting involved in the community, whether it be at TCU or somewhere across the globe. Through these projects you will meet many people along the way.
Going Greek gives you a great chance to meet people old and young at TCU. It is a great way to be social with different clubs, communities, and other fraternities or sororities. If you join a house on campus you will already meet all of the actives along with the pledge class that you will be involved with throughout the year. Plus you will have plenty of chances to meet people through different events going on around campus. Some examples are Intramurals, philanthropies, community service, parties, social gatherings and many more. Joining the Greek life is a great way to meet numerous amounts of people men and women alike. Also since you know so many people this will help you in the real world as well. Since you know so many people you will be able to network and introduce yourself to different people for different positions you may want to participate somewhere in the not too distant future.
Once involved in the Greek life there are plenty opportunities to become a leader in your community. Inside the fraternity or sorority you can become a leader by joining one of the many head positions to run in your fraternity or sorority. Here you will learn discipline and determination to succeed. This will only help you in your search for success during life. People look for born leaders and with the help of a fraternity or sorority you can become one of these people in society and prosper. You will be able to lead by example and take on challenges as you become an adult and begin a life for yourself. Yet even if you decide not to join a head position, fraternities and sororities teach you the means of becoming a leader in life, by taking initiative in projects and situations according to Greek life.
Yet you will do this with your pledge class and you will learn to become one unit if need be. These people will always encourage you and help you become the leader you wish to be. You will join people who will be going through the same process as you and meet people who are much alike you. Through good and bad times you will begin to bond with one another, creating a lasting friendship. The people around you will grow with you, helping you in times of hardships and of times that will you will remember the rest of your life. Your friends will become your family. Your friends will become your brothers or sisters.
In conclusion I insist that you look into joining Greek life here at TCU, it’s a great means to become active in the community around you, meet great people, be successful, and overall have fun during your college experience. You only go through college once so why not head in the right direction from the beginning by joining a fraternity or sorority.

Reader Response 4

The central claims I found were, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) “would cause effects that would be irreversible, endangering thousands of animals and their fragile ecosystems.” Also that “once the ecosystem is disturbed, it will never return to its original condition.” It is also described that drilling in ANWR would be “a way for us to become “less dependent on fuel from the Middle East.”” Along with would it be worth drilling in ANWR since it would take up to 10 years to finally see the oil we drilled for.
The kinds of research I found in the essay were mainly secondary research. I found a lot of pre-existing information. I found websites, journals, magazines, and news. The author mainly used quotes from the passage she read and copied it into her paper to add a more informative, persuasive mood. Some of the evidence used was fact based such as “Americans use over 16 million barrels of oil per day (Kriz 2).” Where the author just stuck it in a sentence and blended it into her paper. But the author did use the facts she found quite well, she would further explain the quote, further explaining her position on the topic or even go in a different direction, showing a contrasting point of view.
To me this was a very influencing paper. It motivated me in the idea, of keeping the oil production out of ANWR , the idea of using less oil all together, and the finding of a new and better fuel as well as funding the research of it. The author used great statistics of our nation’s use of the oil and how much is actually left. Especially when she said that the oil in ANWR would only be able to supply us for about a few months. I also liked, but was a startling realization, when she said that oil is a nonrenewable resource.
My prior belief and values didn’t really affect the way I read this passage. I am actually for bettering the environment and for finding a new fuel. If anything this passage furthered my position on the topic, it also furthered my interest. I am more curious now to see, especially with the upcoming president, if they will address the topic.

Reader Response 3

In Katz piece he explains how he goes to Jesse and Eric’s “Cave” to see how the two operate as geeks. He interviews the two while they are in their element to get the most out of the situation and ethnography taking place. He wants to see how these geeks live their life from a day to day basis. Katz would sit there asking the two questions while they were intertwined into their cyber world; getting the most out of what was going on. Anderson on the other hand would go to consultant meetings with consultants she had met or knew. She would take down notes mentally about the event taking place. All the while she was noticing the atmosphere, the way people acted, how they were dressed, what was being discussed. Katz describes his culture as doing six things at once, “…sipping soda, glancing at the phone’s caller ID, watching the scanner and the printer, blasting away at menacing soldiers, opening mail from an apartment manager in Chicago, fielding a message from his sister in Boise.” Anderson on the other hand describes the Mary Kat cosmetics ethnography of Mary Kat as “a cult or secret sisterhood.” They saw individual women as “fair game” to join as consultants of Mary Kat. All the while “putting on a happy face.” In the Cave, Katz describes Eric as “looked as if he hadn’t been out in the sun for years.” That people in this culture rarely got out and did social activities. He also described him as a loner or someone who had had a rough childhood before hand; “someone who expected to get screwed, who would have to fend for himself.” Anderson wrote about the business announcements how the principle of “God first, then family and finally career” was nowhere to be seen from the tremendous amount of time they put into their job. That no one could be so nice all the time and that they must present themselves in a professional but feminine way. I believe after reading these excerpts for my research I can attend certain events that correlate to the ethnography that I am writing about. I can take mental notes on what is going on, as well as ask questions about what they might be doing and why to further understand what may be happening. I can go and enjoy something as a bystander without getting involved.

Rhetorical Precis

Jason McGee
Monday, September 29, 2008
Rhetorical Précis
Chenq, Jacqui. Console Gaming Growing in Popularity Among All Ages. Ars Technica. March 5, 2007.
Jacqui Chenq, Console Gaming Growing in Popularity among All Ages, (March 5, 2007) In Console Gaming Growing in Popularity among All Ages Chenq demonstrates the growing popularity of console gaming throughout all ages. Chenq demonstrates that there were 45.7 million homes with consoles in them by the end of 2006. While 148.4 million people have some sort of way of playing one. (Paragraph 3). The intended audience for this paper is middle age men mostly. It’s for people with a liking of technology news and updates. Chenq’s purpose is to demonstrate the growing popularity to show to people that it is steadily becoming one of the larger entertainment devices now days. This source will help me with my paper because it lists a lot of statistics from previous years to represent its growing popularity.

Wikipedia, Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. September 28, 2008.
Wikipedia, Massively Multiplayer online role-playing game, (September 28, 2008) asserts to be very popular throughout the world. Wikipedia asserts that once the NSFNET restrictions were lifted in 1995, it was popularized because the internet was now open to the world. The intended audience tends to be people who play online role-playing games, or people who want to know more about them. The authors’ purpose is to inform the reader about the facts of online-role playing games. I can use this in my paper to describe the type of game that is leading the gaming industry in today’s PC world.

Brain, Marshall. The Pull of Video Games. Copyright 2005.
Marshal Brain, The Pull of Video Games, (2005) Brain argues that video games have become increasingly more popular as they become more realistic. Brain argues that when the game Halo 2 was released 340,000 copies were sold in its first day. While the game San Andreas sold over 2 million copies in the first month. The author relates this chapter to mainly kids who play video games. It’s intended to educate the readers on how video games have been growing over the past few years in order to show the increasing popularity over time. I believe this will help my paper in the sense that it compares games popularity from year to year, showing the growing popularity.

Reader Response 2

In garrett-Browns paper he discovered what he really wanted to learn after reading the article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He read the quotes by Rheta Grimsley Johnson and came up with his own thought of why people use tanning beds instead of going outside and enjoying the sun. He states " It struck me as I read the last lines of this sardonic critique of society that I don't necesssarily wonder why people tan, but why they completely gyp themselves of the pleasures of the sun to be rewarded with a battle with cancer at worst and saggy skin at best." He started writing the paper with a simple question "why do people tan?" Yet after his research he came up with his own opinion on the matter and therefore obligated to it. He moved himself into an area of debate if necessary. He also didnt just state plane facts in the writing. He added his own opinion about certain subjects and his own opinions about articles he had read while doing his research. While if it was a normal research paper there would be no need of his opinions or thoughts, just the plane, simple, boring facts.
In Holmquist's paper he discovered his own love of drugs while writing the paper. "During my research for this paper there have been countless times that I've wanted LSD or MDMA because I was reminded of the times I've done them in the past..." He also seemed to be very cultured on drugs, especially the way he described each one using only research to help him inform the reader. I believe he also discovered how much he has grown from that situation, how he had his "whole life ahead" of himself.
The controlling idea in Garrett's seems to be his misunderstanding of todays "tanning" ways. He doesnt understand the lifestyle of the people of today, always using the tanning beds opposed to using the natural sunlight ,that to him actually stands for something. "A nice tan once meant you spent your days on the beach playing volleyball and swimming, hiking in the mountains or riding a horse..." He talks about how Coco Chanel came home one day from a day out on her yacht and it somehow melted into a fashion statement, indirectly erecting tanning beds across America.
While in Holmquist's paper it seems to be more of an informative paper for drugs to the readers. He wants to educate the reader about the drug. He talks about each drug's use for good and bad. How one can cause "euphoric" feelings, while another can leave you in "perma-fry." He's neither against nor for each drug, he mainly states his opinions and experiences about each. Yet he tells his side of the story, yet still not trying to influence us to pick either, but to better educate us so we can decide for ourselves if the reader happens to run into these drugs.
Garrett's voice is very loud to me in his paper, he is always adding his own opinion about the topic discussed. " People still feel healthy with a bastardized tan?" He adds his own views to the topic and even offers incentives on reasons not to tan and how much more fun you could be having. While Holmquist's paper seemed to be lacking a whole lot of voice. It seemed to be more of a factual paper than anything. Even though he did have his own experiences on some of the issues talked about. The bulk seemed to be filled with mainly informative research about each drug. His paper was filled with a bunch of drug jargon that he knew though. He did have a very cultured view on every drug he seemed to talk about. He would describe the drugs in a way not many people could relate to.
I believe that Holmquist's paper did do a really good job at combing his sentences with what he was talking about and the research he had done. I really like the transition between both. I also think Ballengers example of "beginning with a questions not answers, and accepting ambiguity as a natural part of the process," to be a great view on how to start a research essay. I have thought of many ideas that I know answers to and this helped me think a little more outside of the box, to open up to new ideas and discover things I know little to nothing about.

Jason McGee