Assignment: Oh the good ole Rhetorical Analysis

I have never been so happy to have a paper finished! I don't know why this one was so hard for me, but I really struggled with it. I've had to write lots of papers before that were harder and longer to write, but this one seriously drained me. It was probably because all my other classes were crazy busy the past few weeks too, but oh well! I survived and now I'm going to party this weekend! I'm paper free and test free until... well... like next week :) On a more positive note... I felt like I really got to learn about rhetorical tools and how to analyze what I hear and read.


YAY! IT'S OVER :)

Quote :)

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. -Berthold Auerbach

Reflections on Life

Who am I? What is my purpose? Where am I going? Searching and seeking, many people are in a daily battle to try to find the answers to these simple questions. I have been so blessed to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life from the moment I was born. I grew up knowing who I was, why I was on this Earth and where I was striving to go. "I am a child of God and He has sent me here, has given me an Earthly home with parents kind and dear. Lead me, guide me, walk beside me. Help me find the way. Teach me all that I must do to live with Him someday." This children's song helps us answers these vital questions. We are all daughters and sons of a loving Father in Heaven. He sent us here to receive bodies. We are here to learn and grow, to struggle and progress, towards our ultimate goal of living with Him again someday. Our purpose on this Earth is to show our Heavenly Father that we love Him and will keep His commandments and live worthily so that He can grant us the privilege of living in His presence for eternity. Eternal life is our goal. Everyday we must try a little harder to be more Christ-like. It is not easy, but the path is clear. If we work through our trials and heartaches, there are great treasures in store for us. I love my Savior! I know He lives and loves each of us. He knows us by name, and He wants to know us even better. I know that if I will turn to Him and rely on Him for guidance and love in my life, that I can and will receive it. He will never leave me alone. And He will never leave YOU alone. He loves you! He knows your wants and needs. He knows your thoughts and the intents of your heart. He will grant you your righteous desires if you will come to Him on bended knee and plea for His guidance in your life. I'm thankful for a Father in Heaven and for a Savior, Jesus Christ, who love me. I love them with all my heart.

Assignment: Letter from Birmingham Jail

In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” he uses several persuasive appeals. He appeals to logic throughout the whole letter. One example of this is when he discusses the four steps of a nonviolent campaign. He goes through each step and describes the ways in which he has led the black people through these logical steps. He also appeals to logic when he discusses the difference between just and unjust laws. These are just a few of the times when he uses an appeal to logos. King uses the appeal to emotion, or pathos, when he uses direct and persuasive diction to stir certain emotions. Even within the very first paragraph you begin to feel compassion for this kind man. Another example is on page 198 when he discusses how they have been told over and over, for more than 340 years, to “Wait!” He then continues on to describe the pain and suffering they have been through. This is a very direct appeal to emotion, because it immediately makes the reader connect and feel sorrow for the writer. The final persuasive tool that Martin Luther King Jr. uses in this address is the appeal to ethos. King shows his credibility within the first paragraph as he informs the reader who he is and why he is writing the following letter. He explains that he is the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and then continues to describe his role and authority there. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” the reader can identify many specific and direct persuasive tools, ethos, pathos, and logos in particular.

Assignment: What Christians Believe

Analytic Response to “What Christians Believe”:

The essay written by C.S. Lewis, titled “What Christians Believe”, is a persuasive argument. The essay is trying to persuade to you become a Christian because it makes more sense than not being a Christian. The essay describes what Christians believe and why. Many world views and assumptions are made in this essay. The assumption that the reader believes that there is opposition in all things. On page 176 Lewis describes how this belief is assumed in the world today. Reality is also addressed in this persuasive argument as a type of world view. It is assumed that all people view reality as complicated and usually odd. The same is thought of simplicity. Atheism and Christianity-and-water are considered to be too simple. Many tools are used in this essay to help Lewis persuade the reader to believe as he does. He mentions in the essay how he was once an atheist, and now, as a Christian, more things make sense. I see this as a direct appeal to experience and authority. He is showing his audience that he has had the necessary experience to know what is best. He also uses a lot of specific and manipulative words, diction, to pull you to his side. On page 180, C.S. Lewis uses an appeal to logic as he discusses agency and the ability to choose for oneself.

Personal Response:

This was a really interesting essay to read. It was really hard for me at first, because I’m not used to reading essays like this one. However, after time I got through it and was able to pull out some of the main themes. I actually agree with him quite a bit. There are certainly aspects of his argument that seemed to me a little sketchy, but overall I thought it was a pretty decent argument.