Bruce Ballenger, The Curious Researcher Quiz

The first thing I learned from Bruce Ballenger, The Curious Researcher was that when interviewing someone, don’t always expect to just read your questions. Instead, be prepared to ignore them. A lot of the times the questions you make up don’t always flow with the conversation, or just seem mechanical and so does their answers. Sometimes, you will have to come up with questions on the spot to get your interviewer on a more personal level, and help them realize that you are attentive to them, not just your note pad.

            Secondly, I learned how to evaluate and see if an Internet source is legitimate or not. For example, I should look to see if the document lists authors. Also, I should see if the document affiliates with a reputable educational institution. For example, a University. Finally, I can check to see if the author has published elsewhere on the topic in any journals or other publications.

            The third thing I learned from this book is that Journal Articles are better then Magazine Articles. Even though the Journal Articles may be harder to read, you are much more likely to learn something from this article because it is written by an expert and is usually narrowly focused. Also, it is especially authoritative because it is often subject to peer review. Other authorities have read the authors evidence and the published work has passed through a lot of different people. 

Reflection #2: Popular Cultural Artifact

My purpose of this paper was to really get the point across to people that airsoft guns are very dangerous if not used in the correct way. The audience I aimed this toward was the Chronicle of Higher Education. I decided to start my paper of with brief introduction on airsoft guns and how they are fun, yet dangerous at the same time. Then I stated my thesis. My next couple paragraphs were background information on airsoft guns. I then did a rebuttal paragraph on how airsoft guns are just a “toy” and gives kids a chance to exercise. After this I made three bold statements stating my side on airsoft: it causes eye injuries, it can be made into an actual weapon, and that kids are getting shot because cops think they are real guns. My paragraphs were very short and to the point, since that was the style of writing for this paper. I added a lot of angry tone to this paper to really try to get my point across. In the last paragraph I stated a potential way to solve this problem. I decided to send my rough draft and final draft to both my mom and my friend to look for any grammar errors or to see if they had any more ideas that I could add.

            Personally, I think this project was definitely harder then the last. I definitely learned to start early because the research part of this assignment took longer then I expected! I think my strengths for this project was that I had three very strong points to support my position on airsoft guns. My weakness was that I probably could have found a little more research, just to help support my point even more.  Like I said before, for my next paper, I am gong to start early especially on my research! I also plan on sending my drafts to a couple of my friends to look over my grammar or see if they have any new ideas they think I should add. My goal for next paper is to get a 4.0! 

Not Just Words

What attracts my attention most about this picture is how similar both these stamps are. Both pictures are of men raising the U.S. Flag on Iwo Jima and 9/11; both terrible times in U.S. history. When looking at this picture my eyes moved from the bottom of the picture to the top, constantly comparing the two pictures and how similar they are. When looking at both these photos the impression they give off is a sense of hope. These were extremely tuff times for the United States, both hurting and killing thousands of people. Seeing this picture gives a sense of hope to people that we will be ok, and together as a nation, we can get through this. While looking at the tinting, text, placement, font, and wording of these stamps, the argument they make is that we are a one of the strongest nations out there. We have gone through a lot together. It started all the way back in 1945 in Iwo Jima, which is showed by using black and white and more less focused picture. Then, 9/11 happened which occurred only 9 years ago, showed by using color and a focused picture. Both pictures, when looking at them, bring back horrible memories of stories or of loved ones that we know. Both these side by side remind us of what we have gone through, and somehow we always find a way to keep going and push through these horrible times. If that is not a strong nation then I don’t know what it is. The purpose of the argument is to remind everyone that no matter who or what tries to attack us as a nation we are so strong that we will get through it. The audience of both of these stamps is everyone. Anyone who was affected, hurt or who cares about our nation as a whole will be touched by both of these photos. The people who are making the argument about this picture is the audience. I believe anyone who looks at this picture would agree with me that we are one of the strongest nations out there. The argument uses LOGOS by comparing 9/11 to Iwo Jima, a historical analogy, and ETHOS because both of these stamps are morally likable to everyone. 

Budweiser - Clydesdales 9/11/11 Tribute Ad

           

            I think this ad is awesome. There is really nothing much to it, and I think this is why it appeals to so many people! It doesn’t have any voice in it, and very little text. Just by using the right music and images, this ad really got to me. The audience is everyone! This ad will inspire anyone who cares or was hurt my 9/11. I think the reason this ad was so successful is because it was so simple.

             It starts off with horses traveling through a peaceful, small town over a bridge, and the horses end up in a field of grass. The camera zooms out and we see that it is New York City.  In the background we see the World Trade Center and the camera continues to pan over and we get a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty; our universal symbol of freedom. It then ends with only three words: We’ll never forget.  It does a great job of showing the sorrow that America felt, and helps honor those who have fallen.

            I think this add is very effective by using LOGOS, ETHOS, and PATHOS. This ad uses LOGOS by adding historical analogies like the Statue of Liberty. This is a huge symbol for the U.S.  It really gets the audience realizing that no matter what happens we can get through it. This ad also uses Ethos. The audience can defiantly tell that this work is credible, and trustworthy. This ad is morally/ethically likable, and is very sincere especially with the images the author picked, and having New York City in the distance. Finally, this author used PATHOS. Though it didn’t us many words, it still activated the audience’s emotions. By saying,  “We’ll never forget”, it really touched me, especially since those words are so true. In fact, by adding such a little amount of words, it really helped the ad seem more inspirational! I think if they were to add any more words, it would take away from this touching message. This ad helped me realize that we will never forget this horrible incident that touched so many lives, but together we will get though it.