Free Your Thoughts : October 2015

Friday, October 30, 2015

Ethos, Logos & Pathos

Rhetorical Analysis is the way that someone analyzes a source such as a document or picture in different ways. Different techniques are utilized to make the document or picture or even an ad more effective and appealing to the audience. Some of the tools that make it more effective are the use of ethos, logos and pathos.

ETHOS

Ethos is the credibility of a source or of an author; the authority that they have.
Some examples are demonstrated in the following ads:

This ad is a great example of ethos because it is using the dentist to make the ad more reliable. Using the testimony of the dentist to prove that the Colgate toothbrush is the best one makes the audience trust the brand. Using the dentist to say that Colgate is the number one brand recommended builds trust between the audience and the brad since it has been recommended by a respectable person.

This ad also uses ethos to make their purpose more effective because it is using expert testimony to make it believable. The use of expert testimony make the audience believe that it really work and including the name of the company, Subway, makes the source credible.

LOGOS

Logos is logic and persuading by using claims such as facts and statistics.

Here are some examples:

This ad uses logos successfully because it lists all the consequences that smoking can cause. The ad wants to prevent people from smoking since it is stating the negative effects of smoking. The use of logos is clearly noticed because the ad list logical facts by bullet point such as the bullets that a gun has which makes a clear comparison that proves that this is a logos appeal.

This ad uses logos to appeal to its audience because it is using logical facts to support its purpose. The fact that bicycles do not have bumpers is realistic and it makes the audience realize that bicyclists are in great danger.

PATHOS

Pathos is persuading trough the use of emotions
Here are some examples:

This ad is a perfect example of the use of pathos. The first thing that catches the eye, is the little boys tears and the fear in his eyes. This make the ad emotional since it is showing a little boy that is suffering which can make the audience feel sympathy for the boy. The hand that is choking the boy symbolizes all the hurtful words that has been said to him and that it is effecting him negatively. This also creates a sad feeling and it is clear that the ad uses ethos to appeal to its audience.

The use of pathos in this ad is present by the emotion in the baby's face. The ad makes the audience feel sorrow for the baby and its encouraging them to take action as soon as possible because it is saying that the baby can die before you can get to work. The use of emotional appeal is utilized to convince the audience.

Sources:

https://matthewlaverdure.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/colgate.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJXD2YrYYQuPKuafPZHEp04HLlx6EAyOT9S3NcKTFKLBTIkRZk7rrp_nj4bnapYKkR119QysCSGl8qbOwyouRzrktsNjClxlOOAIQ4ngoIJibTVL1bQ7UGae26R5ZCwPNTAeSa6xqBa0/s1600/subway-diet-002.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiypi1Z9i70hOkHYTJZ5h5dTYnchRnq2Tkz51ACB_Enr8dON_LvkMLeVdvxJMvQedw4CaCb0uB-_QZoi6Yav9fEys3A9kcQ-7PhuIKi8QthY9HGkClbOjgmrtAAJNMgVtg06Xx7BqKbQoY/s400/Anti_Smoking_Ads_43.jpg

http://adsoftheworld.com/sites/default/files/styles/media/public/smart-0605_cc_digital_giveroom_biker_300_aotw.jpg?itok=zd3m_CTC

https://38.media.tumblr.com/e5719349616e96bedc850f0578b99f8a/tumblr_inline_n5jslzZUdb1sbdw3g.jpg

http://adsoftheworld.com/sites/default/files/styles/media_retina/public/images/JPA1.jpg

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Gender Roles

Why are girls and boys limited?

Girls:

Since an early age, girls are exposed to the things that they should and should not do. Since childhood, girls learn how to be accepted into a society that observes every single detail and make judgments based on the definition of a girl. Here is a short list that describes a girl:

Play with dolls
Like princesses
Like arts and crafts
Like sparkly things
Be sensible
Be weak
Wear pink

This are only some of the many things that a "normal" girl should do and like according to society. Stereotyping girls into a certain category is becoming more common because since an early age, girls are taught this things and as they grow up, they view it as a normal thing. Because girls are being exposed to certain things, when they grow up, they tend to do things similar to the activities they did when they were little. According to society, girls are support to be sensible and cry for no reasons. A huge label that girls have is that they are viewed as weak. Even at a professional standard, women are only allowed to have certain types of jobs. Just think about it? How many women work as mechanics, electricians or construction workers? Not many and if they do, its really rare. The reason is that if a women does this type of work, they will be viewed in a strange way since they are a minority. This are some of the reasons why women are limited to do certain things since they practically grew up with that perspective of women. Action must be taken on order to eliminate the idea that women are only allowed to do certain things.

Boys:

Boys also have certain roles that are set by society. From an early age they have certain expectations of the things they should and shouldn't do. Some of the things that boys are expected to do are the following:

Be emotionless
Be strong
Play with cars
Don't cry
Wear blue
Like sports

Society expects boys to be strong in order to fit in the definition of a men. A boy is supposed to act a certain way in order to be respected. For example, they are not support to be sensible. In other words they are forbidden from crying because that can mean that they are vulnerable and sensible. A boy is supposed to play with toys such as cars. Society has formed the wrong concepts of the way men should act because they focus more on the way that things used to be years ago. Society has changed and now men can be able to do many other things and not only certain things that are set by society. For instance, men are perfectly capable of cooking, cleaning, baby sitting, and many other things that are only "allowed" for women to perform. during the years, men have formed the concept that they should be tough and aggressive in order to show that they are a "real" man. Stereotyping men can hurt our society because as a community, we are depriving them from performing many other tasks that will benefit us in the long run.

This video is a great example of how stereotypes affect people. The video makes a great point on how society is affecting the was men and women should act. The video shows how they should act from the society's perspective. This stereotypes that both men and women suffer from should not be accepted because it can cause irreversible damage in future.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

The Struggle of Being a Woman

Why are women viewed as inferior to men? We are all humans after all. Back in the old days, women did not have any rights; women were only supposed to stay home. Women were not allowed to work, vote, own property, hold public offices and even attend school. Education was not a major goal for women because they were supposed to stay home and men thought they were only used to have kids. It was rare for a women to attend college because they did not have the same advantages a men had since they had to take care of their kids and stay home to do chores. As an example, an article states, "... in 1960, women earned 35.3 percent of undergraduate degrees and only 10 percent of doctoral degrees in the Unites States" (Johnson). This demonstrates that it was rare to see women earn a college degree since they had many obstacles that such as stereotypes. Women had a hard time being accepted by society since they were vulnerable to judgments such as the way they dressed since they were supposed to look decent. As a women, it was hard to become successful back in the old days since they got paid less than men and they were not allowed to receive certain degrees since they were WOMEN. Overall, women were only allowed to do certain things back in the days.

Today, the role of women have changes drastically to the point that they are capable of being self dependent. Wait... What does that mean? Nowadays, the role of women have taken a 360 degree spin; the role of women have expanded. In today's society, college enrollment rate for women have increased because the mentality of many people have changed and women are not limited to just staying home. Women have the capability to be as successful as a men. They can be the main provider of a home without the need to have a men on their side. Having a job and being a mother can be complicated but women are strong enough to handle both situations at the same time. Why should women be viewed as inferior to men if they are capable of working, sustaining their family and being independent. There shouldn't be barriers for women because they have many more responsibilities than a men. In short, women have opened many pathways in their lives in order to become self dependent.