Exploration of Ethos

Ethos: In rhetoric, the character or emotions of a speaker or writer that are expressed in the attempt to persuade an audience. it is distinguished from pathos, which is the emotion the speaker or writer hopes to induce in the audience. Ethos was the natural disposition or moral character, an abiding quality, and pathos a temporary and often violent emotional state. Ethos described character. (Dictionary.com)

My definition of ethos is the emotional response you obtain from reading text. Putting emotion into your writing is the key thing that keeps the audience interested. No one would want to read a monotone essay simply for the fact that it is a boring and hard to stay connected to. I love putting emphasis in not only my writing but the way i speak as well. I am a very loud and outgoing person and it is important to show the audience that, not only in telling them directly but displaying it in how the paper is read. This semester i have learned just how to show these skills in a way that is very effective. My writing has improved tremendously and will continue to improve with the lessons that i have learned. Learning how to not only use ethos but pathos and logos has made my writing exciting for even myself to read. Writing is not my strong subject but i would like it to become one.

Iceland Volcano

The volcano, about 75 miles east of Reykjavik, erupted on March 20 after almost 200 years of silence. This is the second eruption within the last month, the first eruption struck near the glacier in an area that has no ice. The new eruption appears to be about five or six miles west of the original fissure. Iceland sits on a large volcanic hot spot in the Atlantic's mid-oceanic ridge. Eruptions are triggered by seismic activity when the Earth's plates move and when magma from deep underground pushes its way to the surface. This eruption caused many flights to be cancelled and delayed. One of the flights that was delayed was carrying the United States Marines which my good friend Dan is apart of. We were waiting for his arrival back from an eight month tour. His mother flew to his base in California in hopes of seeing her son. When the volcano erupted things changed. Cindy, Dan's mother, was at the base for over a week waiting for them to arrive. She eventually had to come back to Oklahoma without her son. He arrived at the Tulsa International Airport the next week. Dan is not the only one that the volcano eruption affected, many were stranded in foreign countries trying to get home but had no luck. The ash pushed south forcing a small airport in the Moroccan town of Tan-Tan to close and Europe was forced to a five day suspension of air traffic.

Arizona's Immigration Law

When i was channel surfing the other day i came across a headline talking about Arizona's new immigration law. I was interested in what exactly this law is stating. When i further researched this subject i found that Arizona is requiring all illegal immigrants to carry their alien registration with them at all times and requires the police to question anyone who they think is in the United States illegally. When i read this i thought about when this was a problem long ago in US history. I thought that now we have a better system of dealing with these issues rather than completely banishing all immigrants. Most of these people have come to seek better opportunities and with this law was are simply taking away all hope. If they are not a threat to us or our society i do not see the point in requiring them to have certain identification on them. It also reminds me of the holocaust when the jews were required to wear identification as a sign of cruelty. This is not only affecting the people who it pertains to but it is also hurting the state of Arizona. The Los Angeles city council approved a boycott of Arizona-based businesses and government unless the state repeals a new law giving police the power to question a detainees immigration status (CNN). They said the the law "encourages racial profiling and violates Fourteenth Amendment guarantees of due process and equal protection for U.S. citizens, legal residents and visitors who are detained for suspicion of being in the country unlawfully" (CNN). This is a terrible decision made by the Arizona government, i believe that this will slowly dissolve but until then i am strongly against this law. I think that as americans we should be thanking these immigrants because there are here to help us as well. We have to stand for what is right and make it a point to those approving this law see these people just like us terrified to be in their own homes.

More on the story:
CNN
Los Angeles Boycott

A Day WIthout Technology

One day i was forced to live the life without technology. It was not planned or thought out, my phone simply died one day and i was as far away from the charger as possible. At first i did not mind my phone being dead, i thought to myself "oh this won't be a problem just a few hours". As the day slowly went underway i found myself looking at a dead phone more than i should be. Out of habit i would push the button which usually goes to the homepage, but since if was dead nothing would happen. I knew it was dead and useless to me but it would still draw my attention about every fifteen minutes. I realized just how dependent i am about my phone. The phone that i use is an iPhone, and since everything it either a push of a button or downloading an app away i use it for basically everything. It is my alarm clock in the morning, internet when i need it quickly, keeping up on social events through facebook, and a game when i get board. i never really realized that it was a problem not having a phone on at all times but i did that day. When i see those people attached to their phones 24/7 i think to myself, no i am not like that i can survive without it. when in reality i am just like everyone else to a certain extent. It is hard to live without technology especially in this day and age. Technology is flooding our schools, home life, and social life. it is and will be everywhere that we turn for the rest of eternity.

Wendell Berry, poet, essayist, farmer, and novelist, wrote a piece titled Why I Am Not Going To Buy A Computer. He believes that writing with a pen and paper is more effective then using a computer. He said when somebody has used a computer to write work that is demonstrably better than Dante's and when this better is demonstrable attributable to the use of a computer, then i will speak of computers with a more respectful tone of voice, though i still will not buy one (Berry). Although i love computers and most all technology i can see the side in which Wendell is arguing. Computers have taken over reading books and writing on paper. Everything is technologically advanced and Berry believes that technology like computers is not needed to become a skilled writer.

The Phone of the Future

When I was told that I would have to find a rhetorical object that represents and relates to me the most, it took me a few hours to make what I considered to be a fairly difficult decision. I spent most of the afternoon looking at every object around me as well as thinking about any object I thought would fit. After a few hours, I found myself getting off task and playing on my phone the whole time. Eventually I came to the conclusion that the object that I believe fits my identity best is Apple’s exceedingly popular iPhone.

John Casey from Sacramento, California created Apple’s famous iPhone with a significant amount of help from Apple’s current chief executive officer (CEO) Steve Jobs. Apple’s introduction of the iPhone was an introduction to the entire world of a new type of cell phone. Before the introduction of the iPhone, Apple produced the incredibly popular iPod that skyrocketed in popularity. Eventually after the iPod was out on the market for quite some time and continued to be successful, the idea of combining the iPod and a cell phone began. John Casey argued that large majorities of people carry a cell phone and an iPod with them most of the time. The idea of combining the two objects then began to grow.

An iPhone combines three different devices into one object. An iPhone offers an iPod, a cell phone, and also Internet access allows the iPhone to act like miniature computer. The phone offers the capability of all three objects in one object. The introduction of the iPhone led to the expansion of smart phones and the development of new technology, including the iPad. The first version of the iPhone was released on June 29, 2007 with two different models the 4GB and the 8GB. With the price set a $599.00 for the 8GB and $499.00 for the 4GB there became an issue with the billing. On August 11, 2007, an iPhone purchaser, Justine Ezarik, received a three-hundred page phone bill sent in a box. She later went on to created a video that was posted on YouTube highlighting the actual size of the bill, not the amount due. Apple and AT&T came back with a “price protection” rebate on September 5, 2007. This stated that those who have purchase an iPhone in the fourteen day period before the September 5 announcement were eligible for a two hundred dollar rebate. The company’s also discontinued the 4GB model and the 8GB model price was cut by a third. With the customer’s complaints, CEO Steve Jobs wrote in a letter to iPhone customers that everyone who purchased an iPhone at a higher price “and who is not receiving a rebate or other consideration” would receive a one-hundred dollar credit toward the purchase of any product sold in Apple’s retail or online stores.