When reading the article "Don't Blame Fat," I noticed a variety of writing techniques that the author used. One of them was logos. Logos is a persuasive technique that has to do with reason and evidence. This article used factual evidence to support the statement that eating too much fat is not the reason for bad health, particularly heart health. One example of the evidence used by the author was when they stated that when Americans were told to cut fat out of their diets, it didn't work, and the nutritional experiment was a failure. After they tell the reader this, they back it up by saying that Americans have gotten even more sick. 1 in 10 Americans had Type 2 diabetes 32 years after the experiment. Also, the author refers to many studies, doctors, and groups to provide evidence, such as Dr. Ancel Keys, who was one of the first major influences on America to eat less fat. In my current writing piece, I can use logos to help persuade my readers to adopt my definition of the word "quality." By putting in quotes and giving plenty of good examples, I can add more logos to my writing. In my writing in general, I can also do this, when it's appropriate, and even try to find statistics.
A second technique that the author of "Don't Blame Fat" uses is ethos. Ethos, another persuasive technique, is the credibility of a writer. Ethos has to do with the trustworthiness and morals of a writer. The author used ethos by writing in a way that didn't sound pompous or like they were a know-it-all. The author has an honest voice, and backs up any claims made. The author explains things to readers in a respectful way. For instance, in the beginning, instead of saying that Americans were dumb for thinking that by avoiding fat they would be healthy, the author said that Americans were just "doing what they were told." They also seem to be very knowledgeable in this subject, and therefore, use ethos effectively. In both my current writing and my writing in general, I can use ethos by making sure I stay respectful to my readers and don't sound arrogant. I can sound credible by using evidence and being straight-forward.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Monday, September 22, 2014
The Moral of the Story "Use"
The story "Use" was a very interesting story with an important moral. The moral that I took away from this story was that a person's looks, abilities, and what's on the surface is not what makes them a better person than someone else. The author, Alice Walker, persuades me to adopt this moral multiple times throughout the story.
First, Alice describes the two daughters in the story; Dee/Wangero, the older daughter, and Maggie. Dee/Wangero is prettier, can read better, and is very stylish. She was ashamed of her mother's house because it was small and ugly to her. Dee wants nice things in her life like pretty dresses. Maggie, on the other hand, was burned when their house caught on fire, and has burn scars. She thinks she is ugly, and when she is around Dee she cowers and acts almost scared. Maggie isn't very bright and knows it. In the story, the narrator says that sometimes she dreams of being on a show where a child who has "made it" is surprised by her mother and father coming in from backstage to embrace the child. She dreams of being on this show with Dee. So far, you can tell that Dee is the prettier, more successful daughter.
Later, however, when Dee comes home to visit her mother and Maggie, she has changed her name to Wangero and has a man with her. This is an example of how she is sort of separating herself from her family and her past. She doesn't really care that much that the name Dee is a big part of her family, and has been in every generation of it as long as anyone can remember. Also, inside the house, Dee/Wangero marvels at the lovely benches, Grandma Dee's butter dish, and the churn. She wants to take the churn and dasher with her, but only because they are pretty and interesting. They have no real meaning to her. Maggie, however, understands that these things actually mean something, and speaks up to tell Dee/Wangero that the dasher was whittled from Aunt Dee's first husband.
The part of the story that the author uses the most to display this moral is at the end. Dee tells her mother that she wants to take two quilts, the ones that were pieced by her grandma and quilted by her mother and aunt. She wants these because she thinks it seems cool and more authentic. Dee/Wangero only wants the quilts to hang them, and they obviously show no real meaning to her. Before she went to college her mom asked her if she wanted the quilts, and back then she dismissed them because they were old and out of style. Maggie was promised these quilts, and would put them to use. Maggie knows how to quilt herself and was taught by her grandma and aunt. The quilts have a meaning to Maggie. When Dee/Wangero was begging for the quilts, Maggie said she could have them. She said that she could remember Grandma Dee without the quilts, showing that she saw the quilts as a way to remember the person who made them.
In the end, the mother realizes that Maggie is the daughter who really cares about her, and that she should receive the quilts no matter what. What the mother did was the right thing to do, and this is what Alice is trying to teach the readers. Maggie had better values than Dee/Wangero, and was the better daughter on the inside. She cared more for her mother, and her family meant more to her. By the end of this story, Alice Walker has fully persuaded me to adopt the moral that just because someone seems better on the surface, it doesn't mean they're better on the inside.
First, Alice describes the two daughters in the story; Dee/Wangero, the older daughter, and Maggie. Dee/Wangero is prettier, can read better, and is very stylish. She was ashamed of her mother's house because it was small and ugly to her. Dee wants nice things in her life like pretty dresses. Maggie, on the other hand, was burned when their house caught on fire, and has burn scars. She thinks she is ugly, and when she is around Dee she cowers and acts almost scared. Maggie isn't very bright and knows it. In the story, the narrator says that sometimes she dreams of being on a show where a child who has "made it" is surprised by her mother and father coming in from backstage to embrace the child. She dreams of being on this show with Dee. So far, you can tell that Dee is the prettier, more successful daughter.
Later, however, when Dee comes home to visit her mother and Maggie, she has changed her name to Wangero and has a man with her. This is an example of how she is sort of separating herself from her family and her past. She doesn't really care that much that the name Dee is a big part of her family, and has been in every generation of it as long as anyone can remember. Also, inside the house, Dee/Wangero marvels at the lovely benches, Grandma Dee's butter dish, and the churn. She wants to take the churn and dasher with her, but only because they are pretty and interesting. They have no real meaning to her. Maggie, however, understands that these things actually mean something, and speaks up to tell Dee/Wangero that the dasher was whittled from Aunt Dee's first husband.
The part of the story that the author uses the most to display this moral is at the end. Dee tells her mother that she wants to take two quilts, the ones that were pieced by her grandma and quilted by her mother and aunt. She wants these because she thinks it seems cool and more authentic. Dee/Wangero only wants the quilts to hang them, and they obviously show no real meaning to her. Before she went to college her mom asked her if she wanted the quilts, and back then she dismissed them because they were old and out of style. Maggie was promised these quilts, and would put them to use. Maggie knows how to quilt herself and was taught by her grandma and aunt. The quilts have a meaning to Maggie. When Dee/Wangero was begging for the quilts, Maggie said she could have them. She said that she could remember Grandma Dee without the quilts, showing that she saw the quilts as a way to remember the person who made them.
In the end, the mother realizes that Maggie is the daughter who really cares about her, and that she should receive the quilts no matter what. What the mother did was the right thing to do, and this is what Alice is trying to teach the readers. Maggie had better values than Dee/Wangero, and was the better daughter on the inside. She cared more for her mother, and her family meant more to her. By the end of this story, Alice Walker has fully persuaded me to adopt the moral that just because someone seems better on the surface, it doesn't mean they're better on the inside.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Comparing and Contrasting "Finding Your Voice" to "The Sound of Your Voice"
After I read both "Finding Your Voice" and "The Sound of Your Voice," two different chapters from two different books, they seemed pretty different. But, they do have things that are alike about each other also.
One major thing that is similar in them is they're both about finding your voice. Also, they each say that it's okay to imitate other writers. "The Sound of Your Voice" says to "Never hesitate to imitate another writer." In "Finding Your Voice," it says, "It helped me see that it is natural to take on someone else's style, that it's a prop that you use for a while until you give it back." Also, they both use the term props. As I said previously, "Finding Your Voice" talked about someone else's voice as a prop you use temporarily. In "The Sound of Your Voice," however, the writer says that "the tools of grammar" are props that the reader both needs, and even if they might not realize it, wants. Finally, both writers mention their students, and what their students learn about writing while in class.
While the basic themes of these pieces of writing are the same, they are taught in very different ways. "Finding Your Voice," for example, uses a lot of metaphors like diving through the ice into the cold water. This symbolizes not writing just about the good things, but also including the bad, forbidden, and mysterious parts of life. The writer also says that you need to open up forbidden doors to find your true voice, which has a similar message. "The Sound of Your Voice," however, talks about voice by using three categories that cheapen the tone of your voice: breeziness, condescension, and clichés. He uses other writings as examples to give a better picture of what he is trying to say.
It is obvious that these pieces are written very differently. They do, however, teach the reader a lot about voice, and I found both to be very important and useful.
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