If I had to guest lecture in the next section of this course, the skill I would be most confident teaching would be using ethos, logos, and pathos as rhetorical appeals. These three methods of persuasion involve credibility, logic, and emotion, respectively. They are used in order to draw the audience’s different interests and gain their attention towards the importance of an argument. Throughout the course, we have spent a lot of time understanding how to utilize these appeals effectively and how to use key quotes and information to portray them.

In order to teach this method, I would begin by providing a simple triangle diagram that separates and explain the three distinct strategies. The explanation would involve a word or two that defines the word such as “emotion/values” for “Pathos” and then the main techniques used in order to address said characteristics. In this case, possibly the use of “stories, inspiration, vivid language, etc.”

In order to reaffirm their understanding, I would go through an activity where the class would be separated into thirds and each group would receive one of the rhetorical strategies. Then, the group would discuss a manner to demonstrate their specific appeal through a short work of writing. For example, with pathos, they can write a short story that reflects a traumatic, excessively happy, heartfelt theme; something that captures the hearts and passions of an audience. In terms of logos, they could write a statement and then provide clear evidence or statistics using a made up source as way to prove their argument. For ethos, they can discuss a main point using a historical figure as a source or a famous quote from a specific leader that demonstrates the importance of their argument. Then, they would all present their work to the class, really focusing in on how they crafted their work and the steps they took in their respective categories to create the appeal.

Outcome 2: Over the past semester, I have increased my ability to acquire key passages within written works such as essays, articles, and scholarly journals. Within these passages, my capacity to find key words and key phrases that contribute to the author’s overall argument, as well as to look for aspects of the author’s work to contribute to my own argument, has steadily improved. Additionally, I feel through the learning of counterarguments and in crafting written work with both defense of and critique of presented ideas, I more readily look to not only gain information from reading and analyzing, but also challenge many points of views. Some of my works where I was able to effectively portray these skills were my Frankenstein paper proposal and many of my Blog Posts, specifically 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, and 8.

My Frankenstein paper proposal, specifically the annotated bibliography, reflected both my most recent and most skilled work of synthesizing material and creating a summary from what was presented in other works of writing. For example, in crafting my annotation for the article Monstrosity, Suffering, Subjectivity, and Sympathetic Community in Frankenstein and “The Structure of Torture’”, I immediately began by referencing and defining the notion of “individual subjectivity”, what I felt was the author’s key point. I then progressed its meaning by explaining this concept more thoroughly, mentioning its relationship to the book and how this concept is featured in the creature’s life. This, in turn, created a more understandable and complete idea of the author’s main points.

An example of my ability to challenge other people’s ideas was presented in Blog Post 1, in which we had to create both an argument and a counterargument for the use of surveillance technology in response to the “Eye in the Sky” podcast. By taking an unbiased stance on the issue and thoughtfully assessing the pros and cons to both sides, I was able to craft to effective arguments for each perspective.

In an article in the New York Times titled Older Quarterbacks Form a New Story in the N.F.L., Jack Dempsey introduces his article by suggesting a common changing viewpoint in 2011 and 2012 of the majority of football fans in America: that the league was beginning to be lead by many of the young quarterbacks coming out of college. He references each of the more popular, skilled quarterbacks drafted from these two years. Then, Dempsey follows by stating the success that the younger generation of quarterbacks had over the next couple of years, including those drafted in 2011 and 2012. Then he contradicts this notion of success. He argues that the simultaneous downfall of many of the younger quarterbacks in the league and the success of many of the older quarterbacks in the league has changed the age of those leading in passing yards since these two years.

Dempsey is successful in his introduction. He commences his writing with a very relatable viewpoint to most football fans in America. He appeals to them immediately on the basis of pathos, exciting their emotions because whether we admit it or not, most football fans maintained a very positive outlook on the potential of the younger generation of quarterbacks. Then, he contradicts this point, providing a statement that relates to the bold reality that we currently face. He argues that there has been a failure in our ability to predict this success. Instead, older quarterbacks have regained the momentum in this battle and shifted the entirety of football’s outlook once again. As a reader, it is hard to not be interested in the proof that this statement delivers and why this has occurred. He has drawn the reader in to his writing.

Working Title: Frankenstein: The Effects of Isolation from Society on Psychological Well-being

Working Thesis: Shelley argues through “Frankenstein” that an individual’s connection or lack there of to a society retains an essential role on the psychological well-being of a person.
–This is subject to be pushed further when I continue to research, begin to create analysis.

Intro: I need to briefly discuss each of the three main characters (Victor, Walton, creature) and mention their relationship to society/ isolation without giving too much away. I have to define the meaning of “society”, as well as “psychological well-being” in order to fully explain my thesis. Additionally, I should mention what it means to have a connection to society and be able to obtain a sense of happiness as a result of true compassion, sympathy from society. The thesis will come in at the end of the into to bring these points together.

Body Paragraphs: I want each part of the body to represent the experiences of a different character. The first paragraph will discuss Walton’s longing for compassion and his near death as a result of his craving for intellect and solitude, using quotes from his letters at the beginning and end of the book to discuss his emotional state and desires. The next paragraph or two will be focused on Frankenstein. Within them, I want to discuss his paralleled desire for intellect and how this lead to his imminent death through his creation. I also want to talk about the effect of his self-destruction through isolation as well as the effect that forcing the creature into isolation has on him. I can use multiple paragraphs to describe the creature in order to focus on both his downfall as a result of his forced isolation, but also juxtapose that with the potential he retained to have some sort of connection in his life and the outcome that could have arisen from an opposite experience. Additionally, I want to include images of the isolated setting’s that Shelley proposes during my analysis to emphasize the notion of the solitude each of the characters have created for themselves.

Passages from secondary sources.
–Victor: “”Frankenstein” and “Caleb Williams”” (25-27), “Moral and Myth in Mrs. Shelley’s “Frankenstein””(31-33)
–Creature:”Monstrosity, Suffering, Subjectivity, and Sympathetic Community in Frankenstein and “The Structure of Torture””(206-207), “Moral and Myth in Mrs. Shelley’s “Frankenstein”” (34-37)
–Walton: “Moral and Myth in Mrs. Shelley’s “Frankenstein””(29-30)

The conclusion will summarize the importance of societal connection and will readdress the fate of the character’s following their decisions in and outside of solitude.

The poetry reading presented by Literature is Alive and OOMPH! Illustrates the indispensable ability to translate poetry between languages. Each of the poems, written and read in Spanish, reflected strong meanings and purpose in terms of both style and structure. In terms of style, the emphasis that the natural, fluid Spanish paces on the words adds significant meaning to each of the poems. Additionally, the variations based on the native tongue, whether from Spain or central/south America added distinct touches to creating more power and edginess in the wording or fluidity and romantic beauty, respectively. On the other side, finding the right words in the English translation represents a key factor in maintaining the correct structure. A translator must be able to keep the same or similar amounts of words in each line to keep specific spacing between words and between lines that the author writes. Additionally, the use of specific question marks, commas, and conjunctions must be somewhat similar in order to keep the intended pace of the poem.

Overall, Spanish poetry just like any language’s specific poetry contains in own important meanings and values. There is power involved, spirit, messages of hope, and pride all integrated into this poetry and maintaining these values to the fullest extent possible is a difficult, but very pivotal task.

One example where I quote from a primary source was in a discussion of communication from Super Sad True Love Story. I introduce the quote by providing context towards the text I am about to display, stating “On page 88, Vishnu introduces the term/acronym FAC meaning Forming a Community. He states”. After using the quote, I describe how this system of communication related to society and even provide a so what factor describing the use of similar phrases coined in modern society and how the progression of messaging is not that far off. However, I fail to fully explain the meaning of the quotation, but rather allow the quote to explain itself, as it does in a way, and continue to my further analysis. To fix this, I can use the template, “In other words, Shteyngart believes”, describing the quote by defining the system of FAC in other, more relatable terminology.

One example where I use a secondary source was in Blog Post 6 through integrating quotations from Hale’s article “Constructing Connectedness: Gender, Sexuality and Race in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein” to comment on key concept of pleasure which she argues exists prominently in “Frankenstein”. In the second paragraph, I integrated the quotation “the gaze is the object in which the subject can see himself seeing himself” by stating “Additionally, in promoting the concept of pleasure, Hale close reads the quote”, demonstrating her purpose of the quote in promoting the notion of pleasure. I then analyze her quotation and her interpretation of the quotation to further my argument towards the meaning of her claim, introducing the analysis with “Here…”. In order to perhaps alter the sandwich I created I can change “Here” to “Hale’s point is that…” and then follow up with my analysis.

In the scholarly article Moral and Myth in Mrs. Shelley’s “Frankenstein”, author M. A. Goldberg identifies topics of loneliness and isolation as she describes the morality of the central characters throughout the novel: Victor, the creature and Walton. In the case of Walton, he lacks an equal member of society who can provide him with a sense of compassion as he pursues his intellectual goals. He feels he retains no social connection from whom he can learn and from whom he can balance the one-dimensional perspective he previously contained. In a similar notion, Victor prior to his meeting with Walton felt a similar attraction to knowledge, curious towards philosophical principles and the hard sciences. This thirst towards his research, however, destroyed any remains of his social well-being through his scientific creation of what would be his servant or “shadow”-like creature. The creature demonstrates a similar theme, describing his pain resulting from the lack of attachment he was provided. The immediate abandonment from his creator and the clear difference/ uniqueness of his form placed him on an island to suffer alone for the duration of his existence. She argues overall that no character retains the ability to healthily function without connection and relationship.

In her article, M. A. Goldberg utilizes an excerpt from an 1817 Review of the book between Goodwin’s Caleb Williams and Frankenstein, extending the notion of isolation of the individual, as well as themes of loneliness which contribute to the moral context of the book that she highlights in her own writing.

This article develops a lot of the same concepts I hoped to address in regards to the isolation felt by the three main characters as a result of their discoveries and the paths of life on which they have been guided. Under this main topic, the article also provides references to biblical stories and myths which provide strong correlation to the messages promoted in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

http://www.jstor.org.proxy.library.emory.edu/stable/pdf/30210049.pdf?acceptTC=true

Hale’s key argument through the article “Constructing Connectedness: Gender, Sexuality and Race in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein” is the notion of pleasure. In the aspect of homosocial relationships, she portrays the idea that prominent male characters, including Walton, and Victor through both the creature and Henry Clerval, as well as the creature itself, exhibit a need and an urgency to find a man or a form similar to their own who can sympathize with them on an intellectual level and to balance and “perfectionate” them. In fact, they go as far to assume the perceived social roles of women such as caretaking and providing a level of intimacy or in the case of the creature, a lack there of.

Additionally, in promoting the concept of pleasure, Hale close reads the quote: “the gaze is the object in which the subject can see himself seeing himself” (14). Here, she moves past the romantic light to which a gaze often represents and into the notion of a mirror. More directly, she characterizes the transparent surface of the eyes as the ability for Victor to see his ego, his desire, and his conscious within another creature. In this case, he is looking upon the corpse of his dear friend Clerval and looking through the eyes of the mirror toward the creation of death, simultaneously imagining his relationship with life and death in the form of his creature.

Hale’s explanation of the “pleasure principle” as argued by Sigmund Freud from the book “Beyond the Pleasure Principle” represents a strong use of a secondary source towards creating additional relevant information and adding credibility (ethos) towards her overarching argument through the work of a famous psychologist. She uses his principle to define the notion that all mental processes are concerned with “an avoidance of unpleasure” or in the same, but opposite notion, “a production of pleasure”. She then uses this to characterizes the drive for sexual desire and deprivation, as well as the creature’s acts of murder to fulfill such needs of pleasure, be it sexually driven or not.

The term sanguinary (16) was unfamiliar to me and upon researching its definition through online dictionaries, I found its meaning to be “involving or causing much bloodshed”.

In the novel a Super Sad True Love Story, a key concept is the prominent role that technology plays in the lives of each member of this dystopian society. The function of the apparat to reveal essentially all information about each character including family history, socioeconomic status and specific earnings, marital status, romantic information, just to mention a few. In the latter stages of the book, Lenny references the fact that the power had been shut down in the New York area, breaking off society’s connection to their devices and social media in its entirety. This caused disarray from most people and even some suicide as a result of the apparent inability to function.

This seemingly ridiculous reaction to a separation from technology, however, represents a situation not all too different from modern society. In KQED news, Katrina Schwartz discusses the reality of our dependability on technology to operate. We, especially as teens and young adults, have created a system of communication that lacks socializing through any means apart from technology. Relationships, friendships, even education seems to all be accomplished by staring into a screen and allowing are fingers to flow through touch screens and key pad to form meaning. We have become stuck in a world where we are unaware of many of our surroundings and feel that we need said devices to stay in touch and to survive every day life.

Schwartz, Katrina. “What Happens When Teens Try to Disconnect From Tech For Three Days.” MindShift. 6 Mar. 2015. Web. 6 Oct. 2015.