SWA #21

1.  This article is arguing that Americans have become less and less willing or interested in reading long amounts of uninterupted text.  It's satirical and aims to poke fun of how most Americans won't even attempt to read something that has no pictures, headlines or is longer than a couple lines of text.
2.  The author uses hyperbole by exaggerating how bothered people are by the long, uniinterupted blocks of text.  In the second to last paragraph, the interview with a Detroit local is comical because she implies that only serious things are accompanied by large photos of celebrities or have pop culture references.

SWA #20

Black, Richard. "Captive breeding 'weakens' beasts." 5 October 2007. BBC News. Article. 6 November 2011.

            The author appears to be unbiased as he simply presents facts and interviews from different research facilities throughout the United States.  He is writing for BBC News, which is primarily read by English people.  He summarizes research findings that species salmon that are captive bred lose their ability to reproduce much more quickly than their wild counterparts do.  I learned that many undesirable traits are eliminated from the gene pool because in the wild those fish eggs die off very quickly in comparison to captive breeding where all the eggs survive.  This will be useful in demonstrating the viewpoint of people against captive breeding because it actually harms the genetics of the populations.

Lynch, Michael and Martin O'Hely. "Captive breeding and the genetic fitness of natural populations." Conservation Biology 2.4 (2001): 363-378. Print.

            The source is objective and offers many scientific facts and research findings in relation to how genetics are affected through captive breeding.  However many of the findings appear negative because they show that unwanted traits become abundant in captive breeding because unlike the wild most of the fish survive.  According to the authors, this can severely damage the population especially if it is intended to release the captive individuals back into the wild.  I discovered that when these populations are released back into the wild even natural selection is not enough to remove the harmful traits from the population.  This source will also be useful in demonstrating the viewpoint against captive breeding due to the negative effects on the gene pool of populations.

SWA #19

1. Andriesen doesn't take a specific position on how define a sport except that he believes that defining a sport is a very difficult task and can be define many different ways.  It really just depends on who you are talking to.  He brings up information about acitivties that aren't defined as sports in some places and are in others and how the criteria changes from place to place and time to time.
2. It would be important for competitions such as the Olympics to have accepted criteria about what constitutes as a sport to keep everything regulated and running smoothly.  Also it helps keep the activity from becoming too varied in place to place if the rules are the same for a major competition or event.

SWA #18 Topics

1. Captive Breeding: benefits and negatives in relation to endangered species
     There were many articles and opinions relating to captive breeding and endangered species.  Some were very scientific with lots of facts and statistics which would definitely help my credibility.  This is my favorite topic because I really love animals and there are many sources available to chose from.
2. Requiring ID to vote (local topic)
     I found more opinion related articles than official factual sources when I researched this topic.  And since I'm not even from South Carolina this issue does not affect me so I'm not very interested in it compared to my other two topics.
3.  Human trafficking (global topic)
     There was a lot of information available about human trafficking however this subject is very broad and I'm not quite sure how to narrow it down into a more specific subject to write about.  The information available also doesn't always have exact data because as it is an illegal activity it can only be estimated how many people are part of it and where it happens.  It is a very interesting topic but I'm still leaning more towards captive breeding.

Reponse to "Factory food..."

In "Factory food...", the author, Ethan Huff, claims that food would be safer if the animals were raised in more humane conditions instead of increasing the food safety regulations.  He describes the recent salmonella outbreak how this could have been avoided by humanely raising the chickens.  His supporting evidence is very powerful almost frightening in some parts such as when he says the meat produced by some animals in factory farms is practically toxic to the human body.  That really hits close to home with anyone reading his article as no one wants to consume something that is toxic.  Also his addition of how factory farming has affected the environment such as the contaminated waterways he mentions just adds to his claim that animals should be raised more humanely in smaller, family owned farms.

Outline RA #2

Title: Advertising and Women: A Rhetorical Analysis of Print Ads Focused on Women from Youth to Adulthood

Thesis: These two print ads are similar in the fact that they both aim to sell facial products at women however, they both target different types of women; one ad aims for an older female audience while the other focuses on young women.


  I. The two ads are similar in they are aimed at female audiences in order to sell a facial product.

         A. Both ads picture women with the product.

         B. The product is a skincare item and appeals to the idea that women are concerned about their skin.

  II. The first ad targets older women probably in their thirties or forties and up.

         A. Ad pictures an older woman.

         B. The product is a wrinkle cream to aid in hiding “your true age”.

               1. Appeals to the idea that older women want to hide the appearance of wrinkles and appear more youthful.

  III. The second ad targets young women in their teens or early twenties.

         A. Ad pictures a teen girl.

         B. Girl has dirt on her face with the product a facial cleanser right next to it.

               1. Ad aims to show that the cleanser really removes all the dirt on the skin.

               2. Appeals to the idea that young women are concerned about clean and blemish free skin.

Conclusion: Although both ads aim to sell facial products at women, they use different techniques to appeal to older women and younger women.

CR pg. 118 #1

     Scully builds his case by appealing to a typical conservative's moral standards about the treatment of animals.  He found that conservatives preferred he argued his point from an angle using words such as 'obligation' and relating the treatment of animals to such verses from the Bible on page 109.  Also he briefly touches on the subject of abortion and how it is comparable to animal farming.  This brief relation however is sure to touch deep into a conservative's viewpoint as many are against abortion.  He then brings up humanity's moral obligation to protect the animals because they cannot speak up for themselves as demonstrated in the court case he cites.

Post Secret Card response

At first I was confused about what I should make my PostSecret Card about so I got on the website and looked at other cards.  I couldn't really think of any secrets but I did notice that some of the cards were more inspirational so I chose to make a more inspirational type card.  I chose Justin Bieber and his saying "Never Say Never" because his personal life story about him being so determined to accomplish his dreams.  I think that the saying applies to even small things. 

RA #2

      The two ads are selling facial products and are targeting women.  They are both from women's magazines.  However the first ad, the one for an anti-wrinkle cream is targeting older women.  The second ad, the one for the Bioré face wash, is targeting young women probably in their teens or early twenties.
      The first ad has a woman, probably in her late twenties or early thirties.  The color scheme is red, orange and lime green.  The print is warm and flowing.  Also the flower is bright and vibrant.  The woman is smiling and appears very happy.  Her tan skin is glowing and appears soft and smooth.  The anti-wrinkle cream is feature fairly large down in the right hand corner.
      The second ad has a young woman porbably in her late teens or early twenties.  The color scheme is cool colors mostly blues and greens with hints of lavender.  The left half of the young woman's face is clean while the right side is covered in dirt.  Also the right side has white letters over the dirt saying "When you clean your face, be sure to get it really clean."  The cleanser is also pictured next to the right side of the face.
     I orginally had chosen the ad on the right with the young woman just because the products relate the most to me and I actually use the Bioré products.  I chose the second ad because it had an older targeted audience.  The ad for the older women is encouraging a youthful appearance and assumes that older women want to look younger and disguise their age.  On the other hand the one more focused toward young women is more focused on cleanliness and fighting blemishes which relates more towards younger audiences who struggle with acne and other various skin issues.  The second ad assumes that dirty skin is bad and clean, clear skin is good.

Response to Advertisements

All ads are from the September 2011 Issue of Seventeen Magazine.
Audience: Teen Girls
First Ad:
      Vera Wang Lovestruck Perfume
      Assumes that teen girls want love and to be adored by guys so they will buy the perfume to help attract a guy and feel loved and adored.
Second Ad:
     Bioré Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser
     Assumes that teen girls may struggle with keeping their skin clear.  Also assumes that they want clean skin.  This product helps clean skin so therefore the teen girls should buy this product to keep their skin clean and clear.
Third Ad:
     Sharpie Pens
     Assumes that girls value creativity and art.  This product helps aid with the production of creative ideas and making art so therefore if you buy this pen you will be more creative and better at art.