Archive for month: February, 2016

We have all heard the phrase “Actions speak louder than words” but sometimes words are more powerful. If you know the right things to say, sometimes there’s no need for any action to take place just by the simple flow of the words its good enough. In the text “Backpacks vs. Briefcases” it explains about how developed our rhetorical skills are without us really knowing we have them because we have slowly learned to detect rhetorical messages. Even with just doing a simple task there’s all sort of persuading ads trying to get you to buy something or convincing you into believing or rethinking certain things. Most of the times books have hidden meanings or a purpose the author wants to share with the rest of us. So when they write there’s a hidden rhetorical message somewhere between the pages.
One of my favorite books is The Book Thief, in my personal opinion it’s a heart-wrenching story about how words are more powerful than what we give them credit. At times without really meaning to we say things that stick to people whether it’s in a positive way or a negative way is completely up to you. The point is words stick with us like memories whether it’s from something a loved one once told us to words from our books, words are a big part of life.
The Book Thief mentions the power of words frequently throughout the novel to the point where it’s a reoccurring theme. One quote that really stands out is “I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.” In this quote the protagonist is describing her own thoughts about words and how she thinks she has to make words right so they can have a positive effect in the lives she has touched with her words. She has said it so many times that words can affect you for the rest of your life and the narrator of the novel which is Death tells the readers that she affected him so much for her words more than her actions and that she will always be dear to him.
One thing about the power of words is that there is no way that you can make words powerful if you don’t believe they are powerful and that words are enough to accomplish things without action meaning war and violence. “The best word shakers were the ones who understood the true power of words. They were the ones who could climb the highest.”
The Book Thief constantly convinces us that words are powerful and beautiful. The entire story is just full of life in itself and the way Death describes life as hauntingly beautiful is in a sense accurate but the way he makes the words flow is rhetorical and poetic. “I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she didn’t already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race-that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant.” The perfect ending because Death gives us his opinion of Life which is quite ironic. Since he’s trying to convinve us life is beautiful.

Works Cited

Bolin, Laura Carroll. “Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps Toward Rhetorical Analysis.” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. Ed. Charles Lowe and Pavel Zemliansky. Vol. 1. West Lafayette, IN: Parlor P, 2010. 45-58. Writing Spaces. Web. 27 Jan. 2016.

Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Print.

Many writers living in the aftermath of World War II expressed a great deal of contempt toward totalitarian systems of government in their works. George Orwell wrote the dystopian novel 1984 to force his readers to question the integrity of their governments. The article “Backpacks and Briefcases” urges us to ask what the rhetor may be responding to as a means of discovering the exigence of the rhetorical situation (Bolin 48). The publication of the novel coincides with the aftermath of World War II and the rise of more totalitarian forms of government, such as Stalinism in Russia. Orwell’s response to these events also plays to the mindset of his audience, who is living in the same period and thus has the same fearful perspective on totalitarianism.

Orwell’s primary protagonist, Winston Smith, works for The Party by editing history, already leading the audience to believe that this fictional government can not be trusted. He spends his days modifying dates and production predictions in the national newspaper so the rest of Oceania can live under the impression that their economy is improving, rather than plummeting (Orwell 39). This parallels the ways in which totalitarian systems sought to brainwash and hide the truth from their citizens through propaganda. The propaganda present throughout the novel is reminiscent of those of Nazi Germany, depicting “monstrous figure[s] of Eurasian soldier[s]” that drive even the least patriotic proles to support the war effort (Orwell 149). Orwell is aware that his audience will have a strong reaction to these images, having only recently been subject to bombardments of similar messages during the wartime.

Knowing the context in which the novel was composed, as well as the background of the author can allow us to draw what his purpose is. Bolin encourages readers to ask what it is the rhetor wants them to do with their message (52). I would interpret all of Orwell’s appeals to the authority of government as a message to his readers to question the societies that they live in. While there is no direct message of uprising or warfare against totalitarian systems, at the very least Orwell wishes for others to call into question the extent to which their governments run their lives. To some extent, the rhetorical purpose of the novel is to convince the readers to become active consumers of the political rhetoric that surrounds them.

Inherent in all sides of the rhetorical triangle and all facets of the rhetorical situation are the three artistic appeals proposed by Aristotle, but Orwell plays primarily to pathos (Bolin 52). The love story between Winston and Julia allows the reader to form a personal connection with the characters, and thus sympathize with them to a greater extent when the government interferes in their affair, resulting in their torture (Orwell 222). A potentially dry message about governments stripping individuals of their autonomy presented in narrative form makes all the difference to a reader.

It is critical to not only be fully aware of the rhetoric presented to us in academic settings and in novels, but also that which is presented to us in our daily lives. This can make all the difference in how we choose to perceive the world we live in.

Works Cited

Bolin, Laura Carroll. “Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps Toward Rhetorical Analysis.” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. Ed. Charles Lowe and Pavel Zemliansky. Vol. 1. West Lafayette, IN: Parlor P, 2010. 45-58. Writing Spaces. Web. 27 Jan. 2016.

Orwell, George, and Erich Fromm. 1984. New York, NY: Signet Classic, 1961. Print.

As of today I have sample populations of Sand crabs from 16 beaches processed and will be sharing this data at the Surfrider meeting Tuesday evening. I have been lucky to find 6 undergraduate students that are interested in working on the different aspects of my project! This will rocket forward the processing of the 50 plus sand samples I have in the lab and allow me the time to finish processing the 26 other sample populations of sand crabs I have.

So far 14 of the 16 sample populations have had sand crabs with particles or fibers ingested. I know that every single sand sample processed has had fibers and/or particles in it so I am interested to find out what the remaining crab samples look like.