Archive for year: 2016

To the “friend” I once knew,

Thank you for showing me that friendships aren’t easy. They take time to develop and grow into something more meaningful. But amidst all of the hardships, I guess I thought I knew who you were. I thought we were closer than that after having all of the real talks we had. I was there for you through a lot, and to find out that when I needed someone to be there at a rough time in my life, instead you were there judging me behind back and saying things like “I’m too nice” and that “it’s starting to feel fake”, hurt me the most. Even when you told me some of the choices you had made and were still making; so many people were judging you but I never once judged you for that. Instead, I defended you and was your friend in the most endearing way, even through the tough times. I tried to help you see the good in yourself and the reality of who you are for you. In those moments you confided in me, it felt like I could confide in you. Thank God that day never came, because I honestly thought we were true friends. Then again, the truth hurts sometimes; and the truth is I’m done. Not only because of the things you said, but because I’m tired of being pushed and shoved in all sorts of directions by you. I’m tired of not being heard, and for being judged when you knew I was in so much pain for losing a loved one at that time and almost losing several others. In fact I can’t believe I actually let the things you said behind my back get to me like this. Because at one point, it made me feel like I didn’t have any real friends here. What you had said even made go as far as questioning who I am and whether or not I was being sincere. Then I came to realize, who cares about what anyone thinks; because if you were truly my friend you’d be honest with me, instead of saying hi from a distance and acting like you know me because you don’t.

It’s clear to me that the choices we’re making are completely different right now, and for that I get why we’re drifting apart. And since I’m being honest, I am more than ok with that. In fact, I’m glad it’s happening this way, because I don’t feel like I can be your friend anymore. I don’t want to have to sensor myself around you, out of questioning everything I say and whether or not it’s “too nice”. To be completely honest with you, I am a nice person and I’m not afraid to say that anymore because it’s genuinely true. You see, I know you think I give too many compliments and sometimes to complete strangers, but that’s who I am. I am the type of person who will compliment a complete stranger and not think twice about it. And if you are uncomfortable with that, then that’s your loss. Because I am a good person and a great friend. And if you can’t see that even now, then I guess this is goodbye.

Sincerely,

Malina

Works Cited

Smith, Louise. Living in the Past. 2011. Center for Spiritual Living. Letting Go of the Past. Web. 11 Feb. 2016.

Dirk, Kerry. “Navigating Genres.” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. Ed. Charles Lowe and Pavel Zemliansky. Vol. 1. West Lafayette, IN: Parlor P, 2010. 249-262. Writing Spaces. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.

The media directly influences the way society views itself, specifically women and teens. The use of Pathos, Ethos, and Logos helps to further illustrates this by making the reader question whether or not they are meeting those societal standards. Logos is set forth to make the reader question whether they really know their body or if the ad agencies know more than they do. Pathos is set in to coddle the reader and let the reader know that all is okay because they, like many others, do not have the perfect body. Lastly, Ethos is set forth to make the reader question whether or not they want to continue conforming to the public. Thus leading the reader to question their stance on weight loss and or how to get there, usually ending in the reader buying some sort of weight loss product or fitness product.

Although that is how rhetoric works, it is implemented to make the reader question themselves and to skew emotions, to have it used as a way to capitalize on revenue is a bit disheartening. With a bit of Photoshop and makeup the model above has now become the poster body of what a true beach body is.Advertising is one of the many ways that the public is given a fantasy and are told that they can make it into a reality. In spite of being disheartening that companies wield such power over the public they are also very skilled in using rhetoric to further their products or arguments.

Shakespeare is a timeless writer, as are the messages of his many, many plays and sonnets; the man who invented over half of the words in the average English speaker’s vocabulary has a lot to say. Hamlet, one of Shakespeare’s most illustrious works, has what I would say is his most indelible message. Its impression correlating to its pragmatism in all cultures, societies, and personal identities; the progenitor question of all philosophy: why? Shakespeare extends this question to many facets, but most notably to ‘why be’ (directly by the titular character), or more eloquently: why is it worthwhile to continue living.

The article “Backpacks and Briefcases” by Laura Bolin implores the reader — and potential writer – to be aware of rhetorical devices and how they support the text. The rhetorical situation – exigence, audience, and constraints – regarding the question “to be or not to be” is easily paralleled to Shakespeare’s own life, that being the death of his son, Hamnet, and the following bout of depression he faced which urged him to write the play (Hamlet Act III Scene I; Bolin 48); the exigence is brought to light when reflecting on the notion that his son, being only eleven at the time of his death, would part from the mortal plane so soon. If a youth as cherished as Shakespeare’s own son was seemingly not deserving of life, then what was the point of going on with his own? Further more, why should he suffer through his son’s death? Through this situation Shakespeare appeals to one of man’s most prominent folly’s: the query of purpose in being and purpose in suffering.

Shakespeare easily plays to the audience’s naturally occurring desire for purpose, an ever present thing in human existence (explaining, in part, why the context of the play is so ubiquitous). While there are many existential arguments as to why living is worthwhile, a nihilist perspective is arguably the more rational. Hamlet presents the argument that only a fool would bear the “whips and scorns of time, [the] oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, ” et cetera, and it’s compelling; there’s every reason to side with these notions, as they are presented in an empathetic (pathos), logical way (logos) from an intelligent character written by a credible playwright (ethos) (Hamlet). However, Shakespeare never explicitly responds to this exigence, and that is the most poignant part of his argument.

The best the audience is given is a “let be” and somberly assuaging “the rest is silence” during the final scene of the play. Shakespeare masterfully makes the point that the constraints (ambiguity of an after life, moralistic implications of suicide, the church, et cetera) are entirely subjective, though they are inherently logical fears, and effectively responds to the exigence by doing absolutely nothing about it. However, that does not imply that the exigence is not worth considering; if that were the point there may as well be no play. The response is as open and pragmatic as the question itself and any one interpretation is arguably no more valid than another. It’s not an instruction; “the rest is silence” because we fill that silence.

Works Cites

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.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Harold Jenkins. London: Methuen, 1982. Print.

We have all heard the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover” however it’s kind of in our blood to see things as they appear to be. Examples are all around us: media, books, real life.

One of my favorite books is Gregory Maguire’s Wicked, the book that inspires the Tony award winning musical by the same name. It surrounds the story of Elphaba, a girl from the land of Oz born with green skin. Being outcasted her entire life for being different, Elphaba grew up not believing that she could be anything other than a monster, for that was all people saw her as. It wasn’t until she met Galinda (later Glinda, the Good Witch of the North) at school that she started being someone else. After a rough beginning, Glinda started seeing Elphaba as a kind, unique, determined, smart, and talented young woman that was just misunderstood and didn’t need to follow anyone else’s opinion other than her own. The two eventually become best friends and help each other reach their full potential.

Rhetoric works the same way: seeing writing as more than what it appear to be. Understanding rhetoric can help us informed of the world around us. Take Wicked for example; a young adult book that uses a fictional land to tell the backstory for the girl who would eventually become the Wicked Witch of the West that we all know from the Wizard of Oz. But Wicked goes even further, telling the all-too familiar story we’ve all heard: a misunderstood teen that is trying to find themselves.

People around Elphaba were quick to judge her just based on her appearance. Even Glinda didn’t want to associate herself with Elphaba at first. We do the same things in similar situations, not associate ourselves with people that may look a certain way. But it’s our duty as human beings to see past the appearances and see their hearts and where they lie.

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.

Maguire, Gregory. Wicked: The Life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West: A Novel. New York: Regan, 1995. Print.

Naturally those who like to read are better writers. It is strange to see how those who do more than just read go above and beyond in writings. I personally do not see a reason to adapt this to a reading where I saw their experience of growing to be a better writer. Therefore I will talk about my own personal experience about my writing path.
Sentence structure was crucial in the school and it was to the point of having a specific structure to the way things where. No matter different approaches one tried to write when it came to essays points were always docked if the structure was not up to the teachers par. At times this became a lifesaver when one would procrastinate or just wanted to do the bare minimum and get an “easy A.”
It was not until my sophomore year in High School where I began to adapt to the writing skills of other authors. The teacher in my A.P. United States History class suggested that everyone in our class reads articles from TIMES, The New York Times, and various other upper articles. This suggestion really went a long way with me. I began reading these articles and saw the difference in my writing by me adapting to the writing of other professional writers. I realized that everything would be much easier if I just get straight to the point, repeat my point, and explain it. Also did I mention repeat my point one more time?