Joe Biden's use of Pathos

To the question "What promises will your campaign not be able to keep because of bailout?" Joe Biden used the rhetorical appeal pathos to argue his points. He tried to appeal to the emotions of the audience. To do this he had to set a tone to his argument. He began talking about “corporate America” and the super wealthy getting tax cuts. The way he states these terms during his speech gives them a negative connotation. A vast majority of Americans are not in the elite class of the super wealthy and would be likely to feel compelled to agree with this argument. The next thing he does is to use the pronoun “we.” Humans like to feel included, and the way he talks about “we” and “us” making changes makes the viewers feel like he is one of them. This feeling of having a person include themselves as part of the rest of the United States, rather than an aloof leader who only cares about their own opinions also reaches out to the feelings of those watching and listening. Another technique he uses of the pathos appeal to viewers is to reach out to them with physical appearance and gestures. When he is speaking, he looks directly into the camera. He keeps eye contact with it through all of his important, more-emotional statements, like he is actually talking to a viewer. It feels like he is trying to have a normal one-on-one conversation with each and every person, and gives the feeling that he cares. Although maybe not in the “sexual imagery” context that Envision describes in chapter 2 (Understanding the Strategies of Persuasion), Biden definitely uses his physical appearance to appeal to emotions. People in general are more attracted to clean-looking, well dressed, attractive people, and Biden works on his appearance. For being old, he presents himself well. He dresses in a sharp-looking dark suit, the “power suit” of politics. He also wears a blue tie to match. This could have some significance. Since he is a member of the Democratic party, and the Democratic party is associated with the color blue, this could be an intentional move to influence viewers. He also has extremely white perfect teeth, which makes his face a little more pleasing to look at and this might make people be drawn to “nonrational impulses than to our powers of logical reasoning” (Envision 41). One other strategy he uses is “the slippery slope.” Biden focuses a lot on taxes. He even implies strategies like ethos to discredit the Republican views on taxes. He makes America feel like what the Republicans are doing with tax cuts will be harmful and send the economy on a downward spiral while oil companies like Exxon Mobile, who already have enough money are getting richer and richer. That’s why, he says, people should side with him and vote for him: to save them from being victim to scams to giving the wealthy even more money.

Third Presidential Debate "Energy, Foreign Oil"

Each candidate tries to use logos to explain why his plan makes more sense or is more logical. Senator McCain pushes the use of nuclear energy, and also wishes to reduce dependence on foreign oil. Although Obama argues that nuclear power could be harmful or dangerous, McCain logically implies that navy ships have been powered by nuclear energy for years and carried nuclear power plants on them and there has been no problem. Obama on the other hand thinks that it would be logical to use more natural forms of energy: natural gas, biofuels, etc., because they are plentiful in the United States, and are better for the environment. He also wants to utilize the fuel resources we have by drilling into the acres of land that have not been harvested for oil yet, especially with offshore drilling. Another part of the logical scheme he has developed is to create more fuel-efficient cars to compensate for the lack of fuel resources.

Senator Obama appeals more to the emotions of the people for this question than does McCain. Obama talks about the hardships that Americans face because of the dwindling economy and the increasing cost of energy because of dependence on foreign fuel. McCain lacks the appeal to America’s emotions, but rather focuses more on the next point, ethos.

Image is very important to establish as candidates trying to be the leader of our nation. McCain tries to discredit the character of Obama by bringing up some of his policies about free trade. He uses logic to show that Obama’s plan is flawed, which sends Obama into needing to protect his point. Obama is trying to defend the statement that he said that America would unilaterally renegotiate NAFTA and Canada can sell their oil to China. Even though he makes an attempt to restore his ethos, the negatively charged idea of “free-trade” is stuck with him after McCain’s initial attack.

When the two candidates arrange the order of items to talk about in their argument they have to consider how it will affect the audience, depending on which points are stronger. McCain gets to answer first on this question, which could be an advantage because he gets to start off the subject the way he wants is to go. It could also be a disadvantage because Obama will get the last word in. McCain starts with a strong statement. He says that America can eliminate dependence on Middle Eastern oil and Venezuelan oil. Such a strong statement as this captures the attention of the listener immediately. He then goes into a more detailed plan, and makes comments about why Obama’s plan is ineffective early on. This strategy works because Obama cannot immediately defend himself. When it is Obama’s turn to answer the question, he also chooses to start with broad generalities and then works into specifics. He implies the technique of getting the last word in by defending his policies and slightly diverges from the main point to emphasize one of his stronger ideals of supporting the working American.

"Rhetorical" questions

1. How do different audiences affect how a cartoon might be interpreted differently?

2. What makes the first pledge of allegiance cartoon more of an example of visual rhetoric than the second?

3. What types of visual rhetoric can be seen on campus?

4. What are some different techniques used to persuade in visual advertisements?

5. What is the difference between logos, pathos, and ethos?

6. What are some examples of the use of pathos to create false needs?

Zoo of Characters

As I stepped out of my car, walked up the concrete patio entrance with embedded miniature gardens of marigolds to a small gateway with the ticket counter, paid my entry fee, and stepped into the zoo, I immediately felt a world away from the outside city. Thick, dark green shrubbery lined a walkway that forked at a large sign with a detailed map of the area, showing the winding routes that could be taken. Down either path I could see nothing amongst the twisting sidewalk and mass of green vines, trees, shrubs, and grass. I chose the right, and started on my way, wondering what I would discover. Only the distant echo of the zoo train’s horn could be heard amid the silence. As I walked on, I expected to just see regular animals in tiny enclosures doing regular animal things. Little did I know what “characters” would be waiting.

Surrounded by a grove of trees shading the unnatural cement path I was walking on, I came upon my first point of interest at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo. At first glance I could only see a square, metal cage. Along the back wall stretching thirty feet was a red-brown artificial rock formation with vines and plants draped the eight feet down to the dirt ground. No animal. I searched the enclosure again to reveal the lonely creature hidden in the upper right corner, almost pinned against the cage in its need to be as far from the open desolate feel of its imitation habitat. The sign in front read Amur Leopard. It would have been majestic, if not for its apparent desire to remain crouched and hidden. The golden tawny hue of the fur shone as rays of sun broke through the canopy of trees above the enclosure. Embedded in the golden silkiness were lumpy donut-shaped black rings. The fur followed this pattern along the leopard’s body until the hair finally turned fluffy, long, and a spotless cream-color under the belly and behind the arms. As I continued to watch, the leopard rose up from its secure place away from spectators and began pacing along the top brim of the rock formation. Back and forth, back and forth, it continued to pace, as if nervous, worried about something very important. The cat began to remind me of a junior high student. It felt out of place and awkward as it hid from the outside world up in the far corner, straining just to go unnoticed. As it began pacing it took on the junior high persona of being overly concerned about the most minute details, as a student would pace and fret over their first big test. I decided that the leopard deserved a name—Jessica, common for junior high girls—as she had suddenly taken on the characteristics something more than just an animal. She was a personality.

Adjacent to the leopard's pen was another enclosure, similar to hers. It was roughly the same shape and had the wire cages along the front side. This particular habitat, however, had a tangle of branches and boards all intertwined into a fantastic jungle gym in the center of the enclosure. Sitting on either end of one of the boards were two Guinea Baboons. One had his right leg draped over the two-by four while he rested his arm lazily on his right knee. The other sat “pretzel” style with his hands in his lap. It reminded me of a kindergartener trying with all his might to pay attention to everything his teacher is trying to tell him. A quick glance down to the base of the nearest viewing window showed a third baboon lying in a reclined posture against the ground. His feet were up against the wall, the left foot slightly higher, with the right foot directly below. The baboons struck me as rather dull-looking compared to the leopard. Their hair was coarse, and appeared as though it had been stained a dark, murky tan. They had long snouts, slightly darker than the color of their fur, and ugly protruding lower teeth. However, I couldn’t get over how much they acted like little boys. They began picking on each other, like young boys often do, and then acted relaxed and lazy as if nothing happened. This prompted me to name them as well after their personalities: Mark, Jeff, and Craig, my three little baboon boys.

I continued to follow the zoo path as it looped around the south end of the zoo and began to head back north. From there I actually heard the next animal before I saw it. A terrible squawking sound was coming from just up ahead to the right of the path, my view blocked by a grove of jungle-looking trees. Squawk wouldn’t even begin to describe it. It was more like a shrill, throaty screech, that might have come from a horror film had I not been in the middle of a children’s playground. The culprit was perched atop a long branch, surveying his new visitor. The Scarlet Macaw was the name on the information plate, but I saw him for what he was. This regal bird was a king. He sat tall, his bright red plumage puffed out for everyone to see. The sun beamed down on him as if he were in the spotlight, and the blue and yellow stripes on his wings stood out like royal jewelry as the rays bounced off them. His feet were crossed, giving the illusion of a person with much authority. Until this point I hadn’t noticed his companion in the shadows. Hiding, on a much lower branch, was another scarlet macaw. There was no beam of light, no hint of royalty in this bird. I walked along the fence, to get a better look at him. Even with no light, I could see that the colors of his feathers were much plusher, and even brighter than the first macaw. This didn’t make any sense to me. I viewed this other bird as one of the first’s “royal subjects,” but royal subjects were not usually more beautiful than their king. I glanced around the enclosure for clues I may have missed in trying to figure out the birds’ personalities. Nailed to the front of the wooden rail encircling their habitat lay my answer. A generic white rectangular sign hung there with information about each individual bird. The one I previously deemed a king was actually “Mrs. Roberts,” a Scarlet Macaw born in 1964, and the “royal subject” was actually named Shilo and was born in 1992. The personalities and physical qualities made much more sense now. Mrs. Roberts was obviously an old nanny protecting the child she had to babysit—Shilo.

As I think about each animal, I begin to reflect on the idea of them having such human characteristics: the leopard who reminded me of a junior high student, the baboons acting like kindergarten boys, and the macaws who were a child and her nanny. I wondered if this could be applied the other way. Could humans display animal traits? If so, would that tell us about what type of people we are, or why some people don’t get along with others? So I pondered my own characteristics, perhaps even more detailed than my animal examples were. I’m relatively fair skinned with blonde hair. I can become easily aggressive, but also have lazy tendencies. . . Immediately I paired myself with a lioness—a blonde-furred animal, ferocious when threatened, but lazy all day long. If I was a lioness, who were the other “animals?” The tortoise? The camels? The naked mole rats? Why did I care, weren’t they just animals in cages? How could people possibly relate to them?

It is quite easy for people to think of animals just as animals--no feelings, no thoughts, no personalities. Many people drive animals out of their natural habitat to make way for human development, uncaring about the effect the animals will suffer. I believe that my observation proved this point wrong. If the leopard Jessica had no feelings, why was she hiding in the corner of her cage? Just as human situations and feelings cause us to act certain ways, the feeling of nervousness or wanting to hide caused Jessica to cower in the furthest corner. I switched my thoughts to the baboons. With this example I failed to comprehend how anyone could label them as “just animals.” The way they held themselves, their posture alone seemed to mimic the way human beings would sit—like kindergarteners. They were thinking hard about something, or in the case of the third baboon, relaxing as he gazed off into space during some great daydream, just as any human would do. The macaws affirmed my third point of animals having personalities. The old nanny was perched much higher, authoritatively above the child. This shows a form of hierarchy, seen throughout humans behavior. After this closer look at specific individuals, I failed to find any reason for people to believe that animals are just inferior beings.

Each animal brings something special to the table, just as each human donates their individualism to the world. As I left the zoo, walking past the tiny marigold gardens and getting back into my car, I said a quiet goodbye to each of the new personalities I met that day—to Jessica, to the kindergarten boys, and to the nanny and her child.

Cubing Exercise

Cubing Exercise
1. Generalizing: I learned from the assignment that the animals had personalities like humans. They also seemed preoccupied with food. I noticed that there were lots of plants all over the park, and it seemed like a world within a world. These things suggest that I could reflect upon animal traits, and describe the vibrant scenery. It suggests also that people in general are like animals.
2. Giving examples: The leopard I saw behaved like a junior high student. The monkeys acted like little boys. The camels seemed like greedy football players, just wanting food or to be lying down. The macaws reminded me of a kind and his royal subject, while the goats reminded me of attention-seeking children. I think that narrowing it down to three examples, such as the leopard, monkeys, and macaws would best help the readers understand because they are all quite different. This could help reach out to my audience, to involve them by including different types of personalities.
3. Comparing and contrasting: I think that going to a park or a garden, such as Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha, could be like the subject I observed. Instead of comparing animals to people, I could compare plants to people. Each subject has a variety of breeds, and they are on display for people to look at. The differences are that at the zoo, the subject is moving so I could give them personalities. With plants, it would be based more on physical characteristics alone.
4. Extending: I think that my subject could be taken in many directions. It could have been a persuasive observation against having animals in captivity, saying that this was a cruel thing. I could have also focused on one specific animal, and delved so deep into that one animal that I would know more about it than it did.
5. Analyzing: My subject is the Lincoln Children’s Zoo. It can be broken down into different parts such as animals, enclosures, plant life, attractions, buildings, decoration (sculptures, signs, freaky frog boards), and the train. Each part is related to another in that it all serves the purpose to entertain zoo guests and make the experience whole. The animals are probably the most significant part. The plant life is right up there as well, bringing in the enclosures to create the right habitat for the animals. The rest of the parts are like icing on the cake to make the park better.
6. Applying: I can use this observation of animals as a better understanding for my zoology class, which talks about animals and animal behavior. I think that the way I apply it though, to personalities of people, is useful for myself and others as a way to categorize things. It gives a new perspective of looking at people and deciding what their personalities are. Since animals are already categorized and broken into like groups, if we apply that principle to people, they could be broken into groups of the same personalites.