The importance of an introduction to any essay can't be overstated. It's what draws your audience in. It sets the scene, allowing them to have some basic knowledge on what you are going to discuss, without going in to so much detail all at once and overwhelming the audience. It allows people to sample the writing style and the contents of the paper in order to decide if they would really like to continue reading without wasting their time.
These things can only be accomplish through an effective introduction. The perfect introduction should always have some key attributes to it, regardless of the situation. The first being, that it has to deal with what you are going to talk about. It can't be misleading, or else it will confuse the audience once they start getting into the actual meat of the writing. The only instance that it can be different, is when it ties into the body through proper transition, such as comparing one well known subject to the one that will be discussed. Secondly, it must be entertaining. First appearances are the most important, as it sets the mood the reader will be in for the remainder of the material. If you want to persuade them into something, you should glorify it in every possible way, while still being able to support your claims. If it's to be an exciting fast paced article, then the introduction should be similar. Without the proper tone of introduction, the reader may not even be a reader. They may be deterred by boring, insulting, or simply confusing introductions. The final thing it should have is a strong, sturdy structure. It makes the rest of the paper more credible sounding, and more forceful if done right. This sturdiness is lessened through the use of phrases similar to "I think" or "I feel", therefore they should be avoided at all costs.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Blog week 9A
The term classification and division is pretty self explanatory. It's the process of breaking something down into smaller sections, and further explaining each section. Many people aren't aware that they naturally do this throughout their lives. It takes place in school, when transitioning from sophomore junior, and senior. It happens with our friends, we have our close friends, school friends, work friends, and acquaintance.
The same basic concept applies when we are writing with this tool. We break down subjects into categories. We then go into further detail with those categories.It allows the audience to follow along better with the material, since the categories are usually ideas, phrases, or words that aren't very common knowledge. This is a very simple concept to pick up, but it can go a long way as far as getting the message across.
The same basic concept applies when we are writing with this tool. We break down subjects into categories. We then go into further detail with those categories.It allows the audience to follow along better with the material, since the categories are usually ideas, phrases, or words that aren't very common knowledge. This is a very simple concept to pick up, but it can go a long way as far as getting the message across.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Blog Week 8B
While reading "Britain Refuses to Extradite Computer Hacker sought in U.S.", an article from the New York Times, I noticed a few phrases that could have an extended definition. This means that it can be elaborated to show exactly what it is they mean, without being to vague or giving a generalized definition.
One of the phrases was "British authorities on Tuesday blocked a longstanding demand for the extradition of Gary McKinnon, a computer hacker wanted in the United States to face charges of intruding into Pentagon Computer networks in a case that has become a touchstone of the delicate jurisdictional balance between the two countries since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001". This very long sentence has several subjects in it that can, and probably should be elaborated upon. The part I'm mainly concerned with is the ending discussing the delicate jurisdictional balance between the UK and the US. Why is it so delicate? This is explained later in the article. The US and the UK made a treaty in 2003 that deals with the process of extraditing people from the UK to the US. The reason it is such rocky ground is because it has faced a lot of opposition. One of the critiques of it is that it is a one sided deal. The US reaps all the rewards without returning any sort of benefit to the UK. And on top of that, many British critics feel that since the treaty doesn't clearly distinguish between a major and minor offense, the US has taken advantage by extraditing people that didn't threaten our national security.
Another phrase found within the article is "American officials have described his actions as "the Biggest military computer hack of all time."" What exactly is it that makes this hack such a major issue? The answer lays within various parts of the article. The main reason is that he hacked into a very large amount of high security computers in a relatively short amount of time. Within only 13 months, he managed to gain unlawful access to 97 government computers. And not only that, but he also caused $566,000 in damages while doing it.
The final bit of information found within the article that required further explanation was Ms. May saying "Mr. McKinnon is accused of serious crimes, but there is also no doubt that his seriously ill. He has Asperger syndrome, and suffers from depressive illness. The legal question before me is now whether the extent of that illness is sufficient to preclude extradition." The piece that mainly needed further explanation was the part about his illness, and how that should effect their decision to extradite him. Their main concern for this is that the severity of his depression could be to such an extent that he would commit suicide if extradited. Their argument is that to put forth such a risk would go against his human rights.
One of the phrases was "British authorities on Tuesday blocked a longstanding demand for the extradition of Gary McKinnon, a computer hacker wanted in the United States to face charges of intruding into Pentagon Computer networks in a case that has become a touchstone of the delicate jurisdictional balance between the two countries since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001". This very long sentence has several subjects in it that can, and probably should be elaborated upon. The part I'm mainly concerned with is the ending discussing the delicate jurisdictional balance between the UK and the US. Why is it so delicate? This is explained later in the article. The US and the UK made a treaty in 2003 that deals with the process of extraditing people from the UK to the US. The reason it is such rocky ground is because it has faced a lot of opposition. One of the critiques of it is that it is a one sided deal. The US reaps all the rewards without returning any sort of benefit to the UK. And on top of that, many British critics feel that since the treaty doesn't clearly distinguish between a major and minor offense, the US has taken advantage by extraditing people that didn't threaten our national security.
Another phrase found within the article is "American officials have described his actions as "the Biggest military computer hack of all time."" What exactly is it that makes this hack such a major issue? The answer lays within various parts of the article. The main reason is that he hacked into a very large amount of high security computers in a relatively short amount of time. Within only 13 months, he managed to gain unlawful access to 97 government computers. And not only that, but he also caused $566,000 in damages while doing it.
The final bit of information found within the article that required further explanation was Ms. May saying "Mr. McKinnon is accused of serious crimes, but there is also no doubt that his seriously ill. He has Asperger syndrome, and suffers from depressive illness. The legal question before me is now whether the extent of that illness is sufficient to preclude extradition." The piece that mainly needed further explanation was the part about his illness, and how that should effect their decision to extradite him. Their main concern for this is that the severity of his depression could be to such an extent that he would commit suicide if extradited. Their argument is that to put forth such a risk would go against his human rights.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Blog Week 8A
What is the definition to a definition? Well, there are really two answers to this. There is the dictionary definition, which state or describe the nature, scope, or meaning of. This is straight to the point, and doesn't necessarily allude to what it really means. If we were to use the extended definition, we can start to get into the actual characteristics of it. A definition can be portrayed through examples, much like this one, in order to let the audience better understand what it is they're reading. It can be hinted at through the context. It can even be furthered through the use of visual rhetorics. We can use many different things to get our point across, that without defining things would be unclear.
In the article "Britain Refuses to Extradite Computer Hacker Sought in U.S." definitions help make sense of the material. They define what kind of crimes Gary McKinnon has allegedly been charged with. Without this information, that article would have much less of an impact, because the audience wouldn't be able to judge the severity of his crimes. It also describes a treaty that the U.S. has with Britain, that gives the article another angle. It makes the point that this may be in violation with the treaty. It finally helps describe the reasoning as to why they won't send him back, and that is that he suffers from Asperger Syndrome. They give some insight to this disease by saying that it causes him to suffer from depression, and to send him would increase the likely hood of him committing suicide.
In the article "Britain Refuses to Extradite Computer Hacker Sought in U.S." definitions help make sense of the material. They define what kind of crimes Gary McKinnon has allegedly been charged with. Without this information, that article would have much less of an impact, because the audience wouldn't be able to judge the severity of his crimes. It also describes a treaty that the U.S. has with Britain, that gives the article another angle. It makes the point that this may be in violation with the treaty. It finally helps describe the reasoning as to why they won't send him back, and that is that he suffers from Asperger Syndrome. They give some insight to this disease by saying that it causes him to suffer from depression, and to send him would increase the likely hood of him committing suicide.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Blog Week 7A
Whenever people want to get their point across, they use many subject specific rhetorical terms to do so. These tools can be effective on their own, or can be combined in order to make people react in the sought after way. If these things are used correctly, they can help portray one way in a better light than the other, making it the more desirable choice. They can call people to action, or simply inform them on what the author wants to discuss. A few of the terms that are used to describe their technique are as follows:
persuasive themes
Persuasive themes are used all the time within both text and visual media. It's an important tool used to persuade a large amount of people into thinking or acting a certain way. In order to reach the largest amount of people possible, these themes are generally shared across the globe. This can be anything as subtle as a child holding a puppy in an add, or as dramatic as a starving African child being shown while someone is asking for donations. These images give everyone a similar feeling of either happiness, or a feeling that they are responsible to help the starving children.
Master narratives
A master narrative is a story shared across a specific culture or tradition. They are usually used to promote that cultures way of life, giving the people in it a sense of pride. One example of this is the American dream. The thought that with some hard work, you can rise above poverty, is a rather uplifting thought that gives off a positive message of America. They can have an adverse effect however, such as the view of middle eastern nations within the general population of America.
National gaze
These are very similar to master narratives, but rather than a whole story it is generally one picture, word, smell, or any of the other senses that set off the reflection. Much like the master narratives, they are usually things shared across one culture rather than globally. One example of a national gaze is 9/11. The US certainly views this on a completely different level as any other nation, and therefore it provokes that specific feeling only within our nation.
Content & Technical signatures
The contents of a piece of visual media determine how the audience views and feels towards that picture. Different colors, for example, evoke different emotions. Bright florescent colors can evoke happiness, excitement, or anger. While dark colors and shading tend to evoke feelings of depression, fear, or anxiety. If someone were to view a picture of a beach with a sunset in the background, then one of the same beach being tormented by a hurricane, the few content changes give the viewer a whole new reaction.
audience resonance & effects
That reaction can then be observed, and even measured through audience resonance & effects. By judging how people react to a certain image, people can start to develop a method to which kind of images they will use. People shopping for dog food will tend to go for the brand that has the healthiest and happiest looking dog on it. We know this, because time and time again it has been proven true through people consistently making that choice.
persuasive themes
Persuasive themes are used all the time within both text and visual media. It's an important tool used to persuade a large amount of people into thinking or acting a certain way. In order to reach the largest amount of people possible, these themes are generally shared across the globe. This can be anything as subtle as a child holding a puppy in an add, or as dramatic as a starving African child being shown while someone is asking for donations. These images give everyone a similar feeling of either happiness, or a feeling that they are responsible to help the starving children.
Master narratives
A master narrative is a story shared across a specific culture or tradition. They are usually used to promote that cultures way of life, giving the people in it a sense of pride. One example of this is the American dream. The thought that with some hard work, you can rise above poverty, is a rather uplifting thought that gives off a positive message of America. They can have an adverse effect however, such as the view of middle eastern nations within the general population of America.
National gaze
These are very similar to master narratives, but rather than a whole story it is generally one picture, word, smell, or any of the other senses that set off the reflection. Much like the master narratives, they are usually things shared across one culture rather than globally. One example of a national gaze is 9/11. The US certainly views this on a completely different level as any other nation, and therefore it provokes that specific feeling only within our nation.
Content & Technical signatures
The contents of a piece of visual media determine how the audience views and feels towards that picture. Different colors, for example, evoke different emotions. Bright florescent colors can evoke happiness, excitement, or anger. While dark colors and shading tend to evoke feelings of depression, fear, or anxiety. If someone were to view a picture of a beach with a sunset in the background, then one of the same beach being tormented by a hurricane, the few content changes give the viewer a whole new reaction.
audience resonance & effects
That reaction can then be observed, and even measured through audience resonance & effects. By judging how people react to a certain image, people can start to develop a method to which kind of images they will use. People shopping for dog food will tend to go for the brand that has the healthiest and happiest looking dog on it. We know this, because time and time again it has been proven true through people consistently making that choice.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Blog Week 6A
Comparing one thing to another is something that we do in our daily lives, sometimes without even knowing it. We are drawn to similarities that we have taken a liking to. That's because they help show how things are linked, and if we like one thing, chances are we'll like something similar. That is if they don't have differences that you don't like in the similar thing. Though things are similar, they always have differences. This contrast allows you to distinguish between two similar things, and allow you to make decisions such as your preference.
In order to start comparing two things you first must establish a basis of comparison. Some things are much easier to compare than others, simply because they share a major attribute. The two things being compared may be a song, and a remake or cover of that same song. Sometimes however you have to go even farther back to find the basis of comparison. The two things may be two completely different songs, but their both songs nonetheless. But once you find that basis you can really start to compare and contrast them. This comes in handy particularly when you are able to compare something your audience isn't familiar with to something they know well. Or to be able to give them an example of a polar opposite example to give them some sort of an idea of what you're talking about.
In order to start comparing two things you first must establish a basis of comparison. Some things are much easier to compare than others, simply because they share a major attribute. The two things being compared may be a song, and a remake or cover of that same song. Sometimes however you have to go even farther back to find the basis of comparison. The two things may be two completely different songs, but their both songs nonetheless. But once you find that basis you can really start to compare and contrast them. This comes in handy particularly when you are able to compare something your audience isn't familiar with to something they know well. Or to be able to give them an example of a polar opposite example to give them some sort of an idea of what you're talking about.
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