E110 FA19 Class Blog

In the essay, To Meme or Not to Meme, by Maya Walker, she touches on subjects involving mental health and how social media plays a role in it. In Walker’s thesis, she talks about how much social media has an impact on mental health. Walker talks about how memes have played a huge part in her life and how they are affecting teenagers and young adults. She goes on to say how she was extremely suicidal during stages in her life and social media impacted her depression for the worse. Many individuals cope with their depression and mental health issues through posting about it online to make light of their situations. It seems to be “funny” to that person but some people could interpret it in another way like Walker did. Walker lists several examples throughout her writing and how inappropriately mental health issues are used on social media platforms. For example, the first meme Walker had encountered that made her start thinking about suicide was of a dog in 2011 with the text saying “Kill Me.” This was inspired by the movie Alien where a creature begs for their life to be taken away. This meme was posted as a joke and is a form of dark humor. These type of memes and “dark humor jokes” are now on all different types of social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. These types of posts are so toxic because they are trying to normalize mental health issues. Another example that shows individuals using social media inappropriately was a tweet on Twitter and how it can be used as therapy instead of paying for an actual therapist. This shows how instead of individuals taking care of themselves they are turning to social media for a sense of approval and acceptance. The essay concludes by Walker explaining the importance of forming real relationships with people that can help you cope with mental illness rather than hiding behind a screen and posting about it.

Although the Civil War happened over a century and a half ago, its cultural influence has yet to leave the news feed of today. Gillian Crawford analyzes these effects in her essay “Contemporary Impact of the Fates of Confederate Officials,” using searing diction, and controversial ethos and logos. After beginning her essay with the explanation of Henry Wirz, a Confederate prison warden, who was the only Confederate hanged for his war crimes, Crawford jumps into discussing what America’s response was to the most prominent Confederate rebels.

President Abraham Lincoln in 1865 was leading a deeply divided country, and in an attempt to display his forgiveness and rebuild a united nation, Crawford reports that Lincoln let them walk free. The two Confederates specifically mentioned in the essay are the president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, and military leader, Robert E. Lee. The celebration of these Confederates has very commonly come in the form of statues that memorialize these figures. It is these statues that are a huge central link to the white nationalist movement that is sweeping America in the twenty-first century.

A technique Crawford uses in her writing to shed light on the harrowing effects of leniency towards these Confederates is using very damning diction. One example of this is when Crawford wrote: “By giving amnesty to those who openly committed treason against the United States, the South was able to memorialize those who were disloyal to the country…” By using words with very harsh and negative connotations like “treason” and “disloyal”, the author more clearly cast a negative light upon the Confederates and how their crimes were detrimental to  America then and now.

The essay overall was quite good, however the author’s purpose was to prove that the leniency towards the Confederates by American leaders lead to racial tension and the continuation of white nationalism in modern-day America. The author does do this for the most part, but she does not put enough focus on this connection, instead providing a large amount of historical context about  Jefferson Davis and Robert Lee, and the arguments that ensue about the statues of those men. Both of these things are very important, but to strengthen her point, Crawford should have included more about the white nationalist movement and its roots, as well as more on the harm these supremacists have done recently. 

John Bachman-Paternoster wrote “Antibiotics & Superbugs: The Future of Health?” as a wakeup call to a public health crisis: antibiotics are being overused and misused, which is causing detrimental and harmful effects for humans. He discusses the frightening current event in a well-structured manner, but his series of excessive appeals to ethos really impeded the article’s persuasion for urgency on the matter. Bachman-Paternoster’s piece seemed to only show the opinion and data of other sources; other than his personal experience of losing his dad from a superbug, there was no personal voice to the article. The article, overall, was only successful through the driving force of the author’s appeal to pathos.

Superbugs are dangerous, and it is only a matter of time until antibiotics refuse to work at all. The author presents his thesis that bacteria are evolving into superbugs through the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in the beginning of his article. He does this by using the rhetorical appeals to ethos, pathos, logos, and kairos. Bachman-Paternoster is able to blend all four of rhetorical appeals together into a cohesive article, although he relied heavily on his appeal to ethos. In addition, he maintains the tones of ridiculing and pessimism throughout his article by acknowledging the concerning data and trends.

The issues discussed in this article can make one question whether the pharmaceutical industry and the government prioritize money over human lives. Bachman-Paternoster did a good job educating his audience about the urgency of superbugs, but it was clouded by the countless number of sources and citations he used. Although it is beneficial to have a good and strong foundation of hard data, that cannot be the only aspect of an article. It was a scientific based article, but it would have been more effective to hear the author’s voice more because reading numbers and facts became boring.

In the article by Emma Rigaud, she explains her stance on how protesting helps a country. Rigaud effectively argues her case, however the article suffers a bit from a weak introduction. There are two main problems with the introduction, one being that she opens the article referencing the kneeling debate, which is not something people would want to read about anymore. The other problem with this part is that Rigaud repeats her thesis statement multiple times, however she never expands on why she believes that, which doesn’t setup the rest of the article. After the introduction, the rest of the argument is very well executed, starting with Rigaud gaining credibility by being upfront with her knowledge on the topic. After stating her own opinions about the topic, Rigaud then goes on to bring in data to support her claims, as she references the Civil Rights Movement and the Freedom Riders, and explains how these acts of protest were negatively received in the past, and today we take for granted the amount of results from the protests. On top of that, Rigaud then compares two surveys given out that questioned peoples opinion, one if which was about the Freedom Riders, and the other being the kneeling protest. The results of the surveys were very similar in that a majority of the nation disagreed with the acts of protest. Throughout the whole article, Rigaud did not let her opinion impact her argument, but rather brought up an explanation from the past on why people should listen to her.

In her essay, Marina Smolens considers the ethics of photojournalism by analyzing and comparing photojournalism to photographic art and contrasts the elements of editing used in both types. She attempts to answer the question, “When do these images become exploitive, and is there really a difference between photojournalism and art?” She generally does a good job of providing evidence and backing up her arguments although there are times when her position on the question seems slightly unclear.

She analyzes photographs from Sebastiao Salgado and Paolo Pellegrin to support her argument, who both use editing and the addition of artistic elements to their photos to leave a deeper impact on the viewers. Smolens’ also quotes reputable sources on photography, specifically photojournalism, such as the National Press Photographers Association and their Code of Ethics, author of “Photojournalism” David Finkelstein, The New York Times, and more. She bases most of her evidence off of the Code of Ethics. Her strong use of examples makes her essay a success.

In this essay, Brandon Bell writes about climate change due to water mismanagement in Syria. He sheds light on it’s ultimately negative consequences, like the Syrian Civil War. Bell argues that the water mismanagement, being neglected by political officials, led to poor economic conditions, acting as a catalyst for public uprising. Bell backs his argument with scientific sources, such as the United States Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This, combined with his detailed narrative, contributed to ethos. Overall, Bell’s analytical tone and his use of rhetorical elements caused this essay to be both effective and informative. Bell presents this topic in a way that seems more informative than argumentative, showing the reader exactly which point he is making.

This article by Emma Rigaud discusses the importance of protesting. Rigaud explains her stance on the issue developing a strong argument to the positives that come with protesting. She proves this through her credibility, use of diction and facts including statistics and quotes about protesting she uses throughout her article. She starts her essay out with a quote that introduces a counter argument explaining protesting in a negative way. Rigaud then backs up that quote, to start off her argument that protesting is indeed a positive thing. The author uses examples of many protests of the past and then shows their positive outcomes they have to this day. Rigaud also ties in the topic of patriotism with protesting. She then ends her essay in including examples of the extreme measures even legislatures are taking to try to prevent protesting. What caught my eye to read this article in the first place, was the catchy title and it’s use of alliteration. Rigaud does a good job in showing her credibility with examples like that (her use of diction), as well as her very passionate tone. Her use of past protests comparisons like the Freedom Rider protest, and how that was seen as negative in the past and is now part of history today was a fantastic way to get her point across to the reader. Her inclusion of quotes of experts and graphs also helped with supporting her argument and made it, so it wasn’t solely her opinion. The author does a successful job in keeping the reader engaged through various tactics of ethos and logos. Using comparisons from previous protests, even recent ones today to clearly get her argument across and relate to readers. Never really going overboard with her stance but allowing readers to come to terms on their own on their view of protests. Rigaud conveys her argument to the audience never backing down and keeping an assertive tone.

The essay “The Price of Beauty: Methacrylates in the Artificial Nail Industry” by Mya Soukaseum is an informative essay about the health concerns in the synthetic nail industry. The thesis of this paper is that consumers and businesses must choose between health and beauty when using nail products with methacrylates in them, as they have been found to have harmful side-effects. Her essay describes multiple examples about the harmful chemicals in regular nail products. For example, how many gel and acryllic nail products contain methacrylates, and how harmful they are to human beings. People are developing respitory nervous system comp;ications, as well as rashes. This essay encompasses shocking information about the industry, and reasoning to stop the use of these products. Soukaseum’s argument is well written and very convincing.  She uses research from different scientific experiments to back up her stance as well. She also uses other tactics to convince the reader of her argument. Soukaseum uses ethos, pathos, kairos, and diction in order to persuade the reader to listen to her point of view. Her argument was very successful and convincing, and her essay is overall very well written.

Gillian Crawford wrote about the impact of the pardoning of confederate generals after the Civil War. The political climate we have today can be linked back to these events. She does a good job of providing examples to link back to her main ideas. The writer’s opinions do come about, but they do not overshadow the point she is trying to get across. The author does not use any vulgar language, which helps her be level-headed and rational. In a formal piece like the Arak journal, it is important to come across like a professional and present a reasonable argument. She does a good job of doing this. Crawford provides many examples of Confederate events by including exact dates and quotes from those mentioned. This helps to boost her credibility and convince her audience she is right. Overall this was a well written piece. If just one discussion comes out of this, then the author has done her job.

In Marina Smolens’ The Ethics and Aesthetics of Photojournalism, the aspect of photojournalism as art is heavily implied as to the main thesis throughout. Smolens’ argues that the “line between photojournalism and photographic art is sometimes hard to locate” and is able to prove this with evidence throughout the history of the topic at hand.

She gathers countless information, such as quotes from photojournalists and pictures that can be considered art, to start piecing together a definitive answer to her query. From journalists at the New York Times to the photographers who took the pictures themselves, Smolens’ deciphers how ethical of a decision it is to choose which photos are proper to show the public. One point she brings forth to the audience is how “a huge motivation for producing photographs is to initiate conversation, and if not conversation, at least spark compassion.” This helps strengthen her argument towards the influence that photography has had thus far and sets up for her next example as to its reputation.

Overall, this essay on The Ethics and Aesthetics of Photojournalism was able to do its job by analyzing how much significance the reader has in the photograph. One thing that was made clear constantly throughout this was that photography needs both the ethics of the photographer and the ethics of the viewer to line up so that the photo can be deemed appropriate.