Classmate's Response

Overall, the powerpoints from my classmates were great. They all were detailed and gave information to back up their claims. All of the slides should be completely opened for those who may not have the best vision. For some of the my classmates, I believe their presentations were slightly too long and dragged on for no reason. The presentation should have been short and sweet rather than prolonged. Others played too many videos. I think two videos is the max a presentation should be, even though one is enough. Also, student should make sure to give the audience eye contact and use the whole area of the front. When presenting, explicit language shouldn't be used either. For the most part, all of my classmates did great, just minor things need to be changed.

Compare and Contrast

Social media creates many different influences on teenagers in the world today. Positive and negative  influences were seen in both of the articles that I read. In the first article, it showed how risky behaviors are broadcasted through social media, and although it might be against your personal preference, it just seems like the right thing to "like" it. It also specifies how the teenage brain isn't fully developed, therefore they are easily influenced when it comes to things that are being done because other peers are doing it. Regardless of the effect social media gives, it is likely that if a group of teenagers are doing it, more will follow. Nearly 90 percent of teenagers use social media and that is their way of expressing how they feel, rather than using old fashioned gestures. This was more for the impact period of social media, whether it be positive or negative. (Nutt 1)

In the second article, they used statistics on both the negative and positive influences that social media has on teenagers. There are mixed feelings when it comes to what social media is capable. It gave statistics that half of students feel like social media has helped them progress as a person and in their friendships, as others feel like it has hurt their relationships. It states how social media can put the lives of teenagers in danger because of the amount of information is that being put out there. The negatives and the positives in this article basically even out and it shows how teenagers feel about the influences that social media has on them. (Kang 1)

Personally, I believe social media can have a positive effect on teenagers but has more of a negative effect. It can be positive because teenagers feel like they possess a certain freedom which allows them to be themselves even though they are behind a screen. It is a way for people to interact and get to know each other, which can lead to the negatives of social media. Bullying, online predators and having too much information out can lead to serious dangers. Meeting up with people online can change a persons life forever. Also, not all people are who they say they are, which leads to even higher dangers. There are positives and negatives when it comes to social media and how they can influence the lives of teenagers in the world today.

Nutt, Amy Ellis. "'Like' it or not, teen brain is primed to join the crowd." Washington Post 2 June 2016. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 14 July 2016.


Kang, Cecilia. "Teens in Survey Paint Positive Picture of Effect of Social Media on Their Lives." Washington Post 26 June 2012. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 14 July 2016.

6.8

Many colleges and universities have instituted online education programs. These programs are the best way because it gives the student the freedom that they need and the flexibility to get things accomplished without the high expenses. If colleges are going to meet the rising demand for education they, should expand to more online classes for other students. The online course I took was throughout my three years of high school. Doing online courses for three years straight is what convinced me more and more that online courses have a positive impact. Recent studies show that schools can provide instructions without the expenses of classrooms, offices, libraries, and bookstores. In addition online courses are profitable to colleges and universities because it allows schools to reach new populations both nationally and internationally. However, some people argue that it makes students lack the social aspect and interaction with other students, which could cause later issues further down in their life. They also say that the students will not learn the same because they aren't in a classroom and they don't have face to face interactions. These arguments can be see in different ways depending on the student and their own capabilities in trying to get their work accomplished. For this reason, online education should be seen in a brighter light because it is cheaper and can be more flexible and effective to the student themselves.

6.7 Template

With more and more students taking online courses, both the students and the college benefits. For example, online education is very profitable  because it allows schools to reach new student populations both nationally and internationally.  In addition, schools can provide instructions without the expense of classrooms, offices, libraries, and bookstores. However, some online education does have some drawbacks. For instance, there are still some who question the effectiveness of whether online courses can duplicate the dynamic educational atmosphere that face-to-face instructions provide. These problems could be easily solved. First, online education should require more self-dicipline. Second, schools need to make sure the education is delivered by technology the same way it is in the classroom. If these problems are addressed, both students and colleges would benefit because students save the cost of commuting to and from school and the online education offers the freedom of flexibility scheduling, creating extra time for work or family.

Where Sweat Shops Are A Dream

From the beginning, Kristof begins his argument by addressing President Obama and the government for not exploiting sweatshops as much as they should be. While Kristof is encouraging the promotion of sweatshops, he also makes sure it flows with his overall purpose of his essay. He uses many different forms of evidence to compel each of his arguments together so he stays on topic. The rhetorical strategies used made all of his ideas flow in collaboration of each other. In addition, there were strengths and weaknesses throughout the essay that Kristof used for the audience to fully understand his ideas.  In this essay, Kristof’s purpose was understood because of the rhetorical strategies and situations that were used.

Kristof’s purpose was for people to understand, although sweatshops aren’t the best jobs to have, it still provides a job and opportunity for those that are living in dumps. I believe his audience was more towards people of high power like the president, government officials and high authority of people in other countries. He stayed true to his topic throughout his essay and maintained the same tone. The examples that he used made the argument more relatable to him and for people that aren’t in situations like this, they are able to put themselves in their shoes.

His means of persuasion mostly used logos and pathos. He used facts about manufacturing and information about the issues in other countries regarding sweatshops. All throughout the essay, he possessed personal information about others who have ben in situations. One of his personal connections was him living in East Asia with his wife and being able to watch the living standards increase because of sweatshop jobs that were being offered. He wants the audience to feel sympathy for those who aren’t able to live like how others are living.

When using those methods of persuasion to get his audience more concerned about his issue, he also used different rhetorical strategies. Repetition was used in every part of the essay when he was speaking about sweatshops and how it is better than living in a dump. He also used similes in his essay, “This is a Dante-like vision of hell”.  In addition, allusions were used when he referenced the hierarchy of jobs in poor countries for others to comprehend the seriousness of this situation. I believe he used these strategies for the audience to make their own judgment on the impact that sweatshops can make on poor countries and poor people.

From the beginning to the end of this essay, Kristof displayed strengths and weakness. One of his strengths was using personal experiences and situations to show how this is real and is happening all over the world. Another would be the amount of facts used about the issues in other countries regarding poverty and sweatshops. A weakness would be him putting his personal opinion in and saying that he wouldn’t want to work in a sweatshop. He shouldn’t be able to promote something and then wouldn’t even want to do it himself. Another weakness would be how he addressed the President of the United States but didn’t address anybody else from the countries he was speaking about. One person can’t save the world, therefore for every country that was spoken on, their high power should have been lectured about it too.

In Kristof’s essay, he used many different rhetorical strategies in order for the audience to get a full comprehension of what he was trying to achieve. His purpose was clear and he stayed true to his topic the whole time.  His use of logos and pathos made the essay more concrete and reliable for those who are on the outside looking in. Also, his use of similes, repetition and allusions tied all of the aspects of the essay together. Although there were strengths, there were also weaknesses that the essay contained. All in all, I believe the thesis of the essay was clear and he got his purpose across to his audience.

3.6

The qualities of something that is considered nonviolent.

The image that was shown on mediaviolence.org isn't one that should be advertised for the look the website is going for. By looking solely at the image and not the words that are attached, it would be fine to be posted on the website. The engagement between a player and a video game should never be so strong to the point their focus can't be broken. Then on top of that, the young boy in the image is sitting alone while playing the "nonviolent" game. The more video games, whether violent or nonviolent, the more inactive that person gets. The image that is portrayed should definitely be replaced with something else that can do a better job of fitting the title on mediaviolence.org.

Some of the video games that are listed under the mediaviolence.org sounds like the complete opposite. Games with the name of Rage, Max Payne and Bulletstorm don't sound like the best games to fit in a nonviolent category. There are usually never any video games, period, that do not fit their title. If the game is called Bulletstorm, I'm quite sure there will be bullets involved, and those bullets won't just be shooting the air, it will be shooting a target. Anything involved with bullets should unquestionably be considered violence. In order for mediaviolence.org to convince their audience that it is completely nonviolent, there should be a consideration about changing the words in the image.

When focusing on the photo more, I noticed the boy was all into whatever he was playing. His eyes are blazing straight into the television screen and his body language shows he's 100% all in. Knowing that all of his attention is going into one thing, it would be hard to break this habit if it were to continue. As on now, in the image, it looks like he is oblivious to anything that could possibly going on around him. Knowing that he is so lock into what he is doing could effect cause him to miss out on certain things because his focus isn't there. No video game should be that hypnotizing.

Lastly, in addition to whether the game is violent or nonviolent and it having his attention the whole time, it is causing him to miss out on more important things out there. He is missing simple activities he could be doing with his friends that cause make a thousand memories. The more he is cooped up in the house, the less active and motivated he is to get active. Childhood obesity is already one of the leading causes of diabetes in young children and in people all over the world. Some of these important issues can be prevented and almost demolished just off of the amount of exercise a child gets.

From not going on mediaviolence.org and following the image that it advertises, it isn't the best thing to go off of. Showing the names of the video games was supposed to help the viewers, but with violent names like Rage, there is no other way somebody can interpret that. The vision can also be a concern because of how focused the young boy is into the video game. The last thing a parent wants to have to go through knows that their child is sick and has to deal with obstacles in their life everyday. Some of these things can be prevented as long as the child is monitored by their parents. The image from mediaviolence.org didn't do a superior job in trying to help their advertising.