The 'Unscripted' Part Of Kilpatrick's Address

It seems now the mayor himself even admitted it; the little white lies are coming back to get him. It is clear to us as citizens that the mayor has been untruthfully dragging his way through this issue, and apparently one of his new excuses is that people are coming after him with "lynch mob mentality".

Along with this claim, Kwame complains of the death threats that have arisen throughout this scandal not only towards him, but his family as well. This presents a clear use of pathos. Instead of focusing on his wrongdoing, Kwame uses the appeal to emotion to ensure the citizens' feelings of remorse towards him and his family for "all they have been through". Because we should be the ones feeling bad, right? I don't think so.

Coinciding with his use of pathos, the rhetorical strategy of compare and contrast is also used in Kwame's speech. The mayor indirectly asks the citizens to look at the situation he is in as if it were from their perspectives. "I have to say this because it's very personal to me. I don't believe that a Nielsen rating is worth the life of my children or your children." Going along with his use of pathos, Kwame compares his feelings due to the threats that he has received to the feelings that would be present in any citizen that were in his position. He compares his children to the children of the citizens of Detroit. This evokes an uneasy feeling in those with the thought of this problem surrounding their own children and families. True, it would be a horrible thing to face if this occurred in your family, but I would prefer the mayor simply admitting to what he has done, and stop poising the issues he is dealing with as an effect of his own actions onto the people of Detroit.

Open-Minded Liberals?

In his article, Larry Elder proves the drastically different viewpoints between liberals and conservatives, as well as their spiteful views of one another. Throughout the article, Elder uses many “they say” strategies to criticize liberals. One specific point that he uses is when he speaks with the man in the barber shop. He makes sarcastic retorts back to the man’s accusations, which helps him in proving his point to mock liberals and their open-mindedness. When the man claims that Bush and Cheney ran for public office to commit murder, Elder responded with “For what reason? To get rich? They already were”. Another piece of the conversation with this man shows the same mockery. “‘Finally, I sighed and simply asked, ‘How do you function day by day?’ ‘What do you mean?’ ‘How do you get up in the morning thinking that somebody in Washington, D.C., wants to murder you?’ “. Elder’s response to the man’s assertion causes him to look foolish. He uses the views of this man as a “they say” strategy by representing his voice as a whole for liberals, and Elder’s quick replies are what mock him. This example supports Elder’s closing statement: “Bottom line: Conservatives consider liberals well-intentioned, but misguided. Liberals consider conservatives not only wrong, but really, really bad people”.

So deep-fried pork rinds, bacon, and jelly donuts wouldn't be the combination that you would normally consider when ordering food, but the message that this comic portrays is pretty clear. America's obesity levels are rising as fast as hamburgers and fries are being served through drive-thru windows nationwide. It seems today that with such high levels of obesity among children as well as adults, Americans just don't care. The cartoon states that the food "comes with a mandatory liability waiver", which is like the warning so many of us choose to ignore. Even though people know that certain foods are bad for their health, and can see themselves and their children gaining weight, they proceed with their daily lives, unaffected by the consequences of their decisions to maintain an unhealthy lifestyle. The way the cartoonist shows the lack of really any emotions of the characters goes along with his point that Americans just don't care about their health. Both characters seem unalarmed by the food choices, as if it's something that's natural to them, like it has become to most of our society today.

Detroit Tigers Win 2008 World Series

In this article, Michael Rosenberg discusses one of the major assets that will be attributing to the victorious team of the 2008 World Series. The team? The Detroit Tigers. The player? Miguel Cabrera. He comes in the form of an exceptional third baseman, and is one of the best hitters in baseball. Even prior to the start of the 2008 season, Rosenburg refers to him as “the best pure hitter on this team”. What Cabrera has accomplished only resembles that of current Hall of Famers, including Hank Aaron, Ken Griffey Jr., and Frank Robinson. After viewing Cabrera’s stats, its can undoubtedly be said that he will only heighten the Tigers’ past two years of dominance over the rest of Major League Baseball.

I am proud to say that I have been a Tigers fan since before 2006. I also am proud to say that I have complete faith in my Tigers for the upcoming season. After hearing the results of the recent trades that have taken place, I made up my mind that we had basically already won the World Series. Not only are the Tigers picking up the great Miguel Cabrera, but they have also gained Edgar Renteria and Dontrelle Willis. The addition of an astounding pitcher will hopefully reduce Todd Jones’ chances of entering gameplay often. Also, the removal of Maybin from the team has eliminated any possibilities for the spot of my personal favorite, the most amazing Curtis Granderson, to be occupied. As stated by Rosenburg, with the “only lineup in baseball that might make the Yankees jealous”, the Tigers are pretty much guaranteed to having successful season.

This article is pretty straightforward, but it could be slightly altered to target an audience besides baseball fans. If I were writing to a group of fourth grade students, I might take out some of the specific details. Keeping it simply at “he is one of the best hitters in baseball” would seem to cover the main point when addressing it to fourth graders. I would not include facts such as “Cabrera has contended for a batting title, finished in the top five in his league in on-base percentage and pounded 50 doubles in a season”. Also, I would further clarify how closely Cabrera’s stats resemble previous players that are now in the Hall of Fame. This will help to give a fourth grader an idea of the talent of Cabrera. Last, I would include more information about players that were chosen to be interviewed about Cabrera. I would mention a few of their own accomplishments in baseball. If a fourth grade classroom understood that other great baseball players are speaking so highly of Miguel, they would have a better chance of understanding how significant this trade is going to be for the Tigers.

The True Meaning of Christmas

“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!” Hmm... Maybe. This quote explains what many people claim to believe today. Several Americans portray themselves as understanding the true meaning of Christmas, but as the cartoon represents, the actual meaning of Christmas continues to be forgotten each year. I agree with the view of Christmas presented by this picture. Although people try to convince themselves that Christmas is much more than a holiday of giving and receiving presents, they still become consumed with the many preparations and other things to go along with December twenty-fifth, without stopping to think of what the day is really about. When do you ever see a sign or advertisement proclaiming the birth of Jesus Christ? Instead, during this time of year, every commercial, every window sign, billboard, or coupon and magazine received in the mail proclaims the “best gift ideas” and informs us on where the “biggest sales” will be taking place. During this time, it is not made clear that Jesus was God’s ultimate gift to the world, given to us graciously and willingly at the expense of our sins.
The image of the Christmas shopper stresses the point that the importance of Christmas is soon forgotten around this time of year. Although it is clearly portrayed in the message on the screen that Christmas is about more than presents, the woman’s first thought is to purchase a gift with the phrase included on it. Hypocritical much? It seems that she is oblivious to what the quote means, and sees it simply as an idea for more presents; exactly what Christmas should be least about. The fact that her arms are filled with additional gifts only helps more in showing her lack of understanding of what the quote is talking about. Another visual that goes along with the main point is the whole appearance of the salesman behind the counter. His expression looks as if he can care less about what he is doing. In the Christmas season, shouldn’t an employee at least attempt to be in the Christmas spirit? He appears unhappy, unenthused, and unfriendly. This helps by once again, displaying nothing of the sort of what Christmas should be about.

The Death of Sean Taylor and The "Black KKK"

In his article, Jason Whitlock writes about the death of former NFL player, Sean Taylor. Whitlock uses Taylor’s death to support his assertion that the “Black KKK” is responsible for what has happened, and claims that they are still a threat to all black men today. He feels that “black men are targets of black men” and until the Black KKK has not been stopped, nothing will change. Whitlock also discusses the impact of hip-hop on the young black culture. He believes that it is responsible for giving them the impression to live in a “culture that celebrates murder, ignorance and incarceration”. Whitlock believes that this Black KKK is to blame for the death of Sean Taylor, and any black man or boy could be next.

Jason Whitlock argues that “if you're a black man living in America, you've been reminded once again that your life is in constant jeopardy of violent death”, and I disagree. Your life is not in danger simply due to the color of your skin. I do not agree that every black man is destined to a violent death, such as Whitlock claims. It is true that African Americans were once degraded, mistreated, and left undefended in United States history, however, it would be unacceptable for anyone to look at blacks in such a way now. They are no longer viewed as inferior members of society, and assumptions should not be made that they remain “in danger” and subject to “violent deaths” as a result of their race. Whitlock jumps to conclusions in assuming the present view on blacks in America.

An example of parallelism used in this article is the comparison between the “White KKK” and the “Black KKK”. Whitlock states that “rather than whine about white folks' insensitivity or reserve a special place of sorrow for rich athletes, we'd be better served mustering the kind of outrage and courage it took in the 1950s and 1960s to stop the white KKK from hanging black men from trees”. This strengthens the article by fulfilling Whitlock’s statement that the Black KKK needs to be stopped. His parallelism to the White KKK proves that it took courage to put an ending to this similar problem in the past, and it shows that maybe the same courage is what’s required in stopping the Black KKK today.

"School dance steps look like foreplay"

Betsy Hart’s article discusses the troubling issue of what is taking place at high school dances. The behavior of teenagers at school dances is brought to the attention of many naive parents. Hart has become aware of the inapropriate dancing that is taking place, and feels that others should be informed about the matter. The issue requires a more strict set of boundaries and guidelines to maintain the safety of teens. The parents and school authorities to which the concern has become known to have tried to control the matter. Some schools have set restrictions on the ways the kids choose to dance, and some parents have become worried and, like Hart, want to be involved in chaperoning the dances to assure that they are under control. There are also parents that are blind to the improper ways of their children, and say that they shouldn’t be stopped. Hart, as well as other sensible parents, disagree.

It seems that parents are just starting to become aware of the behavior of their perfect little sons and daughters. What might appear as a night at a harmless school dance to mom and dad, could be defined more along the lines of “bumping and grinding”, as if in a club, to teenagers. Hart exploits this issue, hoping to convince parents to support in controlling the conduct of their teens. She wants them to be aware of the situation at hand, and put a foot down when it comes to their teenagers’ behavior.

Betsy Hart claims that parents need to step up and take action over the behavior occurring at school dances, and I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I agree that there needs to be restrictions put on dances. Teens don’t realize the way that they portray themselves by the choices they make. What might seem fun and familiar to them doesn’t look appropriate to others, especially adults, and isn’t a way in which they should want to be viewed. On the other hand, I don’t think the restrictions should be as extensive as Hart makes them sound. Although safety is a primary issue, from the teenage perspective, putting a limit on the types of music that can be played at dances or setting too many rules and regulations really can ruin a dance. The respectable teen would know how to conduct themselves in a school environment. For those who don’t, consequences should be enforced, but not at the expense of the other students.

The most effective rhetorical question used by Hart in her article is “If the "$400 dress girl" had been sexually assaulted in the parking lot after the festivities because the dance wasn't a "dud," would her mom be happy, or suing the school?”. Hart uses this to prove that parents need to primarily be concerned with their teens’ safety. It supports her point to convince parents to control the conduct of their teens. Also, it shows how some parents need to become more attentive to their child's security, not their desires. Hart pointed out the issue of inappropriate behavior and concern for the safety of teenagers, and now it’s the parents’ obligation to fulfill their responsibilities in protecting them.