Final Reflection

The main theme for this course was Culture, Identity, and Society, and as I reflect back on this semester I think about how these three aspects have been very prevalent in the assignments we have completed throughout the semester.

One of the main aspects of this course that sticks with me when I think back on this past semester is the visual rhetoric project and just the rhetoric information in general. Before this English course, the term "rhetoric" had very little meaning to me, so when I heard that we were discussing visual rhetoric, I was curious as to what this might entail. Looking back on it now, I realize exactly how much I have learned about rhetoric and I now notice various rhetorical aspects in the world around me on a daily basis.

I have learned so many new skills throughout this semester in this English course and I am positive that each and every one of them will help me in my future. I know that my writing has improved this semester, as well as my knowledge, my research abilities, and my ability to work in a group. This course has definitely prepared me with valuable skills to further my work, both in higher English courses, as well as any other course or aspect of my life in the future.

pg. 219 Blog Post

1. What format will your presentation take?

* The presentation will be in the form of a video. Our group has planned to incorporate still images, video, audio, and text into the video. Our group is planning on creating a handout that follows the presentation of the video so that our classmates can have the information on paper and they can follow along the video with the handout.

2. What materials do you plan to use in your presentation?

* Our group will use Windows MovieMaker to create the video for the presentation. We will use video and still images, as well as a rap with important information about our project information. Our group will also discuss information and present it to the class. We will create a handout to give to the class and each group member will take turns presenting different facts to the group.

3. What might be a potential outline for your presentation?

* For our presentation, the group will first show the video to the class. The video will go through the different portion sizes in America, the caloric content in many common meals, how portion sizes have changes over the past 50 years. We will then do the oral presentation and discuss extra information and facts relevant to our presentation.

At a Glance - Revising Your Draft - p. 174

Reading my essay out loud is very helpful for me because it really makes me focus on the essay and it helps me catch mistakes that I may have overlooked earlier. By reading it out loud, I am able to hear when certain sentences and phrases sounded wrong, which helps me revise my essay. Printing out my essay is also a very helpful way for editing. It helps me a lot when I can actually write on the paper my revisions and it helps me to actually visualize the changes and my progress in my essay. Another thing that I find very helpful is reading the feedback from my peers on my essay. Sometimes, I cannot see other views or other ways to write my essay because I have been working on it so much. By having one of my peers read my essay, I am able to get someone else's insight in to my essay from a different point of view.

Multimedia Project Ideas

Possible Topics:
Global warming
American Obesity
Universal health care in America
Eating disorders
Animal Testing

Usefulness:
The usefulness of the presentation depends on what topic is presented, however some options are...
To inform the audience about the issue/topic
To get the attention of the audience about a specific problem
To interest the audience and to entertain

General Questions about the assignment:
Is anyone familiar with making videos and movies online, specifically adding music and text to videos?
Which topic would be the most interesting topic for the intended audience?

Research Outline

Physician Assisted Suicide Outline

I. Introduction

a. “Hook”

i. Example of family who had to watch a family member struggle in pain with a terminal illness because PAS was not legal

b. Thesis

i. Physician assisted suicide should be legalized. PAS should be legalized with specific regulations and qualifications in order to qualify

II. Define PAS

a. The definition of Physician Assisted Suicide

b. The differences between PAS and Euthanasia

i. Clearly state that this essay is for the legalization of PAS, not euthanasia

c. The negative connotations with the word “suicide” and how that affects the public’s viewpoint on PAS

III. Physician View on PAS

a. Moral Issues

b. Hippocratic Oath

i. How does this come in to play with PAS?

IV. Public Opinion

a. Personal experiences (from journal articles) with PAS

V. Legal Issues

a. Court Cases and outcomes dealing with PAS

b. Where is PAS already legal?

i. Oregon

1. Laws and how they are stated in Oregon

c. Specific qualifications for PAS

i. What are the rules and regulations when considering a candidate for PAS

VI. State arguments against PAS

VII. Final arguments and case studies for PAS

a. Counterargument against the claims against PAS

i. Against people saying that if legalized “everyone” will choose PAS whenever anything gets too difficult

ii. Stress the definition of a terminal illness

1. Clearly state what qualifies a patient for PAS

VIII. Conclusion

a. Review what has been stated

i. Redefine PAS

b. State overall feeling

i. PAS should be legalized and would be beneficial if controlled very strictly

c. Further reaching impacts of the study of PAS

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is taking someone else's work and using it as your own. Plagiarism is very wrong because it not only takes away credit from the original author, but it also lessens the integrity and value of your own work. Clemson has a very strong opinion about plagiarism and I believe the punishment for plagiarism is very appropriate. Plagiarism is very wrong and it does nothing but hurts the person who is copying the work. Credit needs to be given to the person who came up with the original idea, and I believe that everything should be cited that is not your original thought. It is not all that difficult to cite a source and to give credit to the original idea, so there is really no reason for plagiarism. Plagiarism is very common when people have left their work to the last minute, but you do not gain any new knowledge by simply copying someone else's work, therefore there is truly nothing good that comes from plagiarism.

DK handbook page 37 - Questions for Research

Topic: Assisted Suicide
Questions of Fact
* Who decides when Assisted Suicide is moral and when a person qualifies for Assisted Suicide?
Questions of Definition
* What is Assisted Suicide?
* What is a terminal illness?
* What are the different terms for Assisted Suicide and their definitions?
Questions of Interpretation
* How does the word "suicide" affect the public's interpretation of Assisted Suicide?
Questions of Consequence
* How will Assisted Suicide affect the families/friends of the patient? Both positive and negative fashions?
* How will legalization of Assisted Suicide affect society and the public's view of the medical profession?
* How will its legalization affect the public's feelings and opinions about intentional death?
Questions of Value
* How do ethics play a role in the doctor's ability to assist patients in this way?
Questions of Policy
* What are the laws pertaining to Assisted Suicide?
* How does the Hippocratic Oath influence these laws?

********
My topic for this research assignment is Assisted Suicide. I plan on exploring the different perspectives of Assisted Suicide and the support that exists for both sides of this issue. I am going to focus mainly on the aspect of pro assisted suicide, but I also plan on researching some information about the opposing viewpoint in order to better support my paper. This issue of Assisted Suicide and the controversy behind its legalization is becoming more and more prominent in today's society, so there is a lot of new information both for and against its legalization. In this research assignment, I hope to learn more about the true definition of Assisted Suicide and learn more about the different components of this issue. I am already aware that there are many factors that must be considered for Assisted Suicide and I also know that each individual case is different and that there are many individual circumstances that surround each individual patient. I hope to learn more about the cases concerning this issue that are currently being debated, as well as situations from the past that may have had some impact on the current debates over its legalization.

For this research paper, I hope to examine many different medical websites and journals that have been published concerning this issue. I am aware of different medical journals that have published opposing viewpoints on this issue, so I hope to find many of these credible resources to help support my argument. There are also many organizations that exist that are concerned with this issue, and I hope to examine the information that they have and look into the resources that they have found to support my argument. Also, I will examine past and present cases where Assisted Suicide has either been used or been discussed for various patients. I am aware of a doctor from Michigan who was sued because of his use and support for Assisted Suicide, so I will look for more information about the court case and its outcomes. I will also look into the different laws about Assisted Suicide and where it may be legal and under what circumstances because I am aware that the laws (at least in the United States) vary from state to state. I will also examine laws that may exist outside of the U.S. to take into account its uses outside of our nation.

Some issues that I may encounter when researching this topic may be that some of the resources may be very biased. I will have to work hard to make sure my resources are as free from bias as possible. Also, I will have to make sure I fully understand both positions on this issue. In order to take a stance on the issue, I will have to make sure that I am well aware of the opposing viewpoint, which may be difficult for me if I feel very strongly about my opinion. I will have to make sure that I look at all of the aspects of this issue in order to examine this topic fully.

Preliminary Research - DK pg 27

Page 27 DK handbook:
Why might my audience care about this topic? What might they already know about it?

My audience might care about this topic because it has been becoming more and more popular and controversial in recent years. There are many different viewpoints on this issue, and not many people even know what assisted suicide is, let alone all of the different issues and aspects involved with this issue. The term "assisted suicide" automatically brings out the interest in the audience because the term "suicide" alone draws a large emotional response from the audience.

How does this topic help me address the assignment's purposes? Will this topic expand my learning? How can I shape this topic into a purpose that will interest my audience?

The purposes of this assignment is to analyze visual rhetoric in terms of broad social issues, rather than just simply an advertisement or image. This specific topic will expand my learning because it will help me to understand better the true meaning of assisted suicide and how it affects the daily lives of so many people in today's society. I believe that this topic is very misunderstood by many people in today's society, so by me researching this issue, it will help me bring about more light and truth to the topic and I will be able to better explain to my audience what assisted suicide is and how it affects people in today's society.

Does this topic seem rich enough to help me write a paper of the length asked by the assignment? Does it seem complex enough for the assignment? What is happening locally/nationally/internationally around this topic?

There are many different viewpoints and aspects that need to be considered for this topic. Because there are so many different elements and issues that deal with this topic, I believe that it is definitely rich enough for me to write a paper of this length. This issue is definitely very complex and multifaceted because of all of the moral and ethical issues that must be addressed when talking about this topic. There is a lot of controversy about the use and legal issues of assisted suicide, so there is definitely a need to address the issues and discuss how it affects society.


Google Search:
Does it look like there is a lot of interest in this topic?
There is a lot of interest in this topic, and there are many different web sites and organizations that are devoted solely to this specific issue.
What are people's different positions on the topic? Do the web pages you visit suggest other, related topics, or other direction for research?
There are many web sites that post information both about pro and con assisted suicide. Google provides related searches that include "pro assisted suicide" as well as "assisted suicide debate." There are many web sites that appear through the Google search that discuss the laws and opinions surrounding this topic. There are many different web sites that discuss both viewpoints of assisted suicide and they discuss many different aspects of my topic.

Research Paper Ideas - Brainstorming

For my research paper, I will be researching the different aspects of Assisted Suicide. I will be looking at the moral and ethical aspects of assisted suicide and the different issues and ideas behind it.

Envision In Depth pg 91

Am I interested in the topic?

I am very interested in the different aspects and perspective of Assisted Suicide. This topic has always interested me because there are so many different views and opinions on this issue. I am very interested in discovering the different views of this issue and how it is justified.

Can I argue a position on this topic?

I will definitely be able to argue a position on this topic because this is a very controversial topic and there are many different aspects and perspectives when dealing with Assisted Suicide.

Will I be able to find enough research material on this topic?

I will definitely be able to find enough research material on this topic. This topic was one of the options for a debate in my Ethics of Biology class and I am positive that there is enough information for both views of Assisted Suicide for me to research this topic. This is topic has become more and more controversial and more prevalent in today's society, so I am positive that I will be able to find enough research on this topic.

Does this sort of research appeal to me?

I really do enjoy exploring different opposing viewpoints. I love to debate different issue with people and I also like to hear what other people think about current issues, especially highly debated issues such as this. I really like to learn about justifications of different viewpoints, so I believe researching this topic will be interesting for me.

SuperBowl Commercial Analysis

The commercial that I chose to analyze was a Doritos commercial. The commercial begins with a man eating a bag of Doritos. When he bit into the first chip, a woman who was walking down the street was stripped down into her lingerie. The next chip, the man was in front of an ATM and when he bit into the chip, the machine began spitting out money. When he bit into the last chip, a police officer who was walking down the street was turned into a monkey. The man then realized he was out of chips and was hit by a bus.

Rhetorical Elements
* The Dorito bag that was used in this commercial was the red bag. It was the only bright color in the commercial. They could have chosen the blue "cool ranch" Dorito bag, but they chose to use the red bag because it stood out against the background.
* The context of this commercial was the obviously the SuperBowl. This played into the intended audience because the majority of the viewers of the SuperBowl are male, and the intended audience for this commercial was obviously male. It appealed to the male interest in the female without her clothes, the money being thrown at him, and the ability to get rid of the police. The commercials that preceded and that followed this commercial also played in to the male audience. This commercial was followed directly by two Budweiser commercials, and the commercial before the Doritos commercial was a preview for an action movie. All of these factors play in to the context and the intended audience for this commercial.
* Ethos - This commercial used the ethos appeal at the very end when the brand logo was displayed. There was a black background with just the Doritos logo which appeared to be glowing against the background. The only things that appeared on the screen at the end of the commercial were the logo for Doritos and the web site. This created a lot of blank space, drawing the viewer's attention to the logo.
* Logos - The sex appeal of the commercial uses the logos appeal. The woman was wearing matching black lingerie. The sexual appeal of the woman is designed to appeal to the male audience.
* Another element in this commercial was there was no dialogue in the entire commercial, however, the message of the commercial was still very clear.



*Although the intended audience was mainly male, it appealed to me because after I saw the commercial, I really wanted to eat Doritos. This may have been because I was hungry and waiting for dinner, however, this commercial still appealed to me.

Peer Review Reflection

My reflection: what did you learn from reading this essay that you did not know before, either about the text under analysis or about writing strategies in the essay?

After reading Chelsea's essay, I learned about different strategies to analyze an advertisement. Some of the specific elements that she focused on in her essay would not necessarily have been the elements I would have picked out, however, these elements do have a lot of importance in the overall message of the advertisement. Also, the connections that she made and the symbolism that she found in the ad that was not necessarily outlined specifically were very interesting to me because I am not sure that I would have made those connections when initially looking at the advertisement. She made some very good connections and inferences based on both what information was presented in the ad and also how that information was presented and how the lay out was constructed that I don't think I would have seen right away if I came across this ad in a magazine. Overall, she constructed a very good and interesting interpretation of the advertisement.

After reading Rachel's essay, I realized that there was a lot more for me to say in my essay about connections and the issues behind the advertisements. She did a very good job at discussing the issues that were connected to the advertisement, and it made me realize that there is a lot more that I can add to my essay concerning the connections and issues that my ad deals with.

Visual Rhetoric Image

For my visual rhetoric project, I have chosen to do an anti-drug media campaign designed by Gordon Wiebe for the organization of abovetheinfluence.com. The images all portray "True or False" questions that show teens true facts about marijuana use. This ad campaign contains three images, all released at different times throughout the year. These images attempt to inform teens about marijuana use and also to persuade them to live "above the influence" of drugs. I believe there are sufficient elements to analyze in this ad campaign, including the layout, the color scheme, and the symbolism used in the artwork. The ad was created for the abovetheinfluence.com ad campaign, and it was created to target teens. I believe that the colors and design that the author used, showing the questions inside of lungs, and the way that the images are framed attract the audiences' eyes to the center of the ad. Also, the use of the informal voice attracts the teen audience because the questions are posed as if they are speaking to the audience, which draws in a younger audience.

My Bio

Kelsey Williams

My name is Kelsey Williams. I am from Cincinnati, Ohio and I am currently a freshman at Clemson University. I am a Prerehabilitation Sciences major and I plan on minoring in Spanish. I was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, but I moved to Cincinnati when I was only a year old. I have an older sister, who is now 22 years old. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame and she currently lives in New York City. I am a member of the Spanish club and Habitat for Humanity here at Clemson. I also am in a sorority and play intramurals such as flag football and soccer. In high school I played soccer, ran track, and played the trumpet. I love playing sports, especially soccer, and I love being outdoors. I really enjoy reading and listening to all different types of music. I am an all around easy-going person and I love meeting new people!