Visual Rhetoric Pictures

A.1 Interview Concerning Learning Development

Few may know any person better than their mother. Whether it is your favorite color, your blood type, or what you are like as a student there are few people that understand the ways you work as well as the person that brought you into this world. It is for these reasons that I decided to interview my mother about my academic develop [L: Logan Schlosser (me) M: Mom]

L: How was I as a student during my early academic career?
M: You always did your homework before you did anything else and always wanted to do your best, and you still do.

L: What were my favorite subjects then?
M: Math and science. You even like reading early on....sigh....

L: When did I pass you in math skills?
M: Funny! :-) Probably 7th or 8th grade. I didn't really pay much attention because you rarely needed help.

L: What happened to the whole loving reading thing?
M: I think you probably enjoyed the process of learning to read more than the benefits of the underlying story.

L: How were my study habits?
M: You have always been very focused in your studying.

L: Who is the better writer between us?
M: No question.... me!!

L: Was I a good student (turn things in on time)?
M: Yes.

L: In the beginning, did I start projects early like I do now?
M: You probably did a bit more procrastinating, but once you realized how long something might take, you gave yourself plenty of time

L: How were my study habits?
M: Always good, although you would ask for help more often.

L: Did you ever have to force me to get my work done?
M: No, once you knew the expectation, you didn’t need any additional reminders. You would typically have your homework finished, or very close to finished, by the time I would get home from work.

L: You know I want to be a medical Dr. But at what age could you tell I wanted to take that up as a career?
M: I first remember you saying you wanted to be a doctor when you were about 12.

L: How was I so successful in high school?
M: You were very focused on getting good grades. Homework was always a priority. I think the whole med school Idea helped with that.

L: If I didn’t want to be a Dr. what other careers would you recommend for me and why?
M: When you were three, you wanted to be a pizza delivery man….I guess you could fall back on that….. I think you would be happiest in a job that you need to continually learn instead of just refine skills. And it would definitely have to be something math/science based. If not a general practitioner, perhaps medical research or anesthesiology (I know they are doctors too….)

L: What is currently my best subject?
M: You are very strong in both math and sciences.

L: Was this always my best subject?
M: Pretty much.

L: Did I get any of my academic skills from you, if so which ones?
M: Ummmmmm.......no. You are a math/science kid and my strengths were always in the areas of reading/writing. But of course we are both superb athletes!

L: Did I develop academically (in terms of work habit and drive for success) from you or did they come from other sources?
M: I think you are a text book over-achieving first-born child. You are internally driven to do your best (and better than others!).

L: What kind of person do you see me as academically?
M: Focused, committed.

L: Who is a better student, me or Luke (my brother)?
M: I think you are both very smart, but you get more gratification from getting A's than he does. You have a much more competitive personality. The over-achieving first-born thing.....

A.2 Personal Reflection

They say you learn something new every day, and throughout the 18 years of my life there have been countless skills and talents that I have obtained. Twelve years of schooling can have many affects on a person whether it be social or intellectual, however, it is easy to say that through twelve years of schooling that all that I have learned is applicable to the course strands designed for the English 103 course. Argumentation, Technology, Research, Collaboration, and soon MyCompLab are parts of my daily life and this personal reflection outlines how each of these course strands applies to my everyday life as a student at Clemson University.

Rhetoric and Argumentation: Even as an extremely easy going person and one that likes to avoid confrontation, it is not hard to say that every day of my life I use argumentation several times throughout any given day. Using an appeal to logic, passion, or credibility (logos, pathos, and ethos) is a way to, put simply, get people to do what you would like them to do. This type of argumentation may not seem like something that you would use every day, but in almost every type of conversation at least one of these is used. When I try to convince someone to go to Harcombe dining hall with me so I don’t have to eat alone and appeal to both the audience’s pathos and logos is used. When I try to argue with someone about who the best team in the NFL is I use ethos to show my credibility in the subject, but also why I my side is more believable than theirs. These skills are of critical importance in everyday life and because of this my skills in argumentation and rhetoric have developed so well.

In terms of grammar, arrangement, and punctuation I couldn’t go an hour without using my skills in these areas. Whenever I speak, write on someone’s facebook wall, send a text, or anything where a message is being conveyed verbally or through writing my skills in these areas are used. When I speak, I feel as though it really demeans my message if my grammar or arrangement of my message is flawed in any way. For this reason, when I speak with anyone, I focus on how my message sounds before I send it to my audience. It is for this reason that when I write a paper for any class, I begin early so that I have plenty of time to edit or go back and add something after I have thought of a better idea. Since grammar, arrangement, punctuation, rhetoric, and argumentation are used throughout my everyday life I have had not only plenty of experiences to develop in these areas, but also will have plenty of experiences to further improve these skills.

Technology: Being not only a college student, but also one with a hefty amount of time on his hands and a computer to himself my skills in the area of technology has had plenty of time to develop. Ever since computer technology class in 1^st grade my life has been almost dependent on technology. Whether it be for typing papers, making PowerPoints, exchanging messages, or almost anything I have had plenty of experience with doing these in a technological way. I have not only had numerous classes on how to use word, excel, PowerPoint, and even how to build a computer from scratch, but I have also learned on my own more about technology. Fortunately, academic reasons aren’t the only reasons that I use technology. For me I find it hard to make it through even an hour without texting someone, going on facebook, checking my email, or updating my fantasy football team.

Thankfully all of my experience with technology has a use, and through this course these skills will be required frequently; word will be needed for composing, internet will be needed for research, texting and email for communication, etc. My knowledge with the internet will even be required to figure out how to use a technology that I have never even used before known simply as MyCompLab. I can’t think of a single class since I was in kindergarten that hasn’t required the use of a computer or a day where I haven’t gone on the internet or sent a text to anyone, and for this reason my skills with technology have been able to develop to a level where I am confident with completing almost any task that requires the use of technology.

Research: As a biology major who has to write lab reports on topics that I have never even heard of, my skills in research have been combed to perfection. Through every science, English, and history class that I have taken it has been required of me to either write a paper, or atleast learn more about a topic that was little know to me. Through this I have discovered how to do research not only effectively but also easily. Search engines like Google and ask.com are great means for research, but also books can be just as valuable. Sometimes it has even been required of me to write an essay without using the internet at all. I can’t say that I enjoy researching, but I can say with assurance that I am extremely good at it. My senior year in high school I was required to write a 20 page paper on any topic of my choice. I chose drilling in ANWR and not only had to argue my side (pertaining to rhetoric and argumentation) but also had to do so without plagiarism. Needless to say, I got the highest grade in my class.

Even for reasons other than writing essays I use research to find more information on a topic that I need to know more about. For example, if I can’t find the name of a song I like, I will look it up on iTunes, ask a friend, or look for it online. If I can’t find out the score of the game I have to find it out through research. Even if I am trying to learn more about a person, that can be called research. All of these experiences in my development of research skills are able to relate to the course strands that have been developed for this course.

Collaboration: As a very social person who enjoys things like talking just to get to know someone better and giving random people calls to see how they’re doing it is hard for me to go without dealing with people. The people skills that I have learned through group work and simply through relationships has taught me that sometimes you need to make some sacrifices and do what is best for the group even if it is against your own beliefs or wants. This knowledge can be vital during group work and collaboration because with a group of people working for one goal it is sometimes better to do what the group wants even if you don’t agree. Working in a collaborative group I have learned also requires things like taking responsibility for issues even if they aren’t your fault. As a group, everyone takes blame for things like a member forgetting to turn in a paper, or someone doing something incorrectly. Group work requires that everyone check to make sure the group as a whole is on track. Almost all of my knowledge in collaborative group I have learned through Comm 150 during the team work unit and have taken my knowledge to use in recent group work and also everyday life experiences.

MyCompLab: Even though I have no current knowledge on MyCompLab, all of my experiences from above can add to this. My technological experience can be used to register and log into MyCompLab, but also my other argumentation skills can be used to create well written essays. Also, other freshman classes I have taken require the use of similar labs such as MyMathLab. This knowledge can be used to my favor in MyCompLab.

Logos/ Pathos Picture

This picture is a good example of both logos and pathos.  Since this picture came from a site that focuses on attracting people to pet adoption it makes the audience think if they want a pet, and that there are pets living like this, why not adopt a pet instead of going to a breeder.  Also, the pathos in this photo is easily noticed with the look that the eyes o the dog show.  The dog's emotions bring up the emotions of the audience through these feelings