Introduction to gun control

How much gun violence have you witnessed or has occurred in your state? Even though the media does not report every event, the news still plays a role by portraying some.As I was growing up in New York,gun violence happened almost every week. The most shocking part is that these incidents did not happen in my neighborhood alone.You can imagine about the rest of New York.One night I was on my bed and all of a sudden I heard a shootout on the street. It was a gang versus another gang and several people died.Would gun control laws prevent that from happening? Gun control laws is applied in all states,but is it really effective as people ponder? In reducing crimes,gun control laws is not effective.Gun control will never be effective unless other things are taken into consideration.

Research Proposal Presentations

Majority of the classmates' research presentation was creative and straight to the point. However, I have noticed common issues including myself when presenting.As a whole, the students had little to no eyes contact with the other students and projecting their voice was a slight issue.Also, I have noticed students start out to be nervous and then become confident towards the middle.They need to be more confident from the beginning to the end.Individually some students did an excellent job of having evidence to support their claim. On the other hand, some students like me needed more information.A few classmates' presentations were not clear and needed to focus on a single idea.
As for me, I needed more eye contact and more evidence to support my thesis.To improve these issues students need to ask the teacher for their help or input on their presentation before presenting it to the class, take deep breaths before speaking, and students should pretend they are talking to friends to make them confident and more comfortable to speak.

Gun Control

Topic: Gun control
Research question: Are gun control laws effective?

Claim: In reducing crimes,gun control has not been effective.

Why did I choose Gun Control as a topic?

This topic interests me because there are many aspects of gun control issues even with facts.It is one of the hot problems that is going on today, especially with the recent school shooting in Florida.This topic also appeals to me because it seems like it contradicts the 2nd amendment.If it appears to oppose it, it can reflect on the government poorly, making people believe they do not stand by their words or laws.This issue may never come to a solution, but it is interesting to hear people's input about it.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35261394

https://membership.nra.org/FAQ

Who are my audiences?

My audiences include parents, children, and the NRA.The reason for parents and children because they can support that gun control laws are not sufficient, due to the school shootings and any experiences they might have to deal with guns.This topic can have an emotional effect on them.The NRA is also a target audience is because according to the websites below they are fighting for people to own guns and to protect the 2nd amendment.This means criminals and the mentally ill can have the privilege of owning guns.The NRA would be interested in this topic because they are being called out for aiding in gun control not being effective.

Music as Argument

The music video "Stand by Me" uses the elements of rhetoric to create an argument.

Invention(the finding of ideas or proofs)

• The idea of this music video came to be because of a belief that music has the power to bring people together and it can break down any barriers that separates people.

Disposition(the arrangement of ideas and arguments during the process of invention)

• In order to arrange this idea they needed people to sing the same song,musicians,equipment,and producers.

Style(the finding of language that is suitable to the subject matter and audience)

• The words and the music was presented in a calm and peaceful way in order to match what they were singing.

Memory(the idea that the rhetor should have a firm grasp of his or her subject matter)

• The rhetor wanted us to remember that this global and music helps bring peace and unity into this world.

Delivery(the refinement and actualization of a finished composition)

• It was delivered through a music video.

In the video 2 images impacted me the most.It was the image collage of Roger Ridley in Santa Monica,Clarence Bekker in Amsterdam,and Grandpa Elliot in New Orleans.The other image was the guy playing drums on a balcony.The one that is most effective is the collage because it shows all three men from different locations,but they show unity.These images serves as a unification between the people who want the world to be a better place.With that being said it goes against violence.

Response to Jones' Violent Media Essay

In the essay "Violent media is good for kids" by Gerard Jones,he takes his stance that violent media is good for kids despite what others say.He started strong by giving his personal experience on how violent medias helped him overcome his situations.Throughout his essay it was majority of his experiences,opinions,and other kids experiences including his own child.This can be a positive to show that he can relate to us and to display that he is not just another writer writing.He appeal to his audience through pathos,but how far will that go? It will not go far,because he have other types of audiences to appeal to.He did not appeal to his audience through logos and the ethos appeared very little in his essay.Gerard only uses one reference to back up his claim,which is Melanie Moore's(a Ph.D psychologist) statement in paragraph 9 and that alone was not sufficient.We as readers do not know if she even have proof to support that claim.However,he did make some good points on how many troubled kids used violent medias to overcome difficult situations.Overall Gerard's evidence is not sufficient and can be misleading to readers.His argumentative essay has potential,but he needs to build a stronger base.

These links below are violent acts that has recently occured and I believe the media did cover this event fairly.

Farber, Madeline. “Florida School Shooting Timeline.”Fox News, FOX News Network, 25 Feb. 2018, www.foxnews.com/us/2018/02/25/florida-school-shooting-timeline.html.

Robinson, Kelley. “Hundreds Attend Tribute Honoring UPenn Student Allegedly Stabbed to Death by Former Classmate.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 25 Feb. 2018, abcnews.go.com/US/hundreds-attend-tribute-honoring-upenn-student-allegedly-stabbed/story?id=53306444.

Dale Stephens' College is a waste of time

To construct an argumentative essay, you must have the four pillars of argument.The four components of an argument are the thesis statement, evidence, refutation of opposing arguments, and the concluding statement.As Dale Stephens demonstrated in his argumentative essay "College is a waste of time," by using all elements it helped him build a solid argument.

Thesis statement-a single sentence that states your point of view on a situation.It is also debatable.

His thesis was located in the third paragraph, which wasn't in most cases the first paragraph.The thesis statement is " We think of college as a stepping-stone to success rather than a means to gain knowledge."This is very debatable because some people believes that college will give us the skills necessary to become productive. 

Evidence-the facts,observations,writer's opinion,examples,statistics,and etc. 

The evidence shown to back up his thesis is displayed in paragraph four, six, and eight. Paragraph four shows statistics such as "  36%  of college graduates showed no improvement in critical thinking, complex reasoning."  In paragraph six and eight is the expert opinion. 

Refutation-call out arguments that challenge your position,acknowledging the strengths and point out their short comings.

He calls out the arguments that challenge his position in paragraph nine and ten.  In eight he states his opinion where a college degree would not be beneficial if you have the talent. How employers are now hiring people because of their talents. In nine however he states that it does not mean everyone should drop out. If you want to go to medical school, you should because it's not like you can practice at home on a corpse. He is showing how college is a mean to gain knowledge. In the tenth paragraph, he solidifies his point that although college is mean to gain knowledge, it's not a stepping stone to success. That if one decides not to go to college, they will not end up strung out on drugs. He says that dropping out of college does not make one form a drug habit that " people who indulge in drugs and alcohol do so before, during, and after college." 

Conclusion-reiterating your position.

In paragraph ten he restated his thesis by saying "We who take our education outside and beyond the classroom understand how actions build a better world. We will change the world regardless of the letters after our names."

The author appeal:

Dale Stephens uses both ethos and logos in his argumentative essay.In paragraph one he tells his readers that "I have been awarded a golden ticket to the heart of  Silicon Valley: The Thiel Fellowship." To show that what he is saying is credible. He presents his arguments in a logical fashion. Introducing his point, about how college is not the only path to success. He begins with showing examples of how it is not necessary if you have the talent but also shows where one would need to attend college if you want work example would be working in the medical field. 

Russia Probe

In any argument that is being made ethos,pathos,and logos plays a role in it.Logos appeals to the logical point of view,pathos appeals to the audience's emotional side,and ethos appeals to the authority.In the Russia Probe videos Sarah Sanders,Tomi Lahrens,Mark Mazzetti,and Matt Apuzzo all uses one or more style to make their claim.

Sarah Sanders

She uses logos to make her argument that Russia is involved with the Clintons and the Democrats committee.In her video she even told Bill Hemmer that what she believed in is "based on facts and recent reporting".In her claim she was being biased,because she believes that president Trump is good and he is committed to protecting people retirement,mostly for the middle class.

Tomi Lahrens

Unlike Sarah Sanders,she appeals to the audience emotional point of view.She started off strong saying that "we are sick and tired of these corrupt politics wasting our time and money".She went even further to say "while hardworking Americans of all stripes are busting our humps to make a living,we've got swamp rats sucking us dry".The thought of that alone frustrates and disgusts her.

Mark Mazzetti

Like Sarah Sanders he utilizes logic.He believes that the Russia probe started with George Papadopaulous when he was drunk and spoke to Australia's top diplomat.

Matt Appuzzo

He uses first logic and then ethos when making his claim.His logic came from the leaked emails he read,to and from George Papadopaulous.Ethos came into play when he talked to the veteran counter intelligence,which makes his argument seem legit or credible.