Blog #3

Blair's main argument is that visual arguments exist and do not differ much from verbal arguments. He thoroughly explains what the definition of an argument he is using consists of. He writes about the similarities between arguments and assertions. Blair also gives a lot of examples of visual arguments throughout the chapter in different categories including television commercials, cartoons, magazines and a few others.

Blairs reasoning of a visual argument is based upon the assertion that an argument include reasons be overtly expressed, and that reasons and claim be linguistically explicable (Blair 346). He gives several examples of how visual arguments can exist. The one that stood out the most to me is the pictures on pages 352 through 354. The reason this caught my eye is because without reading anything i could interpret the picture into an argument in my head. I knew it was arguing for justice and equality for all races. It is saying visually that racism needs to be stopped (Blair 353-354). 

Although I believe Blairs example above is a good representation of a visual argument, I could also see how it may be interpreted as an assertion instead of an argument. The pictures could be making a point that people of different races should be treated equally. If this is the case it would not be classified as an argument.

Overall I agree with Blair that visual arguments exist. There is a fine line to be considered though when one is determining if a visual piece is an argument or an assertion. In the end it depends on the audience and how they interpret the image.

Works Cited

Blair, J. Anthony."The Possibility and Actuality of Cisual Arguments." Visual Rhetoric in a Digital World. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's 2004. 

blog #2

The time had come, I just became what you could call “buds” with a fellow I met not too long ago.  Sitting in his basement playing “vids” or video games like most guys my age do, we both decided it was time to pre-funk and get ready to go out for the night.  After a few minutes of pounding shots of booze I catch a glimpse of something in the corner of my eye; another one of his buddies is over on a bench press machine!  Of course I have to go take a closer look at this gear that makes your muscles bulge and pecks show through your shirt.  I see that “the dude” is struggling trying to lift this bar with round weights on it up in the air so I figure maybe I should give it a try.  Although it may seem I was trying to look impressive by lifting this massive load of weights, I assure you it was for pure self-satisfaction. 

I laid down on the sweaty padded bench, put my hands on the bar, took deep breaths in and out like I knew what I was doing, and prayed I could lift it.  At this point I really felt like I could lift it, like I could take it and throw it through the ceiling, probably because it didn’t look like it weighed much though, or maybe it was the alcohol making me a bit delusional. All I was missing in my pre-lifting routine was the gallon of water sitting next to my bench.  Other than that I felt I was as prepared as a professional weight lifter.

This is where my thought and confidence changed, one hundred percent. I cannot back out now; I would look like a fool.  I start to lift the weight off the hook.  So far, so good. I bring the bar down to my chest just like I have seen at the rec center.  I start to push upward, almost fully extending my arms, and realize I cannot throw the bar through ceiling. Instead I have decided to lower the bar back down, but this time it did not smoothly come down to meet my chest. My chin takes control. It is my superhero! It jumped in front of the bar and took one for the team.  If it had not been there the bar probably would have landed right on my jugular. 

So my new “bud” lifts the bar off my chin and I get up and feel around my mouth not knowing it had been badly split.  All I was hoping was I still had all my teeth.  Realizing blood was coming out of my “chlip”(area in-between lip and chin) I ran to the bathroom, rinsed it off, put Neosporin on it, and bandaged it right up.  I know, it sounds like I know what I am doing and you want to ask if I work at a hospital, but I clearly do not since a firefighter at the big festivity we later attended inspected my “chlip” and came to a conclusion it should surely get stitches. My delusion of being a great weight lifter and my bad choice to not go to the hospital for stitches is why I have the scar on my “chlip” today.

And that’s why you don’t try to lift more weight than your muscles allow.

 

blog #1

a.)  Foss defines rhetoric as “an art and a discipline that facilitates our understanding of the nature and function of symbols in our lives. How we perceive, what we know, what we experience, and how we act are the results of our own symbol use and that of those around us; rhetoric is a term that captures all of these processes.  Rhetoric is the human use of symbols to communicate”(Foss 1).  Foss’s definition of rhetoric to me means that it is an understanding of everything that has to do with communication.  It is how one recognizes communication.  An example of rhetoric can be used in this blog I am writing.  It is what makes this writing interesting or boring.  It is how you write or get your point across. 

 

b.) “Rhetoric is the art of conveying a point in a convincing, eloquent, and effective way. Rhetoric is what makes some writing beautiful and other writing bland”(Flemming 1).

 

     “Rhetoric is generally understood to be the art or technique of persuasion through the use of oral, visual, or written language. However, this definition has expanded greatly since rhetoric emerged as a field of study in universities”(www.wikipedia.org).

 

Works Cited

 

Flemming, Grace.  “What is Rhetoric?” 8 Jan 2008

     <http://homeworktips.about.com/od/englishhomework/qt/rhetoric.htm> 

Foss, Sonja, et al. Contemporary Perspectives on Rhetoric

 www.wikipedia.org.  Rhetoric.  8 Jan 2008.

      <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhetoric>