Cool-Hunting

Cool-hunting definitely has an impact on my life. I watch mtv pretty often, and it always focuses on the celebrities and what teens want to see. I listen to many different genres of music from rock to rap, and the artists have very different personalities. I also like to get on facebook and read celebrity magazines, which contain alot of gossip. I get involved in these activities because of cool-hunting. I'm a very social person so it is important to me to fit in and be "cool". For example, in one of my favorite shows "America's Next Top Model", the models are very skinny. Therefore, the perception of an American of normal weight is concidered "fat" in our society. Although it seems ridiculous, many teens listen to this-- including me-- because of cool-hunting.

Freewrite & Outline for Compare and Contrast Essay

Freewrite:

Photo 1- American Eagle Avertisement
*color (mostly blue)
*setting is outdoors in the grass
*text
*guy and girl laying down
*theme is love related
*matching clothing
*sells clothes for guys and girls

Photo 2- Hollister Co. Advertisement
*color (sepia)
*setting is beachy
*no text
*girl laying on guy on a surfboard
*theme is love/sex appeal related
*less clothing (beachwear + jeans)
*sells clothes for guys and girls


Outline:

I. Although the American Eagle and Hollister advertisements share the same goal, the American Eagle ad focuses more on the buyer's interest through the color, setting, and theme.

II. Color
A. American Eagle- Most prevailing color is blue
B. Hollister- Sepia

III. Setting
A. American Eagle- Outdoors, on the grass
B. Hollister- Beach, sand, surfboard

IV. Theme (Pathos)
A. American Eagle- More flirtatious with text
B. Hollister- More sensual with no text

V. American Eagle's clothes have more quality than Hollister's clothes and target a larger group of people.

Reflection

I definitely agree with the comments that were made about my paper. I noticed that I used very great examples in my writing, as well as a strong conclusion. However, I also have to agree that I could have used more detailed and specific wording, along with a more attention-grabbing introduction. I hope to improve drastically on these two main things in my Compare and Contrast essay. I will strive to do this by maybe confiding more in a thesaurus, and also read the powerpoint online to assist me in finding a "hook" for my introduction. My goal is to make my next essay as flawless as possible and also make it more interesting for the reader to enjoy.

Compare & Contrast

In the essay "Close the Borders to All Newcomers", the writer is clearly against immigration. James states that "the United States is headed for a crisis of incalculable magnitude" if we do not stop immigration. He proves this with many statistics. For example, he says that "there is an indication that between 45 million and 54 million people will be entering the U.S. in a little more than a generation". Throughout the decades, immigration has greatly increased. This also creates a problem of Americans losing their jobs. Many illegal immigrants cause more taxes for Americans, as well as contributing to bad health through energy use, toxic waste, and smog and urban crowding.

In the essay "Give Us Your Best, Your Brightest", the writer is for liberalizing immigration. Moore's first point was made by basically saying that the people who are against immigration are just viewing it as a stereotype. They don't truly see how immigrants have positively influenced our industries. He also explains that most immigrants entering the U.S. were said to be the "best, brightest, most energetic, and talented". If anything, the immigrants have helped the U.S. economy more than hurt. The diversity brings more benefits of technology, talents, and more. Moore also believes that the immigrants create more jobs for the Americans than taking them away. Even the illegal immigrants are not "the poverty-stricken and least skilled", surprisingly. So overall, the immigrants help improve our country more economically, and the amount of immigrants entering is increasing drastically.

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

The three rhetorical modes of persuasion are logos, pathos, and ethos. The first is logos, which appeals to reason. This advertisement's slogan underneath the picture says "Everything you do affects your children", which gives makes you believe it is true. The next is pathos and in this advertisement, it creates an emotion to make smokers feel bad about smoking so that it will not affect their children. The last is ethos, which appeals to character and authority. This advertisement uses the brand of Legos to show authority which expresses how smokers could influence their kids to also smoke. The logical fallacy used in this advertisement is the way it shows a bad message to kids by using Legos to create a picture of a cigarette. Some people may think it is wrong to show this kind of advertisement.

My Composing Process

I've noticed that when I sit down to write, I need to start out listening to music. My favorite type of music is something upbeat, such as pop or hip hop. It always gets me motivated enough to start. Another thing that affects my writing process is I like to be comfortable. I usually like to type my pieces of writing in my bed with my laptop. I also have a diary I keep in my room that I write in almost every night, which also motivates me. Being able to write about my life when I feel like letting out on paper is a great thing for me. I enjoy writing in my free time and usually write when I have alot on my mind.