Chapitre Deux.

All right. So this chapter is all about pathos, something that was drilled into my head all throughout high school. To my understanding, pathos is pretty much anything that evokes pity. Basically, that's it.
Anyways, chapter 2 of EA throws all sorts of examples of pathos out at its opening. Apparently, this is why we buy old cars or weird clothing. It says we do these things because we fall in love minute details in whatever object it is. In most cases, these arguments are only successful because people are acting on impulse, a sort of knee-jerk reaction-type thing. "OH! That shirt has a great color to it!" Once you have the shirt at home, yeah, the color's nice, but you start to realize other things about it. Eventually, you come to the conclusion that the shirt you picked out is horrendous.
It's pretty obvious as to how emotional arguments function: they appeal to our emotions. It works the same way with powerful people. If they want more people to be behind them, to like them, they're going to center their speeches around things that affect people emotionally, while still (hopefully) getting their message across. This is precisely how Obama gained so many followers (no, not on tumblr:( ). Right from the get-go, Obama based his whole self around HOPE. Hope was just what everyone needed after the last presidency, and Obama held to that.
Emotional arguments don't always need words to make them powerful. Moving pictures or videos can have extreme effects on people without using a single word. Sometimes, though, words are necessary for understanding the argument.
Okay, now humor, my favorite:) Humor can be added to an argument, when necessary, to "tenderize them meat." When utilizing humor, an argument can be much more easily accepted, or at least more easily heard. It's like breaking the ice when you meet new people. "New to this argument? Here's a joke! Now you can choke the rest down."

Finally, you don't want your audience to be reduced to tears from your argument. Yeah, you're supposed to toy with their emotions a little, but there's a fine line between appealing to certain emotions and manipulating them.

So, I don't think you need to watch this video to know what it's about. And how it destroys your heart. This stupid commercial has an astounding effect on people's emotions. I cried the first time I saw it. Between Sarah McLachlan's voice and the little clips of poor abused animals, I was hysterical. I'm sure plenty of you were to, so shut up.
Yeah, so if this isn't a good example of arguing using pathos, Lawd help me, I don't know what is.

Chapter 14: Visual Arguments

WELL! In case you were wondering, chapter 14 of Everything's an Argument is about visual arguments! :O
The chapter discusses the power that visual arguments can have, whether it be strong or weak. Visual arguments take the phrase "a picture's worth a thousand words," and take it to a complete other level. Words aren't always needed in visual arguments; they can be extremely powerful with or without them. Another section in the chapter discusses how to analyze visual elements of arguments. THEN, it gets into "Using Visuals in Your Own Arguements," emotional appeal in visual arguments, visual arguments based on character. This chapter pretty much just picks visual arguments apart in their entirety, breaking them down for a better understanding of how they work, how they can be effective, etc.

The section on "The Power of Visual Arguments" held my attention the most, so I'll go a little more in depth on that one. Right away, the sections gets into important memories, horrific and not, including 9/11,  Hurricane Katrina, and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Visuals can have influence us greatly, and sometimes, they "pack more punch than words." The idea of using visuals started in ancient times in Egypt. Other examples are used to show just how pervasive visuals and visual arguments are becoming. Once graphic computers came around, production of visuals skyrocketed. In visuals, "them medium is the message" They're starting to take the stage more than words.

This just goes to prove that a visual argument can be simple, even poorly made, but can still hold quite a bit of power. I don't think this one was a legitimate argument posted somewhere important to fight for the legalization of marijuana, but whoever made it is getting their point across just as clearly as anyone else would be able to do it.

HELLO ALL.

I'm Aaron with the long last name! I'm a huge Harry Potter and Legend of Zelda nerd. I have Hermione's wand and an Elder Wand. GET ON MAH LEVEL. A HUGE part of my life is volleyball. I actually used to play for ASU, but after a huge amount of though, I decided that I shouldn't continue on the team. School was growing far too stressful for me to juggle volleyball and my workload.

ANYWAYS. I played the violin for 11 years. Took lessons and everything, but that didn't last. I don't really play at all anymore. I kinda miss it.. :( I traveled all over for orchestra: California multiple times, New York, Austria, etc. Those were all GREAT experiences. I've also been to Turkey, but that was for vacation to visit my family.

I enjoy Asian food. And boba. If you don't know that is, look it up. BEST THING EVER.

I already run a fantastic blog. Tumblr<3 Just ask Brooke, my blog's fantastic. I'm just a bit obsessed. Okay, back to Zelda/Harry Potter! You will never love either of these things more than I do.

I wrote one of my essays on Zelda last semester. True story. Ask Monica:)
Harry Potter is practically my religion, so yeah..
I'm the youngest of  3 children. I have two older sisters: Lisa and Tanya. They're extremely mehhh.
Okay, I'm done rambling about myself.. This better post this time.

I don't know what I'm doing..

TUMBLR FTW.