Wrapping up the Semester

Looking back at my English 1213 class that I took this semester with Mr. Paul Mitchell, I must say that I have grown a great deal as a writer, a student, and a person. I have viewed the world like I never have before and learned to appreciate the written word so much more than I did before taking this course.
We were given a lot of freedom in our writing, which I’ve never really experienced in school. We were given a set of very general instructions and asked to come up with a subject and kind of put it together as we choose. For example, the first assignment, the ad analysis, was difficult for me because I had to find an ad that I felt strongly enough for or against to analyze, and put it on my own blog, when I had never blogged. I found a Macbook ad that has a picture of a Macbook, on a white background with the words “Only Pocket Change” and $849 on it. I found this ad very offensive because besides the very wealthy, $849 is a very significant chunk of cash for most people. This assignment was very hard for me because I felt like I was somehow going to do something wrong, but when I finally just did it, my product was even impressive to me.
I also learned that writing must be a perfect balance of pathos, logos, and ethos. We were encouraged to interpret each of these components into our own words. The component that I struggled with expressing most throughout the semester is ethos. To me, ethos has to do with the personality of the writer. A writer must be likeable to the audience to be most effective. Our second assignment, the research assignment, I researched the effects of technology on education. I was very curious to see these effects because with my major being education, I want each and every one of my students to strive. I researched case studies of "Accelerated Reader" and "Study Island," two prominent online tutoring programs. I found that technology is actually very beneficial to education by helping increase standardized test scores. When I received my paper back, Mr. Mitchell had written that, “I presented good facts but not enough ethos.” I believe that this was because I was so concerned with proving my theory that I forgot that my audience has to like me as an author. Throughout the rest of the semester, I continued to work on expressing ethos, pathos, and logos equally in my writing. While I do not believe that I do this perfectly yet, my writing will become better over time if I continue to work with it.
One assignment that I enjoyed the challenge of was the Rogerian Argument, the last big writing assignment. I argued vegetarian versus non-vegetarian points of view on their eating habits. The fact that I am a vegetarian gives me insight to why vegetarians think their diet is better, and by the sheer amount of disputes I’ve had with people who eat meat, I can see where they come from also. I did not become vegetarian for any reason, I was raised that way so it’s just the norm for me, therefore I took a middle stance in my paper, showing both sides why the other side thinks the way they do. I proposed that its not really what we eat that makes us unhealthy, it’s the quality of what we eat that hurts us; so maybe going organic is the best way to be healthier.
Out of everything I learned and was challenged by though, I believe the most important lesson goes back to ethos, expressing what kind of person you are through the written word. This lesson is something I will take with me through my college career and into real-life situations.

Preoccupied Driving

Every time I drive, I seem to see someone do something stupid, such as swerving into another lane, almost rear end someone, or having to take an exit last minute because they almost miss it, all because they are too preoccupied. Although texting is the main distraction that the media focuses on, people are distracted by so much more when they drive. I have passed people doing things such as applying makeup, eating, playing with their radio, searching for items under or behind seats, reading directions, or just paying too much attention to their passengers. These distractions tend to be very dangerous and cause so many accidents that could be prevented.
Just today, I was driving home from work and there was a fairly bad accident on the opposite side of the highway, traffic on my side of the highway was moving pretty slowly due to onlookers. Traffic picked up for just a second before it came to a sudden halt and a car in the lane next to me smashed into the back of the truck in front of him. The driver of the car had been texting while driving and looked up too late to react to the sudden stop of the traffic flow. Most, if not all distractions we face on the road are very preventable. For instance, if you are unsure of where you are going or if you drop an item in your car, pull over to read directions or to find your lost item, if you want to talk, get a hands free headset and talk on the phone as opposed to texting, and give yourself enough time to get ready and eat before you leave. Taking the proper steps to safer driving will make the roads a lot safer for every driver

Unfair Testing

Government is not my strong suit. In fact, I hate it so much, that I put off taking the course for three semesters. I finally took it this semester, my fourth semester, so I can become a full-admit into my college in the fall. The entire semester was a struggle for me. I hated going to class, I hated taking notes, I could not stand reading the book and studying for it, but I did whatever needed to be done to get it over with.
Despite all of the preparation and all-nighters I pulled before every test, I would do horribly every time, not passing a single exam. The only thing that kept my grade around passing throughout the semester was the paper that we were required to write, which I made an "A" on, and the attendance points I would receive at the end of the semester for not exceeding my alotted absences. With all of my work averaged together, I had to make an 88/135, or a 65% on the final to make a "C" in the class. Considering that this is a higher score than I had received on any of the previous three exams, this would be a task.
I was bound and determined to pass this course, or else I'd be sitting in summer school, when I have way better things to do. I started cracking down and studying hard about a week before my exam. I studied for at least three hours everyday. The weekend before my test, which was at 8 o'clock Monday morning, I studied for 15 hours and pulled an all-nighter the night before. By the time I walked into my test, I was confident that I knew the material like the back of my hand.
I sit down and begin. I flew through the first page and onto the second page and realized that many of these questions weren't worded very fairly. They would ask questions such as "Which of these answers is MOST correct?" There was more than one correct answer on several of the questions. This is not fair. It seems to me that the answer that is "most correct" to one person, may not seem "most correct" to another. The "most correct" answer could almost be considered one's opinion. How am I supposed to know what answer my professor wants? Afterall, more than one of the answer choices is stated in the book.
I have not received my grade for the test yet, but I'm very scared to find out how I did. Why would a pofessor do this to his students? Because of the fact that he expected me to read his mind, I could be sitting in summer school for part of my summer to make a passing grade for this course by August.

A Weekend Without Technology

Over the weekend, I went home with my best friend to Locust Grove, Oklahoma. My friend lives about two miles up a dirt road on a lot of land off of a lake. I figured that this was the perfect opportunity to go without my cell phone for the weekend. Anyone who knows me well knows that my cell phone basically stays attached to my hand at all times, so my decision to go without it for a whole weekend was epic. When we arrived at her house, I turned my cell phone off and left it in the car. Typically, when I do not have my cell phone available, such as when I’m working, I feel anxious, as if I’m missing something important. Surprisingly, I did not feel as if I was missing anything the entire weekend! It felt really good to not have to answer people trying to get a hold of me. I feel as if i learned so much about my friend and her family by being able to give them my undivided attention all weekend. I got to ride four wheelers, go down to the lake and swim and fish, and ride horses all weekend. It was probably one of the best weekends I've ever had.

The only downfall of this experiment was that when I turned my phone back on, I received about 60 text messages and a few people were a little upset that I was unreachable, thinking that I had been ignoring them all weekend. I wouldn't have a problem doing this more often but next time I plan on telling people what I'm doing to avoid and hurt feelings.

Macbooks for the Wealthy?

While shopping for a laptop, whether for an educational, work, or personal purpose, many people’s first choice is the Apple Macbook. This could be due to a variety of reasons: its susceptibility to few or no viruses, the sleek design, Apple’s reputation of good quality, or simply the bandwagon effect; people see that “everyone else” has one, so naturally, they want one as well. Whatever it is that attracts people to this product  has made Apple one of the most successful companies in the world.

The media also plays a significant part in the consumer’s decision-making process.  Apple spends millions of dollars on advertising each year on posters, magazine or Internet ads, and radio or television commercials, ensuring that their products maintain an edge over any other company’s. These advertisements are meant to draw in an audience as broad as possible to sell whichever piece of technology is being promoted. I came across one advertisement in particular, though, which I felt did the exact opposite; I felt as if it was meant for a very specific audience. The ads for the Macbook typically compare the Mac and the PC, show off the design that cannot be found anywhere else, or exhibit the new and advanced technology they have to offer. This ad’s main focus, though, didn’t appear to be on the product itself, but the price.

During the time of which this advertisement ran, Apple had, for a limited time, marked down the price of their white thirteen inch Macbook from $999 to $849. This advertisement is a poster, or possibly an ad in a magazine. There is nobody speaking to the audience, therefore, the visual representations say everything, and don’t always say the same things to everyone. The symbols used are simply the Apple logo, in gray, and a picture of the white laptop overlapping. The Apple icon is the largest symbol used in the advertisement. This may seem a bit peculiar at first, but is actually a very clever marketing strategy, considering Apple’s credibility and universal fame. As soon as someone sees the apple with a missing bite, they automatically associate that product with the most up to date software, and the technology of tomorrow. The background is also white and the only color used is in the background on the screen of the laptop. This background is not only the factory set default background on any Macbook, but also very new age in appearance, which is desirable for anyone looking to invest in a laptop. The purpose of only incorporating color on the computer background is to draw the main focus directly onto what is being advertised. The only wording (large enough to read without a struggle) used on the ad is the price of $849, in the bottom right hand corner, and slogan placed directly in front of the picture, which states, “almost, pocket change.”

This slogan, I found very disturbing and offensive. While $150 is a significant discount, the price still being asked is nowhere near “pocket change” for the average person. In fact, I personally spent my whole summer before I went off to college working and saving every dime to purchase this piece of technology. Quite frankly, the amount saved is closer to pocket change than the price being asked.  It almost seems as if Apple is reaching out towards a more wealthy audience, who has a more significant amount of disposable income.

The ad didn’t say anything like “save $150 for a limited only,” which would have reached out to the average college student or their parents, who are already going to be making such a huge investment on the college education itself, or the blooming entrepreneur who is trying to launch his new business. After all, why not save your money and purchase a comparable laptop from another company for half the price? Apple failed to include the reason why most people, myself included, choose to purchase the Macbook; it has something for everyone. The software capabilities are incredible, fun for work and play; you can literally do almost anything on this laptop. Not to mention, the ease of the incapability to contract a virus that will destroy your unit is enough to persuade a potential buyer in its own. Apple instead, opts to focus strictly on the financial aspect. The idea that they think of $849 as just “pocket change” is a slap in the face for those of us who work long and hard for our money and don’t have a couple grand laying around at any given time, to be spent on whatever we please.

It is understandable that every company is trying to make their money to stay afloat, but a more effective marketing method would be to reach out to the commonality, which is the middle class, blue or white collared worker. In advertisement, it is important to consider how your audience will analyze your ad and if it could be offensive to potential consumers. Although Apple likely had only good intentions while producing the slogan for this ad, not everyone will interpret the message the way the creators intended it to be taken. Because of the failure to consider this, Apple has likely given off a snobbish, high and mighty vibe to a pretty substantial part of its audience. Although it is just one offensive ad out of many strongly structured ones, the affects on the audience can be very difficult, or even impossible to reverse.