Response to Opinion Writer (Due Monday, 9-14-15)
This summer, you were asked to choose one opinion writer whose work you will read and examine this trimester. For the writer you have chosen to follow and study, please write one developed paragraph reflecting on the following:
1. Does the writer primarily focus on local issues? National issues? World issues?
2. Does the writer primarily focus on political, social, sports, or other issues?
3. What persuasive techniques do they often rely on in their writing: research/support; logical, ethical, or emotional appeals; repetition of key words and ideas; diction; syntax; figurative language, etc.
In your paragraph response (blog response), MAKE SURE YOU do the following:
- Identify the writer.
- Provide the primary publication he or she writes for.
- Explain/present his or her primary focus (topic/subject for which to write).
- Identify his or her dominant persuasive techniques.
- Provide two specific quotes from the writing that support the writer's use of the persuasive techniques you identified.
Rebekah Halley
ReplyDeleteMeghan Daum is currently an opinion writer for the Los Angeles Times. Her columns can be found every Thursday in the Op-Ed section. Though she mostly focuses on national ideas/issues she is often found writing about issues important to her. Her opinions are real and well structured. Aiming at social problems in the life of Americans today she expresses her opinions on things like the “Facebook Rainbow” and the Women’s choice to have children. Daum uses facts and history to back up her statements without people even realizing she is giving her opinion. For example in one article she acknowledges a recent hate spiral on parents who name their kids Atticus and instead of saying “I think this because… and you should too” she explains what's good about the name and counters other's arguments by introducing names that are far worse. For example, “ With Atticus, there’s something about the way the consonants roll off the tongue that makes the name especially satisfying to say out loud”. Daum also tends to use irony in her articles to make them more interesting. During the same article explaining her opinion on names she continues to expand by saying it's not the first name that really matters but the last name. She supports this by explaining that presidents campaign with and are known for their last names. She then ends her article with the statement “Guess what girl name has been inching up in popularity in recent years. Nixon.”. Along with irony, using facts, and contradicting other arguments Daum successfully uses all of the language tricks including metaphors, similes, and repetition.
Rachel Rohlwing
ReplyDeleteThe writer I chose for this summer’s reading assignment is Anna Holmes. She writes for the New York Times and for her blog Jezebel. Anna publishes articles about world issues that affect society. Her primary focus is to raise awareness for those who are discriminated or looked down on for their choices. The articles I chose include topics such as feminism, racial discrimination, and the stereotype of women who chose not to have kids. Her persuasive techniques in these articles include imagery, emotional appeals, celebrities and the roles they play in society, and memories of these topics happening to her. The article she wrote for feminism titled “The Disposable Woman” highlights Charlie Sheen’s appearance on a late night talk show where he was questioned about his morals and ethics involving abuse. “Mr. Morgan inquired, “Have you ever hit a woman?”(Holmes) Although Mr. Sheen answered no his actions show a completely different answer. For example “In 19990 he accidentally shot his fiancee at the time, the actress Kelly Preston, in the arm”(Holmes). And in the article written about racial discrimination titles “America’s Post Racial Fantasy” Holmes describes that “Sometimes identifying as black feels like a choice; other times, it is a choice made for me.”(Holmes) Being a biracial citizen in the American society can make someone feel lonely, awkward, or out of place. Holmes highlights this by drawing feelings from her early adulthood life that impacted the way she saw herself as a human being.
Skylar Beavers
ReplyDeleteLincoln Steffens was one of the original muckrakers in 1904 and wrote on national issues in McClure's magazine. Steffens main focus was on political corruption throughout the entire nation and ranged from a variety of topics. The biggest theme that rings throughout all of his writing is the "big business man", and how "Whatever prospers my business is good, it must be. Whatever hinders it is wrong, it must be." Along with repetition of key themes Steffens writes with logical appeal to go along with his research of corrupted individuals. The articles written by Lincoln Steffens were put into a collection called "The Shame Of The Cities", in which political machines were studied heavily along with the lives of those government officials who ran them. "The machine controls the whole process of voting, and practices fraud at every stage. The assessor's list is the voting list, and the assessor is the machine's man." The article that was taken from is about the political machine in Philadelphia and how everything was in a continuous loop. This goes along with the big business man not being hindered because the cycle was almost always in full motion. Steffens traveled all over the country examining many political machines and publishing articles appealing to citizens morality.
Andrea Zielke
ReplyDeleteDavid Brooks is an American Conservative and a cultural commentator who writes for the New York Times. In 2003 he became an Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times. His columns can be seen every Tuesday and Friday. David Brooks discusses many world issues that have a large impact on today's society. His opinions are unique and broad, but real. He voices his opinions in a very relatable way; you almost feel like you're in a private conversation with him. The articles I picked include topics like gratuity, building attention span, and increasing the minimum wage. Topics that myself, and a lot of people in today's society can relate to. His use of emotional appeals, creating parallels, and using his own personal experiences appear a lot in his writing.
One article he wrote titled "Building Attention Span" talks about how the internet is like a drug taking over attention spans of a lot of minds in our world. Brooks writes "...online life nurtures fluid intelligence and offline life is better at nurturing crystallizing intelligence." When you're online you have the ability to decide when you're bored and when to automatically move on to the next topic that intrigues your mind. It's like a switch in you're brain that decides when it's on and when it's off. Fluid intelligence is more a skill that is current and in the moment. In contrast, when you're offline, you have time to yourself instead of being connected to the outside world, you aren't worried about other people. You have the ability to affectively use your knowledge that has been stored in long-term memory. That being said, Brooks states "Crystallized intelligence accumulates over the years and leads ultimately to understanding and wisdom." Throughout this column he is making a parallel to describe how online life is like attending a party, and offline life is more like being a member of a book club. He closes with my favorite statement: "The online world is brand new, but it feels more fun, effortless and natural than the offline world of reading and discussion." His whole article ties into how more and more people are so invested in the outside world. The euphoria that is received from the vibration of a phone is now more important than conversing with your mom. Social skills are now being hindered from the internet, that you can't even fathom holding a conversation.
As you know i also chose david brooks as my columnist and i think you are misinterpreting his writing style. Now i went back and read the article but i dont think that it is all about how bad and addictive the internet has become. i think that Brooks is trying to warn us of its danger or give a simple suggestion to a better alternative. Much like the label on a cigaret box, " this is bad for you, but if you really want to we cant stop you so go ahead.
DeleteI chose Carter Roberts as my opinion writer, who primarily writes for the WWF (World Wide Fund for nature) but has also written for CNN, where I first found and read his articles. He is the president and CEO of the WWF and often writes about conservation issues concerning North America, or the entire world. He elicits emotion often in the forms of pity and compassion for the animals that are disappearing from earth or being mistreated in other forms by people on a whole. "2013 was the worst year for these butterflies in recorded history. Now people are talking about the migration disappearing altogether." He often points a finger at the people on a whole being uncaring and inactive when dealing with real threats to endangered species. An unprecedented global crime wave threatens the most important natural places on Earth and we are failing in our efforts to stop it.
ReplyDeleteRiley Beronja
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Drew is an author and opinion writer who primarily writes for The New York Review of Books. Her main focus is to review novels and publications, however, she also writes quite a bit about national politics. In her political writings, Drew often uses many emotional and ethical appeals to persuade the readers to see her point of view. In her article How Money Runs Our Politics, she says "Fortunately for the candidates, given the way the benefits of the economy are concentrated there's an adequate supply of billionaires-- people who enjoy investing in a candidate, in whom they may actually believe, and whose gratitude would be mos useful if that candidate were to win." Drew is aware that our nation is made up of mainly middle class workers and she appeals to them by focusing on the down side of the upper class and money in our politics. She makes her position very clear and uses appeals that she knows will force others to see it her way. She does sometimes use research to back her writing, but more often than not she relies on her ability to use ethics and emotions. In her article Big Dangers for the Next Election, Drew discusses that fact that "[One way to look at this is that] in 2012, 700,000 people voted on those early voting days that were later cut; and 100,000 voters, almost one third of whom were black had previously been able to register to vote on the same day." She researched the numbers and used her results to support her ideas about how our voting statistics would change in our upcoming election.
The oppinion writer I chose was Clive Crook, from Bloomberg News. Mr.Crook dosent focus on ine area of the world, he writes about world wide issues. However the articles that I read were ones aout Germany and Europe. The persuasive technique he mostly uses is the use of logical appeals, for example "German Finance Minister Wolfgan Schaeuble continues to declare that Greece had an assistance program and yet their economy still fails." and, "That Germany has done enough to help, but will continue to." I chose to reacd the ones about Europe because I found them most relateable.
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ReplyDeleteMaddie Mougalian
ReplyDeleteThe opinion writer that I chose to use is Ellen Goodman. She is mainly an opinion writer and a commentator. Her main topic for her writing is based on her own experiences. When she writes about political or national events, her big persuasive technique that she uses in her writing is to use many different facts that supports her side of the argument. She also uses a lot of other writer's quotes that agree with her, so the reader knows that she is not the only one with this opinion. One article if Ellen's that I picked out was entitled "Caitlyn Jenner needs to grow up". One example from "Caitlyn Jenner needs to grow up" of Ellen using a quote from another writer is "In Jon Stewart's words: 'It's really heartening to see that everyone is willing to not only accept Caitlyn Jenner as a woman but to waste np time in treating her like a woman. You see, Caitlyn, when you were a man, we could talk about your athleticism, your business acumen. But now you're a woman and your looks are really the only thing we care about" (Ellen Goodman). Another article that I picked out was entitled "How to Talk About Dying". One example from "How to Talk About Dying" of Ellen using facts in her writing is "About two-thirds of the nearly 300,000 people who have come to our website download the starter kit" (Ellen Goodman).
For my opinion writer i chose to do Ellen Goodman as well. I agree that she is mainly an opinion writer and comentator that writes about political and national events, as well as her own experiences. She used the technique of including other authors quotes. It gives the reader not only Goodmans opinion but other authors opinions as well. I happened to pick the same to articles that Maddie and the way she writes her articles, she is able to voice her opinion in a way that is strongly opinionated but without being offensive to others.
DeleteFrank Bruni is currently an author and opinion writer who for the most part writes for New York Times. He focuses more on national issues. The three articles of his that I chose to look deeper into were about animals dignity around the country, all about teaching and how it's going downhill, and Alzheimer's and the awareness around the U.S. His technique of persuading people is his logical appeals. For example, "Nationally, enrollment in teacher preparation programs dropped by 30 percent between 2010 and 2014." and "According to Alzheimer's Association, and advocacy group, the estimated number of Americans with the disease will rise from more than five million now to as many 16 million in 2050, and the cost of caring for them and older Americans with other forms of dementia could reach $1.2 trillion annually." I found myself being able to relate well to a lot of his writing which makes me even more interested in him.
ReplyDeleteDavid Stults
ReplyDeleteThe opinion columnist that I chose to follow this summer was Colbert I. King, who writes for The Washington Post. He primarily writes on National and World Issues, focuing on political, social, and some sports. He uses a variety of persuasive techniques in his writing but the ones I noticed most commonly was using many different quotes to present first person information and offer references. One such example, "But as Popeye said: 'I yam what I yam.' " King also does a good job presenting relevant information, "Political offense of that scale is particularly open to penalty. But Obama is bigger than that."
ReplyDeleteGeorge Will is a conservative columnist for the Washington Post, Newsweek, and Fox News. He primarily focuses on national political issues, but also applies his conservative views on an international scale. Will often uses statistics to persuade his readers. Regarding America’s War on Drugs he said ”More Mexicans have died in drug-related violence- 100,000 in 10 years; overall more than twice the number of American fatalities in Vietnam” (Will 1.) This appeals to readers because they are presented with numeric evidence that Will can compare to something Americans will relate to. In this instance, it was the Vietnam War. George Will also uses emotional appeals to persuade his audience. In one article called Affirming a Right To Die, Will tells the story of Brittany Maynard, a brain cancer patient who was seeking physician assistance in dying. Will writes “There is nobility in suffering bravely borne, but also in affirming at the end the distinctive human dignity of autonomous choice” (Will 2.) Will recognized that many Americans are affected by cancer, and uses this to relate his story and draw emotional interest into his work.
The opinion writer that I chose was Adam Serwer, who writes primarily for BuzzFeed News. Serwer writes about some of the social issues in the United States. One of the persuasive techniques that Serwer uses is diction. In his article on why the Confederate Flag is being taken down Serwer says, “Slavery was the cause of the war, white supremacy was the cornerstone of Confederate society, the individual valor of Confederate soldiers cannot hide that the cause for which they fought was one of the worst in human history, their defeat was not solely due to the North’s structural advantages, and they — not the Union — were the aggressors.” The way Serwer words his articles makes you believe that what he is saying is the truth and that he is very confident in what he is saying, which makes the reader confident in his work as well. Serwer also uses research to make his argument in his articles. In the following quote Serwer is speaking on the Baltimore Riots that occurred in April of 2015, “According to arecent report by the Prison Policy Initiative, 7 out of 10 Baltimore residents who are incarcerated in state prison are from neighborhoods where nearly half of residents between driving age and retirement are unemployed.” When an article includes statistics in it many are more likely to believe what is said throughout the article. With diction and research Serwer is bringing social injustices to light.
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ReplyDeleteTiffany Cummings
The opinion writer I chose to examine this trimester is Charles M. Blow, his primary publication he writes for is The New York Times. Most of his work focuses on National issues that are political and social. Blow relies on research as a main persuasive technique, in one of his articles he talks about the bias on skin color and he names statistics about interracial marriages.
“About 15 percent of all new marriages in the united States in 2010 were between spouses of a different race or ethnicity from one another, more than double the share in 1980.”
He also focuses on ethical and emotional appeal techniques in his writing, for example in one of his articles he talks about the moral responsibility of poverty among children. “But surely we can all agree that no child, once born, should suffer through poverty. Surely we can all agree that working to end child poverty - or at least severely reduce it - is a moral obligation of a civilized society.”
His primary topic of focus in his writing is exposing the discrimination of African Americans and those who are underprivileged in the United States.
Jessie Beilby
ReplyDeleteThe opinion writer I chose was Ellen Goodman. Earlier in her career she worked for Newsweek magazine, Detroit Free Press and The Boston Globe. In 2001 she announced her retirement but continues to write opinion articles. Her primary focus seems to be national issues, such as the latest big news. For example she writes of Caitlyn Jenner, “But as an (even) older woman, may I add a little something to the sexism? A little ageism perhaps? May I ask why Caitlyn couldn't come out as a 65-year-old woman rather than a 25-year-old starlet?” (Goodman). Ellen states what she believes and has a great way to doing that without being too straightforward. But along with that she writes of personal and touching stories, social stories, that seem to have a realization effect of them. “Too many people we love had not died in the way they would choose. Too many survivors were left feeling depressed, guilty, uncertain whether they’d done the right thing” (Goodman). Ellen talks of the struggle of how to handle the situation of what to do with your loved ones after they pass. The article is about something that many people don’t want to talk about but Ellen talks about the importance of it. She largely uses a sense of maturity to her writing which helps her not necessarily be persuasive, which isn’t her main reason for her writing, but to get her thoughts and ideas out there in a reasonable way that will not affect people in a bad way.
Reid Williams
ReplyDeleteI chose to follow the writings and columns of David Brooks. David is a columnist for the New York times. He writes about a large variety of topics but generally can be confined to politics, culture and the social sciences. I have found that David's key persuasive technique is inclusion. When he writes, he gives examples that almost any one reading can agree on and say "yes that is bad, he must be right"
"The first beheadings of Americans had the power to shock, but since then there has been a steady barrage of inhumanity: mass executions of Christians and others, throwing gay men from rooftops, the destruction of ancient archaeological treasures" he includes Americans, gays, Christians and archaeological treasures all in one small paragraph for almost anyone there is at least one thing they can agree on in this Exert. This is David’s key component for persuading his readers. “This is happening in the moral sphere. State-sponsored slavery seemed like a thing of the past, but now ISIS is an unapologetic slave state. Yazidi women are carefully cataloged, warehoused and bid upon." Again we can see how David combines multiple things that a majority of readers can agree on in his piece. Even though they are agreeing on how terrible the subject is, that as a matter of fact makes the agreement stronger because people form stronger bonds over agreeing on something that is bad vs good.
Madison Elwell
ReplyDeleteThe opinion writer that I chose was Laura Bates. Laura Bates is a British writer. She was the one to find the Everyday Sexism Project. She also contributes to the New York-based, Women Under Siege Project. She published a book, called Her Everyday Sexismwas. Lastly, she writes frequently for The Guardian. The Guardian is where I printed three of her recent articles. Her primary focus is directed forwards sexism, life & style. For example, in her article The impact of sexual harassment goes far beyond the incident, she writes "Sexism isn't just about individual events, but about their knock-on impact - how they change the way an individual moves through the world."(Bates 1) Another quote that I thought supported her use of persusive techiques, in the same article, was "Women who have been harassed repeatedly report that their behavior and confidence is affected, and they experience distress and anxiety, yet society continues to focus on the actions of victims and not the perpetrators."(Bates 2) I found Laura's writing interesting and I find these topics interesting. A few of her articles are very easy to relate to.
Stephanie Rauhoff
ReplyDeleteMy opinion columnist is Margaret Sullivan, an opinion columnist for the New York Times. Sullivan's work focuses on political and social issues. For example, my favorite article of hers is title "Double Fault in Article on Serena Williams and Body Image?" which talks about the flaws of judging Serena Willams' body type, which other columnists have done. Sullivan persuades her readers when writing by using the research and support technique. Using the same article as above, Sullivan pulled from a series of sources to persuade her readers. For example, she pulled from peoples' twitter accounts such as J.K. Rowling, who posted a picture and a comment. She also quotes others on what they have said to arouse readers to hate the other side. "I talked Monday morning to Mr. Rothenberg, who said he was “disappointed and surprised” by the negative reaction." This is just an example of the type of writing you can find in some of Margaret Sullivan's fantastic persuasive columns.
Samantha Ergang
ReplyDeleteDavid Brooks has been an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times since September 2003. He is also a teacher at Yale University and the author of “Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There,” “On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (And Always Have) in the Future Tense,” and “The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement.” Mr. Brooks typically writes on both National and World issues that have to do with politics, culture, and social sciences. He uses facts and statistics to back up his opinions as well as the use of his experience, creating both logical and emotional appeals. Brooks writes, “As a journalist, I can tell you that when I put a notebook or a camera between me and my subjects, I am creating distance between me and them.” He appeals to the reader by making them feel as if they are friends. The three articles written by Brooks that I reviewed included editorials on racism, minimum wage, and privacy regarding police brutality and cop-cams. One remark Brooks used regarding minimum wage was, “You can’t impose costs on some without trade-offs for others. You can’t intervene in the market without unintended consequences.” He uses logic, along with his own opinion to make the reader think about what their own opinion on the topic may be.
I also picked David Brooks for my opinion writer. I really enjoy his use of emotional and logical appeals as well. By using those two tactics, I feel that he relates really well to society. I also appreciate the fact that he uses facts and statistics to back up his opinion opposed to all opinion. Using facts and statistics is key whenever you're trying to persuade or relate to someone. Sammi and I didn't pick the same articles, but by reading some of the quotes she picked, exposed me to more of David Brooks's writing.
DeleteMaria Rochow
ReplyDeleteMaria Konnikova is a columnist, who primarily writes for the New Yorker. Maria focuses on science, but especially on the topic of psychology. Most of the time, her issues that she writes on are international. Konnikova uses a lot of different research and support from all different researchers and institutions that solidify her point as a persuasive writer. "In a series of conversations with sleep scientists this May, I was offered a glimpse of converging lines of inquiry that are shedding light on why such a significant part of our lives inert, with our eyes closed" (Konnikova 1). In her
articles she applies the use of repetition of popluar phrases to help get her point across. An example of this would be in one of her articles about how people are either early birds or night owls she writes, "The idea of the virtuous early bird goes back... Benjamin Franklin, of course, framed the statement in catchier terms: 'Early to Bed, and early to rise, makes a Man healthy, wealthy, and wise" (Konnikova 1). Maria is an intresting persuasive writer, who uses multipe persuasive techniques to make her writing very effective.
Alexa Belanger
ReplyDeleteI chose Ellen Goodman to be my opinion/columnist writer. She also is a commentator, speaker, and non profit leader. She primarily writes her articles about national or political issues. Her primary focus is to help you see her point of view and understand the way she thinks about different subjects. Ellen bases most of her work on fact but she also uses her strong opinion to persuade readers into taking sides. You are able to see her persuasive characteristics in her article “The Equal Rights Award” when she says “And so once more we gather to celebrate August 26th, the 93rd anniversary of that historic day when women finally won the right to vote. Our optimistic foremothers fervently believed that the vote would empower women to transform the world. Our generation is, well, a touch more skeptical. Indeed, we commemorate this day in our own quirky way by assigning our one-woman jury to give out the Equal Rites Awards to those folks who are still doing their best to take us backward. Ah, so many contenders, so few awards, so ... the envelopes please” (Ellen Goodman). Another expample of her persuasive scheme can be found in her article “Brittany Maynard: Choosing the Way A Life Ends” she states “There is no way to hear Brittany Maynard’s voice without being deeply touched. Tragically blindsided by brain cancer and a terminal diagnosis, Brittany has bravely decided to live large, to turn her terrible personal fate into a public story.She has grabbed hold of the narrative written in her MRI and transformed her role from victim to crusader. The world now knows how she moved to Oregon where a doctor could prescribe the life-ending pills that sit in her purse. This runner and mountain climber talks about the emotional “comfort” the pills provide as she decides to pre-empt fate and declare victory over the dread of suffering.Still, I’ve been uncomfortable watching this story go viral. In part, I fear that Brittany has become the latest pop-up tragedy. One week an ice bucket challenge for ALS, the next week a 29-year-old promising to pick her own death date for doctor-assisted suicide” (Ellen Goodman).
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DeleteI also used Ellen Goodman as my opinion writer. I lover her persuasive writing style. I also love that she writes about her opinion, but she also uses facts to back up her opinion. She also used other author's quotes to support her thoughts. The ways that she writes her articles are so persuasive that the reader would almost believes her opinion on the subject right away.
DeleteGraydon Carter is a Canadian-born opinion writer and columnist for Vanity Fair. Carter focuses primarily on national issues, one such example being the 2015 United States presidential election candidates, but also directs his attention to world issues, such as an anti-Putin punk group whose members were thrown into a gulag for two years. Focusing on social and political issues, he utilizes a idiosyncratic and personalizing diction that feels almost too familiar to journalism of the 2010s as his dominant technique. Beginning his column "Civil Rights and Civil Flights," carter personalizes his passage with a resounding 'you': "It's a courtroom saga that restores your faith in the American Judicial System," (Carter). In another column introduction, Carter uses unorthodox punctuation for effect: "So. The election." (Carter).
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