Rhetoric and Civic Life | Matt Mouck

Image Courtesy of BrainDecides Did you know that 83% of Penn State students have watched How I Met Your Mother? If you're a part of that 17%, perhaps you are now contemplating watching it to see why so many people here have. The figure is powerful and I could use it to try and argue for you to watch the show if you haven't. Of course, that statistic is fabricated and is actually a reference to the show as Barney Stinson consistently chooses that percentage when trying to win an argument. This small exercise was a reminder that although factual statements seem always trustworthy because they are presented as facts, sometimes manipulation occurs. But, when credible statistics are actually implemented into an argument, the argument gains momentum and it is more easily accepted by the audience. The 83% was a statistic which falls under the umbrella term logos, which is the rhetorical device that relies on reasoning. Logos often serves as the backbone of arguments. The reaso...

Image Courtesy of HannaPritchett The artifact I have chosen is an advertisement by Coca Cola, a company whose product we are all intimately familiar with because of its ubiquitous presence in restaurants and social gatherings. The advertisement was aired during the Super Bowl, the most viewed television event every year and indubitably a defining feature of American culture. The advertisement received backlash from the conservative spectrum for "America the Beautiful" being sung in languages other than English. This artifact is integral to study because the reaction to the advertisement was immediate and divisive, thus cementing this commercial as a snapshot of America in the early 21st century. It engages its audience to be civic with subtlety rather than blatantly asking individuals to accept the diverse culture of America. Indeed, it achieves its civic engagement by demonstrating the beauty of the current America with all of its backgrounds. Instead of directly as...

Passion Blog Idea #1: This Writer Deserves a Participation Trophy In my 11th grade AP English Language and Composition class, we wrote a couple of satirical pieces throughout the years. Writing those pieces was some of the best moments in the class as everyone had tears in their eyes from intense laughing. I have been looking for the opportunity to exercise satirical muscles once again, and I see this course as a potential answer. This is blog that shifts current events or current problems into a satirical light. through the lenses of iGeneration (or at least from the perspective of someone from the iGeneration). The main vehicle for the satire will be stories and situations that are presented as facts, but are in actuality fabrication to demonstrate the irrationality of reality. These blog will experiment with different types of satire but will typically focus on Horatian satire rather than Juvenalian satire. The choice to focus on Horatian satire is due to the audience, as the aud...