english 1010 intro to writing
Describe course and page
Memoir
The Redneck Reunion
Over this past summer, June to be exact, my family had a reunion at our cabin. I was able to bring a friend up, so I chose my close friend Carson Lund. He’s like a brother. It was exciting, and the days leading up to it were like the night of Christmas Eve. As the days ticked down, the excitement would build. Every night before bed, I would get a little bit more energy thinking about the fun that was going to ensue until there were nights of no sleep.
I love going to my cabin, it is one my favorite places to go in this world. It’s where I can go when the world becomes too much. Where the light is brightest, air the crispest, and darkness that floods the night. That didn’t use to be the case, I hated how I always got so dirty all of the time I always thought there wasn’t anything to do, so I didn’t like it.
Over the years however, I have learned to love the nothingness.
This is a time where I get to go into nature and regroup and unscramble my brain, a time where I can be free and not care about the world. The day we were going up started out bad however, I had to work and that day wasn’t fun work. I headed to Energy Solutions Arena and when I tried to find parking, I couldn’t find a spot. Great my day already is going to suck I thought as I started my way towards the arena. As soon as I got inside I got a call from my manager saying he was going to be late. I didn’t think much of it but after an hour of waiting I was getting impatient.
Inside it was hot and sweaty, it was one of those June days where the heat cooks you and all you want to do is drink a ton of lemonade and just relax. At that point I was wondering if I was going to make it up to the cabin that day. This was making me frustrated (really why didn’t you just call me and tell me to come an hour later if this was going to happen?) When he finally got to the store he apologized and told me he had to take his wife to the E.R because she has very bad migraines and now I felt bad about being mad, fantastic. As work went on the only thing that got me through the day was thinking about the fun that lay ahead.
After work I was completely exhausted I drove back to my home as quickly as possible to make sure I had everything. Soon after that my dad gave me a call telling me he was on the way. My dad rented a car for that weekend so he didn’t scratch up his Hyundai on the way up the rocky path to the cabin. We picked up Carson and he was emitting energy that was bouncing off me because I was tired. This kind of made me irritated; like radiation killing me slowly. On the way up two things were running through my mind.
“Is this weekend going to be fun”? “I’m going to kill Carson if he doesn’t shut up.”
I put in my headphones to block out the gibberish coming out of his mouth and soon enough, I was out. I was awoken when we hit the bumpy dirt road that zigzags back and forth until we make it to the top of the mountain where the cabin lays. At this point I was feeling much better and the gibberish turned into actual words. We started chatting about anything from sports, to where we were going to ride the four wheelers, to what we were going to shoot, and shooting while four wheeling.
We finally had arrived at my cabin. The light was hitting the top of the roof making it hard to make out the cabin. I couldn’t look at the cabin for long, but the image was there. The green roof lay on top of the deep brown timber of the actual cabin; our deck was protruding outward with the fake owls lying on either side. For the rest of Friday all we did was 4 wheel.
The night came and both of us being exhausted went to bed early. We woke early to the loud noises of my Nana cooking and talking.
“Are you boy’s hungry”? Bellowed Nana
Being from Indiana she made us a feast. Biscuits and gravy, cooked sausage, muffins, and eggs were just some of the many things that she made, and she made plenty of it. After a good three plates and one extra after Nana told us to eat more did we finally start our day.
While the food made up for the rude awakening we were still tired. At this point I just remembered how we hadn’t seen the stars last night. This is my favorite part of going up to the cabin. I told Carson that we had to stay up that night and watch them. We agreed then proceeded to shoot at birds and ride the four wheelers.
After an unsuccessful bird hunt Carson and I started a fire with my Uncle Bo. Everyone else was in the cabin playing games or eating. I was prepared to see the stars that night. To no avail I was not able to see the starts that night because somehow after blowing the lids off of multiple cans of beans we got drawn into card games with my grandparents, aunt, Uncle Bo, my dad and stepmom. After Carson and I whooped everyone three times in Trivial Pursuit it was midnight. We all decided to hit the hay so we could go early in the morning to catch some fish.
That morning we went to the reservoir, and since I forgot to get a license, I couldn’t fish. Great. I went on for about an hour being mad about the lack of fish I would catch and using some profanity, okay mostly profanity. I felt sorry for Carson because I was telling him about how bleeping stupid it was that I couldn’t bleeping fish. We decided to go on a hike while they were casting their lines.
We found the best trail ever and soon we were lost in nature and all its beauty. There was a little river and a broken tree we had to climb to continue the hike. We hiked and climbed and found a beautiful spot. It was up a rocky steep hill where every footstep made a little rock avalanche. About halfway up, I thought we were both about to die. (Loose rocks and an unbalanced friend who weighs more than you can be quite unsettling) Carson and I got to the top; it was worth the risk of death. Looking out we saw the reservoir, the sun was shining on it. A slight breeze of crisp air blowing on us.
It was completely silent. Utter bliss.
I was glad to do this instead of fishing. When we got back they hadn’t caught a single fish and inside I was laughing and thinking karmas a b*tch. My stomach, however was thinking, “damn fish sounded so good.” We packed up and headed back. That day was our lazy day. Carson, me, and the rest of the family just took naps. It was dinner time and we had a feast of roast potatoes, roasted this, roasted that, and the best apple pie I have ever had. Nanas’ cooking is the best thing ever I swear from this weekend alone I gained 22 lbs. The night rolled around and we lit a bond fire and talked and joked and laughed with one another. It was a good night. Slowly, one by one, everyone was going to bed until it was just me and Carson.
We saw the stars that night. I forgot how incredible the view was. All these little lights in the sky just dancing. Getting brighter and dimmer throughout the night. Seeing a shooting star every now and them. If anything makes me happy in the world it is seeing stars light up the night sky. It makes me think of how small we are, it’s just so surreal. Me and Carson shared stories while just looking up at the night and all her beauty. The crackling of the fire mixed with crickets chirping and the dancing sky it was the best thing in the world. I never wanted to leave. The next morning we said our goodbyes to everyone and we were on our way. All the while thinking about the weekend which was the redneck reunion.
The best weekend of my life.
Over this past summer, June to be exact, my family had a reunion at our cabin. I was able to bring a friend up, so I chose my close friend Carson Lund. He’s like a brother. It was exciting, and the days leading up to it were like the night of Christmas Eve. As the days ticked down, the excitement would build. Every night before bed, I would get a little bit more energy thinking about the fun that was going to ensue until there were nights of no sleep.
I love going to my cabin, it is one my favorite places to go in this world. It’s where I can go when the world becomes too much. Where the light is brightest, air the crispest, and darkness that floods the night. That didn’t use to be the case, I hated how I always got so dirty all of the time I always thought there wasn’t anything to do, so I didn’t like it.
Over the years however, I have learned to love the nothingness.
This is a time where I get to go into nature and regroup and unscramble my brain, a time where I can be free and not care about the world. The day we were going up started out bad however, I had to work and that day wasn’t fun work. I headed to Energy Solutions Arena and when I tried to find parking, I couldn’t find a spot. Great my day already is going to suck I thought as I started my way towards the arena. As soon as I got inside I got a call from my manager saying he was going to be late. I didn’t think much of it but after an hour of waiting I was getting impatient.
Inside it was hot and sweaty, it was one of those June days where the heat cooks you and all you want to do is drink a ton of lemonade and just relax. At that point I was wondering if I was going to make it up to the cabin that day. This was making me frustrated (really why didn’t you just call me and tell me to come an hour later if this was going to happen?) When he finally got to the store he apologized and told me he had to take his wife to the E.R because she has very bad migraines and now I felt bad about being mad, fantastic. As work went on the only thing that got me through the day was thinking about the fun that lay ahead.
After work I was completely exhausted I drove back to my home as quickly as possible to make sure I had everything. Soon after that my dad gave me a call telling me he was on the way. My dad rented a car for that weekend so he didn’t scratch up his Hyundai on the way up the rocky path to the cabin. We picked up Carson and he was emitting energy that was bouncing off me because I was tired. This kind of made me irritated; like radiation killing me slowly. On the way up two things were running through my mind.
“Is this weekend going to be fun”? “I’m going to kill Carson if he doesn’t shut up.”
I put in my headphones to block out the gibberish coming out of his mouth and soon enough, I was out. I was awoken when we hit the bumpy dirt road that zigzags back and forth until we make it to the top of the mountain where the cabin lays. At this point I was feeling much better and the gibberish turned into actual words. We started chatting about anything from sports, to where we were going to ride the four wheelers, to what we were going to shoot, and shooting while four wheeling.
We finally had arrived at my cabin. The light was hitting the top of the roof making it hard to make out the cabin. I couldn’t look at the cabin for long, but the image was there. The green roof lay on top of the deep brown timber of the actual cabin; our deck was protruding outward with the fake owls lying on either side. For the rest of Friday all we did was 4 wheel.
The night came and both of us being exhausted went to bed early. We woke early to the loud noises of my Nana cooking and talking.
“Are you boy’s hungry”? Bellowed Nana
Being from Indiana she made us a feast. Biscuits and gravy, cooked sausage, muffins, and eggs were just some of the many things that she made, and she made plenty of it. After a good three plates and one extra after Nana told us to eat more did we finally start our day.
While the food made up for the rude awakening we were still tired. At this point I just remembered how we hadn’t seen the stars last night. This is my favorite part of going up to the cabin. I told Carson that we had to stay up that night and watch them. We agreed then proceeded to shoot at birds and ride the four wheelers.
After an unsuccessful bird hunt Carson and I started a fire with my Uncle Bo. Everyone else was in the cabin playing games or eating. I was prepared to see the stars that night. To no avail I was not able to see the starts that night because somehow after blowing the lids off of multiple cans of beans we got drawn into card games with my grandparents, aunt, Uncle Bo, my dad and stepmom. After Carson and I whooped everyone three times in Trivial Pursuit it was midnight. We all decided to hit the hay so we could go early in the morning to catch some fish.
That morning we went to the reservoir, and since I forgot to get a license, I couldn’t fish. Great. I went on for about an hour being mad about the lack of fish I would catch and using some profanity, okay mostly profanity. I felt sorry for Carson because I was telling him about how bleeping stupid it was that I couldn’t bleeping fish. We decided to go on a hike while they were casting their lines.
We found the best trail ever and soon we were lost in nature and all its beauty. There was a little river and a broken tree we had to climb to continue the hike. We hiked and climbed and found a beautiful spot. It was up a rocky steep hill where every footstep made a little rock avalanche. About halfway up, I thought we were both about to die. (Loose rocks and an unbalanced friend who weighs more than you can be quite unsettling) Carson and I got to the top; it was worth the risk of death. Looking out we saw the reservoir, the sun was shining on it. A slight breeze of crisp air blowing on us.
It was completely silent. Utter bliss.
I was glad to do this instead of fishing. When we got back they hadn’t caught a single fish and inside I was laughing and thinking karmas a b*tch. My stomach, however was thinking, “damn fish sounded so good.” We packed up and headed back. That day was our lazy day. Carson, me, and the rest of the family just took naps. It was dinner time and we had a feast of roast potatoes, roasted this, roasted that, and the best apple pie I have ever had. Nanas’ cooking is the best thing ever I swear from this weekend alone I gained 22 lbs. The night rolled around and we lit a bond fire and talked and joked and laughed with one another. It was a good night. Slowly, one by one, everyone was going to bed until it was just me and Carson.
We saw the stars that night. I forgot how incredible the view was. All these little lights in the sky just dancing. Getting brighter and dimmer throughout the night. Seeing a shooting star every now and them. If anything makes me happy in the world it is seeing stars light up the night sky. It makes me think of how small we are, it’s just so surreal. Me and Carson shared stories while just looking up at the night and all her beauty. The crackling of the fire mixed with crickets chirping and the dancing sky it was the best thing in the world. I never wanted to leave. The next morning we said our goodbyes to everyone and we were on our way. All the while thinking about the weekend which was the redneck reunion.
The best weekend of my life.
Refelction
As a reader my strength would be my ability to hold and understand the information given to me. It’s sort of like a double-edged sword however, it’s both my strength and my weakness. What do I mean by this? I mean it’s 50/50 when it comes to reading, either I remember the information, I can process it and understand it, or I have no clue as to what I am reading so I just read it for the sake of getting it done. Sometimes I will need to reread pages in order for myself to understand what was being said. Which you can imagine is not the most pleasant thing in the world. As a writer I would say that I am balanced in all areas, I don’t excel in areas but I do not underperform. If there was a weakness it would be my ability to put my ideas on to the actual paper.
While writing my memoir I never actually was thinking about the rhetorical process. I just took all the ideas flowing through my mind and tried my best to convey emotion, detail, voice, flow, etc. What I did was basically try to relive the experience and anytime I got emotional about something I would try my best to go in depth on said experience. In the end I would eliminate things that didn’t work and would try adding on to the things that portrayed rhetoric.
For the most part I feel the reflective memoir was an easy thing to do. I was able to reflect and look back to my experience and describe it to the best of my ability. I did encounter some difficulties while writing. First adding emotion to what I was writing was a bit challenging. It was hard for me to balance showing and telling. Secondly, I felt that my piece was a bit choppy, I feel this is something I need to work on going forward. Lastly, it was challenging to know what parts to leave in or take out. Deciding what was important and non-important was difficult. At times I didn’t know what to add the important things. For the most part however it was easy to write, and put my ideas to words when I was able to relieve an event.
Work for peer editing went well I feel like. I saw what areas they were lacking in and gave the writer ideas to try to fix the problem. I felt prepared for this process. It was challenging try to give constructive feedback, I didn’t want overstep on my criticism, however I feel like I was able to give them constructive ideas to work with. For me personally I wish I could’ve gotten some more constructive criticism, I feel like the readers may have had the same problem; they didn’t want to overstep. I however would have welcomed it, I feel like the blunter they are the easier it would have been to make changes to my writing. To become more productive I feel that we need to give more ideas and criticism.
While writing my memoir I never actually was thinking about the rhetorical process. I just took all the ideas flowing through my mind and tried my best to convey emotion, detail, voice, flow, etc. What I did was basically try to relive the experience and anytime I got emotional about something I would try my best to go in depth on said experience. In the end I would eliminate things that didn’t work and would try adding on to the things that portrayed rhetoric.
For the most part I feel the reflective memoir was an easy thing to do. I was able to reflect and look back to my experience and describe it to the best of my ability. I did encounter some difficulties while writing. First adding emotion to what I was writing was a bit challenging. It was hard for me to balance showing and telling. Secondly, I felt that my piece was a bit choppy, I feel this is something I need to work on going forward. Lastly, it was challenging to know what parts to leave in or take out. Deciding what was important and non-important was difficult. At times I didn’t know what to add the important things. For the most part however it was easy to write, and put my ideas to words when I was able to relieve an event.
Work for peer editing went well I feel like. I saw what areas they were lacking in and gave the writer ideas to try to fix the problem. I felt prepared for this process. It was challenging try to give constructive feedback, I didn’t want overstep on my criticism, however I feel like I was able to give them constructive ideas to work with. For me personally I wish I could’ve gotten some more constructive criticism, I feel like the readers may have had the same problem; they didn’t want to overstep. I however would have welcomed it, I feel like the blunter they are the easier it would have been to make changes to my writing. To become more productive I feel that we need to give more ideas and criticism.
Editorial
Ebola the “Plague”
“Where there is shouting, there is no true knowledge.” –Leonardo da Vinci
We live in an age of media and technology. I’m sure you have heard by now. Ebola has dominated headlines and left many of us worried and scared. If you have watched the news, or been on social media recently it seems like that’s all people talk about. But should Americans get worked up over this deadly virus? The answer is no.
Let’s start off with what Ebola is, for those who don’t know. Recently in West Africa Ebola has spread very rapidly and the number of cases has risen dramatically. As of October 3 there have been a reported 7470 cases with those numbers doubling every 15-40 days. Ebola or Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a virus that originated in the Ebola River in Africa, it was discovered in 1976. It is spread through direct contact such as bodily fluid or blood; it is not spread through the air or by food. Once contracted there is a 90% death rate and symptoms start to show up after 2 to 3 days. The worst part is there is no cure.
While this is a threat to West Africa it poses none to the United States. So why doesn’t Ebola pose a risk to us? There are many differences between the U.S and Africa. The first being we have healthcare. When we get sick we usually tend to get treatment for our illness. In West Africa that’s not the case, they either have to wait it out or see a witch doctor. Second we have health infrastructures with plenty of beds, gloves, and rooms. The United States can afford the wastes created by taking care of infected patients. Lastly we have the CDC who can monitor and stop the spread of Ebola. They take many steps in making sure that Ebola is contained in the U.S. In the case of Thomas Duncan, the patient in Dallas the CDC quarantined him off, and anyone he came into contact with was monitored. If the virus did spread the CDC would be prepared. The reason as to why Ebola is far worse in Africa is because of these things along with the lack of communication and knowledge.
If Ebola isn’t a threat to the U.S why is media making such a big deal out of it? The media loves news such as a deadly virus. They use these stories to generate views for their site or channel. The more we fear something the more we want to keep informed, that is exactly what the media is doing. Don’t get me wrong the news is a good way to get informed about things; however it is generally just an overview of a certain topic, and usually focusing on the bad. This is why we need to research news topics and learn the information ourselves. The quote above can summarize the media. The media shouts, we listen, and we learn nothing. If we want to learn we need to put the time in, and actually research.
“Where there is shouting, there is no true knowledge.” –Leonardo da Vinci
We live in an age of media and technology. I’m sure you have heard by now. Ebola has dominated headlines and left many of us worried and scared. If you have watched the news, or been on social media recently it seems like that’s all people talk about. But should Americans get worked up over this deadly virus? The answer is no.
Let’s start off with what Ebola is, for those who don’t know. Recently in West Africa Ebola has spread very rapidly and the number of cases has risen dramatically. As of October 3 there have been a reported 7470 cases with those numbers doubling every 15-40 days. Ebola or Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a virus that originated in the Ebola River in Africa, it was discovered in 1976. It is spread through direct contact such as bodily fluid or blood; it is not spread through the air or by food. Once contracted there is a 90% death rate and symptoms start to show up after 2 to 3 days. The worst part is there is no cure.
While this is a threat to West Africa it poses none to the United States. So why doesn’t Ebola pose a risk to us? There are many differences between the U.S and Africa. The first being we have healthcare. When we get sick we usually tend to get treatment for our illness. In West Africa that’s not the case, they either have to wait it out or see a witch doctor. Second we have health infrastructures with plenty of beds, gloves, and rooms. The United States can afford the wastes created by taking care of infected patients. Lastly we have the CDC who can monitor and stop the spread of Ebola. They take many steps in making sure that Ebola is contained in the U.S. In the case of Thomas Duncan, the patient in Dallas the CDC quarantined him off, and anyone he came into contact with was monitored. If the virus did spread the CDC would be prepared. The reason as to why Ebola is far worse in Africa is because of these things along with the lack of communication and knowledge.
If Ebola isn’t a threat to the U.S why is media making such a big deal out of it? The media loves news such as a deadly virus. They use these stories to generate views for their site or channel. The more we fear something the more we want to keep informed, that is exactly what the media is doing. Don’t get me wrong the news is a good way to get informed about things; however it is generally just an overview of a certain topic, and usually focusing on the bad. This is why we need to research news topics and learn the information ourselves. The quote above can summarize the media. The media shouts, we listen, and we learn nothing. If we want to learn we need to put the time in, and actually research.
Duty, honor, Country Speech ANalysis
Duty Honor Country: A Rallying Call
The year was 1962; the Vietnam War had started three years prior. This was the first “public” war for U.S. civilians. This was the people’s war, as if you were right there with the soldiers. Everyone was watching, reading, and listening. For the first time ever, people could actually see what was happening in a war. The audience at home did not like it. Favor for the war was swaying, and the soldiers were fighting another war against their peers.
On May 12, 1962 General Douglas MacArthur received the Sylvanus Thayer Award. This award is given to an “…outstanding citizen of the United States whose service and accomplishments in the national interest exemplify personal devotion to the ideals expressed in the West Point motto: Duty, Honor, Country.” On this day General MacArthur gave his Duty, Honor, Country speech. He used this opportunity to create a tribute for the ideas of a great soldier, a sense of unity, and as a rallying call for troops.
This speech was developed as a tribute for the great soldiers who perished fighting in previous wars. Throughout the speech, General MacArthur continued to talk about these soldiers. His use of imagery successfully makes you think of the soldiers and the sacrifices they made. “I do not know the dignity of their birth, but I do know the glory of their death. They died unquestioning, uncomplaining, with faith in their hearts, and on their lips the hope that we would go on to victory.” This speech gaves cadets an idea of what it was like to be a valiant soldier. General MacArthur uses pathos as a guarantee to the cadets that if they live by the West Point phrase “Duty, Honor, Country” they too can be great soldiers. General MacArthur refers to “Duty, Honor, Country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.”
When reading this speech it becomes apparent that General MacArthur spent a lot of time trying to create a sense of unity for these soldiers. Since the support for the Vietnam War was swaying and the soldiers were the ones who were taking the blame, you can imagine how they felt. They became broken off from society and betrayed by the people who they were risking their lives for. “The unbelievers will say they are but words, but a slogan, but a flamboyant phrase. Every pedant, every demagogue, every cynic, every hypocrite, every troublemaker, and, I am sorry to say, some others of an entirely different character, will try to downgrade them even to the extent of mockery and ridicule.” General MacArthur used antitheses as a way to say; they think they know who you are, but I know who you really are. He backs every antithesis with a rebuttal. “But these are some of the things they do. They build your basic character. They mold you for your future roles as the custodians of the nation's defense. They make you strong enough to know when you are weak, and brave enough to face yourself when you are afraid.”
The use of the words Duty, Honor, Country is makes this a rallying call. General MacArthur set his speech up to center around these three words. Repetition is clearly used to make it the vocal point. General MacArthur attended West Point when he was young, learning the motto of the school, “Duty, Honor, Country” making it effective, since the cadets and soldiers can relate to and can understand exactly what these words mean. Through the use of the West Point motto you can infer that those words are near and dear to General MacArthur.
From the repetitious use of “Duty, Honor, Country” General MacArthur is trying to fill the room with pride. He wanted his audience to look at these soldiers. They lived and died by this motto and you are the ones that are to up hold this standard. Later, he talks about how the world is changing right before their eyes. “You now face a new world -- a world of change. The thrust into outer space of the satellite, spheres, and missiles mark the beginning of another epoch in the long story of mankind...” What I infer from this is he’s telling these men while times are changing you are still United State soldiers, you have a duty to the country. Don’t let anything in the world change that. He repeats this later in his speech by saying “These great national problems are not for your professional participation or military solution. Your guidepost stands out like a ten-fold beacon in the night: Duty, Honor, Country.” This is effective because he’s telling them to not change. He wants them to figure this out in their own.
General MacArthur was able to effectively use all three of Aristotle’s Rhetorical Appeals. He relies heavily upon Pathos in his speech. He is able to paint a picture (Imagery) to soldiers and non-soldiers alike so they can know and feel what it is like keep our country safe. MacArthur used imagery, antithesis, and repetition to create pathos. General MacArthur commanded his ethos from his rank alone. However, foe those who were not familiar with MacArthur, he goes through in his speech what he has done to solidify credibility. Lastly MacArthur uses logos to explain the changing times to the soldiers, telling them to be steadfast to the motto “Duty, Honor, Country.”
Lastly, General MacArthur is able to effectively use tone shifts in the speech to make you stop, and read more intently. “The soldier, above all other men, is required to practice the greatest act of religious training -- sacrifice.” Half-way through the speech General MacArthur says this line. You immediately stop and have to re-read it, it is a heavy line, even if you were just sifting through the speech once you get to this line, you begin to read more in depth and focus more than you were before.
This speech is one of the greater American speeches in history in my opinion. It not only gives soldiers guidance on how to live their lives, but it gives it to citizens as well. It is reminder at the price of our freedom, it should fill with pride, yet humble us for the sacrifices made.
The year was 1962; the Vietnam War had started three years prior. This was the first “public” war for U.S. civilians. This was the people’s war, as if you were right there with the soldiers. Everyone was watching, reading, and listening. For the first time ever, people could actually see what was happening in a war. The audience at home did not like it. Favor for the war was swaying, and the soldiers were fighting another war against their peers.
On May 12, 1962 General Douglas MacArthur received the Sylvanus Thayer Award. This award is given to an “…outstanding citizen of the United States whose service and accomplishments in the national interest exemplify personal devotion to the ideals expressed in the West Point motto: Duty, Honor, Country.” On this day General MacArthur gave his Duty, Honor, Country speech. He used this opportunity to create a tribute for the ideas of a great soldier, a sense of unity, and as a rallying call for troops.
This speech was developed as a tribute for the great soldiers who perished fighting in previous wars. Throughout the speech, General MacArthur continued to talk about these soldiers. His use of imagery successfully makes you think of the soldiers and the sacrifices they made. “I do not know the dignity of their birth, but I do know the glory of their death. They died unquestioning, uncomplaining, with faith in their hearts, and on their lips the hope that we would go on to victory.” This speech gaves cadets an idea of what it was like to be a valiant soldier. General MacArthur uses pathos as a guarantee to the cadets that if they live by the West Point phrase “Duty, Honor, Country” they too can be great soldiers. General MacArthur refers to “Duty, Honor, Country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.”
When reading this speech it becomes apparent that General MacArthur spent a lot of time trying to create a sense of unity for these soldiers. Since the support for the Vietnam War was swaying and the soldiers were the ones who were taking the blame, you can imagine how they felt. They became broken off from society and betrayed by the people who they were risking their lives for. “The unbelievers will say they are but words, but a slogan, but a flamboyant phrase. Every pedant, every demagogue, every cynic, every hypocrite, every troublemaker, and, I am sorry to say, some others of an entirely different character, will try to downgrade them even to the extent of mockery and ridicule.” General MacArthur used antitheses as a way to say; they think they know who you are, but I know who you really are. He backs every antithesis with a rebuttal. “But these are some of the things they do. They build your basic character. They mold you for your future roles as the custodians of the nation's defense. They make you strong enough to know when you are weak, and brave enough to face yourself when you are afraid.”
The use of the words Duty, Honor, Country is makes this a rallying call. General MacArthur set his speech up to center around these three words. Repetition is clearly used to make it the vocal point. General MacArthur attended West Point when he was young, learning the motto of the school, “Duty, Honor, Country” making it effective, since the cadets and soldiers can relate to and can understand exactly what these words mean. Through the use of the West Point motto you can infer that those words are near and dear to General MacArthur.
From the repetitious use of “Duty, Honor, Country” General MacArthur is trying to fill the room with pride. He wanted his audience to look at these soldiers. They lived and died by this motto and you are the ones that are to up hold this standard. Later, he talks about how the world is changing right before their eyes. “You now face a new world -- a world of change. The thrust into outer space of the satellite, spheres, and missiles mark the beginning of another epoch in the long story of mankind...” What I infer from this is he’s telling these men while times are changing you are still United State soldiers, you have a duty to the country. Don’t let anything in the world change that. He repeats this later in his speech by saying “These great national problems are not for your professional participation or military solution. Your guidepost stands out like a ten-fold beacon in the night: Duty, Honor, Country.” This is effective because he’s telling them to not change. He wants them to figure this out in their own.
General MacArthur was able to effectively use all three of Aristotle’s Rhetorical Appeals. He relies heavily upon Pathos in his speech. He is able to paint a picture (Imagery) to soldiers and non-soldiers alike so they can know and feel what it is like keep our country safe. MacArthur used imagery, antithesis, and repetition to create pathos. General MacArthur commanded his ethos from his rank alone. However, foe those who were not familiar with MacArthur, he goes through in his speech what he has done to solidify credibility. Lastly MacArthur uses logos to explain the changing times to the soldiers, telling them to be steadfast to the motto “Duty, Honor, Country.”
Lastly, General MacArthur is able to effectively use tone shifts in the speech to make you stop, and read more intently. “The soldier, above all other men, is required to practice the greatest act of religious training -- sacrifice.” Half-way through the speech General MacArthur says this line. You immediately stop and have to re-read it, it is a heavy line, even if you were just sifting through the speech once you get to this line, you begin to read more in depth and focus more than you were before.
This speech is one of the greater American speeches in history in my opinion. It not only gives soldiers guidance on how to live their lives, but it gives it to citizens as well. It is reminder at the price of our freedom, it should fill with pride, yet humble us for the sacrifices made.
Reflection
When writing the analysis, I really didn’t change the way I prepared this assignment. I started out by reviewing my rhetorical environment. I knew that it was going to be my teacher and peers reading my speech analysis so I set it up in a way to inform as well as to show what was effective in “Duty, Honor, Country.” I then proceeded to read over my speech two to three times before I started to actually analysis it, I did this to get a feel for the tone, the tone shifts, things that popped out, and what worked in said speech. After reading the speech I began to mark it up and dissect piece by piece, looking for rhetorical devices, and Aristotle’s Three Appeals. Once I found those I wanted to find quotes that would back up the information I found. I then began to brainstorm to start my first draft.
What helped me the most in writing this would be though discussion with my peers along with some friends and family. I found it insightful for them to read “Duty, Honor, Country” and see what they found from reading the speech. It helped me to provide some background information in my analysis, it also allowed me to gather some more ideas that I had not previously thought of. At the beginning of this assignment I had no clue how to write an analysis, but thanks to the help of the visual analysis practice I was able to get a clearer direction.
Overall, I struggled with the speech analysis. It was out of my comfort zone, so I had to push myself through it. I was lost at first and had no clue as to how to format and what to include to back up my claim. However I feel a great sense of pride completing this assignment, it was a good push in the right direction.
What helped me the most in writing this would be though discussion with my peers along with some friends and family. I found it insightful for them to read “Duty, Honor, Country” and see what they found from reading the speech. It helped me to provide some background information in my analysis, it also allowed me to gather some more ideas that I had not previously thought of. At the beginning of this assignment I had no clue how to write an analysis, but thanks to the help of the visual analysis practice I was able to get a clearer direction.
Overall, I struggled with the speech analysis. It was out of my comfort zone, so I had to push myself through it. I was lost at first and had no clue as to how to format and what to include to back up my claim. However I feel a great sense of pride completing this assignment, it was a good push in the right direction.