English 120

English 120: For this assignment, please read the following site:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154611309251939&id=354522044588660

Then, choose three news stories and conduct research (using the above guide) to determine whether the story was truthful. If it was a fake story, please indicate the steps taken to reach that conclusion.  If real, then examine the article using logos, pathos, and ethos to determine a) if the author used all three of these methods, and b) whether the journalist made a sound argument.

Wednesday class: due 3/15

English 120

Professor Cardozo

March 12, 2017

                                            True or False

        A keyboard is mightier than the sword. Since technology and the internet have become accessible to everyone, we now seem to have the world in the palm of our hand. We are now able to share events, ideologies, and even document our surroundings. What separates a journalist from a blogger? They both have the capability to write an article.  Distributing information is just one click away. How gullible is our society?

        Credibility can be shown by several factors, for example: the journalist who wrote it, the website it was published on, facts included in articles, and unbiased information. Many journalists include pathos, logos, and ethos not only to keep their reader interested, but to make an article factual. I have conducted research on three articles, “ WAR DRUMS: US Navy simulates Military strikes on North Korea”, “Elusive crime wave data shows frightening tolls of immigrant criminals”, and “Judge declines to release dreamer swept up under Trump’s new deportation wave” and I will determine whether the article is real or unreliable.  

         The “WAR DRUMS…” article discusses how the United States special operation forces will be participating in joint military drills with South Korea to take out North Korea in case of military conflict. The article is not factual because it is not on a reliable website. The website is bias, because on their website they state that it is a “prophetic perspective”. Also, no author was provided. Later, I found the same image in another article, that dates back to 2013. The article itself was written March 12th 2017. The article did not include any sources to back up their claim. With a few minutes of investigation, it was clear that the article was not reliable.

        In the “Elusive crime..” (Zimmerman, 2015). pathos, logos, and ethos were all used. Pathos was used strategically used to relate to the audience when Zimmerman stated that K. Steinle’s family was left grieving, angry, and confused. The audience would have a similar reaction if they were in a similar situation. Logos was used when Zimmerman provided significant sources from  U.S. Census Bureau,  Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and many more. The statistics she provided show “the estimated 11.7 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. account for 13.6 percent of all offenders sentenced for crimes committed in the U.S. Twelve percent of murder sentences, 20 percent of kidnapping sentences and 16 percent of drug trafficking sentences are meted out to illegal immigrants.”(Zimmerman, 2015). Ethos was shown at the end of the article when Fox News stated that Zimmerman is a qualified journalist that specializes in articles concerning homeland security and illegal immigration crime. Although bias, Zimmerman’s article made a sound argument by including reliable sources, factual statistics, and interviews with the victims’ relatives.

         Lastly the article “Judge Declines to release dreamer…”(Farias, Foley, 2015) Pathos was achieved when they included a quote by Ramirez where he states “I am hopeful that I will have a future in this country, but I know that this case is not just about me… Hundreds of thousands of dreamers are questioning just what sort of protection the government’s promise provides.”. Logos was used when statistics regarding that the “DHS has revoked DACA from about 1,500 people since the inception of the program in 2012 based on criminal convictions or gang affiliation.”(Farias, Foley, 2015). Once again, Ethos was used when Huffington Post included the journalists’ qualifications. For example, Farias specializes in Legal Affairs, while Foley is an immigration and politics reporter. The Journalists made a sound argument by stating statists, as well as including a quote made by Ramirez.

        Even Though we have the world in the palm of our hand, it’s our responsibility to determine which news articles are credible and which ones are unreliable. With great power, comes great responsibility. Just because a keyboard is mightier than a sword, that does not mean the person typing is a credible, reliable journalist. Pay attention to your intuition, and check for the use of either pathos, logos, or ethos. At the end of any article the journalist should provide a sound argument, even if the reader disagrees.

                                                                                                      Work Cited

“WAR DRUMS: US Navy Simulates Military Strike On North Korea.” End Time           Headlines. N.p., 13 Mar. 2017. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.

Zimmerman, Malia. “Elusive Crime Wave Data Shows Frightening Toll of Illegal         Immigrant Criminals.” Fox News. FOX News Network, 16 Sept. 2015.                 Web. 15 Mar. 2017.

English 120: For this assignment, please read the following site:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154611309251939&id=354522044588660

Then, choose three news stories and conduct research (using the above guide) to determine whether the story was truthful. If it was a fake story, please indicate the steps taken to reach that conclusion.  If real, then examine the article using logos, pathos, and ethos to determine a) if the author used all three of these methods, and b) whether the journalist made a sound argument.

Wednesday class: due 3/15

Prof. Cardozo

English 120

March 13, 2017

                           The Internet: A Blessing and a Curse

    With the invention of the internet, people have been able to better access, and find more information than ever before. The downside is that this incredible resource is often flooded with what is considered “fake news”. Access to the internet is unlimited and unchecked, this allows anyone to post anything that they believe to be true, or even posting with the intent to mislead and misinform the populace. Web pages such as alternativemediasyndicate.com, infowars.com, and girlsjustwannahaveguns.com provide eye catching headlines and visuals that draw in websurfers, but it isn’t always clear if what you are reading could be considered “real news” or “fake news”. One can easily determine the “realness” of a piece by looking for evidence of ethos, pathos, and logos in the article.

    After a massive earthquake hit Japan in 2011, causing the cores of three nuclear reactors to melt, there was concern about radiation getting into the water and affecting the wildlife. Even after six years the concern is still voiced through articles such as alternativemediasyndicate.com’s “Fukushima Radiation: Your Days of Eating Pacific Ocean Fish Are Over, Or Worse……”. The article is accompanied by an image of a badly deformed salmon, which without further research appears to be entirely legitimate. However, upon researching the source of the image, one discovers that the image originated from an article about deformed salmon in Idaho. The article, posted to spokesman.com, explains that “Diseases and abnormalities occasionally occur in a population…”, and that local Fish and Game specialists are not alarmed. Though the possibility of radiation having affected the fish was discussed, a more reasonable diagnosis of  Squamous Cell Carcinoma , a malignant tumor, was considered the most likely cause of the deformation. This is the first “red flag”.

    The second sentence of the article from alternativemediasyndicate.com states that “ Andrew Kishner, founder of www.nuclearcrimes.org has put together a great resource of information that tracks what has been developing over time in Fukushima as it relates to the nuclear incident.”. The following sentence provides a link to his research that, when used, sends the reader to a practically blank page stating that the original website containing all of Kishner’s was shut down and provides titles and information for “suggested reading” on the subject of nuclear contamination. Furthermore, the very last line of the article tells the reader that “Oh, the information is out there, but you have to dig pretty deep to find it, and you won’t find it on the corporate-owned evening news.”. The article itself is relatively short taking under 20 lines, but is spread throughout the page by a large amount of advertisements for cars, learning programs, and eye catching links to other “news” providers. Upon examining that article, surrounding page, and images used one can reasonably conclude that this news can be considered “fake news”.

    The article posted on infowars.com provides much less reading than the previously discussed article, but in doing that provides even less credibility. Even now I and hesitant to classify this as an article considering that there is no writing other than the title stating “VIDEO: AMAZON ECHO REFUSES TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT CIA TIES”, and sub heading “A viral video shows Amazon’s Echo device failing to answer whether it works with the US Central Intelligence Agency following revelations from Wikileaks’ Vault 7 data dump earlier this week.”. All other information on the page takes the form of a video of the devices interrogation and a link to the original tweet. There is no author cited, and advertisements for male vitality supplements clutter the sides of the page. There isn’t much to persuade readers to believe what is presented.

    President Trump has been the subject of scrutiny by the public since entering the Presidential Election. Occasionally though, he is the subject of praise, such as in this article posted by girlsjustwannahaveguns.com. The article claims that within the short timespan of Trump’s presidency that his administration has been the driving force behind the arrest of 1500 child sex traffickers compared to the 400 arrests made in 2014. Upon reading the title and exploring the website I was skeptical about the credibility of the site given the overall Republican tones of the site. Once I read the article and followed the links at the bottom of the page, I saw that there was truth to what girlsjustwannahaveguns.com is claiming. The author, Liz Crokin, states that “Since President Donald Trump has been sworn in on Jan. 20, authorities have arrested an unprecedented number of sexual predators involved in child sex trafficking rings in the United States.”, and then continues by questioning why very little of this has been covered by major news networks and mainstream media. The rest of the article explains Crokin’s negative views on sex trafficking and her enthusiastic reaction to the Trump Administration’s results. The only questionable piece of the article is a quote supposedly made by Donald Trump in 2012 tweeting,“Got to do something about these missing children grabbed by the perverts. Too many incidents – fast trial, death penalty.”. When searching the quote on Google, the search brought up mentions of the quote from various news sites, but no Twitter link ever appeared. Some readers may have trouble believing the article after this revelation. However, the last part of the article give unwaveringly solid evidence towards the claims made by the author in the form of seven specific incidents in which arrests were made in connection to child sex trafficking. Many of the cited incidents include links to local news stations that provided coverage of the arrests and the situations surrounding them. I view this as evidence of real news in the wake of lazy research when quoting a source.

    Given the overwhelming amount of information posted on the internet every day, the evidence provided in this essay serves to reinforce the need for in depth research when faced with an article, even when what it claims seem reasonable. Through the analysis of the articles the use of ethos, pathos, and logos can be found. The article claiming that nuclear contamination from Japan is disfiguring our wildlife uses pathos effectively by playing off the fears held by most people that they will themselves be effected or harmed. The article claiming the Alexa is being used by the C.I.A. has an astonishing lack of ethos in that there is nothing remotely credible about this piece. The article stating that the Trump Administration is the cause for 1500 arrests this year has a basis in logos shown in the statistics behind the claim. Though ethos, pathos, and logos are not the be all and end all of verifications, they provide a starting point and further validation for their claims.

Bibliography

-“EPIC: Trump Admin Has Already Arrested 1500 Child Sex Traffickers – Compared to a Pathetic 400 in 2014.” Girls Just Wanna Have Guns. N.p., 13 Mar. 2017. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.

-“Video: Amazon Echo Refuses to Answer Questions about CIA Ties.” Infowars. N.p., 10 Mar. 2017. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.

-“Fukushima Radiation: Your Days of Eating Pacific Ocean Fish Are Over, Or Worse……” ALTERNATIVE MEDIA SYNDICATE. N.p., 10 Mar. 2017. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.

English 120: For this assignment, please read the following site:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154611309251939&id=354522044588660

Then, choose three news stories and conduct research (using the above guide) to determine whether the story was truthful. If it was a fake story, please indicate the steps taken to reach that conclusion.  If real, then examine the article using logos, pathos, and ethos to determine a) if the author used all three of these methods, and b) whether the journalist made a sound argument.

Wednesday class: due 3/15

English 120

Prof. Cardozo

3/15/17

Today in the world we live in, information is just at the touch of everyones fingertips. When there is an event on the opposite side of the world, it takes less than a minute for someone to look up what happened and share it to everyone else they interact with over the internet. Although the benefits for this new demand for instantaneous information are plentiful and help connect the rest of the world, there are some detrimental negatives. The most overwhelming negative is undoubtedly the spread of misinformation and “Bad News.” Simply put, this means that as long as its easy to share and an exciting topic, news companies can make up stories as long as it sells.

The first website I’ll use demonstrates a credible and sound argument. The article is from bloomberg.com, under the politics section. It is a credible source of news because it has a contact list of the authors with their contact info and other recent articles they published. It is also a sound article because all the quotes and references are all able to be found online if googled. This article titled “Trump’s Second Travel Ban Blocked as President Vows to Fight”, uses ethos and logos when discussing Trumps contradicting statements regarding foreign affairs and his views on muslim immigrants. They show how logically what he is saying doesn’t make sense, and discusses how Trump is lacking ethics. Pathos is used as well shown by their obvious bias against president Trump, but not too heavily to question their credibility.

The second article is titled “Trump: If ObamaCare Replacement Doesn’t Meet Standards, I Won’t Sign It” on the fox news insider website, and would be deemed as fake or bad news. I first came to this conclusion as soon as I saw that there was no author or contact list for whomever wrote this article. As I read on I found that quotes involving his medical plans were made up or inferred by the writer of this article. To make matters worse, the videos included in the article are outdated and are just used to appeal to the emotional aspects of the readers.

The last article I will use is titled “Trump Urges Supporters to Unite Behind G.O.P. Health Plan” and is deemed as a credible article that uses ethos and pathos but not logos. I decided that it was credible because of the source, New York Times, which is a highly referred to news source. It is also credible because the author that wrote that article can be found an contacted on that page. Pathos is found because of the siding they take against Trump, and the consistent battering of his name found within the article. Ethos is shown by contradicting Trumps seemingly moral-less claims and statements. However logos is not shown because it is not logical to discredit someones plans for the country, and not provide a solution to the problem.

English 120: For this assignment, please read the following site:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154611309251939&id=354522044588660

Then, choose three news stories and conduct research (using the above guide) to determine whether the story was truthful. If it was a fake story, please indicate the steps taken to reach that conclusion.  If real, then examine the article using logos, pathos, and ethos to determine a) if the author used all three of these methods, and b) whether the journalist made a sound argument.

Wednesday class: due 3/15

Professor Cardozo

English 120

20 March, 2017

1.      “I wish my teacher knew”

With my research I have concluded that this article is true. Kyle Schwartz asked her students to write, “I wish my teacher knew”. To Kyle surprise, she got many honest answers and she was amazed to see the honest replies. Kyle posted with a hash tag on twitter trend to post the honest comments her children have wrote. I look into Kyle account and the twitter account is active. Kyle has a book now of “I wish my teacher knew”. In this article they use pathos because the author is getting the reader attention emotional because of what the children are writing. Logos is being use by starting a trend into twitter and seeing around the world what children write.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/17/living/i-wish-my-teacher-knew-kyle-schwartz-schools-feat/

https://twitter.com/kylemschwartz?lang=en

2.      “Should we call out to space aliens?”

With my research I have concluded that this article is false. How I conclude this because there has been many articles about aliens and none has come to being true. There might be an outside world and we have the evidence to prove it about we do not know if we can communicate with aliens.

https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/should-we-call-out-space-aliens

3.      “ Immigrants brace for deportation”

I come to the conclusion that this article is true. I did many research about the article and till this day we are having many immigrants having fear because of trumps stupidity. The article is using ethos by lawyers or the immigration legal services to help about the immigrants by staying calm and not panic if they come across the police. Pathos is being use by how the immigration should handle the situation by using examples of some of the immigrations that are seeking for help. Finally, logos is being use in this article by persuading the immigrations to seek for help but they also have to be prepared.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/20/us/immigrants-catholic-charities-legal-advice/?iid=ob_homepage_deskrecommended_pool

English 120: For this assignment, please read the following site:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154611309251939&id=354522044588660

Then, choose three news stories and conduct research (using the above guide) to determine whether the story was truthful. If it was a fake story, please indicate the steps taken to reach that conclusion.  If real, then examine the article using logos, pathos, and ethos to determine a) if the author used all three of these methods, and b) whether the journalist made a sound argument.

Wednesday class: due 3/15

Professor Cardoza

English 120

22 March 2017

Fact or Fiction?

1.     “The Country Where Sacrificing Children is a Thriving Business”

This news story produced by CBN. It covers the epidemic in Uganda of child sacrifice. Witch doctors believe that kidnapping and sacrificing a child will bring wealth and good fortune, so, people often pay witch doctors to sacrifice children so they will have wealth and good fortune too. This article uses Logos by providing the fact that a boy who was recently kidnaped and sacrificed for the U.S. equivalent of $1,400. Due to it’s detailed documentation and video clip of the investigation I have found this article to be true. The article itself is an example of ethos because it takes about child sacrifice which morally, there are very few that accept it. Lastly, it uses pathos by showing us pictures and videos of a boy that was sacrificed and scars on the neck of another boy that survived. The journalist succeeded in clearly making others aware of the epidemic in Uganda.

http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2017/march/exclusive-the-country-where-sacrificing-children-is-a-thriving-business

2.     “Same-Sex Attracted Pastor’s Viral Defense of Marriage”

This article covers a man, Sam Allberry, who openly has same-sex attractions, but strongly defends and supports traditional marriage. Because this article also had a video clip of Sam Allberry saying the vary things that the article said he was saying, I have found this article to be true. In the video/article Allberry briefly tells the audience of how he was bullied when he was younger and he is now being bullied again which is an example of ethos. Next he uses Logos by referring to how Jesus lived his life, examples in the bible of traditional marriage, and the idea that just having same-sex attraction is not a sin, to prove his point. By using Logos in this was he also uses Pathos because by using his knowledge of the bible, he gives himself credit as a Pastor. Both the author of this article and Sam Alberry conducted their information truthfully and made sound arguments.

http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2017/march/same-sex-attracted-pastors-viral-defense-of-marriage-to-redefine-it-will-distort-the-gospel

3.     “Pro-Life Student Challenges Tomi Lahren’s Abortion Defense”

English 120: For this assignment, please read the following site:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154611309251939&id=354522044588660

Then, choose three news stories and conduct research (using the above guide) to determine whether the story was truthful. If it was a fake story, please indicate the steps taken to reach that conclusion.  If real, then examine the article using logos, pathos, and ethos to determine a) if the author used all three of these methods, and b) whether the journalist made a sound argument.

Wednesday class: due 3/15

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/03/22/disneys-hit-beauty-and-the-beast-is-banned-in-kuwait-for-its-gay-moment/?hpid=hp_hp-cards_hp-card-world%3Ahomepage%2Fcard&utm_term=.25c144ccfb73

  In the article above, it explains how the remade film of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is banned in Kuwait because it contains a “gay moment” when a male character dances with another. This article is real because it contains links to news websites in Kuwait and Malaysian authorities which go into depth about why the film is banned. It uses ethos and pathos when it explains how in the Middle East, homosexuality isn’t widely accepted. It uses pathos when explaining what kind of brutal punishments there are in certain parts of the Middle East. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/21/well/family/why-kids-shouldnt-sit-still-in-class.html?

rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fhealth&action=click&contentCollection=health&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0   The article above explains how children should take small breaks during class because it helps them stay more attentive. It says how schools are starting to promote movement during the breaks to help children keep their attention on lesson as well as to preform better in class. This article uses pathos when adding quotes from individuals who explain how the in class activities make children excited and eager to come to school every day. Ethos and logos was used when links and quotes by medical programs, research and important figures were made in order to back up why children shouldn’t sit still in class.

English 120: For this assignment, please read the following site:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154611309251939&id=354522044588660

Then, choose three news stories and conduct research (using the above guide) to determine whether the story was truthful. If it was a fake story, please indicate the steps taken to reach that conclusion.  If real, then examine the article using logos, pathos, and ethos to determine a) if the author used all three of these methods, and b) whether the journalist made a sound argument.

Wednesday class: due 3/15

To assure the authenticity of the articles website, i looked up the BBC website, and found it to have the same URL. I then reverse image searched on google to verify the pictures taken, and found it to be actual photos, used by many trusted news sources. This article is overflowing with Logos; having number of wounded and killed to how the “terrorists” committed the crimes. A good example of Pathos is, “I heard shouts and screams from outside and looked out, and there was a group of maybe 40 or 50 people running round the corner from Bridge Street into Parliament Square.” I believe the author included this eyewitness report to show the emotions of the event. An example of ethos in the article is the excerpt from Dominic Casciani, the home affairs correspondent on the scene.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-39355940

Using the same methods as before, I typed in the sites default URL and found it to be the same site. Along with the standard reverse image search I found it to be reported by other sites as well. However, their main source of credibility, a video of the news clip, have been taken down on the sites so I cannot confirm the legitimacy of the news. So for the time being, I will view it as fake news.

http://www.avclub.com/article/found-footage-guys-snuck-local-news-worlds-worst-s-252491

After checking the sites authenticity, which it is a real news site, I went to find the original CNN report. It is, in fact, a real article (Second Link). The pathos that the author uses on the powerline blog seem to be more on the side of ethos, I believe this article, along with the original CNN article, are both fake news.

 http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2017/03/breaking-news-from-cnn-we-have-no-news.php

https://vimeo.com/110496766

English 120, using the following article: http://www.gq.com/story/tamir-rice-story please analyze Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” video for logos, pathos, ethos. This is a standard 5 paragraph essay, with introduction paragraph, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. This is in MLA format with a works cited section. 

Professor Cardozo

English 120

2 October, 2016

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

On november 22, 2014 the city of Cleveland changed. Tamir Rice, a twelve year old african american boy, was shot and killed by a white police officer in Cudell Park. In Jay Z’s music video “99 Problems” he portrays police brutality through his lyrics and video. In this essay I will discuss ethos, pathos, and logos to break down the credibility, emotions, and facts.

Ethos is a greek word meaning character, but in this essay it will mean credibility of a person place or thing. This first person being credible is taken from an article about the shooting of Tamir Rice. Deputy Chief Jim Polak has watched over the officer involved in the shooting. Timothy Leohmann, a trained police officer, shot Tamir Rice in cudell park. Chief Polak explained why Timothy was not fit to be on patrol. Timothy was not able to separate his personal emotions from his work. Jim Polak said “ Leads on to believe that he would not be able to substantially cope, or make good decisions, during or resulting from any other stressful situation “(1). This quote explains that the chief felt uncomfortable with timothy being a police officer because of his “ Emotional Immaturity “. Chief Polak is saying that timothy was not mentally stable to be out in the field. Frank Garmback was Timothy’s field-training officer. That means Frank was “ Responsible for teaching him how to become a proper police officer “(2).  Some believe that Timothy  was not ready to go out on the field at the time Tamir Rice was shot. The Third person is from Jay Z’s music video “99 Problems“. Jay Z demonstrates how cops treat African Americans in his eyes. He re enacts a situation when a cop pulled him over. The cop asked “ Are you carrying a weapon cause I know a lot of you are “(2). The cop stereotyped African Americans by saying that most of them carry weapons so automatically he should too. Credibility is a huge part in the world today because would people want cops that are not trained or educated.

Pathos is a greek word meaning emotions. In this paragraph there will be different examples that will elicit emotions. The first example is from the music video. The video of “99 Problems” was entirely in black and white. This portrays a serious tone and shows that there were no colors in between the situations that happened. There were no between the lines in what was happening between the black communities. The second example  is also from the music video. Throughout the music video there were multiple caskets that were displayed. Some were empty and a couple had people in them. This draws out a serious but strange feeling. In the beginning of the video the caskets are empty and then towards the end, the video shows people in the caskets. The third example is from the Tamir Rice article. Tamir Rice was shot while playing with a toy airsoft gun. He was sitting in Cudell Park playing with the gun his friend got. The gun represented a colt semi-automatic. This brings out a scared and worried tone, along with feeling vulnerable by possibly having their life taken in matter of seconds. Emotions can change a perspective in a split second and are a huge part to getting people on your side.

Logos is a greek word meaning logic. In this paragraph I will give examples of logistics and facts from both the article and music video. The first fact is from the music video. The title “99 Problems” represents that African American men have many problems in their societies. They have trouble going out because they feel afraid of something happening and no one should feel that way. The second logic is the 911 call from the article. At the time of the call, Tamir was playing with the toy gun and a civilian that was sitting in the park felt uneasy about the situation and decided to call 911. The civilian explained to the operator that there was a little boy playing with what he believed to be fake but was unsure. Following that call, the operator called dispatch, which at the time happened to be Timothy and Frank. She explained to them that there was a man in Cudell park that had a gun. The operator did not relay the message that he was a juvenile and that it could be fake, so the police officers took it more seriously. The third fact is that cops are always having to  make rash and split second decisions. It is difficult for them to sit and think about a situation and brian storm all the outcomes. They are trained to make the best decision based on their surroundings. “A shooting should be considered in a context broader than the instant the trigger was pulled”(1). This demonstrates that police officers have to think about what could happen before it happens. Logistics and facts have to be correct because that’s what facts are. They need to be credible.

In conclusion, Ethos, Pathos , and Logos are all very important in the world today. They are portrayed in everyday life and help people make decisions. In this essay Ethos, Pathos, and Logos were broken down to explain different aspects of situations and how they affect the society.

Work cited:

Flynn, Sean. “The Tamir Rice Story: How To Make a Police Shooting Disappear.” Gq.com. N.p., 14 July 2016. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.

    2. 

https://vimeo.com/110496766

English 120, using the following article: http://www.gq.com/story/tamir-rice-story please analyze Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” video for logos, pathos, ethos. This is a standard 5 paragraph essay, with introduction paragraph, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. This is in MLA format with a works cited section. 

English 120-TTH

Professor Cardozo

29 September 2016

“99 Problems”

In today’s society, the #blacklivesmatter movement has become a foundation that many African American families use to draw awareness to what happened in the past. When growing up in a generation of white privilege and equality, it is hard to understand the difficulty of the hardships African Americans face everyday. This is shown in Jay-Z’s 2003 music video, “99 Problems” when he outlines the problems faced by African Americans due to racial profiling. Jay-Z uses Pathos, Ethos, and Logos to express the emotion and the underlying problems faced in this culture as an African American man and through his experiences, which is displayed in the death of Tamir Rice.

Pathos is shown through the cruelty of racial profiling and its effect on African Americans. Rather than being judged on the content of their character, the immediate conclusion is that they are doing something illegal. In the video, when Jay-Z is getting pulled over, cops racially profiled him by asking, “Are you carrying a weapon on you, I know a lot of you are” (Jay-Z). This theme is further identified in The Tamir Rice Story, “So he keeps pulling a gun out of his pants and pointing it at people… She left out the words probably fake and probably a juvenile, and categorized it as a Code 1 call, the highest priority” (Flynn). Because of the color of his skin, the dispatcher left out key information regarding the 911 call. Her negligence inadvertently caused the police officers to respond to the call in a more severe manner. The miscommunication caused a grossly preventable death.

Jay-Z uses Ethos to explain his past experiences with the law, because it has trained him to already know what to expect. His lyrics detail the routine faced by African Americans when facing law enforcement. “D.A. tried to give a nigga shaft again” (Jay-Z). Similarly, Samaria Rice, the mother of Tamir, was attacked in court. The color of her skin made people more comfortable assuming that she was a negligent mother. “ The look he had on his face, it was almost like they were trying to blame me… like I was a bad mother” (Flynn). The reason behind all the mistreatment was because she was black. It all boils down to sex, class, and gender. The system is flawed because rather than focusing on the matter at hand, society defaults to judging someone based on race orientation and creed.

Logos is emphasized as education and knowing your rights. Based on your race and knowledge of your rights you either get out of trouble or leads to trouble. When preparing for the unethical, knowledge is power. “And I know my rights so you goin’ need a warrant for that, ‘Aren’t you sharp as a tack? You some type of lawyer or something?’ Child, I ain’t passed the bar, but I know a little bit” (quote song). In the case of Tamir, Roger Clark, a retired cop, questioned the necessity of investigating the victim of who was already dead. “There is no need for theatrics in grand-jury proceedings. They are entirely one-sided forums… Who was a prop supposed to impress?” (Flynn). A toy gun was brought into the proceeding for unknown reasons since the investigation was on the two cops not the victim. Education can be used as a tool to guide one’s path and dictate the next move.

Jay-Z uses his lyrics to broadcast what it’s like to be an African American in this world that is suppose to be equal. The emotions of this video tell a story to the youth of America that someday people will not be judged based on the color of their skin. Jay-Z uses his authority as an artist to guide those who are experiencing hard times in this biased world. The Tamir Rice story is what he raps about and paints a picture of the struggles of African Americans and how something as tragic as a death can be put aside and become nothing more than a case number. Race becomes a deciding factor in the rights of an individual, whether or not justice is likely.  

Works Cited

Jay-Z. “99 Problems.” Vimeo. Vimeo, N.p. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.

https://vimeo.com/110496766

English 120, using the following article: http://www.gq.com/story/tamir-rice-story please analyze Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” video for logos, pathos, ethos. This is a standard 5 paragraph essay, with introduction paragraph, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. This is in MLA format with a works cited section. 

English 120 Professor Cardozo September 28th, 2016

99 Problems and the Tamir Rice Story: Listen Up!

To call Jay Z an important figure in Black culture would be inadequate; he’s a household name across cultures and international borders, a millionaire many times over and half of a beloved power-couple. Through his music, style, and soft-spoken presence in our mainstream media these past twenty years, Jay Z has become an inspirational icon. A Black man can rise up from humble beginnings, can have the ears of the people, can be a successful entrepreneur. Tamir Rice could have been his generation’s Jay Z. We will never know for sure; an under-qualified rookie cop with an eager trigger finger took his life without cause before we got the chance to know him, before he got the chance to fully know himself. Though “99 Problems” pre-dates Tamir Rice’s death, Jay Z created this song and video in protest of the ongoing heinous killing of black men—and in the case of Rice, children; to do so, Jay Z uses several rhetorical devices.

The ethos of this song and video is stark and powerful, depicting the landscape of Jay Z’s formative years in Brooklyn in black and white, bold and uncompromising. Prostitutes rubbing shoulders with Hasidic Jews and white businessmen in tasteful ties was a matter of course. He’s lived the urban Black perspective and brings his insights to bear in “99 Problems,” giving America a taste of the bleak reality of urban life as a Black youth. As viewers, we don’t know the intimate details of Jay Z’s life, but we can accept him as a voice of authority because he grew up Black in America. He looks directly into the camera while he tells this story, angry at the injustice and unashamed of his own history of violence. (Jay Z, 02:30)

The logos of Jay Z’s arguments comes in the form of pointed commentary and uncomfortable imagery relating to Blacks being pulled over and incarcerated unfairly. When a young white man is stopped for speeding, his worries are a grab bag of first world problems: the weed in his glove-box, his expired registration, or the grounding he’ll get after his parents foot the bill for his mistakes. A Black man must have thoughts like “What can I do to make sure I get out of this alive?” Statistically, it is overwhelmingly more likely that a person of color will be pulled over than a white person. (Harris par. 10) Statistically, Black men have an overwhelmingly higher rate of incarceration. It makes sense then, that this is the question Jay Z would ask himself, what Blacks around America ask themselves when they are pulled over. Knowledge is the first line of defense, as Jay Z demonstrates: “My glove compartment is locked / so’s the trunk in the back / and I know my rights so you’re gonna need a warrant for that … Child, I ain’t passed the bar but I know a lil bit, enough that you won’t illegally search my shit” (Jay Z 1:38). Yet in many Black communities both urban and rural, education is hampered by budgeting problems, bureaucratic difficulty, and an apparent lack of regard for the future of Black children as we shuffle them along the “school-to-prison pipeline” (Cook par. 11). Some argue that knowing their rights and doing their best to comply with police officers when they encounter them would save the lives of Black people. Despite this popular argument (image incl.), Tamir Rice was shot while removing his hands from his pockets, as instructed by his murder.

“99 Problems” uses pathos to appeal to our emotions, in case the facts of legal inequality and dangerous police officers were not enough to convince us. An open casket in a church, white people figuratively and literally covering their eyes, a mother mourning the death of her son as no mother should ever have to do. The park where Tamir Rice was killed was in a neighborhood not unlike Brooklyn. Jay Z could have been my generation’s Tamir Rice, gunned down in a gazebo for doing not much else but existing as many young men do: a body growing too rapidly, a mind and heart still stuck in the land of make-believe, toy guns, and safety in the park. Black bodies (Rice in the park, Jay Z on the sidewalk in “99 Problems”) left bleeding on the ground with no one willing to check on their status “…did not help the boy on his back on a slab of cement, his small intestine spilling out of the hole in his abdomen. For four minutes, Tamir lay bleeding alone” (Flynn par. 30). No attention has been served to Tamir, let alone justice. When a white child is harmed, the outcry is voluminous and inescapable; Jon-Benet Ramsey is still featured regularly on tabloid magazines. Yet within a year of his death, the name of Tamir Rice is forgotten in White America’s eye, so easily confused with the Trayvons of the world. So many dead Black kids, we can’t even tell them apart anymore, or is it because we couldn’t tell the difference between them even when they were alive (Flynn)? They were young and Black and on the cusp of manhood (and their hats were real low), so of course they were trouble, thugs in the making. Hoodies and toy guns are legitimate reasons for deadly force when wielded by someone walking while Black.

Jay Z and other Black rappers have the opportunity to shed light on the systemic racism in America. As Jay Z has said, “I wanna be in this position and talk about right and wrong. I’m not gonna always be right. I’m not gonna always do the right thing. But I’m trying. (Williams 11:35)” Jay Z and Tamir Rice are not that different. They were both once young men full of dreams. They had friends, they shot baskets, and they grew up Black in a time when their skin color was probable cause (Harris, par. 9).  One lived and has a platform to effect change on our damaged systems. One died, his potential wasted. America has been turning deaf ears on Jay Z’s message for far too long, letting Black folks die and fade into obscurity while we focus on the demise of Branjelina. Perhaps many more Black children will need to die before America gets woke to what’s going on in our neighborhood. The eloquent messages delivered by Jay Z, Beyonce, and other artists about police mistreatment of Blacks haven’t gone entirely unheard, but they also have not yet penetrated enough to prevent the deaths of kids like Tamir. It might be too late to have justice for the Rice family, but we still have time to save other Black kids and ourselves from racism. We just need to listen, and try.

Works Cited

Cook, Lindsay. “U.S. Education: Still Separate and Unequal,” U.S. News,  January 28, 2015

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2015/01/28/us-education-still-separate

and-unequal

Flynn, Shawn.  “The Tamir Rice Story” GQ, July 14, 2016 http://www.gq.com/story/tamir-rice

story

Harris, David A. “Driving While Black: Racial Profiling on Our Nation’s Highways” ACLU.org,

June 1999

https://www.aclu.org/report/driving-while-black-racial-profiling-our-nations

highways Jay Z. “99 Problems” Vimeo, 2003 https://vimeo.com/110496766 Origin Unknown. Facebook Meme “If you follow the officer’s orders, you won’t get shot!”

https://pics.onsizzle.com/if-youfollow-the-officers-orders-you-wont-get-shot3046797.pngWilson, Elliot. “JAY Z #FACTSONLY Interview Part 2 - THE TRUTH With Elliott Wilson”

Professor Cardozo

English 120

18 March 2016

Vocabulary #1

1.      Transgender: when biological sex and mental gender are different

On June 3, 2015, NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman applauds acceptance of Caitlyn Jenner. He proclaims that Caitlyn Jenner did this procedure at a great time where no one will judge him that much.  This is an example of transgender because Caitlyn Jenner is really a man, who had a procedure done to make him a woman.  

Dicker, Ron.  “Dennis Rodman applauds acceptance of Caitlyn Jenner.”  Huffpost Sports June 3, 2015.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/03/dennis-rodman-caitlyn-jenner_n_7503446.html.

2.      White Privilege:  people with white skin have privileges over people with non-white skin in the social, economic, political arenas.

In the article “Do white rappers benefit from white privilege,” Macklemore spoke a great deal of things of white privilege.  He felt that if white people have so much privilege then why they don’t help out the black community or community.  Macklemore is always known of expressing his beliefs.  This article wasn’t mainly towards the black community. This is an example of white privilege because it gives great examples of how some white artist take song lyrics or beats from other black artists, but never seem to acknowledge them.  In past times, there will be white artist that will cover songs from black artists, which most of the time white artist become famous.  I love how a person twitted, Macklemore is recognizing and speaking out against white privilege as a white artist and y’all have a problem with it.  People are always waiting to point things towards a race issue.  Clearly Macklemore is asking for people to different.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-35401908 (couldn’t find the person who wrote it)

3.      Liminal Space: a space between or betwixt.  A physical psychological space that person inhabits. In between two worlds.  The quality of ambiguity.

Masculinity Studies

  In the article, “Frozen is a Threat to Masculinity and Must be stopped,” is kind of bias.  The author argues that this movie empowers women by saying all men are fools and villains, and is therefore bad for society and harmful to little boys.  He states the movie is a bad image for little boys being masculine because it is a princess saving the man and it should be the other way around.

Professor Patricia Cardozo

English 120

March 18, 2016

Liminal Space

New York Times reports  incidents in Beijing, China  where there’s a new uproar about body image for men and women. Stating that a size 0 does not make the cut anymore.  “In the latest beauty craze sweeping social media in China, women — and some men — are boasting that they are paper thin, by posting photographs of their waists behind a vertical piece of A4 paper. To qualify, the waist must be entirely hidden by the paper. A piece of A4 paper is 8.3 by 11.7 inches, roughly the size of a sheet of American letter paper. Holding it horizontally is cheating.” This crazy new trend just makes it that much harder for men and women today that are dealing with body image all over the world. It puts certain people in that liminal space where they have to stay up with the newest body trends, because that’s what society will look at for acceptance. Stuck between the life of social media and reality.

TATLOW, DIDI KIRSTEN. “On Social Media in China, Size 0 Doesn’t Make the Cut.” New York Times. New Yorrk Times, 18 Mar. 2016. Web. 18 Mar. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/19/world/asia/china-paper-waist-challenge.html?ref=world>

Social Construct

In a LA Times article, local news goes on to explain that gang injunctions are useful tools if they aren’t abused.  In “….L.A. City Council’s decision Wednesday to pay up to $30 million to settle a lawsuit challenging city gang injunctions that were applied so indiscriminately that they deprived thousands of young people the power to legally improve themselves. Gang injunctions are court orders intended to curb crime and intimidation by restricting things like what alleged gang members can wear, where they can gather and when they can go out. They can include curfews, which when narrowly tailored can help curb crime. But L.A. applied them so rigidly that they blocked people from getting jobs or attending schools that required night hours — leaving nothing but the gang as a support system. Gang members were in effect treated as criminals without ever being accused, tried for or convicted of any crime.” In this article it describes a process that will try to help to eliminate so much gang activity in LA. They’re hoping that the decision made will help those who were falsely convicted of gang association clear their names and start over with a better chance at life.

The Time Editorial Board. “Gang Injunctions Are Useful Tools — If They Aren’t Abused.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2016. Web. 18 Mar. 2016. <http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-gang-injunction-20160318-story.html>.

Docudrama

In the LA Times “Blackfish” filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite never thought that her film would have such a major effect on people. “It should have been fun — sitting in the Splash Zone at SeaWorld’s Shamu stadium with her two sons, watching killer whales perform impressive tricks. Instead, Gabriela Cowperthwaite felt a pit in her stomach. Seeing whales up-close in captivity made her uneasy. So she began looking into the theme park, working on a documentary called “Blackfish” — a 2013 film that would ultimately shift the way the public viewed the multibillion-dollar corporation too.” The film had such an impact that the CEO of Sea Wolrd, Joel Manby declared that by 2019 the orcas will no longer do theatrical performances at all of the Sea Wolrd Parks.

In this article Josh Gertein writes that during gay pride month Obama made an announcement supporting transgender pride.  The significance of the term transgender in this article is: Currently, only gays and lesbians are protected under anti-discrimination laws, but with Obama’s support, transgenders are finally getting some recognition.  Obama is the first president to come out and mention transgender rights.  “Presumably, if Obama supports transgender pride, he also would support anti-discrimination protection for such individuals,” says Gerstein. Now the LGBT community has something to celebrate.  It took a long time for gays and lesbians to acquire rights, now it may be time for transgenders to get the same.

Gerstein, Josh. “Obama Backs Transgender Pride.” Politico. 2016 Politico LLC. 1 June 2009 /http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2009/06/obama-backs-transgender-pride-018814#ixzz42jKe2OwZ, 12 Mar 2016

White privilege:

This article reports on how American soldiers were given a power-point presentation training on the dangers of white privilege.  The presentation said, “Our society attaches privilege to being white and male and heterosexual regardless of your social class.”  Some of the danger is how “It promotes fear, suspicion, discrimination, harassment, and violence.”  What makes this privilege so difficult to change is that it is so easy for the people in this white privilege group to do nothing about it.

Judicial Watch: Documents Reveal US Army Indoctrinated Soldiers on Dangers of ‘White Privilege.’ 9 Mar 2016. http://www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/judicial-watch-documents-reveal-us-army-indoctrinated-soldiers-on-dangers-of-white-privilege/. Judicial Watch, 12 Mar 2016

Liminal space:

This article reports on a Wal-Mart cosmetic makeup line for tweens.  The new makeup line targets girls between the ages of 8 – 12 years old.  Tweens are often times in a liminal space between being kids and becoming young women.  The kid in them wants to have fun and play dress up, but the young woman wants to be beautiful and look like what they see on TV and in magazines.  “Some experts think that tween makeup might add to self-worth issues some girls face growing up,” say the authors.  It can add to superficial thoughts and an “I’m only as good as I look,” attitude says Dr. Henry Paul. However, most say that it should be up to the parents to decide weather or not their tween should indulge in the new fad.  Some say its just girls having fun and some say they’re too young.  Either way this is one more way for corporate America to take advantage of these tweens in their liminal space.