After you read the chapter on “Ethical Proof” in Ancient Rhetorics for Wednesday, I’d like you to pick one of the regular columnists from the Denver Post and read three or four pieces by this writer. (Note: You can do this instead of reading all of the op-ed pages.) Feel free to choose from any of the regular columnists from the opinion section, including Dan Haley, Vincent Carroll, David Harsanyi, Mike Littwin, Ed Quillen, Mike Rose, or the other writers listed. You can also choose to explore pieces by the local news columnists, too, like Tina Griego or Bill Johnson. You can find links to their columns through our Blackboard page if you look under “Course Documents.”
Once you’ve read their columns, write one paragraph in which you describe the writer’s invented ethos or the persona that this writer cultivates in his or her column. How does this writer establish his or her expertise and credibility? What kind of values does he or she stand for? How do they secure the goodwill of his or her readers?
In a second paragraph present three brief quotations—a sentence or so—that offer evidence for the discussion in your first paragraph. Explain how these quotes support your ideas.
Please post your response as a comment to this post on our course blog before class on Wednesday, January 26.
Dan Haley is an opinion columnist for the Denver Post. He is a fairly young man, distinguished and clean cut. This is one of the qualities that he has created for himself. It is part of his invented ethos. Next to every column he writes, there is a picture of him. This picture portrays who he is as a businessman and reflects him as a person. He is wearing a sport coat, suit and tie. He is clean-shaven, combed hair and is smiling. This conveys to his audience that he is sophisticated, presentable, and worthy of giving his opinion. In his writing Haley brings in a very friendly style. He uses sophisticated words to sound educated, but brings in a conversation like structure that allows the reader to feel a closer distance between the columnist and themselves. He also uses we in some of his writing. He knows that he is talking to members of Colorado so in order to make his articles sound less formal and more interesting to the reader, he incorporates the reader in his writings. He also uses short paragraphs to make it seem more personal and conversation like. Haley is a very politically savvy man who seeks to inform and assist his audience in making the decisions that he believes are the right ones. He explains problems that are occurring and gives his beliefs on what should be done and/ or how we should go about doing it.
ReplyDelete“Politics is a game, I realize, but what if we stopped keeping score.” This is an example of how Haley connects with his audience. Though he is still giving his opinion, he is incorporating his audience by asking a question and getting them thinking about how they feel about this situation.
“It’s a mess.” This is one of his paragraphs in his column “Blueprint for Colorado”. This is a way that he uses his “voice” to create a persuasive column that sounds more like a conversation. This makes the reader want to listen to what he has to say and also makes it interesting and easy to read.
“I’m not easily given to hyperbole, but I think it is one of the most important films in years. And to really sound like I'm writing ad copy for the film, I'll add this: If you care about the future of our country, watch it.” This quote is talking about the film “Waiting for Superman”. He makes fun of himself, which makes him sound humble, however he also guilt trips his audience by making them want to believe that they truly care about the future of their country.
Mike Littwin is a Denver Post columnist with a liberal slant who often writes about his opinions on local and state political issues while sometimes relating them to issues of a more national scope. His pieces are characterized by his emphasis on establishing good character and identifying with the common man. This is essentially how he invents an ethos for himself. Going hand-in-hand with this is Littwin’s willingness to very explicitly disclose his own beliefs or biases in his columns. Of course, that further secures the goodwill of his readers.
ReplyDelete“Not that there's anything wrong with symbolism, per se. The in-state tuition for the children of illegal immigrants — a Colorado version of the DREAM Act — will be re-introduced this year. The bill, which I favor, isn't going anywhere.” – This is a good example of Littwin stating where he stands.
“But McInnis' part-time work was derailed by that nasty plagiarism charge, which can be a serious problem, particularly for those of us in the journalism world.” – This is a great example of Littwin expressing his solid values.
“So now I want the Scott Gessler job. It doesn't pay quite as well, but the hours are great, and you can work at home on weekends in your office/den while watching the game on the big-screen TV that you can now afford. And if the pay — about 100 bucks an hour — isn't what you're used to as a big-time lawyer, it is still more than you can make at the 7-Eleven.” – Littwin often identifies with the common man through frank comments such as this one about working at 7-Eleven.
David Harsanyi has a very particular style when it comes to writing to his column. It is very clear from reading just three of his articles that he is a fairly staunch libertarian. Mr. Harsanyi rarely brags about his political know-how, or his education, his area of expertise but rather uses humour in order to emphasize his point. He breaks arguments down into a very clear and concise manner, and makes it understandable to the average reader. This really enables him to connect with those who read his column.
ReplyDelete“And if there's any country we can hate more than China, it's Mexico.”
On this level, he connects with his Colorado readers because many people in this state have a tendency to think less of Mexico, whether it be because of immigration rights, the drug war or the outsourcing of jobs to that country. And the fact that they’re our actual neighbours. He uses this line as comic relief.
He also ends that article with: “I'm certainly not an expert on foreign policy (using "Red Dawn" as a reference point probably gave it away), but all this hand-wringing and fear seems a tad bit premature, if not irrational.” This is also how he breaks down the economic policies concerning the United States and China and very effectively makes them seem as if anyone can understand them.
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_17152445
“Yet, despite all my superhuman patriotism, I also find the whole effort a bit gimmicky and unnecessary. As you know, the Constitution is malleable and we all believe deeply in our own version — that's if we're imbued with enough wisdom to understand it.” Here, Mr. Harsanyi very effectively uses sarcasm in order to get his point across that too many people (especially those who claim themselves to be the “true” patriots) really have no more knowledge of the Constitution than anyone else. Once again, using humour to attract readers’ attention.
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_17010205
“Though I support gay marriage — more specifically, removing government from the marriage business altogether — it strikes me as deceitful to dismiss legitimate arguments for preserving traditional marriage and ugly to smear everyone making them as homophobic Neanderthals.” Here, Mr. Harsanyi also appeals to those who are moderate and do not like to smear others in the political spectrum as well as the left side (and partially the right, who tend to enjoy not having government intervention, that is unless it is concerning marriage). His very “middle of the road” techniques are what make him an effective columnist.
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_17029198
David Harsanyi’s columns portray him as a man with no use of overly-flippant terms or flowery language- more often; his columns are filled with critiques of politics, the varied uses of rhetoric in debates, and regularly arguing against popular opinion. Harsanyi frequently uses dry humor in his column, and gives off an impression of someone educated with a very straightforward personality. In establishing his credibility, Harsanyi discusses recent political moves and policies, and often dismisses the media and the hive-minds of the Democratic and Republican camps. He secures the goodwill of his readers by connecting to his audience by using humor and critique that provoke questions on the usual ‘going-ons’ of politics.
ReplyDeleteObama isn't fooling anyone
“There exists no legislation more burdensome and expensive than the "job-crushing" (not "job-killing," because, naturally, we can't stand for that kind of imagery) "Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act," formerly known as Obamacare and presently being symbolically repealed by House Republicans. That's for starters.”
David Harsanyi frequently uses dry humor to communicate ideas to his audience.
Actually, Huck, it's Palin who gets it
But the recently passed nutrition bill (the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, in Washingtonese), a key component to Mrs. Obama's plan to "end childhood obesity," is in fact both "telling people" what they should eat and "trying to force the government's desires on people."
The columnist often critiques politics by using forward language and defining concepts for his audience to better understand.
The Constitution is dead. Long live the Constitution.
“As you know, the Constitution is malleable and we all believe deeply in our own version — that's if we're imbued with enough wisdom to understand it.”
Harsanyi also raises questions and ideas for his audience to question current and past politics.
Dan Haley, an opinion columnist for the Denver Post has an invented ethos and a persona in which established his credibility. Other than the fact that he has been writing for the Denver Post, a well-known and credible paper for a while, Haley’s articles are well written and sound intelligent. It is obvious that Haley does his homework and pays attention to details in a ways that shows the reader he knows what he is talking about. He also establishes credibility by establishing a similar moral pattern of behavior in all of his pieces or writing, which suggests he is in the middle of the political spectrum. This consistency helps to establish Haley’s reputation as a writer and can almost make his stances on issues predictable. Even though the establishment of his character and credibility is not as blatant as ancient rhetors, it is obvious enough for readers to pick up on and understand his character as well as trust his opinions as a writer. Another way Haley establishes his ethos is by securing the goodwill of his audience. In all of his writings, Haley does a few strategic and subtle things to connect with his readers further. In all of his writings, Haley creates in intimate distance between himself and the reader to establish a closer identification and to further crate more persuasion potential. He does this in a few ways. The first is with the use of first person. By using “I”, Haley is directly addressing the reader. Also, there is a lot of attitude and personality in Haley’s writing, with small conversational words and uses qualifiers, which helps to close the gap of formality, allowing for a connection with the reader.
ReplyDeleteThis first example comes from Haley’s article A Real Nowhere Man. Haley says, “But the bigger problems, I think, are these political litmus tests given to our elected leaders by powerful outside forces — unions, environmentalists, pro-lifers, anti-tax crusaders — to see if they're true Democrats or Republicans.” A couple of strategic stylistic moves are evident in this line. First of all, this line shows that Haley knows what he is talking about. This establishes his intellectual credibility. With his credibility established, Haley then proceeds to create an intimate distance with reader with the use of first person. Haley also uses qualifiers such as “I think” and “true” to close the gap of formality and establish goodwill with the reader.
CONTINUED (the post would only allow a certain amount of characters)....
ReplyDeleteThe second example comes from Haley’s article, imagine no ambitions. Haley writes, “We're at a critical moment in our nation's history, a tipping point if you will, where Americans know — and it's being drilled into our heads via television ads — that we're on an unsustainable fiscal path, that we can't keep borrowing money from China to spend, spend, spend, and that our entitlement system is broken and in need of repair.” In this case, Haley does what he does best. Building his character and persona and fairly moderate while speaking to the audience intelligently and respecting what the audience might already know and believe. The voice of this piece is conversational, as if Haley is speaking with a friend over coffee, wanting to engage the reader in almost a debate.
The third example comes from Haley’s article Ignoring Superman. Haley says in the beginning of this article, “I'm no film critic, but I think it's fair to say a movie has impact if you feel like you've been punched in the gut after watching it, or if it causes a slight watery, salty discharge to well in your eyes. (I don't cry at movies unless they involve old dogs.)” When speaking of ethos and establishing credibility, this may seem like an unlikely way for a writer to begin a piece, by admitting to the audience that they are in fact, not qualified to perform the task they are about to embark on. However, Haley does this to make a connection with the reader to then further in the article unfold his argument about the state of education in Colorado, and area in which by the article, one can tell he has done his research. So in this particular article, instead of integrating establishing credibility and establishing good will with the reader, Haley separates them, but it is still effective.
Tina Griego is a Denver Post columnist with a very effective writing persona. She begins every article with some sort of heart-wrenching fact and in this way is seen as a sympathetic, caring person. Once she lures in readers with her puppy eyes, she spits back paragraphs of raw facts and statistics in support of the heart-wrenching topic of the column. She gained the trust of the reader now, and is in a powerful position; she is sympathetic and full of intelligent facts to legitimize her argument. These two things make her very believable. She often throws in a few political slurs that allude to her being a democrat, but quickly shifts back to stories of her childhood that regain the trust and relation to her audience. Each article concludes with some sort of life lesson to keep us thinking. So ultimately, whether or not we agree with her argument, she now holds our hearts in her hand and we walk away thinking about her writing either way.
ReplyDeleteThe Denver Post’s Tina Griego reports on the Martin Luther King Marade and concludes the fact-filled article on a personal note, “Destini Packer and Justice Gray walking in their first MLK Marade, two seventh-graders with the whole world before them,” as if the names Destini and Justice are not enough. She melts our hearts and allows us to relate to these proud children walking in the parade to mark their freedom in the name of Martin Luther King. As if this topic is not powerful enough, Griego adds an extra twist to keep the Marade fresh in our minds. http://www.denverpost.com/griego/ci_17122321
Secondly, Griego comments on the proclaimed “Tiger Mother’s” parenting choices, but instead of accusing the mother of mistreating her children like everyone else, Griego mostly leaves that topic alone and focuses on how she parents her own children. Any mother or father can relate to Griego’s constant yearning to be the perfect parent, and she jerks out the tears when she concludes the article with an interesting thought, “My job is to keep the boat straight, give them safe harbor, to love and guide and prepare them as best as I know how for the day they take the oars.” She turns the negative backlash about the Tiger Mother into an opportunity on what the goal of every parent should be. http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17142430
Thirdly, she comments on the debate in Denver as to how the public schools shall pay for kids on reduced meal plans when the government is cutting the schools’ funds. This time, she is all about establishing herself as a caring citizen, but slyly hides in a punch at the Republicans, “Democrats in the state legislature are trying to find money to offset the cost of some of these breakfasts after three Republicans on the Joint Budget Committee refused to approve the extra $124,229 needed to get through the school year,” but then carefully goes back to talking about how kids are very hungry and it is terribly sad: re-establishing trust.
http://www.denverpost.com/griego/ci_17188434
Lastly, Griego interviews long time retired Denver police officer Rudy Sandoval as he yearns to become a police chief. In his long career of protecting the citizens of Colorado, he never gained the title of police chief until he was hired out of retirement to be the chief at a small Denver town called Morrison. She blatantly tugs on our heart strings as she describes the moment he shows her his new badge, “He hands it to me and there's the badge, affixed above the brim, gold eagle on silver, the word "Chief" emblazoned upon it. Sixty-five years old. Dream fulfilled,” and our hearts melt on the floor.
http://www.denverpost.com/griego/ci_17171531
Mike Littwin is a Denver Post political columnist with a liberal angle. He writes rather colloquially, and combines that with his skeptical attitude to formulate his articles. Even before reading his articles one can start to determine what kind of author he is. The picture on his profile page shows an approximately 60-year-old man with hair past his shoulders, a large bushy mustache, and a pair of glasses. His writing style and opinions very much play into the stereotypes of his photo. Not as a cop-out to the assignment but I personally don’t really feel that he establishes much ethos is his pieces. If there was any ethos established in his article, it would based on somewhat humorous, almost satirical writing that can be very persuasive at times.
ReplyDelete“Once upon a time, I wanted the Scott McInnis job, wherein you retire from Congress, write your "musings on water" — which turn out to be virtually unreadable and not at all muse-worthy — and get $300,000 for the, uh, effort.” This is an example of Littwin’s humor and colloquial writing style that helps to captivate the audience and plays the role of his “version” of ethos.
“The law — which would virtually turn Arizona law enforcement into a division of ICE — will become little more than a footnote scattered along the path leading to the goal of national immigration reform, not that I'm holding my breath for it to come any time soon.” Again this quote shows his skeptical opinion towards immigration and I feel that many believe that if you have to be very knowledgeable to be satirical.
“On the day of the shootings, he's buying cigarettes at a Walgreens. Outside the store, he hears shots. He thinks at first it might be fireworks, but he knows what gunshots sound like. He has had a gun since he was 8 or 9.” This also shows his colloquial laissez-faire approach to politics, which again can be seen as ethos in the minds of some, but I personally don’t feel that Littwin provides much cause for ethos in his pieces.
Tina Griego writes on topics ranging from parenthood to police officers being reinstated. She carries a motherly tone and appeals to pathos frequently. Griego often supports the individual in different articles. In her article on Illegal Immigration she appeals to pathos by mentioning how illegal immigrants are coming here for more opportunity but having freedom taken away from them. She was proud of the elderly officer who finally accomplished his dream of being a police chief, although he may not have been the best prepared for the job. Her support of the individual over the iron fist of the law shows her good natured attitude and hope for people to succeed. She establishes her expertise by starting off her articles with her personal experience with the situation, her relationship with the officer, her understanding of the illegal immigrant students, and her connection to mothers. Griego connects to her audience by trying to appeal to their sense of right and wrong and second chances. She seems like a gentle natured woman, but her underlying beliefs definitely influence her stances. By coming across very gingerly she is able to instill her point in the reader subtly, without the reader noticing they are suddenly filled with pity for those who have came into our country illegally and are not experiencing the freedom they expected.
ReplyDelete“That's the plain-as-daylight consequence of one country's failure to provide opportunity to its citizens and another's to address basic truths about the nature of illegal immigration. Secure Communities is what all of our immigration laws are: an expression of our ambivalence.” Previously Griego stated that we all wanted the bad guys gone, but disagrees with her previous statement to make a stab at the political discrepancy. She subtly imposes her opinion into what she explains as accepted truths.
“Fairview is the poorest school I know in the poorest neighborhood I know. I'm speaking in economic terms here. Sun Valley residents are touchy, rightfully so, about the way in which the word "poor" is wielded as a condemnation of all aspects of their lives. Poor equals irresponsible.” Griego stands up for the small town in distress by pointing fingers at our economic position and not the inability of the individual to make ends meet. She is understanding of the way that the people in this town are frustrated with the position they are in and how they so easily take the heat. Throughout this article Griego highlights parents and the school system as doing their best and making everything work out for the kids.
“How long do you think it will be before the Adhikari family and its descendants succumb to the lure of the more individualistic, more hedonistic culture that will surround them here? If you think you detect a strain of lament in the question, you would not be mistaken. Yeah, your kids are obedient and respectful now, a Chicano friend once teased a Mexican immigrant friend, but just wait until the U.S. gets ahold of them.” This quote shows Griego’s position on the change that our society has undertaken. She remembers back to the days of her grandparents and the greater influence of manners and exposes this generation’s lack of expectations. The blame isn’t put on the mothers but directed towards our society and what we allow.
I read some articles of Tom Noel’s and he is empirical evidence writer. A lot of his character as a person comes out through his writing because he is kind of a quirky guy. He is very pro Colorado and its history. His ethos is one of using examples of historical events, as evidence towards his arguments and relating it to present day Colorado. He likes to write in a manner where we as Coloradans can learn a lot from our states history and us it as an applicable example to present day situations. Through this methodology for writing it clearly shows that he is an intelligent and educated man. He shows that he is very much interested in Colorado’s future especially in a positive direction. He values the quality of life in Colorado and would like it to be run correctly and fairly to everyone. He is quite direct in the population he is targeting and that is the people of Colorado. He wants to enlighten people in Colorado of how it can better itself.
ReplyDelete“Last week, the State Board of Education faced this problem and voted unanimously to include, for the first time in 10 years, social studies in the state assessment system”. This is from an article he wrote, “Noel: Teaching History”, in which he later goes on to state this is important for schools to teach social studies and history because it teaches kids very applicable skills like: economics and personal financial literacy. He then goes on to say that this history can help with the current conservation debate began more than 100 years ago and we can learn from the past. This works well towards his audience because it shows a lot of beneficial results from history that would interest the public as a whole.
“In these tight economic times, the dead, as well as the living, have to do with less”. This is the first line in one of his articles, “A dying Denver cemetery is reborn”, in which I feel he demonstrates his quirky side in an article. He once again used heavy Colorado history to influence his point. I enjoy his kind of writing because it is different in the way it is presented with the heavy historical references.
“Once upon at time, Columbus Day was not a source of contention but of celebration”. Tom Noel in this third article writes a historical piece about different social groups and their progression over the years. He is a very intelligent writer. Most of his pieces are extremely history related and the lesson that can be learned. It seems to work for him because as he is not the most frequent contributor to the paper he does have a solid following. His ethos is one that appeals to a very certain group of people.
Mike Littwin is an opinions columnist for the Denver post. He has a very strong liberal view on the topics he writes about. Littwin’s picture next to his column shows that he is a middle-aged man with long, shoulder-length hair, not exactly clean cut. This is precisely the ethos he invents for himself in his writing. He provides readers with blatantly honest, powerfully opinionated articles. Furthermore, he uses very short, one to three sentence paragraphs in which he gets straight to the point. In his articles, Littwin does not suggest that he is superior or more knowledgeable than the reader, only an average guy with an opinion just like anyone else.
ReplyDelete“The thing is, being polite doesn't solve the problem.” – This is a perfect example of how Littwin conducts his writing.
“And my wife, who was for many years a kindergarten teacher, successfully instructed me years later on how to use my inside voice.” – Here Littwin encourages his ethos of being an average middle-aged married man, on a level playing field as the reader.
“But, of course, it's more complicated than that.”- This is an entire paragraph in one of Littwin’s articles. It is an example of his sarcastic, straight to the point, honest writing.
David Harsanyi, a regular columnist for The Denver Post, has created a strong ethos or persona through his writing, through which he appeals to his audience and uses his character to persuade them. Harsanyi establishes his credibility by convincing his audience of his unbiased view and rational thought. He asserts that his values are that of good moral character, and not that of a particular religion or political group. One value, for example, is his pro-life view on abortion in which he separates himself from religiously interested groups and asserts his beliefs in a manner that suggests an ethical moral view. Furthermore, he secures the good will of his readers by demonstrating that he is well informed in his writing.
ReplyDeleteOne way in which Harsanyi establishes his credibility is by using facts and polls to introduce or support his arguments, which reduces any bias the audience may believe he possesses. In his column “No, we’re not No. 2. Not yet,” he states that “You don't have to have blind faith in American exceptionalism to know that the U.S. economy, even with the tribulations of the recent years, is still the richest, most productive and innovative power in the world. The private sector isn't collapsing (though we've certainly hit a bump); others just happen to be gaining on us.” His presentation of facts to support his response to a recent Allstate/National Journal poll gives him credibility in the eyes of the audience. Secondly, his values are that of good moral character and not the result of any religious or political belief. In the column “Abortion, religion, and reason,” he writes, “Though you probably didn't hear much about it, this week thousands of people marched for the pro-life cause in Washington and elsewhere. There were folks I generally don't hang with: Catholics for Life, Baptists for Life, Lutherans for Life — no denomination left behind.” Harsanyi separates himself from religious groups after asserting his pro-life view on abortion in order to distinguish himself as a credible and unbiased author. Lastly, he secures the good will of his readers by demonstrating that he is well informed in his writing. In “Fear of a Red Planet,” Harsanyi states, “We can also give in to isolationists and those who believe in closing markets and ratcheting up tariffs and hurt our own economy. As The New York Times' Nicholas Kristof recently pointed out (in a rather pessimistic piece), "Chinese goods mostly compete with products from Mexico, South Korea and other countries, and it is stealing jobs from those countries more than from America." And if there's any country we can hate more than China, it's Mexico.” His knowledge of the issue at hand creates a persuasive ethos appeal to the audience.
David Harsanyi is an opinion columnist at the Denver Post. After reading several of his articles it is clear his views are liberal on most of the pieces he writes. He shows his readers that he is not afraid to share his opinions on the issues he writes about. Even when his opinions change from piece to piece or when they are very radical. He is fairly young man but an experienced writer and highly educated. Mr. Harsanyi has a very unique style of writing. He breaks up his arguments within the article into small sections and expands on each of his point, while using humor to bring out his points. His unique style of writing allows for his readers to feel a personal to what he is writing about.
ReplyDelete“I'm certainly not an expert on foreign policy (using "Red Dawn" as a reference point probably gave it away), but all this hand-wringing and fear seems a tad bit premature, if not irrational.” He uses this line to connect with his readers by showing them that even though he is smart; he is an average Joe just like them.
“Let's be sure we're not on the wrong side of the Sputnik moment.” With this line David Harsanyi connected with his Colorado readers because many people in this state tend to think less at the moment of Obama. He uses this line of sarcasm as a line of comic relief at the end of a serious piece.
“But if the pro-life movement is going to win the hearts and minds of the rest of the nation, it's not going to need more God. It's going to need more reason.” He uses this line to connect to his readers through humor by poking at the whole argument of the pro-life side on abortion.