A change of heart...

Wow, what an inspiration! This song has undoubtedly changed the hearts of dozens all around the world!!

English Symposium

The presentation that I attended was entitled ““A Revolutionary Act”: Investigating the Draw of Dystopia in Young Adult Literature”, and was given by Rachel Pullan.  In this presentation, she centered her main points on “Catching Fire”, written by Suzanne Collins.  Pullan talked about how the Hunger Games series is based in a dystopian society; one in which none of the adults seem willing to do anything to overcome the problems which plague them.  In the end, it is a young woman who sparks rebellion to change the path of this society.  This topic of literature can be found interesting to younger people because it is a relatable younger individual in the novel who is having a magnificent sociopolitical effect upon her entire country.  Also, the main character is not complacent, but is willing to go against common beliefs to help build a new world. Suzanne Collins

This definitely convinced me that I should buy this product! A beautiful display of Pathos and Logos in such a way that it captivates the soul! I could not have asked for a better way to enlighten my mind!

Connecting in the wrong places

   In our current times, a major shift has taken place; indeed, a cultural shift which affects you, me, and everyone in our country.  At a distressingly increasing rate, young people are setting their hearts on the secular things of the world, and abandoning their churches in numbers that have never before been seen.  As this trend continues to grow, it has been statistically seen that three in every four churchgoing youth are likely to leave their congregation and choose a life where they are no longer religiously obligated.  Young people receive the majority of their religious beliefs, as well as their religious motivation for church attendance, from their parents.  So, as one can accurately assume, these changes in attendance and devotion to their denominations most commonly occur in the late years of high school and the early years of college when the young people leave home for the first time.  Parents grow increasingly alarmed as the children who they have raised to hold benign values and continue to be gospel-loving individuals turn to new ways which embody unrighteousness (Nielson).  This growing issue which encompasses the hearts of many church goers with fear is being caused by a number of modern external and internal influences; namely influences from peers, a growing world of media, and a natural desire for rebellion.

Issues paper topic

For my issues paper I selected topic #1.  My current intention is to make the claim that youth are leaving the church in such great numbers because of negative social influences in their lives.  These influences come mainly from media, but also through their friends around them (who are also greatly affected by the media).  Ultimately, I will argue that it was after these new "controversial" themes in movies became introduced that young people began to become less inclined to attend church services.

First two pages of rhetorical analysis

The gut-wrenching internal struggle which individuals face when engaging a moral question can often be undeniably intense.  This conflict only becomes significantly magnified when that individual is of a firm religious background.  I know that this is a true incidence through my personal experiences.  When I was younger, I often felt that it was an undeniable necessity to bring forth punishments according to the Law of Moses (“An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”).  However, throughout the years, I have been influenced by church teachings which deliver statements along the lines of “Ye have heard it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:  But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5: 38-39).  Through such teachings, my moral understanding has been altered and heightened, for I feel that this religious study has shaped my being in such a way that I now have the ability to grasp higher concepts.  Of course, religion is based around the field of Pathos, which the author uses in his article to almost force the reader to listen to his argument.  Along with this, he applies facts to his article which serve to strengthen his viewpoint and hit a more personal tone in his primary audience.  The author also preys upon a sense of guilt that might arise when considering the occurrence of Osama Bin Laden’s death.

Despite creating intense and difficult statements for many Americans to agree with, Patrick Clark creates a general argument which many would find difficult to disagree with.  The author first includes information that appeals to his primary audience.  He says “should we consider it anything more than a blind coincidence that this momentous attack was carried out on Divine Mercy Sunday?”  This may seem obscure to some readers, but for the intended audience of Catholics a point becomes struck home.  Divine Mercy Sunday was created by Pope John Paul II on the second Sunday of Easter in the year 2000.  Its purpose is to recognize and celebrate the divine mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The author makes this connection in order to draw out the thoughts and emotions associated with their memories of this holiday.  In doing this, he applies his argument to something that they are used to and generally have respect for.  This will help the thought of mercy to in the conscience of his audience.  This moral foundation is a way for Patrick Clark to effectively establish his position in such a way that it will be difficult for an argument to arise later in the paper.  

The conflict of justice and mercy

The article that I found the most persuasive and the most thought provoking was the Osama Bin Laden piece.  For this reason, I will be writing my rhetorical analysis paper on it.  While reading it, I found myself to be deeply conflicted, for while I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (so I have mercy-oriented morals), I am also a Patriot, and so I found that justice had been done in Osama’s death. 

            Overall, I still believe that the death of Osama Bin Laden was a completely necessary occurrence, but I do agree with the writer in the sense that we shouldn't celebrate death.  Part of me does desire to rejoice in his destruction, but I also know that I need to remember that he is still a child of God (despite making horrible choices and being a terrible person…).  These are the feelings which will make this piece enjoyable to analyze, for it will be forcing two of my passions to combat each other:  my deep love for the justice of America, and my desires to continually be like Christ.

            I feel like as I work on this paper that I will be able to find a good amount of weak points in his argument, as well as find areas where his own words can be used against him.  It seems like I will have an enjoyable time with this assignment, and I look forward to trying out different methods for analyzing this piece. 

Opinion Editorial Reflection

I feel that my paper went fairly well.  While writing it, I made sure to use enough Logos to create a solid backbone for my argument.  I did this through citing sources with sturdy backgrounds and bringing professional opinions into my paper.  I worked to establish Pathos as I recounted a story of my own, and also as I brought up passionate points such as rights and liberty.  My Ethos mainly came from the professional sources which I cited, but also in the example that I gave through a personal story.  Generally, I did my best to recall the things which I have gained from past experiences as well as things learned in my current class to apply them to my essay.  I paid extra attention in the section of our supplemental guide that discussed how to format essays.  Another thing which I believe that I did well was going through my paper several times to edit it.  I believe this greatly increased the value of my opinion editorial.  One other process that I took the time to perform was acting on some of the revisions which my peers gave me.

Although I feel that I did well on this assignment, I probably could have improved it in a few ways.  For one thing, I feel like I could have planned out the general theme and structure of my opinion editorial better.  By this, I mean that my process as I began working was to form the general ideas of what I would write down, and then begin writing.  This is a decent process since it helps me to get my thoughts down on the paper, but I also feel that I could have been more effective if I had established main points in each paragraph, and then elaborated and filled in the gaps.  What I would do if I had to do the assignment again is create a more detailed plan for my paragraphs.  

"Faith in America" Analysis

Purpose:  I feel that the purpose of this article was to persuade the general public of America to vote for him (Mitt Romney), and to convince America to believe in committing to a more religious-friendly nation.

            Ethos:  One way in which the author establishes his credibly is through informing the audience of his religious standings.  Along with this, he also is a governor which means that he has been committed to serving his country throughout the years.  Another point that this prominent position provides is that he is at least somewhat trustworthy as well as effective.  During his speech, he pledges to put America as his foremost important duty.  This causes an audience to trust the speaker more.

            Pathos:  Several instances of Pathos can be seen in this speech.  One of the points in which this can be seen is when Mr. Romney mentions the goodness of the United States following World War 2.  He talks about how the U.S. didn't seek for land or treasures among the countries which they had conquered.  These statements bring about a sense of pride to be in this country.  Also, he brings the founding fathers and the constitution into his argument; which most Americans tend to be fairly passionate about.  Yet another thing which he provides to strengthen the emotion in his argument is to seek the support of other faiths by making remarks in which he shows respect and admiration to other denominations.

Logos:  The speaker uses Logic as he brings up the history of the country.  He makes mention to events which occurred regarding religious and physical freedom.  Mr. Romney touches on segments of American colony history in which there was religious persecution against people, ironically, the people coming to escape discrimination caused the persecutions. He also brings up the fact that religion was a huge part of the culture of people in the days of the founding fathers.

"Raise the Millionaires tax"

Jan Schakowsky and Jerry Fiddler argue the helpfulness and importance of raising the taxes of millionaires/billionaires

 
G:  Assumption that audience understands the American economic system and how taxes function in society.
A;  References school and how improvements to it (as well as other sections of our society) can be made.
S:  Author argues that if we raise taxes for the rich, then America can be improved as the middle class expands and modifications to public facilities are made.
C:  Consequences of not taking action are that the top 1% will continue to have dominance over the wealth of the country and that the middle class will continue to shrink.
A:  Jan Schakowsky serves on the energy and commerce committee, and Jerry Fiddler Co-founded "Wind-river systems".  They also discussed he topic with wealthy individuals who agreed with them.
P:  The moral principal here is to create a better world.  The authors argue that by distributing wealth through taxes is the best method to obtain a better country.

Ensign January 2015: Follow the Prophets

President Monson discusses the importance of following the guidance of prophets


G:  Assumption that the audience consists of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and that they understand religious topics.
A:  Provides his own experience regarding how his decision to abide by the advise of Harold B. Lee improved his life.
S:  If you want the light of heaven, inspiration, and a knowledge of God, then follow the prophets of God.
C:  Not hearkening to the words of the prophets will cause your life to not be as fruitful as it could have be.
A:  President Monson has had experience religiously... especially since he is the prophet of the church...
P:  President Monson believes that the listener/reader should believe in the vitality of listening to counsel from prophets.

Response to the wrestling article

I found the article "Wrestling's Dirty Secrets" to be super interesting!  I thought the author did a fine job at establishing his point with personal stories as with the usage of Jeff Reese's story.  Along with this he gave examples of various methods of weight loss, describing them in the article as torture.  These were certainly strengths in the argument.  However, I would have preferred more statistics referring to this topic on a broad scale throughout the country.  Regardless, this was a convincing article.

Kill liberty for Safety?

The topic which I intend to write my optional editorial paper on is gun rights.  I feel that in the second amendment of the United States Constitution when it states: “the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed” it means that citizens have the privilege to own firearms.  I obviously don’t feel that they should have massive weapons with the ability to kill hundreds to thousands of individuals, but I certainly think that means of defense should be readily available to people.  This subject will have great amounts of information which I will be able to research if I need to.  I feel that this will be an excellent subject to write on, for not only will there be a fruitful search online if needed, but the Constitution supports me.  Of course, others find different interpretations of the Constitution in order to limit gun availability.  I understand that they do this in an attempt to limit the amount of firearms available to criminals, but will this really help?  I don’t believe so, because thinking logically upon it, someone who already has the intention to disobey the law by killing someone else will not simply say “Oh, there’s a law saying I need to turn in my gun… I’ll go do that”.  Instead of depriving criminals of weapons, this idea will instead take away firearms from law-abiding citizens.  Along with this, many of the guns which criminals possess are not registered, so the government attempting to obtain them through a law alone will be fruitless.  These are a few of the main points which I shall use in my optional editorial.  I will not do an enormous amount of research to the point where the assignment becomes a research paper, but I will instead find the facts that I may have forgotten in order to reinforce and strengthen the point which I am standing for.  My passion for liberty here in this wonderful country will drive my paper along.  As Benjamin Franklin once said “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” 

Hello! Here lies a short introduction to your new friend!

Hey there!  Well, my name is Josh Holtry.  I graduated from my high school only a few weeks ago, so this is my first semester here at BYU.  I've lived in California nearly my entire life, so living in heritage halls here on campus has been an entirely new experience for me.

Throughout my life, I have loved sports.  I played soccer for my entire childhood, and then played my first year of high school.  Sophomore year I decided I would begin to play water polo and found out that I was good at it.  I earned the team MVP and district all-league awards for water polo during my last two years of high school. Along with water polo I tried swimming, but found out that it's not a fun sport at all, unfortunately.

Naturally, I am a fan of the Lord of the Rings series, and the most enjoyable series of novels which I have read are the Rangers Apprentice books (I understand that most probably have not and never will read those books).  What makes Lord of the Rings even more fun for me is that I have a cousin who knows pretty much everything there is to know about "Middle Earth".  Seriously, it's kind of crazy.








The only television show that I regularly watch is "The Walking Dead".  It is not only epic, but an excellent display of raw human emotions and actions when there is nothing to govern them.  After getting past the blood and whatnot, it can be viewed as a very deep show.  Some might argue this point against me, but bring it on!




My favorite film currently is entitled The Artist (either that, or It's a Wonderful Life).  The Artist is a modern day black and white film which is beautifully made and just yanks the emotion right out of you!  I highly suggest watching it.