In Class: Analyzing Visuals

Candy Cigarette
Q:What about this image initially draws your attention and why?
A: What initially drew my attention to the image was that such a young girl was holding a cigarette. If I had not known the title of this image I would have thought that this young girl was actually smoking a real cigarette. It is an appeal to my ethics because I do not believe that a girl of her age should be smoking.
Q:How does this initial point of vision connect to the rest of the image?
A: She looks very stern and that was the first thing that I realized after the initial part of the image that drew my attention. I noticed that the girl next to her looks far younger with her hair in a very high pony tail and innocent compared to her friend holding the cigarette. She looks old beyond her years because of the way she is standing with her arm crossed over her body and the way in which she holds the cigarette in her hand.
Q: What is this image about? What emotions and ideas are portrayed in the image?
A: I believe this image is about the young girl holding the cigarette and the stigma surrounding the image of her doing this. Most people would not expect such a young girl to be smoking and you feel sorry for her because even at such a young age she looks like she has had a hard life.
Q: What is the purpose of this image?
A: The purpose of this image, I believe, is to show the audience this girl's loss of innocence. The world around children these days induces premature growing up and this image is a perfect example of the loss of a child's youth.

In Class: Confusing Concepts from Logos

One of the things that confused me in Chapter 4 of Everything's an Argument is the use of surveys and polls as a logical appeal. When I think of surveys and polls I think of a very inaccurate measure of the public's feelings. There are many biases surrounding the use of surveys and I feel that they are not a good representative of a logical appeal. My question is, why did they include this as an example in the chapter if the readings and data obtained from the source are inaccurate? I realize polls are used to persuade people towards a certain view on the topic that is presented but would the inaccuracy deter people from using this form to appeal to people?