Reflection Paper

This paper was a new experience. I hadn’t written a paper quite like this one before so it was interesting to try to find a way to write it. It was also interesting to try to view these speeches rhetorically and analyze them without regard to my personal opinions on their subjects. I felt I did pretty good at understanding how these rhetorical devices work. I just hope it all came out on paper the way I wanted it to. 

Writing my second essay, I felt slightly better about my process for writing. I wrote an outline and  brainstormed ideas in a more streamlines idea that helped me remember everything I wanted to include. I wrote my draft faster and tried to spend more times getting my ideas on paper and less time focusing on small details that can be worked out later. This helped me overall to write faster. I was able to edit my essay more effectively when all my ideas were already out on the paper. On style academy, I viewed the phrases and clauses exercise which helped me understand more about sentence structure. 

With my next essay, I want to give myself more time to do a deeper rewrite. I also want to be more specific about my ideas and less vague. I am happy that I did slightly better with my transitions this time around though. I hope to continue to improve with my next paper. 

Readings (And Analysis)

RR: "God, Darwin, and My College Biology Class"

The argument of this piece is that God and evolution are not comparable. The author uses multiple examples to accentuate this. Mostly, these examples focus on logic. He points out that the ideas of complexity and human uniqueness are both contrary to what biology teaches us. 

RR: "My Right to Death With Dignity at 29"

The argument of this piece is that someone terminally ill should have the opportunity to choose whether or not to die. To defend this, the author uses vivid descriptions that contrast how bad the worry of suffering would be with the peace that comes from saying goodbye on your own time. Her personal story is a convincing argument. 

AR: Martin Luther King Jr. "I Have A Dream"

This speech's argument is that America should stay true to their creed that "All men are created equal." Martin Luther King Jr uses descriptive imagery, religious language and repetition to bring his point across.

Barack Obama. National Prayer Breakfast. 

Obama's argument is that as a country and a people, we should not be so full of fear towards others of religions different to ours. Obama relates to people's morality and their Christianity in order to convince them that doing this is best. He also boosts the ethos of his argument by connecting it to past presidents such as Lincoln. With his stories, he connects to the human, everyday feelings of the audience. 

Thesis Proposal

Thesis Proposal

            The two speeches I have chosen to compare for my rhetorical analysis are Mitt Romney’s “Faith in America” and John F. Kennedy’s (JFK’s) Address to Protestant Ministers. Both of these speakers were being criticized for their religion at the time of their speeches. As a result, they both argue that their religion should not matter when being considered for candidacy. Though both JFK and Mitt Romney spoke effectively to their audiences, I believe JFK did the better job of making his message convincing to a potentially hostile audience. I’ll be discussing both speeches and arguing that JFK’s had the better rhetoric in my essay.

            Mitt Romney’s speech was given at the George Bush Presidential Library in Texas to a mostly religious audience. As such, Romney made sure to emphasize the importance of Religion in politics and in morals. He connected with them on a religious basis through religious diction. He also appeals to Ethos by connecting himself to presidents such as JFK, Lincoln and George W. Bush (who was from Texas himself). However, in the process of doing this, Romney also alienates certain groups such as Atheists and does not address them.

            What Romney does in his essay, JFK does better. Romney himself mentions the historic influence of the rhetoric in JFK’s speech. JFK addresses his protestant audience by appealing to their strong moral values. He uses imagery and vivid details to emphasize the fact that the issues at hand, not his religion, should be the focus of his campaign. In an even stronger form than Romney, JFK ties his argument back to the 1^st amendment and the constitution. The United States was based on the ideals of religious freedom and these judgements violate that. JFK makes it clear that these judgements against him are not unique. Other religious groups are under the same persecution that he is. This use of rhetoric appeals to all groups and all patriots at once.