Working Bibliography

Hmmm, I'm having some trouble with getting my web links to come up. I may come back and edit those later. But for now, here is my working bibliography. I realize the formatting isn't quite right - I'm not used to HTML formatting.

Works Cited

Appiah, Kwame Anthony. “Racism: History of Hatred.” Affirmative Action and Diversity Page. AAD Project, 04 Aug. 2002. Web. 16 Nov. 2009. .

Barkley, Charles. Who’s Afraid of a Large Black Man? Ed. Michael Wilbon. New York: The Penguin Press, 2005.

Barton, Paul. "A Response: PBS 'Race': A History of Racism." Raceandhistory.com. Race and History. 04 May 2003. Web. 17 Nov. 2009. .

Bender, David, Bruno Leone, Bonnie Skumski, Brenda Stalcup, Scott Barbour, and Jennifer A. Hurley. Racism. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1998.

Brown, Tony. Black Lies, White Lies. New York: William and Morrow Company, 1995.

A Class Divided. Dir. William Peters. 1986. Yale University Films, PBS Home Video. DVD.

Colbert, Stephen. I am America (and so can you!). Eds. Richard Dahm, Paul Dinello, and Allison Silverman. New York: Grand Central Publishing Hachette Book Group, 2007.

Davis, Ronald L. F., Ph. D. "Slavery in America: Historical Overview." SlaveryInAmerica.org. New York Life. N.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2009. .

Dent, David J. In Search of Black America: Discovering the African-American Dream. New York: Touchstone, 2000.

Fireside, Harvey. Separate and Unequal: Homer Plessy and the Supreme Court Decision that Legalized Racism. New York: Carroll and Graf Publishers, 2004.

Fredrickson, George M. Racism: a short history. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002.

Gates, Henry Louis, Jr. America Behind the Color Line: dialogues with African Americans. New York: Warner Books, 2004.

Harris, Fred R. and Lynn A. Curtis. Locked in the Poorhouse: Cities, Race, and Poverty in the United States. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1998.

"The History of Racism." AllAboutPopularIssues.org. All About Popular Issues, 2009. Web. 16 Nov. 2009. .

Iceland, John. Poverty in America. Regents of the University of California, 2003. Web. 18 Nov. 2009. .

Kelley, Raina. “The Roots of Racism.” Newsweek.com. Newsweek, Inc. 25 Jun. 2009. Web. 13 Nov. 2009. .

Kim, Sukkoo. "Immigration, Industrial Revolution and Urban Growth in the United States, 1820-1920: Factor Endowments, Technology and Geography." Diss. Washington University, St. Louis. Jan. 2007. Web. 18 Nov. 2009. .

Langone, John. Spreading Poison. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1993.

Leondar-Wright, Betsy. "Appendix 13J: History of Classism." Betsy Leondar-Wright, 2005. Web. 17 Nov. 2009. .

Middleton, Samuel and Billy G. Smith. "Class and Early America: An Introduction." The William and Mary Quarterly. 63.2. (2006): n. pag. Web. 17 Nov. 2009. .

Perkins, Edwin J. The Economy of Colonial America. New York: Columbia University Press, 1988.

Stanford, Eleanor, Bonnie Szumski, and Helen Cothran. Interracial America. New York: Thomas Gale, 2006.

Soto, Rhonda. "Race and Class: Taking Action at the Intersections." Classism.org. Class Action, n. d. Web. 18 Nov. 2009. .

Torr, James D., Bruce Glassman, Bonnie Szumski, and Helen Cothran. Race Relations. New York: Thomas Gale, 2005.

U.S. Census Bureau. The 2009 Statistical Abstract: Income, Expenditures, Poverty, and Wealth. 01 Sep. 2009. Web. 18 Nov. 2009. .

Research Paper!

Sooo, I get to write a extensive paper for this class AND blog about it. How fun is that?!?! When I first set out to pick a topic I honestly had NO clue what I wanted to do it on. As I thought about it more and more, things just seemed to fall into place that I should do it on racism of some form. So here I am reading all these insightful books and trying to understand the cancer of racism in America. The book I'm reading right now is Who's Afraid of A Large Black Man? by Charles Barkley. It's pretty much intriguing... Throughout the book he refers to racism as being the biggest cancer of his lifetime. I love that comparison. Cancer is soooo hard to understand: why does it happen, what makes it spread so quickly? So many questions and not a single answer. Racism is parallel in so many ways. It spreads like wildfire and is not necessarily contained to a certain area. And, like cancer, racism will eat you alive. But it won't take your physical body like cancer will - it will eat your heart and your mind like nothing else will. What is racism? Is it a disease of the mind that makes people think and say horrible things based on the color of someone's skin? Or is it an environmental mindset brought about by the experiences we have, the way our parents view others and the way we see them presented in society? Is racism limited to whites vs. blacks? Or is there racism among blacks themselves? Is the label of acting white hurting African-Americans more than the N word? What does it mean to act white? Why is there something wrong with it? Are minorities so insecure that they are afraid to stand up for their own? What pushed them to insecurity? Can whites really say that they've experienced racism? Or are they just underestimating racism and what it means? Is race truly the issue? Or are economic factors becoming the downfall of society? Is it now rich vs. poor rather than white vs. black? How subtle can racism be and still be considered racism? What defines us? What do people see first, say first when describing us? Is America actually fueling the fires of racism? If we are brutally, and I mean brutally, honest with ourselves, how often do we judge someone based on the color of their skin or accuse them in our minds of "acting white" or "acting black"? Where is the line drawn of making a simple observation and entertaining critical thoughts of others? What is the answer? Is integration the key, or is it a stumbling block? What is integration? What is segregation? Are the schools today truly integrated? Is the workplace integrated? So as I read I hope to answer some of these questions. Obviously I'm a little scatterbrained right now:) But it's all part of the process. I need to rein in my topic!

Assignment 3 - Pathos

This Nike ad appeals to pathos. It’s overall simplistic design eliminates distractions that may disrupt the main point. The ad is displayed in black and white with the only color being the bright yellow text. The color for the text is taken from Lance Armstrong’s famous Livestrong campaign to fight against cancer. Because Lance Armstrong’s personal fight against cancer and his current Livestrong campaign are both widely known, the yellow color is a successful way to draw the viewer in by relating it to an occurrence/campaign already branded in the mind. The slogan “Just do it” gives viewers a sense of duty and ability – a new courage to conquer the insurmountable. By showing the scar on this cancer patient’s head, the viewer feels sympathy by viewing the reality of cancer. That, along with the fact that most viewers have an association with cancer (they either are fighting it themselves, or are related to or very close to a cancer patient/survivor or have lost a loved one to the disease), causes this ad to be an extremely effective emotional appeal.

Assignment 3 - Ethos

This ad appeals to ethos. As an ad produced by the Richard Nixon Foundation, the claim here is that this ad is to be trusted on issues regarding former President Richard Nixon and his life, claiming “You don’t know Dick!” An important objection to Richard Nixon himself is presented in the ad in the form of the damaged cassette tape and the words “Sometimes your whole life can flash by in 18 ½ minutes.” This refers to the 18 ½ minutes erased from the tapes regarding the Watergate scandal that bankrupt Nixon’s career, reputation, and might I say, his whole life. This ad acknowledges the public’s censure of Nixon and seeks to use the status of the Richard Nixon Foundation as a trustworthy platform for revealing the “real” Richard Nixon. Because this ad admits Nixon’s mistakes, it is more effective than it would have been if it had ignored Nixon’s tainted past. [Again, click on the photo for a larger view.]

Assignment 3 - Logos

This ad appeals to logos. By giving examples and making claims about the faulty electrical systems on boats, this ad gives evidence, both in pictures and in words of the claim that “The most common problem on a boat is a failure of the electrical system.” By putting the picture of the boat burning up in an electrical fire along with the very knowledgeable sounding claims on the left, the ad is effective by relaying important, logical information and a visual of the consequences. The ad also backs up the claims with a solution for the problem – buy your boat products from ANCOR to avoid faulty electrical systems and the possibility of your boat blowing up. Pathos also makes this argument effective because it appeals to the fear of dying in a fire like the one portrayed in the ad. [You can click on the photo to see it in a larger format so as to read what is written on it.]

Assignment 2 - President Obama's Speech to Students

Today President Obama addressed the nation's students from Wakefield Highschool in Arlington, Virginia. The speech was approximately 16 minutes in length and was preceded by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Wakefield's 2010 Senior Class President, Timothy Spicer. [I did not read/watch any previous information on the speech and the controversy surrounding it before hand. I watched it live on the White House web site. The following are my comments and observations.]

Overall I think that the President made a very encouraging and engaging speech this morning. He encouraged students to stay in school and highlighted responsibility to themselves as the key to success as a student and the success of this country.

I think that the strongest points were made when he highlighted famous personalities that the students could relate to (J.K. Rowling and Michael Jordan). He used them as examples to tell the students that we can't let our failures define us. We have to let our failures teach us instead. I think this was the strongest and most compelling point made because having failed in the past is a huge reason that many students let themselves be pulled down and discouraged from staying focused and achieving their dreams.

Another strong point was his statement, "Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength because it shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something, and that then allows you to learn something new." This helps students feel confident admitting that they need help and that it is okay to ask questions.

Throughout the speech the President used different rhetorical strategies to heighten the effect of his persuasive point - to stay motivated and dedicated throughout education. He appealed to pathos by connecting with the students by assuring them that he understood their experiences, especially relating his story of getting up before dawn to study with his mother. Telling that story also helped the students to identify with his experiences, which gave him more credibility with the main audience.

He appealed to ethos by acknowledging that he had made mistakes in the past and using personal stories and stories of other students to establish authority on the subject of education. He shared his personal struggle with education and admitted that he hadn't always applied himself as well as he should have. I think that admitting his shortcomings made people more likely to trust his presentation.

He also used logos, in regards to his statements that if you quite school you can't just expect to get a good job. I think the stories of the three students who overcame trials to succeed can be considered "evidence" for his claim that we can become good at something, but it takes time and dedication.

At the close of his speech, President Obama said, "I expect great things from each of you." A statement like this inspires a confidence that many people don't have. Hearing someone say that they have confidence in you gives you the strength to have confidence in yourself. I think it was a great way to end his speech.

You can read the text of his entire speech here.

Lost Comments

Grace and Mrs. Bell ~ I tried to publish your comments, but I seem to have lost them. I think I can recover them using my email, but I don't have access to that right now because I am in Minnesota at the PGA Championships and I don't have access to my home computer. So if you would like you can post a comment again or just wait until Monday or Tuesday and see if I have recovered them. So sorry! {The following is an update, posted 28August2009} Mrs. Bell ~ I never was able to recover your comment. I think you asked me if I thought that arguments can sometimes be made more effectively using images. In answer, yes, I do think that is sometimes the case. Although there are some arguments that seem hard to communicate through image only. That is where the written or spoken argument comes in! Thank you so much for making this class so fun already. :)

CRI WasteCounter

I discovered this and I thought it would nicely compliment my previous post.

Assignment 1 - Visual Argument

The photo above is the detail of the photo below at actual size. The photo below depicts 2 million plastic beverage containers - the number used in the U.S. every five minutes.

The above photos [http://chrisjordan.com/] argue the extensive plastic bottle waste in America, which I agree is a real issue. Nearly 2.5 million plastic bottles are thrown away every hour in America. To conceptualize this, take the bottom photo and multiply it thirty times. The result is the number of plastic bottles thrown away instead of recycled daily in the U.S. Yearly that amounts to 21,900 million wasted bottles. What might make a difference in these numbers? Considering container deposit laws for all bottles, including water and non-carbonated beverages, may entice consumers to recycle. Currently there are only eleven states with container deposit laws (However, many do not include non-carbonated beverage containers in the legislation.). Residents in states holding container deposit laws recycle their soda bottles at an average rate of 75%, compared to 34% in other states. Enticing consumers to recycle with container deposit legislation could possibly cut the number of wasted bottles in half. [I’ve included a link to the Clean Air Council web page that offers interesting waste facts and figures.]

http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html