Works Cited

"Crystal Meth." Drugfree. 23 Feb. 2009 .

Right Now. Dir. Mark Fenske. Perf. Van Halen. MTV. 23 Feb. 2009 .

"Secondhand Smoke Fact Sheet." Lungsusa. 23 Feb. 2009 .

Sex. Digital image. Montana Meth Project. Montana Meth Project. 23 Feb. 2009 .

Stop Second Hand Smoking. Digital image. Ocean Creep. 23 Feb. 2009 .

Visual Rhetoric

This is an ad put out by the Montana Meth Project to help combat the use and addiction of crystal meth. This picture immediately grabs a person’s attention with a shock factor. In the picture the sentence “15 bucks for sex isn’t normal. But on meth is it.” Is written in large bold font grabbing the viewer’s attention. In the background is the image of a young woman who is assumed to have an addiction to meth and she is being paid a small amount of money for sex with an older gentleman. This image can be appalling to some but very effective in revealing the seriousness and harmfulness of crystal meth addiction. While it is hard to believe the message the picture is portraying is true. It shows how desperate a person addicted to meth can get when trying to get high. He or she will do almost anything, including selling their body for a measly fifteen bucks, to get high. This not only has a great deal of psychological damage on the addict but to the loved ones and friends of that person. This particular ad from the Montana Meth Project was pulled from outdoor billboards due to complaints from a parent’s organization. While the image is very grimace and shocking, some believe that it is necessary in order to help people understand the very harmful effects crystal meth has on a person. A lot of people want the Montana Meth Projects ads to continue even if they are graphic like this one. In the right hand portion of the picture is a white box that says, “Meth. Not even once.” This phrase is trying to tell the viewer that all it takes is one time to become an addict to crystal meth. Crystal meth is known to be highly addictive and the physical and psychological affects are sometimes irreversible. Hopefully these ad campaigns will continue to run and help people know the affects of meth addiction and help people who are currently addicted.




This is a Creative Ad by Gulf Promoaction DDB, Dubai in regards to the subject of secondhand smoking. This picture appeals to emotion in the sense that it is sad to see a small child being affected by something that is harmful to their health. The picture depicts a small boy smoking a cigarette except that his hand is actually an older woman’s hand. This ad is using symbolism because the young boy is not really smoking the cigarette but unintentionally smoking it through secondhand smoke from other people. This picture can also affect emotion because it is sad enough that smokers can harm their own bodies but they also can affect innocent bystanders such as small children who are exposed to the same health risks as they are. This picture is supposed to persuade smokers to ultimately quit smoking but most importantly of all help and prevent the effects of secondhand smoke on children and others. Research has generated scientific evidence that secondhand smoke causes the same problems as direct smoking, including cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and lung ailments such bronchitis and asthma attacks. The current Surgeon General’s Report concluded that scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Short exposures to secondhand smoke can cause blood platelets to become stickier, damage the lining of blood vessels, decrease coronary flow velocity reserves, and reduce heart rate variability, potentially increasing the risk of heart attack. Hopefully when people see this picture they will be reminded of the harmful affects secondhand smoke has and will make better decisions in the future.

Van Halen - New Music - More Music Videos

Many people go through their entire lives without reaching their full potential. Whether it is because they were never motivated to be the best they could be or they never had enough opportunities, it is a sad occurrence. This music video by Van Halen was released in 1991 shows that people can’t just sit around and let life pass them by. If one watched the video then one would see that it deals with prominent and important issues in the world today and back when it was made. There are many scenes in the video that can appeal to our emotion, which makes it a good source of pathos. There are many issues in the video that one would not expect to see in a music video. One such issue is unprotected sex. I believe that this video was a good catalyst to raise awareness about unprotected sex and the possible outcomes. It also deals with issues that many shy away from such as racism. While it may not be so frequent with people today, racism is still very much existent. In the video it stated that, “right now, blacks and whites don’t eat together very much.” While many people will refuse to believe so, there are still a lot of racist people today and this video helped raise awareness of that. While some parts in this video are somewhat comical other parts are very serious and political. For instance, the video makes references to oil companies and their power, the hazards of smoking, and how little some hard working people get paid. While all of the issues are important the main theme of the video was to live for the moment. The title of the song is pretty much self-explanatory but Van Halen wanted to explain it with a deeper meaning and many believed they achieved that by using the visual images in this video. The video makes several references about time and how it passes most people by. Van Halen was trying to tell people that if an opportunity presents itself then they can’t let it pass them by. The video won three awards at the 1992 MTV Music Video Awards, including Video of the Year. These awards helped prove that this video was influential to a lot of people and that its message was one that everyone could learn from.

Michael Phelps is a bad sport...

Michael Phelps 100M Butterfly Victory!!! - watch more funny videos

This video is a form of visual rhetoric because it appeals to a person's sense of humor. This video is basically a parody of Michael Phelps because everyone knows that he has never shown bad sportsmanship or anything of that nature. Hopefully all that have viewed this found it amusing and got a kick out of it...I know I did.

A2

A.2. Student’s personal reflection on his/her own development as it relates to the course strands


To start things off my name is Stephen Jeffrey Speas and I am a pre-business major from Charlotte, NC. English is a subject that I have enjoyed in the past and hopefully I will enjoy this class as well. In past English courses I have taken throughout my high school career I have made fairly decent grades and have excelled. One problem about my high school English was that in my opinion we did way too much reading. Reading is not a preference of mine but besides that all the other aspects of English I have enjoyed thus far.

I would like to believe that I am fairly good at persuasion and making people see things in a different light. I am not particularly good at argument mainly because I have a difficult time put words together in a smooth-flowing way but I will once my mind is made up about a particular subject then it is set.

I like to use visual representations for arguments and discussions so the core strand information design and technology is very familiar to me. I like to use visual elements such as video and other technologies such as sound, graphics, and text to persuade people in an argument.

Though at times I must admit researching a subject is very boring but it is also very essential if one is to obtain information about that particular subject. In high school I did a number of research projects and I have always found that the best method for doing one is to pick a topic that interests you.

Collaboration is also a core strand that I am familiar with. I like working in groups and interacting with other people so I can get an outsiders view of things. Working in a group has always helped obtain good grades for assignments in the past. It has also helped to get to know my peers on a more personal level. I also believe that group assignments are more than likely to be completed faster and more efficient than individual assignments.

As far as my writing process goes, I tend to wait till the last minute to start on things. For some reason unknown to me I find it better to do an assignment all at once rather than doing it piece by piece over period of time. Something that is helpful to me when I am writing is that I have nice soft music playing in the background. It helps me to relax and relieves some of my stress. I tend to use a lot of technology everyday in my life. I am literally on facebook everyday and I don’t know what I without my cell phone always being with me. I am always texting people and calling family and friends so I would like to believe that I am pretty familiarized with modern technology. In general I am a very laid back guy who just wants to succeed in whatever endeavors I am embarking on.

A1

A.1 Student interviews a close relation about his/her (the student’s) learning development.

Interviewer: Stephen Speas
Interviewee: Anne Krug (Mother)

1. How often did I read when I was younger? Did I like to read?
Didn’t like to read much but was forced against my will to and eventually began to understand the benefits and joys of reading.

2. What subjects was I interested in as a child?
Favorite subjects as a child were science, history, and art.

3. Did I turn things in on time?
For the most part, yes. Became a little more slack with turning assignments in on time when I reached middle school and then throughout high school

4. What was I like as a student?
As a child I was a very curious student. Seemed to enjoy school though. Enjoyed asking questions in class but didn’t like to do homework or assignments outside of class.

5. What are some of the ways I learn best? (learning processes)
More visual and hands on learner. Preferred smaller classes to bigger ones. Liked to work in groups and interact with classmates.

6. How do I study? With music on? At the last minute?
I tended to study with music on do assignments because it helped me to relax. I would also wait till the last minute to start working on assignments.

7. What activities did I like to do outside of class?
Liked to participate in team sports such as football, basketball, and baseball. Very social with friends and family.

8. What career do you picture me in? What kind of jobs would I be good at?
Owning or starting my own business. Architect or engineer.

9. What kind of person do you see me as?
My mother sees me as a kind, caring, generous, thoughtful, shy, intellectual, and funny individual.

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