The Rhetorical Canidate

When looking at figure, one should recognize the certain technics in order convince their audience on their position, good or bad. That is what my class, Art of Rhetoric, is trying to understand. These technics being from context, rhetorical tools, rhetorical appeal and much more. We have also went into certain exhibits such as "Remembering MLK" or meeting Troy LaRavie in order to understand their rhetoric. My class and I were had an assignment where we needed to understand and analyze a text that our candidate (which we choose in the last unit) has done. Not only that, but try to conclude if it is successful. What was challenging about this project is the time frame that assignment had. What I enjoyed however was analyzing and stating my opinions on what my candidate meant. Still, I hope you enjoy.

Paul Vallas has been a controversial character since the beginning of his campaign, and challenged multiple people against his stances. From his thoughts on police, education, financial stability, and much more, he has found creative ways in order to achieve the budget for such projects. This is especially a prominent trait shown as he is running for Chicago mayor as of 2018, after Rahm Emanuel (prior mayor) dropped out from being a candidate. Paul, now determined, wishes to reconstruct certain aspects that Rahm’s campaign either ignored or had been work with it in a negative way.

Chicago Tribune, "Mayor Rahm Emanuel..." chicagotribune.com,
Chicago Tribune WebDate Unknown, Oct 17, 2018

During a speech in August, Vallus stated certain policies he wanted to take care of that Emmanuel handled poorly. One of these political issue is that city colleges are structured to teach a certain subjects within the school. An example would be city college Kennedy-King teaching hospitality and culinary, Malcolm X teaching nursing and medical, and many more. What Paul is arguing is due to transportation, time, and placement in the Chicago area limits certain citizens in job positions. He also argues on whether certain job positions taught by certain schools will even be around in 10 years.

Since Paul has been an advocate of schooling, his belief for the system is that there should be core programs instituted within all of city colleges. Giving out less of a identity but allowing access to certain communities. Paul believes that if this policy were due to effect, then it would allow certain unprivileged students gain higher chances of successful occupations within their community. Not only that, but could also help with bring up the application and attendance rate for city colleges.

Within Chicago Sun Times News website, a recording was shown dedicated to show Paul’s opinions on the subject and why Rahm's system must go. To give context, he and Rahm has had a back and forth political argument on the better system that should be used. Paul has also gained some criticism for his policy, such as not having a financial plan on how to pay for these core classes. Another argument against Paul being that Rahm has made improvements within these communities(though forced thanks to the Laquan McDonald incident) by investing in certain buildings or structures. Paul within the video talks about these problems and how he views the whole subject.

  

For this project, we will be talking about his rhetoric. Such being on how he handle himself in the emotion of the subject, the logic of the subject, and the ideas of trust the audience gains from this interview. We will also be talking about certain rhetorical tools used within his speak. Examples being analogy, metaphor, and much more. Finally, we will be analyzing if this speech was a success in rhetoric.

Here is the annotation of the speech itself.

"I think we should get elections every year, because then we get a quick response. You know, everything becomes a priority. In election year, right around election year. So that’s number one. Number two, this isn’t, this isn’t a redistribution of the wealth, this is a effective, infrared allocation of resources. “Yock, give me magic johnson and 10 million dollar contract,” it’s not MBEWE in my book. You know, giving money to the alternative schools network so they could serve more children, is the way you invest that money. Building a Wind-Trust Arena..su, for 175,000,000 dollars. While not investing in the, the a poles and roles area. So, uhm, it’s a question of, it’s a question of priorities, and it’s not a redistribution of the wealth strategy. There are areas of this city that are contracting and you see them. I was at Anglewood yesterday. Walking..you know, walking down the street. And, and the store fence, the store fence has been torn down or vacant, and I could find, at least in the section I was in, couldn’t find a hard price press to find a fast food joint-so that you can go find and get a cup of coffee. Or michigan avenue, gately people’s store has been shut down for three decades. I used to ride my bike in the five story high parking garage that they had. There deep tour around the parking garage. But, you know..the entire block is almost abandoned. So this isn’t a redistribution of the wealth issue. So you don’t wait until 2016 to allocate money, and you don’t allocate money just on the mero of wims. 250,000 dollars can be allocated without even cityconcil’s approval. You could just simply dispense the resources as you see fit. Usually driven by politics, not by me.”

Logos

For most of his speeches or talks,  its always seems Paul always decides on doing logos before anything else. We recognize this at the very ending of the recording, were the candidate talks about money being allocated. 

Fran Spielman "Mayoral challenger Paul Vallas unveiled..." chicago.suntimes.com,
Chicago Sun Times News, Web,  Aug 23, 2018, Oct 16, 2018

“ So you don’t wait until 2016 to allocate money, and you don’t allocate money just on the mero of wims. 250,000 dollars can be allocated without even city council’s approval. You could just simply dispense the resources as you see fit.” 

Notice that he references to the audience rather than Rahm himself. Almost as if he speaks about the common viewer, who doesn’t understand politics compared to politicians who do. From a certain understanding, Paul is stating that this position allows a person to personalize a project rather than help the city. The evidence to harden this idea would the line “as you see fit”, as well as the impression that Rahm has invested in the black communities only because he needed a better image. Thus, it make the logos of the conversation more impactful because it gives of the impression that the information stated could be personalized by anyone, and that it is already happening.

Pathos

The greatest source of pathos would be the middle of the speech with his grievances and distress within the lots of Chicago. 

“Or michigan avenue, gately people’s store has been shut down for three decades. I used to ride my bike in the five story high parking garage that they had. There deep tour around the parking garage. But, you know..the entire block is almost abandoned ” 

This text right works for two reasons. One being that it isn’t “I feel” or “I think”, but rather “I’ve been”. The idea that you experience the problem and compare it on how it used to be is strong. The reasoning being it gives of an idea that you, the speaker, have a story with this place. Thus, allowing the audience to be empathetic to you. The second reason this works is that it has a sense of logos with this in the information and the way he talks. These communities have been existing with this problem and giving a sense of urgency.

Ethos
Whenever one thinks about ethos, opinion states it cannot survive or doesn't exist on it’s own. That it needs a sense of either pathos or logos in order for it to work. Going back to the quote from pathos, one could get an idea that Paul came to look at the city first hand, and state grievance from it. Thus, showing our trust in him as he actively goes out into his community trying to stop this.

There are also an analogy that helps with his ethos

“Yock, give me magic johnson and 10 million dollar contract,” it’s not MBEWE in my book”

This analogy is especially important because it shows that Paul has researched certain figures within the communities he his talking about, and is to the eyes of said communities not completely blind. Thus gain trust through not only one specific communities, but multiple who can appreciate those who have taken the time to research. 

Stylistic Devices

Allusion

“Yock, give me magic johnson and 10 million dollar contract,” it’s not MBEWE in my book”

In this quote, Pual references a famous pastor within the African-American community, Conrad Mbewe. He also talks about another well known African-American title, Magic Johnson. All to mainly emphasize the point that Rahm isn’t using his resources to the community in a correct way. Rather, is giving out money to the areas and specialities he believes will benefit him. This could also be considered a metaphor since Rahm hasn’t endorsed Magic Johnson, or hasn’t given out million dollar contracts. It still brings a good connect to what Rahm has been doing to the city overall.

 Craig Wall "Candidate for mayor Paul Vallas..." abc7chicago.com,
ABC7, Web,   Aug 23, 2018,Oct 16, 2018

Analogy

“I used to ride my bike in the five story high parking garage that they had. There deep tour around the parking garage. But, you know..the entire block is almost abandoned”

Rather than comparing two different cities and taking the ideas that Chicago isn’t as great as one city, he talks about the comparison of the past and present. This, one could conclude, is better than talking about two different areas. It gives of an idea that the city used to be good, or at least functional. But now, thanks to a certain force, it is ruined. It better rhetoric because it alludes to a current problem without saying it and  also gives off the idea that it’s possible to return the community to its original form.  Finally, it gives an idea that it will either spread or get worse unless the city takes action within the long term.

Repetition

“it’s a question of, it’s a question of priorities”

“this isn’t, this isn’t a redistribution of the wealth”

“to allocate money, and you don’t allocate money just on the mero of wims”

Though some people would find these repetition of words sloppy, one could find it has good rhetoric. For what it does is it gives of the impression that the speaker had isn’t pre-researched. Rather, it is something that the speaker genuinely cares about, and shows he/she is confident to keep talking even after mistakes one could criticizes Thus, bring in a good idea of ethos that is subtle, but can go a long way.

Conclusion

The reason I chose this text was mainly because Paul talks about one of the few good policies I agree with. Even though it is expensive, I believe there should be different core classes to open opportunity for different students rather than to force them to travel or pay extra expenses. Not only that, but this speech shows that Paul understands what is needed in order to gain his rhetoric to a certain audience. Using logos, ethos, and pathos perfectly and making seem as if it was all from his personality. Even with the policies I find disagreement in, I still find Paul Vallas rhetorically successful.

Citations

Fran Spielman "Vallas wants to dismantle Emanuel’s City Colleges makeover" chicago.suntimes.com

Chicago Sun Times,  Web,  Aug 23, 2018, Oct 16, 2018

Hypothetical Vallas

Paul Vallas is considered a politician who changed his view on education from CPS to Charters. This creates controversy on Vallas and shows him in a negative light. However, if we here to turn back to CPS, how would he phrase his message to his audience. This is what my class, Rhetoric, is trying to discover. Not just Paul Vallas, but other infamous political characters in Chicago that students studied. We tried studying certain methods on how to connect to your audience in a very specific way. These methods or subjects being pathos/logos/ethos, history on speeches, advertisement, and language tools. Finally, we went to certain places and met important figures like Troy LaRaviere, Ted Miin, and Alia Bilal.

What we had to due was create a hypothetical and successful rhetorical speech based around a candidate each student choose. I picked Paul Vallas, the former CEO of CPS who is now advocating for Charters. Considering that there was a controversy between the CPS and Charters, I wanted to create a situation where Paul Vallas changed his opinion on Charters. The reason was because Chicago so far doesn't take kindly to Charters. Underneath this intro is a 4 minute speech I made for Paul Vallas if he needed to answer the question "Do you believe Charters and CPS can exist together in the same playing field". What I enjoyed most about the project was the research allowing myself to discover both sides of the argument and who has more truth within each case. However, what I found troublesome was trying to balance ethos and pathos into my logos filled speech. Still, I hope you enjoy.
                      

Speech from Jeimar Neiza on Vimeo.

JN, "Vallas Love blogger.com, Sept 30, 2018

The image here is the campaign logo for Vallas himself. It is a staircase of blue to show that he is progressive, and the red arrow to show that the right way is the red way. Showing he is going for Republican while taking the stairs of progression.

Citations

JN "Rhetoric Papers" issu.com, Issue, Sep 28, 2018

“Paul Vallas, CEO, Chicago Public Schools” youtube.com, City Club of Chicago, Web. Feb 21, 2014, Sept 28, 2018

Staff “The State of CPS • How Charter Schools are Undercutting Neighborhood Schools in Chicago” thesedays.news, These Days, Web, Feb 24, 2017, Sept 28, 2018


Strauss V “A dozen problems with charter schools” washingtonpost.com Washington Post, Web May 20, 2014, Sept 28, 2018

You gotta love the Tongue Spinner

The class Design & Engineering at GCE was mainly about the ideas behind creating/designing an item. It was also about being empathetic in order for that object to work with certain people. We studied concepts based around design such as angles, surface area, volume, force/distance, mass, and simple tools. In order for the class to further understand, the instructor had the class go to interview a gardener (user), look at tools in the market (Home Depot) and see the process of how tools are even made. All of this prepared us to create a project based around making a hypothetical gardening tool. My father, J.Neiza Sr, was my interviewee/user for this project to gain the empathy I needed for making said tool. What empathy is is a feeling where you could relate to a person or thing in some form. This relates exactly to my project, as it is an adjusted tool dedicated to helping out certain people in digging.

Still, I hope you enjoy.

What I learned from gardeners were three simple facts to help create the hypothetical tool. The first is that most people have a disability due to age when working with said tools, and designers normally don’t recognize that. The second is that the best tools are normally the ones that can still relate to simple machines.The reason behind this idea is from my father after he was interviewed. When he was ten, his favorite tool was a machete, a tool that in and of itself is a wedge with a handle. The machete is dedicated to not only its intended purpose, but also meant for taking away enemies, gaining fruit, etc. So the more complex a tool is, the less it could be used for a general purpose. The third idea was that technology is something that can always help improve a tool. However, my father would still prefer a tool that had done the work itself. Because of this, my hypothetical tool would have to include working with technology, or at least incorporate some elements in it.

Even with the interview, I still needed to research from various sources. From what I could learn, the tool I had(trench shovel) had certain flaws. For example, my tool had a certain angle to it, and users would have to be in a certain position depending on their height. This could be extremely problematic to the user if they are elderly. I also learned that you need to have physical force in order to operate a shovel. This isn’t just for my tool, as it is for any tool that doesn’t have assistance in any way. This I believe is a major problem, as most gardeners over the age of 50 cannot compare to the strength they had when they were forty.

My final observation regarding the tool could be resolved easily, and wouldn’t need much force to add on.There could simply be a plank on the flat end of the shovel to push the tool down. This is especially important since most shovels are expecting you to plunge the shovel into the dirt with full force. With a plank, you could get the weight of your body or a hammer to nail the shovel into the dirt.  

Since this is a hypothetical tool, I added new features that might seem impossible, but compared to other classmates' tools, are more realistic. There are multiple features to my new tool that have been improved on compared to brands such as Razorback, etc. For one, the biggest feature would be the twisting shovel head, where the head of the shovel twists with the crank that is located on the top handle. This way, it could allow digging to be done, and could clean/smooth the sides of the hole. There’s also the simple yet effective part or rectangular prism that allows the user to connect or move the shovel in a certain angle, which would make it far easier for a person to dig trenches in a certain way rather than a person risking their health in order to change their position. Finally, I added an extra large plank dedicated to distributing the force of a human body or a hammer into nailing the shovel. The main difference is that this plank is larger and therefore has a larger target to push down on.

For the most part, these add-ons allow the user to have less problems with the tool. The first is the position of the body thanks to the joint allowing certain angles between the shovel and handle. The second improvement is that the shovel is built for ergonomic purposes. This is shown through the crank and plank. For one part, it uses a wedge, which a simple tool that has a force being pushed to so that the tip can make a precise cut. In other words, it separates the two pieces of the object. The wedge, being the shovel, is connected to a joint which allows certain angles or vectors.

Personally, I enjoyed working on the project, mainly because it’s creative and didn’t include the hardest math. I did learn however that working with a partner can actually take more time than working alone, only because you cannot see eye to eye at times. What I enjoyed the most from it was the design, and how the model would move due to animation, as it took time and effort. The voiceover was also hard, as my partner had to do multiple takes in order to get it right. Still, I believe the effort paid off in multiple ways, and I would change he amount of time my partner and I had to work together in class. Still, thank you all.

Citations J.N/K.S “AP Design The Best” vimeo.com, Vimeo, Web, Sep 28, 2018

JN "Interview" no website. Sept 28, 2018

JN “Trenching Shovel Labeled” no website, no publisher, Sep 27,2018

J.N, “Vectors”no website, no publisher, Sep 27,2018

Unknown Photographer. “Razor-Back 47.5 in. Wood Handle Trenching Shovel” homedepot.com,HOME DEPOT INC, Web May 1, 2015

Unknown Photographer. “Razor-Back 47.5 in. Wood Handle Trenching Shovel” homedepot.com,HOME DEPOT INC, Web, April 8, 2015

With you have problems understanding the video or need exact words for reference, please click this link to see a script of the project.

Pre-diabetes with a side of education

Diabetes has affected millions of Americans each year with some not even noticing. Which is why I focused my assignment on diabetes in my STEAM class, Cure. What my classmates and I learn is how disease work in a cellular level, treatments in fighting certain illnesses, and the probability of genetic illness. For our final assignment, we had to create a fake patient profile with a certain genetic illness. Then, classmates would research the symptoms and treatments for said illness.

The reason why I choose the illness diabetes is because much of my family has been affect for four generations. My cousin, KZ, was the inspiration for the profile, as she was the one who told me most of our family's illnesses. What I enjoyed most about this assignment was looking into my family tree, and see how it relates to my STEAM class. What I disliked about the assignment is the amount of grammar and formatting I had to fix. Still, I hope you all enjoy.

In conclusion, type 2 diabetes is a serious issue, and needs constant work in order for blood levels to be stable. It doesn't go away easily, and could take years or a lifetime to become healthy. For some people, being a diabetic comes from genetics throughout the family tree. But most of the problem comes from the environment in which the patient lives in. It took some time for this project to be made, and used more sources then the average AP. Reflecting on the class itself, I enjoyed how it integrated both science and math concepts as if they were the same. I also enjoyed on how this paper could be useful later on in life. Still, I hoped you enjoyed the APs from the sophomore year.

The All Mighty and Extremely Extravagant talk(The chit-chat)

When writing a script, you need more then on person to due so. This is because the writer needs other writers to give him/her/them ideas that can improve their idea of the script/story. This is what my class, Drama, has been leaning towards for an assignment. We have also been learning about gender studies, script formatting, character dialogue, and so much more. We had also been to the Goodman Theatre, in which we'd learn certain ways to visualize certain scenes within our plays.

After reading the play A Doll's House, we were paired into groups to write a script that had certain guiding question. For my group, it was "Should women have the same power as men?". We then had to rehearse/record the script in order to check off the assignment rubric. What I enjoyed most about this assignment was it allowed myself to practice my writing skills. It also helped me to think carefully about what is needed through the actors. The camera shots and mannerism make the video somewhat unique compared to other classmates/students. My only complaint is that there has been trouble with communication and there are some scenes that need editing. Still, I hope you enjoy.

Damsel: a young unmarried woman.

Exhort: strongly encourage or urge (someone) to do something.

Unfathomable: incapable of being fully explored or understood.

Consternation: feelings of anxiety or dismay, typically at something unexpected

Depression:(It's not a joyride)

Depression is a serious illness, but that doesn't mean it can't be treated. This is what my class, Cure, has been learning about. This STEAM class isn't only learning about external and internal disease, we also learned about cells, certain treatments made to fix certain diseases, and much more. We have also been shown a certain treatment in which claims to help both physically and spiritually. This treatment being called Yoga Nindra.

For this unit, we had to research certain medicaments and treatments needed to cure a disease. For myself, I choose depression as a starting point to research. This is because I have always been fascinated by illnesses, and depression is one of the most widespread. What I enjoyed about creating the assignment was the sideshow, as it show clear guidelines for how to use the medicaments. What I dislike, however, was that the information needed was hidden in complex and confusing ways. Such as certain ingredients not being shown within sources because at times a drug is considered a herb. But then you find the herb to truly be a drug, but only to contradict other sources entirely. Still, I hope you enjoy this presentation.

Lock and Key is the explanation of how drugs or chemicals work throughout the body in its simplest form. What happens is that biologically active molecules from the body enter what is called receptor sites on a cell, and is connected through hydrogen bonding. The effect of the molecule and sites coming together create a certain chemical reaction in the body depending on the cell. Hydrogen bonding can also be freeing proteins to feed the cell and body as well as different sorts of nerve impulses. What certain drugs such as antibodies do is that it blocks the opening of the receptor sites, and thus stops the functions/breaks certain cells. This also works for the drug Celexa shown above.

In conclusion, depression can be treated with time and patience for some of these treatments. Some treatment have also shown to work without time, but can be a dangerous risk. Such being that each cure has its ups and downs. We have to debate and consider on what could work for us in any situation, and if we can truly rely on one single treatment for most of the way. Still, I hoped you enjoyed the presentation.

Sonnet fo Katherine

Sonnets are a type of writing style that was mainly used in the Victorian era, with it's original popularity coming from Shakespeare. Which is what my class, Drama, has been learning. We have also been learning plays, history, and gender standers of the time. We had read the dialogue of Taming of The Shrew, which was written by Shakespeare.

After reading the dialogue from Taming of The Shrew, we had to create a sonnet that address a handpicked character's gender issues. For my sonnet, I choose Katherine, who is one of the main characters. The reason I choose her was because she represented the modern woman, and was ahead of the times. My sonnet is about telling her the she didn't consciously, but rather unconsciously, fall back with her peers thanks to the patriarchy she is in.  From this assignment, what I am the least proudest off would be that the iambic pattern(syllable rhythm) is off. However, I am proud of the content within the sonnet. Hope you enjoy.

Sonnet for Katherine from JN on Vimeo.