Concept-Hyperbole

A concept that interested me in chapter 3 was a Hyperbole. A hyperbole is a rhetorical device that uses exaggeration. This device interests me because it is used all the time in society. Everyone uses this device even when we are not trying to persuade or manipulate our audience. For example, a lot of students say that “Class was so boring I wanted to kill myself”. In reality they really didn’t want to kill themselves but they just thought it was so dreadful and boring. Another example, is if it was windy or a little chilly outside some people might say” WOW, my feet are frozen they are about to fall off”. Realistically, feet just can’t fall off and they meant that it was cold.  Most of the time a hyperbole is to exaggerate the truth and at times can damage some ones credibility. Like the “little boy who cried wolf”, is probably not so believable when the story is told. 

Rhetorical devices

In the past week or so, I have used a couple of rhetorical devices that actually persuaded my audience. Last week, I used the rhetorical device called Euphemism which is the replacement of a term that has a negative association by a neutral or positive term. So, last week a couple of my friends went to the gym including one of my friends from my class. The way I would describe my friend is very funny man but obese. So, while he was working out he was upset that he couldn’t lift heavy objects or move that quick so he called himself FAT. So I went up to him and said “you’re not fat, you’re big boned”, and after I said that he laughed and felt better about himself. The second device I used was a Dysphemism which is a word or phrase chosen to produce a negative effect. So, a couple days ago my friend was about to buy a used car but I didn’t like it so much. So I tried to persuade him to not buy it and I said, “Cohen, why are you going to buy that junk car, I’m sure people did weird things in there, and it’s dirty”. The next day he decided not to buy it. 

Sally Ride

Sally Ride, the youngest and the first female American astronaut in space, learned that an effective communication will benefit her in the future. As for her, it benefited her and made her serve as the Capcom for the first and second shuttle flights for NASA. As a college student, she knew that in order to be successful you will need to develop communication skills including listening, speaking, and writing. Sally Ride took advantage of that and double majored in English and physics. Sally understood the benefits of an effective communication and she analyzed what is best for her.  She gathered information and researched on what major would be the best for her and how it would push her forward. Based on her talents and interest, she evaluated the best possible options she can use and that was going to college. Sally Ride definitely represents a good critical thinker because she used her skills to enhance her success.  

Concept

One concept I want to share with the class is “Negative Effects of emotion”. Although emotions do help us proceed to make better decisions, sometimes there are emotions that are based on negative stereotypes or anxieties rising from unresolved past experiences. These emotions that block our critical thinking, can lead to bad decisions or deny that there is a problem. For example, there are shows about couples cheating on them with someone else. By watching that show, people can suddenly fear that there significant other is cheating on them without having any evidence or proof that they are actually cheating. This fear can eventually lead to actions that they soon will regret. Feelings play a big part in decision making. Also, if there is a situation at work where you disagree with a customer, you can easily act angry towards them but you might get in trouble with your boss. Sometimes people let their emotions get ahead of themselves and don’t think before they act. 

Evolution and a belief in God

According to Dawkin, It seems that evolution and a belief in god is incompatible. Dawkin doesn’t agree with God being the “mover” or “cause” to how society has formed over time. He states that people try to put this idea together that god is the one who created everything but if that’s the case, then instead of the word “god”, they could have used the word “terminator” instead. Dawkin believes that the beginning of time should be called the “big bang”, not just a made up name called “god”. If Aquinas was alive today he would respond to Dawkins saying that Dawkins has no evidence either. All Dawkins is doing is denying the fact that Aquinas has a point and how people just made up an unknown human, which is God, and made him the creator of life. Aquinas can easily say how the bible was made and how it is still used today. Using his “Nothing moves without a prior mover” concept, Aquinas can say there had to be a creator for the bible and that person who created it was influenced by Jesus, the man who was sent by God.  

Reasoning

My types of reasoning are based on facts and what I’m best at doing. One of the best ways to reason is to understand the facts. For example, everyone knows the best thing to do is to get a college education and finish with a college degree. A common fact is getting a college degree will give you more opportunities and more job offers. Using this reasoning has pushed me closer to my goals and put me in a good standing with my career. By knowing the facts, I’m currently getting a college education and going to be working as an intern at a top firm in San Jose. My second reasoning is what I know I’m best at. A lot of people say “Do what you enjoy”, but I say “Do what you’re best at”, and that’s what I’m doing. I’m very good at numbers so I’m majoring in Business finance. By engaging in what I do best, I’m going use my strength and be the best in what I can do. As of now, I’m getting A’s in all my finance classes and taking advantage of my skill. 

Topic-Positive Correlation

One topic I want to discuss is “positive correlation”.  A positive correlation is if an incidence of one event increases when the second one increases. There are a lot of positive correlations that occur in the world and in our lives. For example, there is a positive correlation between the more cups of coffee you drink and the number of hours stayed awake. Another example would be the positive correlation between the more factories being built and the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. Another example of a positive correlation is the more companies opening up and the amount of job openings. A positive correlation doesn’t mean the situation has to be positive. For example, the more cigarettes smoked and the risk of lung cancer. So the more cigarettes smoked then the higher the risk of lung cancer. So, as long as the correlations between any two are increasing, then it is considered a positive correlation.