1. After reading the four excerpts below, identify two examples of pathos. Discuss the argument the writer is trying to make, why he or she chose to use this particular rhetorical strategy, and whether or not it is working. Does the writer convince you that his or her argument is valid? Why or why not? How do the writers differ in their strategies for making a point about the treatment of African Americans? How do voice, tone, diction, organization, metaphor, etc. affect the writer's argument?
2. Next, place these arguments in context. After you think of the writer's argument "locally," describe what "global" factors may influence your reading. For instance, what does it mean for the excerpt to appear in the particular book it does? How does the current political climate affect your reading? Have you had personal experiences that affect your reading? What is the state of current American race relations?
3. After you've posted your answers to questions 1 and 2, respond to your classmates' responses until the end of class. Keep in mind that this is meant to be a class discussion via the blog. Challenge one another; agree; disagree; ask questions; etc. The work you put into this assignment will be reflected in your participation grade today.
The following excerpts are quotations from Race Matters by Cornel West, published by Vintage in 1994:
" ' Here,' she said, 'in this here place, we flesh; flesh that weeps, laughs; flesh that dances on bare feet in grass. Love it. Love it hard. Yonder they do not love your flesh. They despise it. They don't love your eyes; they'd just as soon pick em out. No more do they love the skin on your back. Yonder they flay it. And O my people they do not love your hands. Those they only use, tie, bind, chop off and leave empty. Love your hands! Love them. Raise them up and kiss them. Touch others with them, pat them together, stroke them on your face 'cause they don't love that either. You got to love it, You! . . . This is flesh I'm talking about here. Flesh that needs to be loved.' "
~Toni Morrison: Beloved 1987
"Institutionalized rejection of difference is an absolute necessity in a profit economy which needs outsiders as surplus people. As members of such an economy, we have all been programmed to respond to the human differences between us with fear and loathing and to handle that difference in one of three ways: ignore it, and if that is not possible, copy it if we think it is dominant, or destroy it if we think it is subordinate. But we have no patterns for relating across our human differences as equals. As a result, those differences have been misnamed and misused in the service of separation and confusion."
~Audre Lorde: Sister Outsider 1984
"You don't stick a knife in a man's back nine inches and then pull it out six inches and say you're making progress.
No matter how much respect, no matter how much recognition, whites show towards me, as far as I'm concerned, as long as it is not shown to every one of our people in this country, it doesn't exist for me."
~Malcolm X 1964
"Insistence on patriarchal values, on equating black liberation with black men gaining access to male privilege that would enable them to assert power over black women, was one of the most significant forces undermining radical struggle. Thorough critiques of gender would have compelled leaders of black liberation struggles to envision new strategies and to talk about black subjectivity in a visionary manner."
~Bell Hooks: Yearning: Race, Gender, and Cultural Politics 1990
Two examples of pathos i found in the readings were the first, by toni morrison, and the third, by Malcom X.
ReplyDeleteIn the first, the author portrays pathos by describing the hands and the feet and describing them in ways that every person can relate to. she gives examples of all the things that hands and feet do that are not race specific. then she makes her point, saying "yonder they do not love...". She gives so many examples of things that can inspire love and says that the audience must love it for themselves, because "they" will not. reading this you get a sense of deep pride, and love. love for her own people, love for their bodies and what they can do. the argument at hand in this reading is that no matter how you are recieved by others, or how much they deny you, you must love yourself and you must appreciate and celebrate the things you are and what you can do. i believe this argument is valid. absolutely. no one person is loved by all. no one person can be accepted by everyone. by loving and accepting yourself, you free yourself. For me, this type of voice and word usage is very powerful. the words are basic. the usage is basic. one or two word sentences can carry so much more power than a 3 liner full of long important sounding words.
i think this excerpt not only is pertinent for race relations, but also the relationships we have with ourselves. there is so much more here than "whites hate blacks".
1A. And O my people they do not love your hands. Those they only use, tie, bind, chop off and leave empty. This statement is made to show that the white man does not care or appreaciate the black man. They just use them like animals and the black man doesn't get anything in return. I belive that the author is using this stratagy to make people realize that racisum is a terable thing. People do not care about others as long as they get what they want. I found that this statement is valid. This is how it was and i put me in the mind set that these actions were wrong.
ReplyDelete1B. No matter how much respect, no matter how much recognition, whites show towards me, as far as I'm concerned, as long as it is not shown to every one of our people in this country, it doesn't exist for me."
The writer is trying to say that yes there has been improvements in respect but the black man has not gained complete respect and therfore he has not gained respect. He chose this strategy because it puts it into perspective that even though the country has made improvements racisum is still a problem. This strategy works it made me think yes the problem has dwindled but yet still is a problem. His statement is valid in my eyes like i said it is a problem that needs to be fixed and has not yet. Malcolm's statement is more blunt and to the point compaired to morrison's statement.
Morrison's statement uses word choice to explain or picture the events that are occuring compaired to Malcolm.
2. Global factors that influence my reading would be all of the race and religious wars going on around the world. People are fighting simply because of beliefs which is stupid. I think that this problem is still a problem but it has settled down some what. I mean look we just elected the first black president and many African Americans hold high ranking positions in our government. So, the problem has declined but still is here and probably will be here for quite a while. No matter how bad you want people to get along there is always going to be somebody out there hating someone else.
1.Two examples of Pathos:
ReplyDeleteToni Morrison: Flesh and Love
Audre Lorde: Equality and Differences
Malcolm X: Respect and Race
Bell Hooks: Gender and Values
Argument:
Toni Morrison: That everybody is flesh and that everybody has feelings and emotions no matter the color. That the whites hated on the blacks and vice versa. I think they wrote to show that those things did happen back when the Races were separated. I think it worked to a certain point.
Audre Lorde: Everybody was created the same way and live the same way but one thinks they dominate the other and therefore can make them live like slaves. All are equal and all have to work and pay taxes. I think they got their point across.
Malcolm X: Whether someone is famous or someone works in a factory if you don't show respect for them the same way you show for me I feel as if you are disses me than complimenting me. Point taken.
Bell Hooks: No matter the gender or race all are equal and no one person is better than the other in the eyes of God. Men are not stronger than women and women are not smarter than men. They are all the same but use their education and power and common sense in different ways. Good point.
Valid or not Valid:
Toni Morrison: I think this one is valid but the way they get their point across is a little harder to follow. It's more like a poem than a message.
Audre Lorde: This one I consider valid also. It's more to the the point and it shows the differences.
Malcolm X: This one is valid too. The second paragraph is really when the point comes out and it's a good expression through his eyes.
Bell Hooks: Very valid with a good point. I really liked this paragraph because it has gender and race which we still struggle with today.
Voice, Tone, etc.:
All of the paragraphs are different from one another and you can imagine how they brought it out when speaking. One is more mellowed, one is more business, one is stern and the other is simple.
1. The two examples of pathos are malcolm x and toni morrison's Beloved. For Malcolm X he is trying to state that no matter how far he is going, he is going to keep going father no matter what other people say. For Toni Morrison's: Beloved she is saying that you have to love something hard. in this case they are saying they have to love their hands. This could be pathos because some people may have a lost of feeling in the fingers/hand, so the owner of the hands should enjoy what they can do with them and not take them for granted. I think this is a good argument with the fact you shouldn't take things for granted and "love your hands", because they do so much. For Malcolm X's statement I think it was a valid argument, that you shouldn't let others judge you, if you can do something good then do it. The tone I think that malcolm x is trying to come down to is that he's starting to get fustrated, tired, and into what he is saying. The metaphor he use's of the knife is a great way to explain when he was trying to say. For Toni, the novel Beloved the tone of what is beign said is effection towards their hands, and supprised.
ReplyDelete2.
1) Audre Lorde uses an example of pathos by using the economy. She describes how we are "programmed" to respond to the difference in humans with fear and loathing. This is very true. Depending on how or where you were raised, depends on the serverity of the response. She is very organized in her writing. She is using a stern tone in her writing.
ReplyDeleteMalcolm X, on the other hand, uses pathos by showing equaility. He says that if equaility is not shown to everyone then it is not equal. I agree completely. He is not as organized in his writing as Lorde. Malcolm just sort of throws it out and there and says this is how it is.
2)In the past couple of months, it has clearly been shown that Americans have changed thier way of thinking about skin color. I think it is a great step in your history to have elected the fisrt African American president. Clearly people are not as racist as they used to be. Now maybe the farther South you go, the more people will disagree with you. for example, I am from Kentucky, if I go and visit my family and talk about the current situation with Obama, it would not be good. A HUGE argument would arise and no one would be happy, simply because of color. That is just how it is.
1. In "Beloved", Toni Morrison uses pathos to convey her message, "They despise it", "love your hands." Her diction in this piece relays strong feelings and not feelings of indifference. Her message is that you need to love yourself and not depend on others to be accepting and love you, mainly between races. She expresses that we are all the same flesh but that our skin color creates unequal treatment.
ReplyDeleteAudre Lorde uses "surplus people," and "the service of separation and and confusion" to create feelings that race is treated unequally. Lorde claims that we are all guilty with how we are "programmed to respond to human differences." Because we can not recognize a way to relate our diffences we avoid or ignore them.
Malcolm X uses pathos to express his feelings of anger and annoyance, "you don't stick a knife in a man's back nine inches and then pull it out six inches and say you're making progress." He also expresses that unless all people are treated equally and with respect he will not accept his own recognition. He uses the knife as an example that although you may be extracting the knife it still exists in the man's back and until it is totally removed it still causes offense.
Bell Hooks uses pathos to create the point that gender and race should not differ in a manner of power or any other means. "Patriarchal values, and struggles to envision new strategies" are terms he uses to show his point that until everyone can view eachother equally we are being held in a standstill.
I believe that all of these authors held a valid point in their writings, I was curious to note the time of their publications. If these writers were to today write new pieces on the same topics I wonder if they would appear similar or different. The authors make their points by appealing to different emotions, while Toni Morrison speaks to pride, Malcolm X speaks in a tone of frustration. They all argue for the same point of equality but argue different points of the struggle.
1. The two biggest examples of pathos that I found were in Toni Morrison's quote and in Malcolm X's quote. Toni is emotional throughout the entire quote. You can tell that Malcolm X cares about equality for all african americans and not just his own equality. The argument that Toni is making is that white people are just acting like they like black people and they really don't. I don't agree with that because that would mean that all white people dislike all black people. Obviously some white people dislike black people, but many white people will get along with somebody no matter what color their skin is. On the other hand, I think Malcolm X has a great argument. He is saying that he doesn't want the respect from whites until they start respecting all the rest of the african americans. I think the biggest difference in both of the quotes is that Malcolm x's quote was before segregation was ended and Toni's was after african americans were considered equal. Malcolm X was trying to get the respect and equality for african americans because it wasn't there yet. Toni was arguing that white people are lying when they say that they respect blacks. Both of them are using great tone in their arguments which make them good, even though I don't agree with Toni's. Toni also uses diction with words like despise and flay.
ReplyDelete2. On a global scale, discrimination still exists. African americans are still treated worse than white people. All of the quotes are good for the book that they are in. They all have the same goal, but argue it in a different way. The current political climate doesn't affect my reading at all. I don't consider black people as african americans, but as americans. If they are actually an imigrant from africa then they are an african american, but as far as im concerened if you are born in this country, no matter what color your skin is, you are an american. It doesn't matter to me at all that our president is black. I didn't vote for him, and I don't agree with what he has done in office so far, but I still respect him. In America, blacks have equality. They can do anything whites can. The have scholarships and affirmative action. Even with all this they are still discriminated against by some people.
The two excerpts I chose out of the four was Tonni Morrison: Beloved 1987 and Malcolm X 1964. Tonni Morrison's strategy towards her writing is basically making you aware of her struggle being black. The argument she's trying to express to everyone is that no matter if your white, black, etc... to enjoy who you are. Everyone here is unique in their own way. I think she try's to make you aware of how blacks in general have been treated in the last 300 years regarding slavery through her writing.
ReplyDeleteMalcolm X on the other hand makes you feel a lot of hate in his words with regards to the knife in a man's back. I think the line that strikes a core with me is this: "As long as it is not shown to everyone of our people in this counrty, it doesn't exist for me." He talks about our people which he is refering to blacks, not whites or any other ethnicity.
1. The excerpt from Toni Morroson's "Beloved" and the quote from Malcolm X were great examples of pathos to me.
ReplyDeleteIn the first, the author is talking about loving yourself, even though the world may hate you. The way that it is written grabs my attention because it is written in an emotional way. It makes me feel sad for the people that the world hates. This author used great diction and tone to get their point across, and were successful in doing so.
In Malcolm X's quote, he says that he does not just want to be respected, but that he wants everyone to be respected. Respecting on person is great, but as long as someone is rejecting other people at the same time, it does not really matter that they are respecting that one person. The approach that the writer took in writing this argument is short and right to the point; it grabs the readers attention. The writer certainly convinces me that the argument is valid, as it makes perfect sense, "If you respect one person, why can't you respect everyone?"
1. The excerpt from Toni Morrison is using pathos to try and get the reader to understand how hard it has been for African Americans in the United States. The strategy the author is using is working very well because it takes you through the abuse that the slaves were taking from the slave owners and from themselves. The word choice she uses help convince me how hard it was to live the life of a slave and how they should be free and not hated, but loved.
ReplyDeleteThe excerpt from Malcolm X uses pathos to show how disgusted he is with racisim. This works well because he uses the metaphor of putting a knife in a man's back nine inches to pull it out only six inches. This describes how ending slavery only was pulling out the knife six inches and that African Americans need to all be treated equal everywhere. His tone is one where he is very serious about his stance on the issue. He also uses metaphors to great effect to shock the audience.
The writers differ in that Toni Morrison uses the emotion love, while Malcolm X uses disgust to get his point across. Also, Toni Morrison is using more images to describe her point, while Malcolm X uses one powerful image to describe his point.
2. The excerpt from Malcolm X was in this book, means that at the time that he and others were fighting very hard for civil rights for African Americans. Toni Morrison's excerpt in this book was trying to get across how far African American civil rights have come and how we still have work to do to still treat each other equally.
one example of a pathos is the first excerpts. Toni Morrison talks about the flesh a person has and to love everything about it, doesn't matter if you are black or white. You shouldn't be afraid of skin color. You should spread the love around in society. i believe the argument is vaild she puts her quote in good contexts and uses the right dictions. the authors talk about different issues and they are all from different time periods.
ReplyDeleteQuestion one-I picked the first excerpt and the example of pathos is how the writer tells her readers to love their flesh, "You got to love it,You!" Despite the fact that others despise it.
ReplyDeleteThe writer's arguement is people need to learn to love themselves first and foremost.There are people out there who want to destroy and hurt you. We all need to be and feel love even if others do not love us.
The writer's strategy is direct and to the point. She makes her statement personal and it can be about any race. She does not say black or white flesh but just flesh. It pertains to all of us. She definetly convinces me that i need to love myself before anyone else can love me.
The second excerpt i choose was by Malcolm X. He also is straight to the point. "You dont stick a knife in a man's back nine inches and then pull it out six inches and say you're making progress." He's arguement is about black and white, and how blacks are treated by the white race. I know his argument is valid because it is an on going problem in our country.
The two examples of pathos I have a chosen are: Toni Morrison: Beloved 1987 and Malcom X 1964.
ReplyDeleteBoth writers state their views about the treatment of African Americans. Morrison writes that the flesh of an African American is hated, but they must love who they are. She also said that African Americans are only used for their hands, their hard working hands. "Love your hands! Love them. Raise them up and kiss them." I feel that the reason Toni Morrison used pathos to get her point acrossed was because racism, no matter who you are, is an emotional topic. May you be the victim or the accuser in the situation, this reading is meant to have an impact on you. I also feel that this passage of Beloved is convincing her argument to be valid. You don't have to be educated on the history of racism to know it exists, so an emotional appeal is what she went for and I feel she succeeded.
In the passage of Malcom X, the argument is whether there is progress or not, it is still a problem. If you are just nice to a handful and rude to the rest, what's the point? "You don't stick a knife in a man's back nine inches and then pull it out six inches and say you're making progress." The metaphor used here is a perfect example on what is trying be said. It is clear and straight to the point. I feel it is used because the violent act of someone getting stabbed is heart wrenching enough. It also gives you an idea that the knife, is in fact still there. Racism is still a problem. This is a valid argument, a slap in the face really. This passage is addressing the problem not dancing around it. It still exists, it still hurts, and it needs to be stopped.
Question 1-
ReplyDeleteThe two examples of pahos I chose are the first and third exerps. The first exerpt states "Flesh that needs to be loved." This backs up what the writer is saying the entire exerpt. In the third exerpt the author backs up his point of backward progress when he states "as long as it is not shown to every one of our people in this country." The third exerpt is written in a much more direct way than the first one is. Malcolm X uses a very direct way of giving his message.
Qusestion 2-
These argurmets can be seen very differently on a global leval. These arguments can be seen very differently, it depends on the person that is reading the exerpts. The state of the currnet American race relations seems to be at its best in history.
The Two examples that I believe struck most emotional and hard hitting was by Malcolm X and Audre Lorde. Audre uses Pathos by saying that all Humans from different races, shapes, and sizes have been programmed to see human differences in a fearful way. That are species handles Race "in one of three different ways:ignore it, and if that is not possible, copy it if we think it is dominant, or destroy it if we think it's subordinate." I believe that she makes a very good point. When racism is looked at through out the ages We have ignored AfricaN African's their rights at some point and tried to pretned that they didn't exist. Now in this day and age we have people from a certain race pretend to be from different races to fit in too copy what they see. Sometimes when we believe that A race or country is not up to our standards to living, we destroy, block out, forget, as if they never existed, they are just another page in the history book. I think that audre got her point across very well and is valid because her points of the way we percieve difference and the steps we take as we see difference, I believe are correct.
ReplyDeleteMalcolm X was a very well known man in the African American society. He was given respect for his strength and his want of unity. Malcolm believed that he didn't deserve respect, if evry African American did not recieve the same equality. " You don't stick a knife in a man's back nine inces and then pull it out six inces and say, you're making progress." This is a way saying that you can't say that all is well in the African American community, if I recieve respect and everyone else is denied of respect, that it is not fair. He chose to put his opinion into these words becasue you can understand them better. You can actually feel the pain of a man with a knife in his back, a little being removed but the rest is still planted in him. I think that his arguement has valid reasoning; you cannot jsut give one person out of a huge community respect. Audre had a way of saiyng that their is way of going about the differences in the world and Malcolm believes that if one person has a difference that many do; that the person should not be more recongnized then the other's with the same difference.
Question one's example of pathos by Toni Morrison "And O my people they do not love your hands. Those they only use, tie, bind, chop, off and leave empty. Love your hands! Love them. Raise them up and kiss them." Others may not love you but you must love yourself.
ReplyDeleteThe writer is trying to tell the reader that in order to find love and happiness with others, you must have love for yourself.
The stratagy of the writer was diresct and to the point, catching the attention of the reader. By using stronge diction it connects the reader to the story at a personal level.
I have always believed in that particular message but the writer has made me feel even stronger about it. I have always believed that I must love myself and make myself happy before others can, or even if they don not love me for who i am.
My second examlple of pathos is by Malcom X "You dont stick a knife in a man's back nine inches and then pull it out six inches and say you're making progress."
Malcolm X is trying to argue that if respect is given to him and not others of his race, the respect given to him doesn't count. Malcolm X chose this strategy to catch the readers eye and to express his opinion. In the first paragraph he states, "you dont stick a knife in a man's back nine inches and then pull it out six inches..." What he's trying to explain is that you can't give one person respect and not the other. I feel Malcolm is very right, all people need to be given the equal amount of respect despite who they are or what their skin color is.
ReplyDeleteToni Morrison explains that the people of their race need to love themselves even though others dont. I think Morrison chose this strategy to enlighten others of the evils of racism.
-A prime example of pathos from the excerpts is the writing by Malcom X. It seems that the main point Malcom X is trying to express is how people may think they have disregarded race when considering equality, however, from his point of view circumstances seem almost unchanged. This rhetoric strategy uses a graphic metaphor that relates to one's emotions extremely well. Let's face it, no one wants to get stabbed in the back, and sometimes just the thought of such an action can make people cringe. Malcom X, in my opinion, has made his argument valid. He does so by pointing out that things may have changed, but hypocrites still exist and until that changes he will not acknowledge the change.
ReplyDeleteWhen Malcolm X speaks about the respect and recognition shown towards him, he is very emotional about his stand that all his people should be treated the same. This argument sounds good in theory but it clouds some facts, all people are not treated different strickly because of race. In my mind color of your skin does not get you automatic respect or recognition. I feel he has a tendacy to take the argument to far the wrong direction based on todays world.
ReplyDeleteTwo examples of pathos that stood out to me were Toni Morrison's Beloved and Malcom X's speech in 1964. In Beloved Morrison is trying to argue that everyone is equal we are all human, so we should learn to accept other despite race, color,nationality,religious beliefs, gender preference, because we are all flesh and blood. The example of pathos the author uses to describe here argument is "We flesh;flesh that weeps,laughs;flesh that dances on bare feet in grass. Morrison has developed her argument very well, but she does it in a way that isn't in your face. The author uses free verse poetry to get her point across to the audience.
ReplyDeleteThe second example that really stood out to me and something I belive strongly in, is the quote malcom X used in his speech in 1964. Malcom used a form of pathos that he believed, and had probably experience before he even made the speech. This gets the readers attention right away and is convincing because he is giving a example of personal experince, instead of talking about something he knows nothing about and cannot relate to others experiences in the same situation. The example he uses is " You don't stick a knife in a man's back nine inches and then pull it out six inches and say you're making progress." The argument he is trying to get across to the reader is that, you cannot just respect, accept, or reconize one person, you need to accept the whole group of people.
These two quotes from Morrison and Malcom X can be seen today that people have learn to accept others no matter their race, beliefs, or ideas. One thing that stands out the most and we can see that america as a nation has changed and is more accepting, is we have our fist African American president in office.
One example of pathos is found in the passage "Beloved," by Toni Morrison. In his article he writes, "And O my people they do not love your hands.Those they only use, tie, bond, chop off and leave empty. Love them. Raise them up and kiss them." In this passage, Morrison is describing how people should accept others despite, their background, race, color, and beliefs. Morrison also puts emphasis on the fact they we are all flesh and that we should love not only our selves, but everyone we come in contact with.
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree that the author establishes a strong argument about their article, by letting us know that we are all alike. However, the author does not do it in an "in your face" manner, but in a way that people can acceept it on their own.
Another use of pathos is made by Malcolm X as he states, "No matter how much respect, no matter how much recognition, whites show towards me, as far as i am concerned, as long as it is not shown to every one of our people in this country, it doesn't exist for me" saying that it does not matter how much respect one race gets; if it is only being given to a few people than it is not worth having it at all.
The excerpt by Toni Morrison stood out to me, because it made a powerful point of, "in this here place, we flesh; flesh that weeps, laughs..." It just shows that they are people to and we all have feelings no matter what color your skin is. I loved the strategy the author used, "And O my people they do not love your hands. Those they only use, tie, bind, chop of and leave empty. Love your hands! Love them. Raise them up and kiss them..." It's stating that you should not only love your hands, but love yourself and not be ashamed even though people tried to make you feel that way. I don't kow much about the book Beloved, other than Oprah Winfrey had a part in the movie that was made from it. It seems to me that obviously this was a time of slavery where African Americans were not even close to be given the same rights and opportunities that white people were given. Now its hard to imagine something like that going on today to that extent. I think the greatest obstacle that African Americans have overcome is obviously Obama getting into office. Something that I've heard many African American celebrities on tv being quoted that they never thought that day would come. I've heard both positive and negative comments about our new president so that's affected my reading, because it doesn't matter what color his skin is and I think that's overshadowing what's really important and that's what's in store for America's future. We need to get past skin color and focus more on people. I'd like to think we've come a long way, but we still have more to go.
ReplyDeleteBELOVED:
ReplyDelete1. I picked Toni Morrison: "Beloved" because it was pretty intense. It went back and forth about love and hate, the words that the author picked to be descriptive were powerful and intense. It worked on my pathos because I thought about war, hate, violence, and slavery. Then it make me think about racism and how today we may not tie, bind, or cut off someone's hand but we do as much damage with our words and actions.
I liked how the author talked about loving yourself 'first". How knowing who you are can help you in your defense of ridicule and hatred. If you have a good perseption of who you are, then it can help you to stay strong. I can't even imagine how it was for the african american slaves. but today I can be understanding and accepting of our differences and make the world alittle better by seeing out similarities. I really enjoyed the way this writer wrote, it captured your attention, it was poetic, and for my personality, it touched my pathos.
2.Racism will "sadly" always be an issue for our world but globally with our new president, I hope this will help use to be more open to change. Change is hard for people and some people are more open and others struggle with it. But change is inevitable, we are always changing and need to embrace it.
My personal experience has been being a new pastor during an election year. It is hard to be a pastor leading the people and not be political. I have encouraged my congregation to be considerate of others views during the election, and now I am encouraging them to pray for our president. The fact remains: Barrack Obama is our president and we need to be supportive of the administration that we have now! Change is hard but inevitable!
2. My second pathos was Malcolm X because I ready didn't get it. I thought that maybe writing would help me to understand where he was coming from. He seems so angry and it is understandable but it wasn't appealing to my pathos. Again, I don't know personally what he has gone thorough so I need to understand that as I read, I am still processing it!
1. Relating all humans in the first passage is an example of pathos. She talks about flesh of all humans is the same, but not all people are treated the same. She is trying to argue for equality. I do believe that the arguement is valid, because it makes sense to me that every human is equal. Some on the writers are harsh in their arguments for race, like Malcom X, while others are more logical and make more sense. All the factors effect argument in different ways. Malcom X, gives me the tone of racism, so I am turned off by it. The first passage is more of a logical humane tone which is good. The other passage with Malcom X shows strong emotion. He demonstrates a racist attitude. If I said the same about white folk it would be flamboyantly racist. His argument is not effective because it turns people off. He dosnt come off as friendly and accepting. He uses the strong words of saying that if white people accept him he wouldnt care until everyone of his people are accepted. Thats stupid, and there is not other complex word for it, because nobody will ever accept everyone, its just human nature. It is great to work towards as much equality as possible though.
ReplyDelete2. Globally, these statements are the first steps toward action and change. Thought manifests actions. These statements are somewhat outdated, but not completely. Now in 2009 times are different and race relations are the best that they have ever been, with the USA electing a black president. The current political climate positively affects my opinion to these statements, being we just elected a black president, it is a glimmer of hope for race relations in the future. I believe that people with different upbringings and people who live in different areas of the world would look at these statements differently.
Malcom X used pathos by describing someone being stabbed, this is a good example of pathos because the visual of someone being stabbed will cause people to react in pitty. The paragraph on patriarchal values makes the point that in discussing the emancipation of black people that women should be apart of that liberation, and not held down by a patriarchal power structure within the black community. This is of course relavent today because even with a black man as the head of state is important to not be prejudice against women, or to ignore womens on going struggle for "equal right". Did you know that most of the leaders of the civil rights movment were atheist socialists, that were not motivated by religion?
ReplyDeleteFor this first excerpt here, by toni morrison, it is an intense piece that captures my attention with the subject matter. the way he describes flesh, in fact just using the word flesh instead of skin or body, is capturing in a way that pathos works. I like the way that he says that you have to love the flesh and how others will only tie and bond etc... He is telling you to love it as you are (in my opinion) and love it with all youve got because no one else is going to love it for you. he is saying you cant expect love from others..and that if you dont love you own flesh youre basically screwed.
ReplyDeleteFor this second excerpt its almost as if Audre Lorde is relating to all differences not just race. Its like he is relating to anyone who has a difference and letting people relate in their own ways because race is not the only discriminatory factor we have. And the fact that he is saying the we as an institution must have a defined difference to function is almost sickening. The emotion that i am personally connected with to it shows me that this human kind is screwed up with the fact that we MUST have differences...and we will judge those with those differences..no matter what those differneces may be...even though this country is all about unity and being one and i would say love and compassion. Its hard to fathom what the point is to our "differences" because in the exceprt it sais "we have no patterns for realting across our human differences as equals" so it just makes no sense and connects in a pathos related way beecause it induces an argument with myself due to emotions from the words. Like where is the line drawn from normal to different? and at what length with our humanity go to to draw lines of these differences...also when our humanity establishes these differences...what are the consequences?????
withthe local and global factor i could easily extend these racial issues to issues of anything..like sexual orientation and wealth. people judge other people on thier differneces and its just human nature. whether your black white straight gay rich or poor skinny or fat even...but to me i see people as just people. having experience with the judgement from other people due to my differences...defined from others that my differences are wrong...just baffles me. who decides whats wrong and whats right? who decides whats moral from immoral. who decides the a white race is better than a black race? honestly we all live united either way. there is no seperate but equal. its united and judged....no one actually sees our worlds as equal. people dont see homosexuals as equal to straights..people dont see whites as equal to blacks..people dont see obese people equal to the skinny people...poeople dont see rich people as equal to homeless bums...everyone judges others on thier differences which makes the Local context of race extend to glbal differences of EVERYONE.
-in response to joe garcia-
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that Malcom X has made his argument valid to everyone. He is turning people off by saying those things. Its like someone giving you some support and you stab them in the back. If me as a white person talked with Malcom X with full respect and understanding and acceptance, and he says that to me; what am I supposted to feel? Would I give up on being accepting and understanding, or would I do more to promote understanding of someone who dosnt respect me? I belive that he was racist, and that he should have understood human nature that not everyone gets along, its in our genetic code. We evolved through conflict and struggle. So as for the validity of Malcom X's statement, I think there is none.
Toni Morrison: Beloved 1987
ReplyDelete1. Morrison uses pathos many thimes throughout the exerpt. By using the word "flesh" many times, it makes the reader feel as if she is trying to say that we are all one flesh compared to the past issues of slavery and discrimination. The passage "flesh that dances on bare feet in grass" is a metaphor referring to freedom in the black community. Her diction in this excerpt is rather poetic which I believe comes off in a very effectful way to the readers and audience. She also is trying to tell that audience that the first step of having love for other people is to have love for yourself. You must love your hands and flesh and then others will too. This excerpt makes me think of the President of the United States. Being the first black president, he has broken the glass wall of hatred and racism in the U.S.
Malcolm X 1964:
In response to Malcolm's passage, he seems as if he has a lot of anger toward white people in the U.S. He feels that as long as one racist still thrives in America, then it still doesn't matter how far we have come. " You don't stick a knife in a man's back nine inches and then pull it out six inches and say you're making progress". He believes that the wound that white people left is still not completely healed.
2. Racism has deffinately affected the outcome of the readings. A racist person may feel completely different than a non-racist person when reading thsi article. Another thing that will definately affect the comments of the article is Barrack Obama becoming president. It is such a liberating time in America for black men and women and there views on these excerpts are very emotional at this time because they have come such a long way in history.
The two examples of pathos that stood out to me were by Toni Morrison and Malcom X.
ReplyDeleteIn "Beloved" by Toni Morrison, the words were very powerful. He kept moving back and forth from hate to love. People dont realize that comments that they say to people can be taken the way that they do. For example for "And O my people they do not love your hands. Those they only use, tie, bind, chop off and leave empty.", actions and words that people say may make others feel different. When he said "Love your hands! Love them" This is something everyone should take in and realize. If you dont love yourself for who you are, you are not going to be strong. Everyone should love themselves. No one is perfect and everyone is different. When I read this, it made me think about everything that is going on in the world like hatred towards other people, and slavery. I enjoyed this style of writing. It really makes you think in a different way.
The first example of pathos which appealed to me was in the excerpt from Audre Lorde's, Sister Outsider. Lorde's discussion on the feelings and needs we have been "programmed" with, reveal a lot of what our own society teaches us. I think for many people it is hard to understand others' cultures and because we have trouble with this, we fear it. People would rather not deal with accepting differences because it does take a certain degree of effort, emotionally and maybe spiritually. Therefore, it has been taught to us to seclude ourselves from the differences.
ReplyDeleteI think she makes a great argument of this and her word choice and analogies help to convey what she is trying to get across to the reader. Also, she uses very plain language, which is easy to understand on all levels. In my opinion you don't have to sound like a scholar to voice a valid and strong argument.
1. The first example that I saw involving pathos in the readings was from Malcolm X 1964. I think that he was able to get his point across by saying that it doesn't matter how he individually is treated, but it matters more to how the whole entire african american population is treated. He used the metaphor of sticking a knife 9 inches into a man's back and pulling it out 6 inches and saying that it's progress. I think that that metaphor worked pretty well in saying that until you go the whole way with something, and finished everything, everyone is treated the same, then it shouldn't matter to him to get recognition. Another good example is in Audre Lorde's Sister Outsider. Talking about how to handle the differences between us and the fear and loathing that each and every person has been programmed to do. like the first way is to ignore it, copy it if it is dominant, or destroy it if we think it is subordinate or lesser.
ReplyDeleteI picked Toni Morrison exerts of examples of pathos. Throughout the entire passage it bounces back and forth between love and hate. When i read it, it brings conflict, hostility, and ethnicity. Every sentence in the passage was very powerful! I no that today we can't chop off, tie, pick out, and flay people's bodies but what our actions and words can speak loud. By reading this passage its makes you get a feeling of how African Americans were treated in the United States. I can't say I exactly know and understand how it felt for African Americans becuase I don't, but I am happy that it is beginning to get better for everyone. Everyone is starting to be treated equal and seeing what similarties we actually do have in common with people of different races.
ReplyDeleteThe two examples I chose is Malcom X and Toni Morrison. Toniused pathos to connect with the readers emotion by saying "We" and "They", to sort of put you in that perspective as well. I think she was saying that, although whites may think worse of blacks, it is the blacks that should keep thier heads up high and think the best of themselves. They shouldn't let the whites bring them down, etc. I think she chose a good stategy to use for what she wanted to say. She helped create pictures in the readers minds, and put them in the story as well...
ReplyDeleteIn Malcom's peice, he argued a bit different. He was illustrating that even though whites were giving blacks more respect, it was just a bit. And that that wasn't enough. He was saying that he wouldn't get full respect until all blacks in the country do.
Two examples of pathos are Morrison's Beloved and Malcom X.
ReplyDeleteToni Morrison uses very intense words to describe the feelings of hate and racism by others and also for love of you. The way his writing came off to me it really points out that you need to love yourself because ultimately you are the only one that will always and truly love yourself. The writer uses short sentences to make his message short and to the point, I believe he is trying to grab the reader’s attention. Toni also creates images of "your flesh", which can also be a strategy to grab the attention of the reader.
Malcolm X has a powerful statement "No matter how much respect, no matter how much recognition, whites show towards me, as far as I'm concerned, as long as it is not shown to every one of our people in this country, it doesn't exist for me." This in a way doesn't only use the pathos he also uses Ethos because of his credibility. The pathos he uses in this statement is stating that no matter how much respect one shows another person, unless many more show that same respect to everyone else, there really is no respect. The way Malcolm uses the "knife in a back", visual grabs the reader’s attention and helps the reader to see the big picture.
1. Two examples of pathos; Malcolm X 1964 and Toni Morrison: Beloved 1987. Toni Morrison, she is expressing that love that you have for something, and for her that love is for her hands. She is trying to describe that kind of love that she has for her hands but we the readers can replace her hands with something else that we have in mind. The way Toni Morrison describes her thoughts and what she should do her hands and how she wants them to be loved, feels so alive. Her writing is so emotional that you are experiencing her pain. The way Toni shows her emotions that she has about her writing and the description, of what she does with her hands, makes it very convincing and she argues her thoughts fairly well. Malcolm X, is talking about his experiences which make it real and as long as the negative respect isn't shown to everyone else but him, then it doesn't exist.
ReplyDeleteThe first writing by Toni Morrison to me shows a lot of pathos though out the article. The writer is making me feel bad for the fact that everyone is not loved.They are saying that everyone is flesh and everyones needs to be loved. In this case I feel like the pathos is working very well. The writer wants sympithy and I believe that by using the words he used he was able to reach out to many differnt people. He kept it broad so every could come up with there own ideas of what it ment to them. so i hav to say that yes this author did convince me with this writing.
ReplyDeleteThe other writing that I feel that uses pathos is the third one by Malcolm X. It makes me feel for the one trying to reach out but yet the other wont take his hand. So for me I feel like this also is a great use of pathos.
In Beloved, Toni Morrison shows her listeners there's no need to feel inadequate due to differences in color or race. With strong images and symbolism, she uses pathos to explain hatred and danger that comes with interracial encounters of her time. She states, "Yonder, they do not love your flesh. They despise it." By further stating what these people will do, Morrison depicts clear imagery that renders the pathos of her testimonial impenetrable. Her worry-free attitude and high spirit tells others that there is no need to worry, not to trouble yourself with the negative views of others. Love what God has given you and live your life.
ReplyDeleteMalcolm X's depiction of a knife in a man's back proves to the reader his resentment for how his people have been, and are treated in America. It's obvious he used this example because it is completely relevant.
The two examples I will be talking about are Toni Morrison: Beloved 1987 and Malcolm X 1964. In Toni Morrison they way I get the quote is that its very emotional throughout the whole quote and very strong feelings. The message is that love yourself and don't depend on others around you because they might not be there one day. Toni talk about flesh and how it creates in unequal treatment between people that are different skin tones. In Malcolm X 1964, i feel like he is anrgy about how life is treating him. People should be treated the same... I didn't get to finish... Sorry
ReplyDeleteMalcom X uses pathos throughout the entire excerpt. He uses very descriptive words to paint a visual picture that enphasizes how progress is not truely being made until it is consistent for all people. When he discribes how puting a knife in a man's back and then only pulling it part way out cannot be considered progress because the person pulling it out is the one who put it there in the first place. I am extremelly convinced that the author's point is valid. A person cannot claim to be making progress when they caused the problem which they are now trying to fix. The authors use different diction and contrast when describing how African Americans are treated. Malcom X is talking to what would be the opposition where Toni Morrison is talking to the African Americans. The author's choice of diction, tone and metaphors greatly effect how the message is sent and interpreted.
ReplyDeleteThe global factors that influence my reading would be the stuggles people are facing overseas that prevent them from being free and treated equally. The current politcal climate changes the dynamics of how people view the statements. A person who has never been exposed to how African Americans use to be treated might not understand the passion that these authors are writing with. The new African American president might not have as much significance to someone without more background on the struggles. I would say race relations are the best they have ever been considering that our nation as a whole voted to choose an African American president.
1. When Malcom X discusses the hatred going on towards African Americans, he doesn't just think about himself. He is speaking for all African Americans. His argument is valid beacause he is saying that as much recognition and respect that white people show him all of that doesn't matter if they can't turn around and give that respect to other African Americans. On the other hand, Audre Lorde discusses how we act as a "necessity in a profit economy." His argument is that we've been programmed to act out how we do. His argument isn't quite as valid because while parts of it may be true, it's not completely true. Malcom X made his quote to be more personal and Audre Lorde's was more just about how we act. He shares the three ways that we have been "programmed to respond to the human differences."
ReplyDelete"Beloved" and "Sister Outsider" were the two excerpts that captured my attention and made me think about what the authors were thrying to say. Toni Morrison uses very strong words that provoke a lot of feelings and writing this piece as the dialoge of a woman made it very easy to relate to the struggle of this person. The sentences flow together very nicely, but are short and fast-paced adding to the impotance, emotionalness and intensity of the thoughts of the person talking. Morrison uses a lot of actions in this piece which also makes it very easy to understand. The strong imagery used make it easy to symapthize with the feelings and emotions of the speaker.
ReplyDeleteAudre Lorde's piece is not quite as intense, but is still very easy to understand. In the first line of the excerpt, the phrase, "profit economy", immediately allows the reader to see that the economy the writer talks about is the same as the American economy. Instantly, the reader begins to think of what the writer is saying in the context of their everyday life. When I read this excerpt, I began to think of how advertising is all about differences. A company is trying to sell you something that will make you the same as the popular and cool people because your differences are the wrong kind of differences. It was easy to think of numerous ads that applied to what Lorde was talking about and I could easily see the meaning in the piece.
Morrison's piece is very emotional, trying to gain your sympathy. This piece was also about struggle and loss. Lorde's piece was more versatile and applied to many people. The piece was about feelings of exclusion.
The first example of pathos I chose frm the From the Toni Morrison: Beloved exerpt. " And O my people they do not love your hands. Those they only use, tie, bind, chop off and leave empty. Love your hands!" This was a good way of expressing how slaves were treated like worthless garbage and if slave needed to love and care about themselves because the slave owners def. did not. It tried to talk the slaves into having some self worth despite the fact that they were treated so badly. The author really used good powerful views here. Personally the way the author made their point worked very well for me. It automatically made me see the "they" as cold hearted slave drivers and the speaker as a strong willed / minded person trying to help them overcome. The pathos strategy works best here because it is an emotional issue. You need to care about the subjects and understand what they feel. it worked.
ReplyDeleteThe second example of pathos I chose is from Malcolm X. He says ' You don't stick a knife in a man's back nine inches and then pull it out six inches and say you're making progress"
I like this quote because it makes such a true statement . Its harsh but he uses that harshness to make his point. he basically saying you can't do something that wrong (as with slavery and stuff) and then undo it. The damage is done no matter what people try to do to fix it. The wound is there. He made a great point with this.
Two examples of pathos that i found where from Toni Morrison and Malcolm X. In Toni Morrison's argument he uses pathos by describing the eyes, hands, feet, and skin of our bodys. He explains that you should love yourself because other people don't. Because people discriminate on others just for stuff that they don't like or believe in. I believe that this article is valid because not everybody appreciates everyone else so in the end you need to appreicate and love yourself so you feal good in yourself.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the second paragraph about 'differences', I believe that everyone has differences. We are all different in many ways-color, religious beliefs, heritage, race, language, and so on. As Americans we have our own mind set and are not open to change or others differences. There is always going to be hatred, violence, racism, and war between people. And as for Americans dealing with it; ignore it, copy it, or destroy it. I believe that arguement is vaild. I believe that this is true and that our differences interfer with our society in a whole. America needs to change and better ourselves as individuals for all of us to move forward. One example of this is President Obama-he is introducing change.
ReplyDeleteToni Morrison: Beloved 1987
ReplyDeleteWhat Morrison spoke about in this excerpt was the unfair treatment of people based on the color of their skin and how these people should not be ashamed of their race. He used very illustrative language to paint a visual of the maltreatment of these people such as, "They don't love your eyes; they'd just as soon pick em out. No more do they love the skin on your back." With racism being a problem in his time, extreme emotion is needed to elicit pride in your race no matter what anyone says or does. Morrison chose the word "flesh" to refer to people. Flesh brings about a more radical reaction and a more graphic picture. Morrison convinced me that loving your flesh needs to be done.
Racism has decreased in recent decades. With the election of an African American president, change has been brought to America. This excerpt would reach out to a lot of Americans. Although the severity of its meaning has been taken differently in the past. The importance of this message is still the same. In my hometown of Hanover, if this excerpt were to be published, I think the message would fall on deaf ears and the theme misinterpreted. Most of Hanover is populated with old white Republicans which probably voted for John McCain. However, the youth is more open now to diversity and prosperity of the races. Overall, this message is a good one no matter what your race is. Everyone needs to be proud of who they are