The discussion board post is way to think wisely and respond to a reading that is provided by the professor through blackboard discussion. The discussion posts were done when we had online class. For each discussion posts, the professor provides us with a prompt. The main purpose is that as a reader we understand and comprehend what we have read and write a response to demonstrate that understanding by analysing the author’s work. After we post all of our responses we then had to respond to at least one of our peer’s responses. Therefore, it helps each other what my other class members have understood and what they did well on that response and how they can improve on it next time. By doing these posts, it personally helped me understand the rhetorical situation in all of the text that was given. Doing in constantly, guided me throughout the semester, that way I can never forget what rhetorical situation was. The first rhetorical assignment was to choose and opinion editorial article from any publication and write a clear rhetorical situation.
First discussion post:
Find an op-ed article (I recommend looking on The New York Times, The Atlantic, Buzzfeed, or Vice) and discuss the rhetorical situation. Be sure to include the terms we have been employing in class (from the Bitzer reading) and provide textual evidence for your claims. Consider the ways in which the formal features of the article contribute to the author attaining his/her purpose. Be sure to include a link to your article!
From the New York Times opinion editorial, I came across an article called, “pollution farmers should pay”. This opinion editorial focus on how the agricultural fertilizer and manure runoff are harming the humans and ecosystem. Therefore, for that reason, farmers should pay the state for clean up. In the beginning, the author begins strongly by appealing logos, stating that, “harmful algal bloom in Lake Erie will be two times last year’s size… that shut down the drinking water supply in Ohio.”In addition, the author stated information that appeals to pathos. For instance, “these blooms contain a toxin that can make us sick after swimming or consuming tainted fish…” this indicates that the effect of the agricultural fertilizer and manure runoff has great effects. In this opinion editorial, the exigence is that ocean are polluted with agricultural fertilizer and manure runoff. As it stated in the article. Overall audience of this opinion editorial would be intended for the farmers who are not willing to pay for their polluting areas and also the state official.“Although the federal government cannot regulate agriculture under the Clean Water Act, states can. They are free to impose taxes, require permits and regulate in any way they see fit.”The speaker used statistics and references to state laws to back up her claim. For example, “Most Americans drink water from publicly filtered sources, nearly 14 percent drink water from private wells with no required monitoring or treatment requirements, making them vulnerable to nitrate pollution.” At the end of the article, the speaker leaves the reader with a statement, “Voluntary adoption is a flawed policy. To achieve swimmable and fishable water for all Americans, we must go beyond it.” Not only that she leaves a strong statement for the audience but it also makes the audience think through about what should be done for this exigence.There is one question that comes to my mind, and that is “ if other states have taken action toward this exigence, then why should she address this issue and put her opinion to it?” To conclude, I found that the author is an economist. That makes me understand that her perspective and interest toward this issue and how the state officials should take action. As an economist, she probability understands a way to take action toward this problem.
