In Class: First Paragraph

You walk to the door of The Flying Saucer, a big green door meets you, old looking with a feel of history. As you open it you notice a sign stating, "This building is history, anyone that touches it is part of history." Walking in you are immediately hit with a smell of the bathroom. You notice it's 15 feet in front of you and you wonder why they would put a bathroom in the front entrance. But this distraction dies down quickly as you take a right into the main restaurant and see a welcoming sight. Dark woods and warm colors fill the room, the walls are accented by hundreds of golden plates. The sofa and chairs look calming and inviting. On the far side of the room is the bar, there must be at least 50 different beers on tap.

In Class: Peer workshops

Over the years I have had the opportunity of experiencing peer workshops in my English classes. They never seem to be very beneficial though, usually because my papers are about a subject for an intended audience. The peers think they know something about the topic (their usually wrong) and like to give their opinions on it. Rarely do they actually help structure my essay or give me advise in a positive manner. I would much rather prefer meeting with the teacher to discuss positives and weaknesses in my papers. Their input seems to be much more beneficial to the revising process. The only thing that I can think of that is good about the peer workshops is that they sometimes catch things that I miss and the more readers the better.

In Class: peer observation notes

After reading the peer reviews I realized that I missed a few things when observing my space. I never mentioned anything about the outside appearance of the bar. I did say it was in downtown Fort Worth but that is not descriptive enough. I also need to make note of the rhetorical appeal that the smells, color, and general atmosphere has. What emotions do these things arouse, do they show Pathos, Logos, or Ethos.  On the other hand, things that I thought were interesting that my peers observed were how crowded it got on a Tuesday at 5. Also, something else that was pointed out was that I wasn't asked for my ID on the weekdays but there was a bouncer at the door on Saturday. Does this infer that they don't care very much who orders a drink during the week? I Feel that I did a pretty thorough job observing The Flying Saucer but after reading the peer observation notes I realize that I did miss a couple important things.

In Class: Observing The Saucer

I made it to the Flying Saucer only three times, but what I observed was tremendous. For the most part, my expectations were met, I observed what I thought I would observe. However, there were things that I didn't really expect to take place that did.

Starting with what I did expect to observe would have to be people drinking beer and I saw plenty of it. The majority were drinking darker colored microbrewed or imported beers and very few had large domestics like bud light or coors light. I also expected and did see a larger crowd on the weekend compared to on the weekdays. I knew there weren't going to be very many people in at 2 in the afternoon (everyones working) while the bar would be full at 10 at night on a Saturday.

Then there were things that I did not expect to observe but did and things that I had never noticed prior to sitting and just watching. During the day when there were only around 10 people in The Saucer I happened to see two people reading books, and about five of the people were alone. I also noticed that all the servers were women and the bartender was very knowledgeable about the beers they had.

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos of my Public Space

After going to my public space a few times this week I have begun to realize the amount of information that you can get while sitting back and observing. I have ethos, pathos, and logos appeals that will help strengthen my paper while giving the reader a better sense and feel of the area that I am trying to describe.

Ethos: The credibility of a restaurant is huge. If you have it, people will come from miles around to eat and drink there. On the other hand, if you have no credibility, you are probably closing down soon. The Flying Saucer is "cool" because it is different than other bars and restaurants. It is set in a pub style with quality items rather than ones that serve for one purpose, and that would be to get you drunk. The bartenders are very knowledgeable when it comes to these drinks. They know over 200 different beers and do a good job choosing the right one for the right person if the situation arises. Also, the fact that there are so many saucers (those who have drank over 200 different beers) with peoples names on the walls shows that they come back over and over again to have a good time.

Pathos: The Flying Saucer's appeal to emotion might be different for some people. To me, the feeling that I get when walking in is a sense of comfort and welcoming. The colors are not shouting, but rather inviting. There are comfy couches and seats that might belong in a home. If you are not in that type of mood then you can go outside where there is a life band playing on the weekends. Music is a great emotional appeal especially when you know the songs.

Logos: If you were to look at the numbers, you could say that The Flying Saucer is one of the few bars in Fort Worth that serves such a high number of beers. Something that I did before I first knew of  the bar was look at reviews online from those who had previously been. With a really good rating, this helped in my decision to try it out. Lastly, you can make the argument that if you like to try beers from around the country and around the world then you will like The Flying Saucer. This might be a little debatable but I see it more as using reason and common sense than making an assumption.

In Class: Logos

The artifact that i brought in today that represents logos is the stats and awards of baseball player Albert Pujols. I decided to choose Albert because I feel you can make a case of him being the best player in current baseball and possibly one of the best of all time by looking at his numbers. All the facts are layed out on a paper easy to understand, this way you can compare him to known greats like Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and a few others. There is no disputing the evidence that Pujols has hit 30 homeruns and batted over 300 for the ten seasons he has played professional ball. What may be in dispute could be if he will continue his exceptional playing ability as long as those in the past. The statistics sheet of Albert Pujols is a clear example of logos, it shows the facts, and the facts say he is one of the best.

Unit 1 Proposal

The place that I am choosing to write about is The Flying Saucer in downtown Fort Worth. The Flying Saucer is a bar and restaurant thats claim to fame would have to be that they have hundreds of beers with probably fifty on tap. They also have a system where you can buy a card to keep track of every different type of beer you drink and at the end (I think after you drink something like 150 different beers) you receive a saucer with your name engraved on it for your accomplishments. I'll have to try this some day when I can afford it.

I am choosing this location for a couple of reasons. First, it's located in down town where I know a lot of people like to go and second, every time I have been there it's been enjoyable. It should be interesting looking at the bar from a different perspective and while not drinking. The Flying Saucer is also appealing to me because it's a little different than your typical bar or restaurant. It has more of a pub style setting which I prefer over something more traditional like some of the bars around the TCU campus.

Having been there before I expect to find older adults and less college students. Having only been on weekdays however, I am curious to see how much the crowd differs on the weekends and also how much the time of day comes into play. I wonder if a lot of people come here to view sports games or if there is a special night where drinks are cheaper (maybe that will bring in a different demographic). I am not sure if someone like me is the intended audience. Most college students probably can not afford spending 30 dollars on drinks too often and plus it's  hard for me as well as I'd imagine other TCU students to get back to the apartments, houses, or dorms due to the fact that the bar is downtown. Therefore, the intended audience is probably people in the their mid to late twenties who live in the area and appreciate quality beer.

My only preconceived notions are that people who go to bars at night go to get drunk. I rarely pay attention to others when I am out with my friends so I am not sure if that is true. Other thoughts have I already have about my location is that everyone that goes there orders beer, and good beer at that. I will have to observe well and try to stay removed from the tempting quench of a delicious beer to analyze my public place effectively.

In Class: Ethos artifact

The artifact that I chose to bring in today that represents ethos is a picture of Aristotle. I chose this picture because I wanted to pick someone who has credibility and authority. Aristotle is a good match because he was one, if not the first to coin ethos, pathos, and logos for making logical argument. He also was a famous philosopher who was taught by Plato and who taught Alexander the Great. The Greek teacher shaped the foundation of early physical science and physics as well.

I can't really think of any other person better suited to make an argument based on character and credibility. Even after more than 2000 years, he is still as credible as when he was alive. The picture of him shows a man who is prestigious and proud, a man that knows what he is talking about.

In Class: pathos in a public place

Although I am still not quite sure where my public space will be, I am leaning towards Sundance square. Using pathos in this place should be quite easy due to the amount of different shops, restaurants, and bars. I feel that the area evokes positive emotions, many of the people walking around are happy and upbeat. Sitting in the balcony of the Flying Saucer will probably show this the most. I imagine people drinking and having a good time. Plus it's probably a place where some go time after time and has nostalgic emotion.

In class: Liverpool fc, pathos

I chose the Liverpool football scarf because it makes a very emotional appeal to me as well as many people who follow English soccer. Anytime that I see a jersey or scarf of my team it has an affect on my emotions, a jersey from a rival team does the same, but in a negative way. I feel that English teams have much more passion than any US team whether it be football, baseball, or basketball. Anyone that has been to a game or seen Liverpool play on the television knows exactly what I am talking about. 45,000 fans singing as loud as they can "You'll never walk alone" is about as emotional as it gets when it comes to sports. This is probably why I think the scarf makes such an emotional appeal.

If you take a closer look at the scarf you will see some trademark Liverpool logos. The Liverpool FC crest has the two eternal flames, one for the Heysel disaster and one for the Hilsborough Disaster. Liverpool FC on one side and the reds on the other. Very Emotional

Analyzing arguments in the media

Here are five different types of arguments and how they pertain to the BP commercial.

Argument to inform: BP is informing the viewers of everything that they are doing in the gulf coast region that we might not be aware of. The specific information helps people realize the efforts and money that the oil company is putting into the region. Iris Cross states that there are "19 centers in 4 states" and has made 120,000 claims with a 20 billion dollar fund. She has done a good job in informing me as well as others the steps BP is taking to fix the problems.

Argument about the past, present, and future: Iris Cross talks about how she is from the Gulf Coast and how she will remain in the region regardless of the outcome because it is her home. She also says that BP will not leave until they see no more oil and have cleaned it all up. Whether or not Ms. Cross is being honest about her situation is up in the air but I do believe that BP will not leave until the job is done, it doesn't seem like the public would allow anything less.

Argument to convince: Iris and BP try to convince the viewer that BP is a giving and caring company. However, I don't think very many people buy this. If they were a caring company then they would have never let it happen in the first place. On the other hand, the commercial is also saying that BP is committed to the oil cleanup. I do believe this because as I said before, I don't think they have much of a choice but to clean up their mess.

Invitational argument: Iris Cross's job is to listen to those who were and still are effected by the oil spill. The commercial also lists a telephone number and a link to the claims section on the BP website.

Rogerian Argument: Throughout the commercial Iris tries to find a common ground with her viewers. She seems sympathetic and caring. She states multiple times that she is from New Orleans and her family still lives there. Furthermore, the ad is trying to evoke a sense of trust in BP to make it out like they aren't some evil company who's destroying the world. On a more personal level, Iris is seen talking to fisherman, restaurant owners, and families to give a feeling of assurance and the hope to find a common ground.