Thesis 1:

Crocodiles are majestic, powerful, and amazing creatures.

Thesis 2:

Crocodiles are ridiculous looking, silly, and lame creatures.

*Must use dissoi logoi to show both arguments!

Thesis 1:

Crocodiles are majestic, powerful, and amazing creatures! They are also vicious hunters. They use as little energy as possible to live. This means that a crocodile will wait for its prey to come to them where they conduct minimal movement to "snatch" the prey. Their keen ears will wait for hours before it even makes a move or gives out a sign of aggression. Each movement made by the crocodile is swift, smooth, and extremely powerful. The crocodile's tail alone has enough strength to break the backbone of its prey. The hide of the crocodile creates majestic shoes and handbags. They really are amazing creatures!

Thesis 2:

Crocodiles are ridiculous looking, silly, and lame creatures! They're not pretty at all. They have a scaly, slimy covering that just makes me want to gag. What do they do all day? They move minimally which makes me wonder if they're even alive or contribute to the food chain. The ones that do move only kill children or create destruction.  The only thing they're good for is their hides used to make leather! Crocodiles should just be extinct already!

Rhetoric and Ads

 This is an ad done by Nike. It targets women who aren't necessarily satisfied with their bodies. In America, there's a lot of pressure to be thin and look good where good could be defined in a million different ways. Nike uses self-conscience feelings about a woman's body and tries to twist those feelings around to redefine what looking good really is.  By telling a woman that she isn't alone, that she is beautiful no matter how big she is, and that Nike supports her, it makes a woman want to buy their product. Nike strives to make a woman feel good about her body shape.

The background is used particularly interesting for this ad because it really centers on the woman herself and, thus, making her the spotlight. The ad doesn't particularly focus on her face.  In fact, her face is slanting downwards which leads the audience to look at how toned and healthy her body really looks. She is not wearing particularly flashy colors which makes the audience focus more on her body rather than what she is wearing.

The use of language is very strong. The language itself shows that it's okay to admit your butt is big and that you aren't skinny. The biggest words on the ad are "MY BUTT IS BIG" which, if you only read one thing on the ad, it would be those words. The words "MY BUTT IS BIG" immediately speaks to a woman who is self-conscious about her butt. It grasps her attention so that she will keep reading. The text doesn't tell a woman to try to lose weight or that the sneakers will make her skinnier. The text, instead, tells her that their butt is strong and fine the way it is. Also, there is the Nike "swoosh" at the end that reminds you this is in fact a Nike ad. Up until the very end of the text it has nothing that says Nike. This shows that Nike's focus is not so much on selling a product but rather changing the way a woman views herself.

By coming from a pathos appeal, they sell their product. This is particularly masterful of Nike. Nike wants a woman to feel like they care. By using an emotional appeal to a woman, they can make a woman feel like the company of Nike cares about how she feels and, thus, getting her to trust the company. If a consumer trusts the company, the consumer is more likely to keep buying products from this particular company.  So, because Nike spends the time to persuade a woman to buy their products,  it is financially beneficial in the long run to take the time to empower a woman.

I remember seeing one of my friends share this ad on her facebook wall. This friend's post said "Finally, someone is willing to admit it".  As days passed on, other girls started to like and comment with their own stories. It's kind of a bandwagon feel where everyone can admit it and feel good about themselves. Thus, this particular use of advertisement is very tactful and really works.

As a woman, I want to buy Nike's products.  Ads like these make me feel like Nike doesn't just want to sell products but actually cares about their consumers.  It shows me that Nike recognizes we are all human beings with feelings. I have bought their products before and plan on buying them in the future.

Devil's Courthouse in North Carolina
Interesting fact: Those mountains you can see in the distance are thirty miles away! That's right, your human eye CAN see thirty miles out in the distance! Also, at any given time you can see up to three states at once!

About Me:  

The important stuff . . . aka the basics and "my future" plans
Hi! I'm Mary O'Kelly from Florence, SC! For the summer, I'm working as a camp counselor for the SPRI program at Clemson University where rising high school seniors conduct undergraduate research for six weeks! I'm also doing my own research on cell mazing in Dr. Delphine Dean's lab! I'm a rising sophomore at Clemson University hoping to pursue a degree in biomaterials engineering and a minor in French! After Clemson, my dream would be to pursue a MD at Loyola University in Chicago where I would specialize in pediatrics or orthopedics. 

Some Personal Things . . .
 I was born in New Orleans, LA, grew up some in Uniontown, PA (right outside of Pittsburgh), and moved down to Florence, SC when I was 8 years old! I adore my family, and they are the most important people to me in my life.  My mom says I like to talk way to much and that I never run out of energy. If you ask my dad to describe me he would tell you that I don't have a filter on things I say. My two older sisters would probably tell you embarrassing stories like the time I tried to sneak out of the house by jumping from the second floor . . .  and, just for the record, that's not such a great idea . . . Needless to say, I have a lot of love in my life! 

What I hate . . . 
 Well, let's see . . . there's a few things.
(1) I cannot stand doing nothing all day! I have to get out, have some adventure, do something that scares me every single day or I'll go crazy! 
(2) I hate when I learn a lot in a class that I struggled in but my grade doesn't show it.
(3) I hate reading literature. The kind that people hype up to be so amazing and you just have to read. It bores me to death. I like readings that are a good story and not some prolonged dramatic story where everyone just kills one another. 
(4) I hate writing essays. My natural form of writing is in a blog type of setting. I write as if I was talking to you. I'm not the best with grammar, so when I blog people seem to care about the point of what I'm saying rather than all the proper ways to say things.

Some interesting facts about me . . . 
(1) I'm obsessed with taking pictures. Seriously, just look at my Facebook. I post pictures literally every single day. In fact, I have an external hard drive to store the 30,000 pictures I have.
(2) I'm a huge Clemson fan!
(3) I'm a brother of the professional Engineering Fraternity Theta Tau at Clemson University.
(4) I've been to over ten countries . . . USA, England, Ireland, Germany, Austria, France, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Cayman Islands, Haiti, Jamaica, Bahamas, and Costa Rica . . .

Clemson Game with the Family!

Colosseum in Roma, Italy

Firenze, Italy

Denver, Colorado

Stingray City, Grand Cayman Islands

Volcano in Costa Rica

Waterfall in Costa Rica

Some of my favorites quotes . . . 

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility."

-Elanor Roosevelt

"Make your life extraordinary"

-Bruno Torres

"When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained."

-Mark Twain