Exploration of Ethos

Finally, the end of the semester. This third semester in college, while being the hardest so far, was definitely enjoyable.  In my English class, we wrote about many subjects, focusing on the technology that has crept into our lives. The first assignment was on how technology effects our lives, the second was on the cause and effects of technology, the third was on analyzing propaganda, and our last assignment was a website we created among three group members, focusing on the power of hyperlinks in crafting an ethos. To me, the best way to define ethos is not only what gives you the right to pass judgement on something, or to make an argument, but is also about your experiences and background. When I talk to someone about the University of Oklahoma for example,  the fact that I have been a student for 3 semesters here, and the fact that I have been raised all my life around the Sooner culture would greatly effect the effect my opinion will have on them. Ethos is where you show someone who you are as a person, and where you try to make them step in your shoes and see the work through your eyes. They have their own personal experiences, but at the core, when you try to show someone your ethos, you are trying to show them your ethical beliefs, along with the details to show how you think and how you worked to find your idea.

In my second essay, I covered the effects of Wikileaks on the world, and as an American who feels that keeping up with trends and knowing how technology is enhancing, or even just altering our lives. I enjoyed doing this essay very much, and looked into quite a few sources, so much that I almost couldn't even fit all I wanted to say within the page limit. Reading into the childhood of Julian Assange kinda made me question his ability as a leader, as I read into detail of how he has been pitted against the government and law much of his life. "When he was 16 he started hacking, and he and 2 other friends formed a trio they called “the International Subversives”.", and eventually they were caught and charged. Afterward, "he and his ex-wife had a long custody battle in which Assange had to fight the bureaucracy of the “Health and Community Services”", and he could not get a settlement for seeing his son until "After more than 40 legal hearings and appeals, starting a group to appeal for changes to Australian law, and obtaining some internal documents, Assange finally reached a custody agreement in 1999.".  From the young age of 16, the governments in his area have been set against him, in ways that could easily make him bitter. I feel that this essay was very good, and I wish I could have written more on Julian Assange's character, and how interesting it is that he is the leader of an organization based on revealing secrets of governments around the world.

On the third assignment we had to do(the propaganda one), I really enjoyed the choice to pick my commercials to compare. In my Senior year of high school, I had my AP Government class, and to this day it is one of the most informative and enjoyable classes I have had. One of our class periods we spent looking at many different ad's, including "Peace Little Girl", "Ike at Gettysburg", and many others from the Nixon and Kennedy era. Seeing the Peace Little Girl ad now without the class, I would not understand how effective it was. From the discussion I had in my class, we came upon the idea that "the 1960s seemed to be a time where there was much to fear for the average citizen, and nuclear war was among these many fears", and I made sure to reflect upon that for the essay. I enjoyed being able to go into detail on two ad's that I had a history with, and being able to use the propaganda devices and rhetorical analysis, made our claim in my senior year class even stronger.