Revised Project 2

George Easley

10/20/2023

Rhetorical Analysis

The question that I have decided to try find the answer to is if the US is heading towards a recession or even an economic collapse. I am studying the field of finance and this has been the biggest topic of conversation for over a year now. One way that the financial community conveys information is through charts and graphs. If you go on any website on the stock market it will show you a graph of a company’s share price and how it has performed over a certain period of time. News outlets will sometimes show share prices and have arrows indicating whether they are up or down. Another way is from news articles. These are typically used to really try to break down a certain topic that can’t really be broken down properly on the news or in a chart. The artifacts I have chosen is a video from a successful businessman and podcaster named Patrick Bet-David explaining why the economy has not collapsed yet. I chose this because on his podcast he interviews many people who are experts in a wide range of topics, including the economy. He also runs many different companies and sees how the finances are trending. The other artifact I have chosen is an article from Forbes. It is breaking down what has happened, giving the chances of the possible outcomes, and what would happen if those outcomes came to fruition.

The first artifact is the video from Patrick Bet-David on YouTube from 2023 giving his reasoning as to why the stock market has not crashed yet. It was posted October 16 just a few days ago, so the numbers he is using should very up to date. One of the first things that he shows is a chart of people answering if they believe the US will hit a recession. These people include Federal Reserve staff, economists, consumers, people from Goldman Sachs and Bank of America, and CEOs. It is unknown however how many people in each group was questioned. The data collected was if they believed the US is headed towards a recession. People from wall street to consumers to C-suite executives. The chart shows that no employees at the Federal Reserve believe a recession is coming. However, 84% of CEOs said they believe the US is headed towards a recession. Showing this chart helps to develop ethos by actually showing proof instead of just saying something with no physical evidence. It also helps build logos because he is gathering evidence from people who know the financial situation of their companies. Early in the video he says “So people are now, it’s totally fine, look at the market, it’s near all-time highs. But is it really?” He is taking things said by those who disagree with him and questions their logic to set up the arguments he is about to make. Putting extra emphasis on the word really to truly call these statements into question. He does this often where he will emphasis a word in a sentence to really try to hammer home his point. Later on in the video while he talks about how companies in the market are doing he says “But we cannot fool ourselves thinking the market is up just because these seven magnificent companies are carrying the weight.” While saying this he narrows his eyes conveying how serious he is, holds up seven fingers when he says “seven magnificent companies” so no one will mistake how many he is talking about, and he lifts arm as if he is holding a weight when he says “ carrying the weight. He does these thing to give visual aides for the audience to help them remember his arguments better. The audience that he is speaking to is those who are not in the know with the financial industry, but want to more about what is going on. People who have jobs outside of the area of finance and trying to explain this situation to them as clearly as possible. He mostly uses words that everyday normal people would be able to recognize helping them follow more effectively. This video is fact based and it looks at trends that have happened in the past to try to predict what will happen now or in the future. It does show some bits of needing to have a basic understanding of what has been going on with the American economy.

This way of presenting your argument can be very easy for an audience to grasp. Things are kept relatively simple and easy to understand but could definitely use multiple viewings to get the entire argument. One problem with it is that Patrick Bet-David talks pretty fast during the video. Which makes understanding everything more difficult for those that are watching. Other than that, his points are clear and concise. Another thing that he does very well is that he speaks with confidence. He knows what he is talking about and that is something that can make listeners trust or believe you more than if you came off very timid and unsure of yourself. One way that he tries to make people remember what he is saying is the use of charts and graphs. This gives the audience a visual representation for the video. It also serves as evidence that what he is saying is the truth and not just a guy talking and trying to scare people. This video does also have the vibe of coming off as a warning to people. Telling them brace for Patrick Bet-David believes is about to happen. Warning that “those who are too confident are typically wrong” and that “only the paranoid survive”. These statements act as a warning and also as a sign of hope. Saying bad times are probably ahead, but if you prepare you will come out the other end just fine.

The second artifact is the article from Forbes by Wayne Duggan posted on October 17, 2023. The article tries to answer the question about where the US economy is headed. Forbes is a major news outlet that covers a wide range of topics. It would appear that their target audience is a wide range of people who are curious about the topic. The writer is trying to use logic to appeal to readers with the way he is conveying information. It also seems that the writer does not expect people to be experts in economics either. The article is basically an explanation of what a recession is, why people are worried about one, and the likelihood of a soft landing. This appears to be primarily an informative article. There is never a point in the article where the author tells the reader what they believe for sure will happen. It is mostly giving definitions that some people may not know. “There is no universal definition, but analysts and investors commonly consider two consecutive quarters of contracting gross domestic product to be a recession.” This helps people who are not financial experts better understand what they are reading about so they do not get lost. The author also goes over reasons for why each outcome could happen. “The U.S. unemployment rate remains historically low at just 3.8%. The University of Michigan, in its preliminary report for October, said U.S. consumer sentiment was up 5.2% year-over-year, suggesting shoppers won’t be slowing down anytime soon.” By doing this the author is not taking a side and allowing the readers to make up their own minds. He is giving them the information and letting decide for themselves. Which is a good way of appealing to people because it could make them go back and reread the article to make sure they did not miss any information. The information is very easy to understand but people will as miss something. He explains in enough detail for the reader to understand the subject. In a simple way explaining the possible outcomes and what they would mean for investors. “First off, historically speaking, recessions don’t last very long. The average duration of a U.S. recession since World War II is just 11.1 months. The Covid-19 recession in early 2020 lasted just two months.” Saying that there should be concern of a recession happening, but that people should not be panicking too much. The author is using logos here by bringing up facts and trends from the past in order to calm down the readers about what could happen. The author tries to make this article as logical and easy to understand as possible. Using an article, however, as a way of appealing to an audience might not be as effective as the first. With it being an article that has to be read, not as many people are going to be interested. It could be much more forgetful as opposed to a video or something else that could use visuals in its presentation.

This Forbes article is effective in the sense that the writer tries to lay out the possible outcomes and make a logical decision on the likelihood of each. It also does not try to persuade people in any direction. Allowing the reader to take in the information and make a decision based on the evidence that has been presented to them. Coming to their own conclusions and being told to think and not being told what to think. One problem that the article does face is that it is something that has to be read. People can sort of doze off and get distracted. It is not particularly long but it is not as accessible as other formats may be. Another problem is that there is no use of visuals in the article. It is just words and that is not appealing to everyone. Overall, the article appears to be very trustworthy with their reasoning and logic but the format does hinder it from appealing to a broader audience.

The two sources are trying to appeal to people in similar ways. Both are trying to use facts and evidence to try to convince their audience, which is also very similar, of what will happen with the economy. Bet-David brings up recessions happen 11 months after the Fed stops raising interest rates. Duggan will talk about how unemployment is at a historic low, but then speak on how yield curves point towards a recession. Both are trying to break down the numbers and using a very logic based approach to their arguments. One thing that does separate the two is that Bet-David is also using pathos. He will emphasis certain words, move his hands around, and narrow or wide his eyes depending on the point he is trying to make. There was a point where he pushes back on a point made by financial experts by saying “But is it really?” He emphasizes the word really and narrows his eyes. Making the point that he does not believe in what the financial experts are saying. The audiences for both are also very similar, people who just want to know what is going to happen to the economy. Forbes is using this article with a lot of facts trying to explain the situation. Everything is very straightforward and there is no use of any visuals. Patrick Bet-David does something similar with presenting evidence, but he also brings up charts and graphs so the audience can envision what he is explaining. This a way that they appeal to audience differently. Bet-David communicating and using visuals is more appealing to an audience as opposed to just an article that has to be read. It makes it more appealing and memorable to those who are watching. For many it is easier to remember something visually with a person speaking than something they have read. Both sources appeal to audiences through logos, but one also effectively uses pathos.

These two sources are saying very different things from one another. One is saying that a recession is coming while the other is not really giving an answer. Proving the level of complexity and uncertainty that surrounds this issue. There are so many factors that come into play when discussing the economy. The two ultimately lead to the answer that no one really knows what is going to happen. People saying that there is going to be a recession may not be looking at how the economy is improving right now. However, very few would have believed a recession was right around the corner during the roaring twenties, and the housing market was at an all time high right before the 2008 crash. Situations like the Great Depression and the Housing Market crash and how things were before those two events happened just add more complexity to the topic. We need to look into the past and talk about what has happened. These debates and discussions need to happen in order to best prepare us for the future.

Works Cited

Bet-David, Patrick, “The Real Reason Why the Market Hasn’t Crashed…Yet”, Valuetainment, Youtube.com, 2023

Duggan, Wayne, “Recession Or Soft Landing: What’s Next for the U.S. Economy?”, Forbes Advisor, Forbes.com, October, 17,2023

Genre Constraints

The reason why a research argument/article is the best response is because it allows me to really dig into the argument. Give a in depth report on the topic. It really allows me to elaborate on the topic and the points I am trying to make. I can go into the most detail with this genre. Other genres set limits when it comes to that.

A reason why it is the worst is because of the lack of visuals. Visuals are much more mentally stimulating than just words are and that can make it less memorable. It also can be a major struggle to get through for people who do not like reading.

PowerPoint is the best option because of the visuals it allows you to use. Adding in graphs and charts can make the presentation much more mentally stimulating and memorable. It also helps you just get the basic information in that a lot of people are looking to get.

A problem with PowerPoint is that it does not let you further elaborate on the information. The space you can use is very limited and you cannot expand on your points as much.

A video can be the best because it is more personal than other genres. It is an actual person relaying the information than just reading words or seeing a chart or graph. That can help make the presentation more memorable.

Why it is the worst because it is harder to go back and find points that have been made. You have to try to remember about what time period the point was made and it is by far the most annoying one.

Rhetorical Text Homework

The first text is a power point slide from my biology class. It talked about how oxygen and energy are delivered throughout your body and the cells that carry out this process. The purpose of the text is to help better understand how our bodies function, especially during exercise. Also there is a test this week so it also serves as a review to help the students learn and understand the material better. The audience for this is the students in the class. Trying to help them understand the material better and really try to help them do better on the test. The main rhetorical appeal being used is logos. With the people writing the lectures being experts with PhDs. The way they are conveying this information is through a power point slide with a speaker going into more depth on each bullet point. Looking at this rhetorically helped me better understand what the writer was trying to accomplish, and I won’t just gloss over it.

The second text is a Capital One ad I saw on ESPN’s website. It says they are the partner of Major League Baseball with no fees or minimums on savings or checking accounts. The purpose of the ad is to try to get people to sign up for their services. Banking, credit cards, loans, accounts, etc. The main audience is people who are not their current customers. With this partnership with the MLB, it would be safe to assume they are targeting people who are baseball fans. People who go onto the ESPN website to look up news in baseball and see the ad and Capital One hopes some of those people will sign up. Rhetorical appeal would have to be pathos. People who love baseball see that partnership and see the no fees or minimums will want to sign up. The mode is just a small ad on ESPN’s website that is a little banner. Rhetorical analysis helped me to not ignore the ad like I normally would.

The final text was an article on who has the best odds to win the Heisman Trophy this year. Primarily betting odds and how to read the numbers. The purpose is to help people who might plan to gamble on it and tell fans of college football who is currently in the lead. The audience is those who plan on gambling on the outcome and those who just want to know who might win it. Fans who just want to keep in touch with what all might happen. The rhetorical appeal is primarily ethos. The article comes from a website that specializes in sports gambling, so they would be a safe source to trust. The mode is a article on the betting company’s website. It has the player’s names and their odds of winning and explains what those odds mean. Looking at it rhetorically helped me to better understand what the company is trying to do with putting out an article like this. Instead of just looking at the odds and leaving the website.

Reflection

I learned a lot about genres, composing projects, and looking at artifacts that will be used as evidence through a rhetorical lens. When it came to the genres I learned a lot about what works in different genres. For example, when doing news articles you have to use language that is easy to follow for the vast majority of people. There cannot be words that are foreign to normal people. Things like that is what make people put down the article. Another thing that I learned is that you should use visuals when you can. They are more visually stimulating and can make your genre more memorable. Making your presentation memorable is the most important thing that you have to accomplish. If no one remembers what you made than it was not effective. You have to know what to do in order to stand out from other things discussing your same topic. I chose the rhetorical strategies I thought would be the most effective in doing that. Using logos to have a strong argument that is based on facts and using pathos to connect with the audience on a more personal level. Looking at some of the artifacts that I did helped me to accomplish that. There were some things that I came up short on. When going back and doing revisions on Project two, the rhetorical analysis, I had to fix many things. I looked at the feedback given and did my best to fix those problems that I had. Pulling quotes from the sources and expanding on those. Doing a better job of explaining the rhetorical strategies that the two artifacts were employing and the effectiveness of those strategies. Comparing what strategies the two were using, how they were similar and how they were different. Also, simply just polishing some things like word choice and making smoother transitions. I went through everything and looked at where something could be stronger and what needed to be fix or even deleted. The revisions really helped me see what was more effective and what I really should have done for that project to make it better. There were a lot of things that I learned by doing the revisions. Throughout the semester I learned a lot about appealing to an audience and what strategies to use in order to do that. How to properly word things and what strategies are most effective. Especially when going through the annotated bibliography where I got to look through all of these different artifacts. Reading through those helped me to see what works and what does not work. The rhetorical analysis was beneficial in a similar way. For that I really had to look into artifacts and try to find the choices the two were making. Digging into those helped me with the strategies I used for the three genres project. I was able to create those three genres using strategies that I learned by doing these projects throughout the semester. I was able to become a better writer by learning from these sources that I read and went through for the projects this semester.