Backpacks vs. Briefcases and Better Homes and Bloggers Connections

There are various connections between "Backpacks vs. Briefcases" and "Better Homes and Bloggers". "Backpacks vs. Briefcases is about rhetorical analysis and how it is present in our everyday lives. The author explains that we encounter rhetoric in many situations in our lives, even when we don’t recognize it. In the example with seeing the professor for the first time and trying to determine what kind of teacher she will be based on the student’s first impression, the author describes a rhetorical process that takes place quickly and is not premeditated. The student did not plan to evaluate the teacher, nor does the student pause to think about each aspect of rhetoric and how it applies to the teacher. It’s the use of what the author calls a “mental database that you can draw on to make conclusions about what a person’s looks tell you about their personality.” Better Homes and Bloggers is more of an application of the rhetorical process than an observation. It provides a real life example of how rhetoric is present in digital media. With so many blogs on a variety of subjects, some viewers feel negative after reading these blogs about other’s lives, as they compare them to their own. It is in these situations that rhetorical analysis can provide insight as to why some readers feel this way. If a blog author is trying to make their blog stand out from the crowd, they may present themselves as well informed and successful in everything they post. This can make the average reader feel negatively, as they think this is all that occurs in someone else’s life.

The author’s point in “Backpacks vs. Briefcases” about how “our saturation in media and its images is one of the reasons why learning to do rhetorical analysis is so important” really stuck out to me. It is important to understand the principals of rhetoric and their effects on our daily lives in order to be an effective consumer. In “Better Homes and Bloggers”, what stands out to me is how rhetoric can both grow and alienate an audience. By focusing on the choice between “authenticity and aspiration”, the writer will either make or break a connection with her audience.

Overall, I think the essays in the CCM relate more to “Better Homes and Bloggers”, as they are more personal examples of rhetoric. However, some moments in the essays depict what we see in “Backpacks vs. Briefcases”. In the CCM essay “An Analysis of Student-Written Articles on Diversity”, the essay is as the title implies, more analytical. The essay does a good job of explaining the different rhetorical techniques and how they impact an audience.

After reading these articles, I know I will need to be more aware of the audience for my topic, as well as analyze specific moments.