While most of my friends are bored in their homes during this pandemic, I on the other hand am learning new skills and diversifying my time in order to limit my boredom. With my parents both gone at work and no restaurants open I knew that this would be the perfect time to learn how to cook. At first it was a struggle. I began with practicing breakfast given that it is the simplest meal of the day. I surprisingly picked up making eggs of all type fairly quickly, so I then moved on to eggs benedict: and to everyone’s surprise it turned out great. I am currently practicing grilling chicken and steaks, but I am running into some problems. Overall, I have made significant progress since the start of the lockdown given that I never even made scrambled eggs before. But cooking is not the only thing that I have been focusing on since coming home. 

            In addition to learning how to cook, I have found that there is no better time or more important time to work on my health than right now. I have been focusing on my mental health by trying to read a book on topics that interest me such as private equity and economics. Also, I try to walk around my street or read outside in the sun because the fresh air helps me stay focused when I go back inside to work. Lastly, for my physical health I am working out a lot more with all the extra time on my hands to get more in shape and to be ready for rowing come fall of 2020. Between all my reading, walks, and working out I found myself really enjoying these activities I know that once this pandemic is over, I will continue these habits to stay healthy. And while coronavirus will probably be the worst thing to happen in my young adult life, there is no better time to develop new and healthy habits for my future.

One thing that I have learned a lot this semester is that there are many ways to improve your writing. What I mean by this is that someone’s essay isn’t better then someone else’s because they are by nature a good writer; they just have more practice and have made more errors. Throughout this class I have been called out on my errors in a way that I am able to see them clearly, and then be effective in my corrections. Paralleling to the concept sheets from UW-Madison Writing, I can see some common mistakes that are easy fixes that have just not been pointed out until now. For example, in one of the concept sheets it talks about an active versus a passive tone. This has been a problem for me throughout my writing career and even in my rebuttal essay. By having a passive voice, I tend to drag my sentences out longer than they need to, and in turn, weakening my argument. I can learn from this concept sheet and implement this active, strong voice into my research paper to help me convey my stance on my topic. There would be nothing worse then sounding weak and uncertain on a research paper.

The second concept sheet that I noticed would help my writing greatly, was the one regarding expletive constructions. On the sheet it mentions that expletive constructions are phrases like “it is” or “there is” and they tend to divert the attention from the subject of the sentence, causing choppy sentences. In my research paper, I will be discussing something along the lines of COVID-19’s impact on our economy which can tend to get quite confusing; this requires me to have clear sentences where the subject is known by the reader in order to get my point across. After I understand this idea of reducing expletive constructions to help me provide clear sentences, I can then translate that into having a more active and stronger voice. Overall, I will diffidently be using all of these concept sheets to assist me with my research paper to make my writing as clear and as active as possible.

Reduce Expletive Constructions

Expletive: It is true that the United States borders Mexico.

Correction: The United States borders Mexico.

Expletive: It was the team’s first game of the year today.

Correction: Today was the team’s first game of the year.

Expletive: There are surprisingly many people who like crunchy peanut butter.

Correction: Surprisingly, many people like crunchy peanut butter.

Active Voice

Active: Medicare should be provided for all Americans.

Passive: Many people believe that Medicare should be provided for all Americans.

Active: The lawyer won his case.

Passive: The case was won by the lawyer in court.

Active: Economists support the stimulus bill.

Passive: The stimulus bill is supported by some economists.

When you write or present a topic to an audience you are always trying to be convincing. For example, when writing my rebuttal essay, I focused on convincing my reader why free college is a bad idea.  Similarly, in my photo essay I presented it to convince my audience how close everyone in my dorm is to one another. In “The Credible Communicator” the authors, Anthony Pratkanis and Elliot Aronson, talk about how credibility is key when presenting an argument. This is relating directly to the beginning of the course in this class where we discussed Ethos, or credibility, and how it can enhance your paper. The first example that the authors examine is one man asking for a charitable donation in a clean suit, while the other man is in scuffed clothing and is not looking proper. Obviously, if we were to give any money at all it would be given to the man in that has presented himself with credibility: even if they give the exact same “sales pitch.” Reading this has given me a better perspective on giving yourself credibility at the start of an essay or presentation in order to gain the audiences’ attention, and then pull them in with your words. In my podcast, I am trying to be persuasive and get my idea across about the stimulus bill in the market. One way I can establish credibility is by saying how I am a Finance major and an Economics minor at Notre Dame. This gives the listener a reason to trust me because of my major and because of Notre Dame’s prestigious title. As of right now I am not sure what profession I will have in my future, yet what I do know is right now I would enjoy being a lawyer or a consultant. If I became a lawyer I would definitely need to come off as credible, whether to the jury or to my clients, in order to convince them about something. Or, as a consultant I would need to establish credibility because what company would take advice from someone who does not seem credible or respectable? Overall, the idea of establishing credibility is something I should use throughout my life to help convince my audience of my viewpoint.

As a white, male who grew up in an upper middle-class family I am very lucky to have not experienced any serious situation of negative rhetoric from my identity. A couple times people have told me my opinion is invalid in the argument: which sometimes I do agree I have no say from my lack of experiences. However, me not having a say is nothing for me to complain about compared to those that go through real struggles that must be heard. One time my rhetoric of identity has actually hurt me was in high school during a science project. I came from a school that was 72% Asian and my science project was to create an air filter that would be presented at an event in Orlando. My group consisted of me, a white guy, and seven of my friends, all of whom are Asian. While working at my friend’s house I told our group I’d take the filter home to revise it and check the calculations, when my friend’s mom walked in a said “Are you guys sure you want the white boy to check it.” I never felt isolated like this and something that was this small made me realize the problems that minorities must deal with on a day to day bases because of their identity. Another time my rhetoric identity has been a negative is here at Notre Dame. I am currently in Zahm House, the dorm on campus known for partying and other things, and whenever I introduce myself to new people and they find out where I live, they usually respond with “Ohhh, so you’re one of those types of boys.” This angers me because we never even chose our dorm and we are getting judged for it.

            When I reflect on these incidences, I realize what it can be like to be someone who is not in the majority somewhere. While my situations are clearly not even close to what some groups must go through, I can understand what they are going through to an extent because if I felt bad about myself briefly for something so small, then it must be very tough for others: especially at a time like this in America. Overall, I have been blessed to not have had too many problems with my rhetoric identity; however, the few times I have felt out of place allows me to feel for those with real problems and how we must advocate and help out their causes.

One time in my life where I convinced someone of something was when my friend believed that his Jeep was not having a substantial effect on the environment despite him being a vegan for reasons of protecting the environment. Personally, I am very moderate on the political spectrum but my friend is very liberal: specifically on climate change. He even went to protests and many other events to advocate for his views. However, one day at dinner he criticized me for not caring enough about the environment, which in return I said “well you are the one driving a Jeep.” He rebutted saying that his Jeep does not contribute a bunch to climate change. I used some facts that I found on reliable websites (ethos and logos) showing what simply one Jeep can do if driven consistently for 5 years. I told him that it was irony because he made fun of me for not eating one vegan meal, yet he was the one saying his “one Jeep” did not cause enough effect to get a change of cars. I also used some pathos by bringing up the environments effected by natural gases because it makes one think of cute animals losing their lives and their homes. This conversation happened when I was a senior in high school and when I went back home over Christmas Break, he was in fact driving a new, fully electric car (which definitely could’ve been coincident). I thought I approached the situation very well because I respected his view, yet not only persuaded him with facts and emotion, but my strategically countering his argument. Looking back, I feel I could have brought up more facts on fossil fuels regarding the Amazon Rainforest because he was always obsessed with it and was hoping to do a research project on it in college. This would have brought in even more pathos because he feels more attached to the rainforest then say the Antarctic. What also could have helped was that me and my other friend at that dinner drove electric cars. I definitely could have used this situation to put some pressure on him to switch cars, especially with the fact his family was very well to do and that he chose to drive a cheap as opposed to one with better gas mileage. Overall, I think I approached this situation very well and respectfully because we must remember to stand up for what we believe in, while still being respectful of others opinions.

• 

In this cover, published in 2008 by “The New Yorker”, we can see Obama and his wife displayed in an extremely offensive manner. This cover was published while Obama was fighting to be the first black president: clearly something many people in America were not happy about. At first glance we can see the cartoonist exaggerating qualities in Barack and Michelle Obama that are quite offensive: such as the “Afro” hair and the president’s ears. In addition to their physical features, Obama is scene dressed as Osama Bin Laden with a picture right next to him. Lastly, there is an American flag burning in the fireplace. One of the rhetorical strategies that is being used in this cover is pathos. Because of the burning of the American flag, as well as the picture of Osama Bin Laden in the background, the viewer would see this and be angered. This is because there has never been a black president before, so some far-right groups would see Obama as un-American; then with the burning of the flag they would become even more angered. On top of this, there were many outrageous speculations of Obama being born in Kenya or of him being Muslim so the outfit and the flag would make some people view him as even more un-American. The use of Pathos is very strong in this cartoon, for if someone was not a fan of Obama and saw this: they would probably become very angered and despise him even more. 

Another rhetorical device used is Kairos: which focuses on the importance of timing when showing something. In this case, as mentioned before, Obama was running for office when this was published, so the illustration was most likely released before the election to persuade people to vote for the white, republican nominee instead of the black, democrat nominee. Luckily, “The New Yorker” is known as a satirical magazine so it does not come with much credibility, however, at a sensitive time in American history anything can sway people’s opinions.

After looking at this illustration very deeply there is no way that I would have ever published it; no matter the changes made to this it would still be extremely offensive. Obama made history by becoming the first African American president, and by publishing something like this, it is demeaning to him and the black community. The artist however did eventually come out and say he depicted Obama like this as a joke because of the way the news portrayed him. While this is understandable because it makes fun of the uneducated people who actually think Obama is Muslim or born in Kenya; it is not okay to publish this without an explanation. There is no way I would ever stoop so low to post a picture anywhere close to as racist and demoralizing as this, for the impact would be way too great.

When the first African American in US history has a chance at winning the election, the country is clearly at a critical moment. People who are anti-minorities are more active and more vocal because of this; the cover being published only gave fuel to the hatred those who despise Obama had: not for his policies but simply because of his race. Overall, “The New Yorker” never should have made this illustration public for it only caused more hatred toward Obama because of his ethnicity and therefore only added on to the hostility that was and is present in The United States.

Early Life

My name is Cooper Joseph DeRudder and I was born in Torrance, California. I grew up in Manhattan Beach my whole life, which really shaped what activities I enjoy today. My mom, dad, sister (2 years older), and I lived in a small house near the beach and we did everything together. My dad was a volleyball player and a surfer and he spared no time in getting me to start those activities. I quickly found myself surfing, scuba diving, and playing beach volleyball at a young age. Having little to no family besides those who I live with, we were all very close. Family dinners happenned almost every night of the week, walks on the beach were common, and going to my dads pick-up beach volleyball games were amongst a few things we did. Later we moved a little farther from the beach, yet little changed. Where I grew up and my family are the factors that shaped me into the person I am today.

Athletics

As mentioned before I started surfing and playing beach volleyball at a very young age. While few consider surfing a sport I loved what I did, yet sadly it became a less common activity as I got older. I switched to mostly volleyball, basketball and soccer for the following years of my life, then finding my true “groove” in soccer. While I loved soccer there was one problem: I was slow and big. I soon realized that it was not the sport for me and I began to row/crew at the start of high school. Rowing played a big role in my life because it taught me how to work hard, for it is very little based on natural talent. Growing and getting in shaped helped me succeed and I still row to this day for the University of Notre Dame. Sports are thebest: they are a great destresser and an amazing way to make new friends. 

High School

High school was a tough time for me. I was short and pudgy, but was blessed of going to a very good public school where the kids were very nice. I worked hard every day in my classes in hopes of attending my parents’ alma mater: the dreaded USC. School, in the grades category, was going great until junior year where the Bs began to flow in. I was panicking, as were my parents and sister. The time I spent at rowing was starting to show its large impact on my grades. Luckily, I made it through the year and couldn’t wait for senior year. I hit a growth spurt and went from 5’9″ to 6’2″, it was one of the best things to happen to me. Rowing became easier, highschool was going great, but college was around the corner. The dreaded acceptance day was upon me and I was rejected or waitlisted from nearly everyschool except for Clemson and Georgia. The biggest heartbreak was getting rejected from USC: my dream school. I was depressed to say the least, but knew I was still blessed to have the opportunity to attend a univeristy. After a month on the waitlist at Notre Dame I recieved a call saying I was in. It was the best day of my life. Everything I did had payed off: all the parties I had skipped, the football games I missed for rowing practice, and the non-existent dates had finally payed off! 

Current Life

Currently, I am loving my life at this Univeristy. After getting rejected from my parents’ alma mater, I am now attending their biggest rival. While proud of me, we have a very competitive environment when it comes to football and I could not have asked for anything better. I am enjoing my classes at school instead of just going through the motions as I did in high school. I learn for the joy not for the letter “A”. And finally, I have met so many great people who I never would’ve met if I did not attend here. While I am sure I would have been just as happy anywhere else, I am so lucky and blessed to be attending such a great school with such great faculty and students.