Purpose Statement for Research Paper

Topic: My topic is going to be under the branch of Athletic Training, I'm not sure yet if I want to focus on Rehab techniques or athlete psychology, both of which are parts of being an athletic trainer.

Purpose: If I choose to go with the rehab part of athletic training, I'll ask the question: What are proper rehabilitation techniques to ensure good recovery for athletes? Which ones work the most effectively? Which techniques are a waste of time? I might have to focus on one specific injury in order to get the best results for my research.
Or if I choose to focus on athlete psychology: What does it take to get an athlete back to play, mentally? What are strategies to ensure the athletic feels completely ready to go back to their sport?

Audience: The audience for my paper, could be other athletic trainers or possibly physical therapists. Some athletes might also be interested for reasons concerning themselves.

Context: The time and place of the audience affect this paper, because my research will be scientific based. Science is always changing and new studies are always developing so the time greatly affects my credibility and how the audience will feel about the paper. Some controversy may be that physical therapists should be the ones who handle all rehab processes, or that sport psychologists should be the ones to handle those situations versus athletic trainers. Also different opinions of rehab techniques or psych styles may work differently for other people. 

Work, Career, Vocation

I think my work right now consists of me working as a student. My job right now is being in college and all the necessities that go along with working towards my eventual career choice. I'd like to think I am a good worker, hard worker, and someone who doesn't really mind a lot of work. In any previous job i've ever had I prefer to be doing something than just standing around. I guess that means that I fairly enjoy working. Work can be a variety of different things but I think a career is a set of specific goals, attitudes, and actions.

Career, is more than just work in my opinion. I think Careers take years of learning and training.  In my near future hopefully after graduating, I hope to have a career as an Athletic Training. I think Careers are something you plan to do for your life or at least a large portion of it. Your career should be something you're good at and something you enjoy. A career is something you strive for and work can just be a stepping stone to get there.

Vocation, is your calling, which can be much different from your work or career. I'm not entirely sure what my vocation in life is yet but I hope it's something along the lines of helping other people. My intended career choice is athletic training, in which you help injured athletes but I hope to do more than just the regular routine. If possible, I'd like to find my vocation and live it out through a career that I love and have passion for.

Rhetorical Analysis

Beth Richardson

College Writing 2

Rhetorical Analysis

Clichés that Work: Rhetorical Analysis of Movie Posters

            The best-selling author Nicolas Sparks is known for making cliché love stories that are most always turned into popular films. The four movie posters I have chosen to analyze are The Best of Me, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, and The Last song. Each of these posters has a similar design and all make the viewer think of the longing for love. The posters either make the viewer’s think of their own love life or one they would like to have.

            These movies were all made in the 2000’s after the novels became best sellers. Each of these films features two leading roles through a journey of some heart wrenching events all leading back to the couple and their undying love story. Romantic films like these ones are a reoccurring genre choice that always draws large crowds to the box office.  Each poster captures young couples embracing each other in a similar stance that could be a universal sign of a romantic film.

            Approaching each poster in order from their release dates, I will analyze the use of ethos, pathos, and logos and the specific choices the producers made with both visual and textual components.

           

Fig. 1. A Walk to Remember movie poster, 2002

The A Walk to Remember poster seen in figure 1 has a main focus on two people. Their bodies cover the whole poster with words on top. The couple is hugging and smiling, giving us the impression that they are happy together touching our emotional appeal already. The title written in yellow scrambled font at the bottom is the next part our eye is drawn too. Looking at the picture in comparison to the title doesn’t give the viewer much information about why the movie is called that, but it can be assumed that this is a romantic film based upon several aspects on the poster. Back up to the top, the names Mandy Moore and Shane West are placed fairly big. These are the two main actors and by having their names large and visible at the top could draw attention to those who are fans of their work, making the audience already interested in seeing the film. This also could add some credibility to the films overall attraction having two strong, popular leads covering the poster. Other words are written along the side but in smaller font. “She didn’t belong, she was misunderstood, and she would change him forever,” is written next to the title, which gives a very vague understanding of what the story is about. One more phrase under the title: “it all comes down to who’s by your side,” gives deeper meaning to the choice of photo. The couple is literally by each other’s side, making the text have more of an impact. Having the text flow around the picture of the couple makes the viewer focus on the picture without the words completely taking over. Because of the way their body placement is, it comes across as very natural and the smiling looks sincere. This places the audience to automatically think of their own loving relationships, or wish that they had something like this to compare to.

Fig. 2. The Notebook movie poster, 2004

The poster for The Notebook is similar to the poster for A Walk to Remember. The focus is again on two people embracing in the center. The two people are very close and look to be in a passionate moment drawing the viewers’ conclusion that they too are in love. The title at the bottom corresponds with the name of the movie because the font looks like something that would be written in a notebook. The text at the top with the          Phrase: “Behind every great love is a great story,” touches on an emotional appeal as well. This vague description informs the viewer that there is more to this story then just meets the eye. There is an arrangement of names of actors scattered around the middle in small font. This may also attract viewers who see a star they are a fan of to want to go see the movie, once again automatically giving the film more credibility. The photo of the two in the rain is again the entire poster. Their bodies are spilling off the page to make the audience feel like they are standing right there in front of our eyes. The Notebook is one of if not the most well-known love story by author Nicholas Sparks. This movie was much anticipated by many and having “from the best-selling novel” written at the bottom lets viewers know that this is the same story everyone is talking about, making viewers more attracted to the poster.

Fig. 3. The Last Song movie poster, 2010

The poster for The Last Song has a different lay out then the other two posters I’ve analyzed so far. Still, the main focus is on the two young people in the center. This time the two people who could be guessed as lovers are looking in different directions. The title towards the bottom is the next place our eyes move; it’s fairly big and stands out to the beach background. Looking down even further we see the phrase: “A story about family, first love, second chances, and the moments in life that

                                                    lead you back home.” To the left of the font we see two people walking which could symbolize “coming home.” Once again the text puts the viewers in the place to think about their own lives. At the very top of the poster reads: “from the author of The Notebook and A Walk to Remember,” suggesting that those who enjoyed those books and movies would also be entertained by this. Having the famous author and other top movies mentioned brings an ethos appeal to this poster, backing up its credentials.  

Fig. 4. The Best of Me movie poster, 2014

Fig. 4. The Best of Me movie poster

The poster for The Best of Me is somewhat similar to the poster for The Last Song. The main focus is of course the two lovers; both the larger zoomed in version at the top and the smaller two in the middle bottom. This poster, like the previous has more of a background and has more going on than just people but our eye is automatically drawn to the couple embracing, which is a common theme in all of the posters. The title of the film is supposed to look far away and is placed behind the young couple with light hitting it in the midst of a lake. We then look to the water with the reflection of the words and the couple standing on the dock, suggesting a possible setting for the film. The words above the title are small but bold saying “you never forget your first love,” in all capitals. Another obscure quote is used to make the viewer think and feel at the same time, without taking away from the visuals. By looking at this poster the audience is made to feel emotional and maybe even romantic. Since the poster has two different couples one younger than the other the audience might already conclude that they are the same people just different ages. Referring back to the title The Best of Me could correspond with the same people always bringing out the best in each other even years later, still locking eyes and still in love which is captured in the visuals. The audience could perhaps think of their first love or just love in general.

            Each of these posters all position the audience to think about love and their own lives or potentially want this kind of love. The designers of the posters chose the decisions they did to emphasize what appears as the “perfect love story” to draw people in. Every one of these posters gives off an emotional appeal even before seeing the film, and for some enhances the desire to go and see it.

            The audience of these posters is asked to think about love and want the kind of love these characters have. Three out of the four posters I chose to analyze have the same view of two people facing each other with the man holding the women close to his face. The other poster is only slightly different but still the two people are still very close. People who view these posters can either see themselves wanting to be like the characters in the film or at least the great love story they portray or leave the viewer pondering their love life.

            There are many romantic films with similar themes and stories like each of these movies but they still manage to make people want to see them. Even with the posters being so similar in layout and the way each photo is taken, people keep coming back to see the latest from Nicolas Sparks. It is evident that those who are familiar to Sparks’ novels or the works of the popular actors in the films would be first to be intrigued by these posters. Each of these posters are designed to make us a feel a certain way, and the producers made that clear with the similar choices made in design and textual support. This series of posters along with many others prove that using similar romantic clichés works to attract viewers and will continue to make audiences feel a connection to their own lives.

Purpose Statement and Design Plan for Rhetorical Analysis

 Purpose: the purpose of this rhetorical analysis is to compare posters and analyze the text and design of each one. To analysis the choices the producer made and why they chose the designs and texts they did. The purpose of my rhetorical analyze is to compare four different movie posters from Nicolas Sparks books that were made into movies. I want to compare the strategies used and the way each one is effective. Each of the movies I’ve selected is from the same author and all have the similar theme of romance. I want to argue that these movie posters draw people in to the clichés of love and make people think about their own lives.

Audience: the main audience for this would be anyone who likes romantic movies. Also anyone who has read Nicolas Sparks’ books would be an audience likely to watch these movies and be attracted to the movie posters. Although these movies may be geared toward possibly younger audience, it’s not limited to one specific group. One other potential audience would be couples or those who like romantic things. Keeping in mind that this is an academic assignment, the classroom would be the main audience.

Context: The time and place of the communication is in a classroom. This is an academic paper so the main context is for the professor or students. A broader context of the communication could possibly be for business professionals or a marketing team to evaluate the choices they make for each poster and see how the choices shape their audience.

Design Plan

Purpose: My purpose for my rhetorical analysis is to show how romantic movie like Nicolas Sparks draw people to think about love in a variety of different ways. Nicolas Sparks’ novels are famous for bringing out the cliché love stories and making people want the “perfect” love story.

Medium: I am using four movie posters for this project. I’m comparing both the texts and pictures on the posters. I will use the pictures to support my stance and use them to prove that romantic dramas like these make people want to believe in love. I will compare the texts of each poster first and then compare the visual design of each poster. They’re all the same genre by the same author, so they all will have a similar idea behind the design. The pictures will all be the same size.

Strategies:

Ethos: My ethos for this assignment I think is fairly good. I have seen each of the movies I’m choosing to analyze, therefore I have background information of what each story is about and how the poster captures the strengths of the movies. I haven’t done too many rhetorical analyzes before, but I feel confident in breaking down each design and text from the posters and giving a good analysis of each one.

Pathos: The pathos approach for this essay will be assessing the loving emotions that happen from viewing each of these posters. I think pathos is the strongest strategy because the genre of movie I chose invokes all sorts of romantic and thought provoking emotions.

Logos: My logos approach for this paper is to arrange the analysis of each poster separately and then bring them all together for comparison at the end. I feel that by separating the posters I can affectively explain each one and the different elements involved.

Arrangement: I will arrange my rhetorical analysis by first talking about the posters themselves and the background of each one. I will then start to break apart each poster and determine why the producer made the choices they did, and how each one if effective or not. I will start with the design of each poster and then compare the text, so the reader can first understand what the poster looks like before discussing the text on each one.  I will include the pictures of the posters next to the paragraph they correspond with. I will make the picture size not that big, but large enough to see the main points. I plan to have intro paragraphs to first talk about the author and why each poster is very similar and then break them apart and finish with a conclusion to wrap them back together.

Purpose Statement and Design Plan for Photo Essay

Purpose statement:

Motivation: one motivator for this project is to inform others on the importance of the athletic training occupation, or to make others feel more positively about the subject. Other motivators are simply interest in this topic and maybe to even learn more about it for my hopeful career choice.

2.  I’m hoping to inform or even persuade others to realize what athletic training is about and how physical fitness and prevention are very important. I would like to open some eyes to all that athletic trainers do in their job and possibly make others want to become an athletic trainer. .

3. There’s not really one event that makes me want to communicate this message with others. I have always been interested in sports and injuries. It’s been a part of my family life since I can remember. The day I realized I wanted to become an athletic trainer, I became interested even more in all aspects about fitness and prevention. I have always enjoyed that environment and hope that by communicating this message to others they might become interested too.

4. The best possible outcome of this communication would be if the audience became interested in improving their physical health or helping others to do so. The worst possible outcome I think would be if those who already had negative opinions didn’t change at all.

5. My communication could potentially change how others feel about themselves and people they care about. From learning and understanding reasons why athletic trainers are necessary in schools, and the different duties associated, my communication could make a difference on the way some people think or feel about athletic training.

Audience:

1.      List of characteristics of audience: young, fit, hopeful, bored, any race or background, athletes, girl and boys, classmates, sports enthusiasts, bosses of sports medicine clinics or schools.  

2.      I can imagine some audience members feeling motivated. Some may want to learn more information or possibly consider changing their view on athletic trainers.  I can also imagine other members feeling bored and not interested at all in the topic. Some audience members who aren’t interested in sports or exercise science may find my presentation irrelevant.

3.      Filtering my list down I think the main audience would be young athletes or those who are interested in athletic training or fitness. Also anyone who is already in the field,that could use my presentation as a possible promotion technique.

Context:

1.      The time of communication will take place in class. So depending on when I present, the audience may feel more or less attentive to my work. The exact time doesn’t really matter because every person in the audience is feeling different. Some might be tired, hungry, or thinking about something else.

2.      The communication will take place in the classroom. The class isn’t too large and the style of presentation won’t be formal. The expectations of the audience I don’t think will be too high because everyone has to complete the same assignment, therefore comfort level will be pretty good.

3.      The time and place shape your audience’s expectations because depending on the mood set in that particular environment, people will be feeling or focusing on different things. In this setting of my communication, the audience expectations wouldn’t be as high as a business presentation or something that everyone involved would depend on. 

 Design Plan

Purpose:  After learning more about this project, I want to raise the question of why are athletic trainers necessary? What are the components involved in their daily job? What aspects of physical fitness are athletic trainers involved in? What are the advantages of having one or more athletic trainer? I want to use the photographs I took to further my point of the necessities of athletic trainers in schools and also to possibly promote the profession and teach people more about it.

Medium & Production: I am using photographs for this project. I have taken one photography class before, but I still don’t think I’m that great at the creative aspect of what to actually take pictures of. For this photo essay I know I need to focus on the different elements that make up being an athletic trainer. One of the classrooms I have two classes in has athletic training tables and other equipment I could take advantage of to get good photos. I plan on taking many different pictures at all different views to find a couple that will make my message stand out. I plan to take pictures of different environments where different sports and activities take place. I want to have comparison pictures of for example: the gym with athletes in it, and the gym empty. I hope this message will promote the idea of the necessity of athletic trainers and also tie into fitness in some way.

Composition elements: For the design of the power point, I’m going to keep it pretty simple. I want my pictures to stand out more than the background, so I’m choosing a basic color theme. I’d also like to keep the typeface kind of plain, but also make it stand out more so than a basic fount. I’m choosing a typeface that I feel fits with the tone of my project.

Strategies:

Ethos: My ethos approach for this project is hopefully going to be someone who is clearly interested and passionate for this topic. I don’t want to come across as though I know everything about this profession, because I still have a lot to learn. I hope by the questions I am raising to my audience, they can start to question more about the importance of athletic training and more about the job itself.

Pathos: The pathos approach for my essay will hopefully invoke is curiosity. From the way I chose to edit my photos and place them in the power point I hope to make a creative statement. I know the question I am posing isn’t that deep, so by the power of  photographs using different editing techniques, I can hopefully make my presentation seem more serious. I framed photographs and took them all in a way where the cropping was focusing on one thing or making a picture that could be boring more interesting to look at.

Logos: My argument is based on multiple pictures to match with each duty of an athletic trainer. I will have 2 or more pictures on every slide to emphasis the need for trainers in schools. I think by adding more than one photo for each purpose, it makes my argument stronger by having several examples for each statement.  I will arrange my photos in order from least to most important duties.

Arrangement: My topic isn’t as hard hitting as a question as some might be, so I feel that I need more slides to prove my stance. I will have one title page opening my question, then 6 or 7 slides to follow explaining each of the duties of an athletic trainer and why it’s necessary to have one. I might even include comparisons of the benefits of having an AT versus not. With each slide, I hope to provide more and more examples to keep the topic moving along smoothly and open the minds of the audience.

Testing: I will ask other classmates to view my photos and narrative. I will explain my purpose and design for this project to them so they understand what I’m trying to do and give me feedback. I’m hoping people that are in my classes specific to athletic training can give me advice on what to include or what to take out of my power point.