Analyzing Rhetorical Strategies in Most Teens Aren't Active Enough, And It's Not Always Their Fault

Appeals to Credibility or Character

• Which items on the bulleted list of strategies on page 183 can you recognize in your text? Some of the items on the bulleted list I can recognize in my text include: word choice, tone, references to credible sources, visual arrangement, and appeals to values or beliefs shared by the audience. 
• How and why would the author use these strategies? The author uses these strategies by quoting professionals: '"There are these bursts of activity," says Jim Stallis, a professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of California, San Diego. "But if you think about it, one hour of playing football out on the field means that the vast majority of that time is spent standing around waiting for the next play"' (Neighmond, 2014). She also quotes an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "It also has affects on psychological well-being in kids and teens. It increases their capacity for learning, their self-esteem, and it may also help them deal with stress" (Neighmond, 2014).By quoting other professionals on the subject at hand, she adds credibility to her text. Neighmond also uses word choice, tone and visual arrangement to gain the trust of her audience. 
• How do these strategies affect the audience’s perception of the author’s credibility and character? These strategies affect the audience's perception of the author's credibility and character because the author appears knowledgeable to the audience by quoting other professionals on the subject matter. 
• How does the use of these strategies impact the effectiveness of the text’s overall message? The use of these strategies impacts the effectiveness of the text's overall message because it stresses the importance of childhood obesity by the use of quotes, word choice, tone, visual arrangements, and the appeals to the audience's values/beliefs. 
• Does the author seem to have any biases or assumptions that might impact his or her credibility? I believe the author has some bias towards the text because she diseases only one side of the issue of childhood obesity. Maybe if she discussed the other side of this issue, she would seem more credible to others reading this article. 

Appeals to Emotion 

• Which items on the bulleted list of strategies on page 184 can you recognize in your text? The items on the bulleted list I recognize in the text are: repetition of key words, tone and level of formality. 
• What emotional response is the author attempting to create? The emotional response the author is attempting to create may be fear or sadness. 
• What is the actual result? I believe the actual result is fear because the audience might be fearful that childhood obesity will only get worse throughout the years instead of getting better. 
• Are these emotions effective or ineffective for this particular audience and rhetorical situation? These emotions are effective for this audience and rhetorical situation because people may get motivated to encourage their children and others to become more physically active throughout their daily lives. 
• How do these emotional appeals affect the credibility of the author or the logic of the text? The emotional appeals affect the credibility of the author or the logic of the text because the audience is convinced that the issue of childhood obesity is Critical and needs attention now. 

Appeals to Logic

• Which items on the bulleted list of appeals on pages 184-5 can you recognize in your text? The items on the bulleted list I recognize in the text are: Expert opinions, case studies, effective organization of sentences paragraphs, idea, images, etc., and clear transitions/connections between sections of text. 
• What response is the author attempting to create by employing these strategies? The author is attempting to create a convinced response from the audience. 
• What is the actual result? "But just one in four young teenagers between 12 and 15 actually get that one hour of exercise every day, Fakhouri says. She analyzed federal health data gathered from 800 teenagers in 2012" (Neighmond, 2014). This quote may convince the audience of the rising epidemic in childhood obesity because not enough teens are getting the necessary amount of physical activity. 
• Are these strategies effective or ineffective for this particular audience and rhetorical situation? These strategies are effective in this rhetorical situation for this audience because the author is trying to make them understand how serious childhood obesity is in the U.S. school systems. 
• Which items on the list of logical fallacies on pages 185-6 can you recognize in your text? One logical fallacy I can recognize in this text is Casual Generalization. 
• What effect does the use of these logical fallacies have on the reader? This logical fallacy may have a negative affect on the reader. For example, the author states in her last paragraph that "Physically active kids become physically active adults" (Neighmond, 2014). In this example, the author is suggesting that all kids who are physically active will stay physically active when they grow up, however this is not necessarily always true. Plenty of adults who were once physically active as kids, are no longer in the sports they were in or participating in the physically active programs they were involved with.