"Happiness is a Warm Puppy"

As you can see, my handicapped brother is very happy with his dog.

As one can see in the picture shown, a dog is a serious source of joy for my brother. He would claim that his “Daisy Pooch” as he calls her, is “his best friend” [witness]. It’s not just my brother, though that gets this kind of joy from a dog! I know I feel a sense of peace when I can just cuddle up with a possible/impossible]. But, it’s simply not possible for someone to just rent a puppy anytime they feel like it. It’s inconvenient and with many apartments restricting animals from their premises, it also isn't probable that every student would be willing to take the risk.

puppy pal. I’m not the only one, either- if this weren't true, “Rent-a-puppy” couldn't possibly have thrived so well in Provo! [

Here are some compelling reasons that off-campus housing should include more dog-friendly apartments:

1)      Other campuses allow it! [comparison] A ton of my high school friends are happy at their colleges with a cute little doggie by their side. Obviously it can work on other campuses.

Aren't  my doggies cute?

2)      Just because we allow dogs, doesn't mean we have to bend all the rules put in place by off-campus housing [whole/parts]. Some people believe that we’d have to do it for every apartment, but that simply isn't true [contradiction]. We can keep some sanctioned for “no-pet” housing, but allowing more dog-friendly apartments would be great! This is a minor rule that would greatly improve so many peoples’ lives! Why do you think people have “therapy dogs”?

3)      Along those lines, we don’t have to open it up to all animals, either [genus, species]. Forget stinky ferrets, mice, and even some cats. Let’s just start with loveable dogs.

4)      If we increased puppies around campus, we’d increase happiness, and decrease stress. This could completely improve test scores and overall well-being of students at BYU! [cause/effect].

5)      Clearly God approves of dogs [supernatural], or he wouldn't have put them on Earth for our enjoyment. We should honor His creations.

Okay- maybe that last point is a poor argument, since there are a lot of things on earth that we don’t allow in BYU approved housing…. But it was worth a try.

I can't say no to this cute puppy, either :)

Anyway, I know that could be a great addition to any apartment. I, for one, will definitely be getting a dog as soon as I can [future fact]; after all, as Charlie Brown says, “Happiness is a warm puppy” [maxim/proverb].

Answering the Arbitrary and Ancient

What is love?  This is my love!  

Building off of a similar theme as Katie, the all too commonly heard question delivered by Haddaway [Witness, Authority?] must be asked: "What is love?" [Maxims and Proverbs].  Men and women are both vastly different creatures, quarreling oft at any given turn, yet  are more or less dependent on one another for both survival and life fulfillment through "love" [Contradiction].  Both sides share a common interest in one another, but are still opposite in nature and demeanor from one another [Similarity / Difference].  So, why is it that this concept, defined by Merriam-Webster in one instance as "a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person" [Definition], so very difficult to understand?  Why has this age-old predicament been the topic of discussion since forever, and why will it continue to be so [Past Fact / Future Fact]? 

To begin answering the unanswerable (or unsatisfactorily answerable) question, the concept of love must first be broken down into its various components [Whole / Parts].  Of love, there is a mental/emotional sphere, a physical/sexual sphere, and a spiritual/supernatural sphere.  Some of these aspects are more cut-and-dried than the others, but some are just the way they are for reasons unexplainable [The Supernatural].  Perhaps it is this very dilemma of having so many factors in it that makes love humanity's great enigma [Cause / Effect].  Needless to say, one may take all of the logic and reasoning behind definitions and examples, trying to fit the pieces together for an ultimate truth, but at the end of the day there is always a sense of mystery and unknowing.  Many things in life can be spelled out plainly, but love cannot be fully done so, especially by all-encompassing terminology [Possible / Impossible]. 

There are varying levels of love, various definitions and nuances, and various displays of love [Degree] according to each individual and couple, so it is only natural that the topic of definition continues to be debated today [Antecedent / Consequence].  It could be that this longwinded post served nothing but to confuse, but what do you think love is?  

Ode to the Sandwich

Many people do not think about how they could improve their culinary satisfaction by changing the way they eat simple foods. Take an ordinary sandwich for example. Sandwiches are usually a quick meal for when you are in a hurry and they are usually not very remarkable, unless they are prepared properly. A properly prepared sandwich is one that is assembled and then cut in half diagonally so as to ensure the most delicious eating experience [Definition]. You may think this is ridiculous, since the uncut and cut sandwiches should have the same flavor due to being composed of the same ingredients. However, if the sandwich is cut in half then the flavors are much better distributed [Antecedent/Consequence]. Sometimes an uncut sandwich allows toppings to fall out of the opposite side of the bread; virtually a sandwich disaster!

When you eat a sandwich the ideal situation is to get a piece of tender meat, succulent cheese, crispy lettuce, and juicy tomato in each bite, or else the experience of the sandwich is not complete [Whole/parts]. The timing of the sandwich eating process is also important. Cutting the sandwich in half allows for the eater to enjoy the soft, inside bread while still in the beginning stages of eating and leaves the crust for when the eater has already begun to take the sustenance for granted [Cause/Effect]. If eating an uncut sandwich is plain and ordinary then eating a sandwich cut in half is fun and exciting [Contraries]! After all, eating an uncut sandwich is like drinking a cup of hot cocoa. It tastes good, but it is much better if a little more effort was put it, either in the form of adding whipped cream or simply cutting it in half [Similarity/Difference]. Now, you may be hesitant to go out of your way and try to make a properly prepared sandwich, but after you try one you will be cutting all of your sandwiches in half [Past Fact/Future Fact]. Don’t be tempted to get lazy and say that an uncut sandwich is good enough because a properly prepared sandwich is infinitely better [Degrees]. I’m just saying that there is a reason that Subway cuts all of their sandwiches in half [Authority], but don’t take my word for it. Go with your gut instinct and try it for yourself, cut your next sandwich in half before you eat it [Supernatural]!

Men vs. Women

Because men and women are so different, men cannot
understand women

Like they all say, “Women are from Venus, men are from Mars” [Maxim/Proverbs].  It is therefore impossible for men to truly know the mind of a girl [Possible/Impossible] because men and women are so different.  Women are like mystery novels with the conclusions ripped out [Similarity/Difference].  Although men may act clueless while “reading these novel,” they are not completely clueless [Contradiction].  However, if women don’t even know how to understand themselves—and they don’t—then men certainly cannot comprehend women [Degree].  The word women might have the word men in it, but they are completely different creatures [Notation and conjugates].  God made women and men with different purposes and personalities [The supernatural] for a reason.  These divine purposes separate men and women quite a bit.  Because women and men are so different, men obviously cannot understand women.  Even registered psychologist Dr. Noam Shpancer agrees that men find it incredibly hard to understand women [Authority].  No wonder that when you have to take a standardized test, they make you mark whether you are male or female [Documents]; testers are figuring out all the differences between women and men to better understand them.  I have always seen how my brothers cannot seem to understand my gender, so their lack of understanding will extend long into the future  [past fact/future fact].  Women are made of 1000 thoughts all at once, bundles of contradiction, and pretty faces; men are made of 1 thought at once, practicality, and muscles [Whole/Parts].  No wonder men cannot understand women, but women can pretty much understand men.  Men are not complex; they are simple [Contraries], but women are the exact opposite.  The feasibility of men understanding women is incredibly slim [circumstances].  Therefore, because men are so different from women, men cannot understand women.

Popular Persuasion: Opinions are greater than Truth

Introduction

            This rhetorical analysis of Gorgias’s Encomium of Helen will focus on two chief parts of the judiciary oratory convention that Gorgias implements to various effectiveness: enthymeme and the topic of invention of testimony.

Enthymeme

Aristotle codified enthymemes as a way that
judiciary rhetoricians persuaded the jury.
Today, we are much more aware of what
"memes" are than what enthymemes are.
Would grumpy cat approve of our lack
of rhetorical knowledge?

Rather than being truly epideictic, Gorgias’s Encomium of Helen is more of a judiciary rhetoric.  Gorgias speaks of the past only and uses chiefly enthymemes, which are, according to Aristotle’s Rhetoric, most suited for judiciary rhetoric.  Enthymemes are informal logic that leaves out either a major or minor premise.  They rely chiefly on popular opinions rather than truth to persuade others.  Enthymeme is employed, among many other cases, when Gorgias claims, “For the will of a god cannot be hindered by human forethought. For it is not natural for the superior to be hindered by the inferior, but for the inferior to be ruled…by the superior….accordingly, if one must attribute responsibility to…the gods, one must acquit Helen of infamy.”  Here, the obvious and common premise that all humans are inferior to the gods is left out of the argument.  These enthymemes are highly efficient to Gorgias’s argument.  He relies on the popular opinion to prove his case.  His arguments, thus, seem logical and indisputable to his audience even though they are not based on pure truth.  Gorgias also secretly employs the pathos of appealing to popular belief whilst maintaining a somewhat deceiving appearance of logic.

Gorgias relies chiefly on enthymemes rather than testimony to
prove Helen as innocent.  Both are methods that Aristotled 
codified as useful for judiciary rhetoric.  However, not
including more instances of testimonymight not be the 
most effective approach.

Testimony 

  Unlike the use of enthymeme to great effect, Gorgias loses some of his ethos and credibility by not truly examining another important judiciary convention—testimony.  Gorgias does not examine any testimony except appealing briefly to the supernatural and the written law.  He calls on the supernatural to acquit Helen as one can see in the previous paragraph, which is effective as an enthymeme.  However, if the popular opinion did not support the supernatural as a motivator, he would lose its effective testimony.  Furthermore, Gorgias briefly compares the ineffectiveness of written law, saying it is not always effective: “For the strong habitual force of law is banished because of the fear prompted by the sight [of battle].”  Here, he attempts to prove that law might be overcome by fear and thus is not Helen’s fault if she does not obey law.  This argument is effective to an extent, but because Gorgias calls upon no other testimony to prove Helen innocent, he is a bit ineffective in this sort of argument.