E- Portfolio

The Basics

    Hey! You have just clicked your way into the academic cyber world of me, Molly Catherine Daley. I am currently an undergraduate student at Pennsylvania State University and could not be more in love with the college I attend. The transition from high school to college expanded my maturity level and has finally allowed me to "find" myself.
    Due to my growth as an individual, my choice of major, like many other undergraduate students has flip flopped multiple times. However, I have finally got it right and because of the insights of my first semester classes at Penn State, I have chosen to be an Advertising major focussing in public relations.
    I have taken many basic classes such as Earth Science, Freshman Seminars, and Introduction to Sociology. I enjoy the social and private interactions people in society have created, and mixing this with the impact that advertising and rhetorical expression has has influenced me to make these studies my main focus in my academic and professional career.
    I am not only a student, but I also work as waitress at a restaurant in downtown State College. The long hours and 50 cent tips can be discouraging at times, but reminding myself of all the school work I can accomplish along with being a finanacially independent young lady is more than rewarding.

Why an E-Portfolio?

    This E-Portfoio allows the audience to obtain a view of the academic work I have created currently and as my collegiate career progesses. The side tabs to the right categorize each diverse rhetorical expression I have made from speeches to essays.

What I Want to Be When I Grow Up

    As an Advertisement major, I hope to eventually be working behind the scenes creating the commercials and billboards you observe today. I do not wish to be in the artistic aspect of advertising but more as a representative of corporate companies. I am just building my future, one



Molly Daley's E-Portfolio

Strut Your Rhetoric

     Appearance is everything. It was everything decades ago and it is everything now. Your hair, your attire, your facial expressions, and the way you walk establish stereotypes regardless if it was your intent or not. You can change your appearance to create different labels as well. Are you feeling down today? Throw on some black. You are in a fraternity? Those Sperry’s, Easter egg shirt color, and khaki shorts never suggested that. Just broke up with your boyfriend? You should definitely cut and color your hair, you know, slap on the “new me” look. The tip top of the head to the shoelaces on your sneakers scream certain qualities that either you want or just can't seem to escape no matter what you do. Let’s talk about the rhetoric that you unknowingly exhibit.

    From the jump we initiated this rhetorical discrimination. Cigars and mini baseball caps equals a boy and bright colored bows coupled with pink dresses equals a girl. As age increases, clothes begin to neutralize themselves, but if a male would ever wear a dress, uncomfortable and shocked glances would be shot his way no matter his age.

      Then we hit adolescence, and music, pop culture, and trending fashion takes control. Middle school demonstrates how the majority of individuals develop their own personal style and it continues throughout high school or changes completely into what others deem as “popular.” For example, if you are a girl and you do not own a pair of Uggs or something of the sort, then what country do you live in? Because it sure is not America.

      College is the point in time where students claim they are “too grown” to care what others think about them, therefore, t-shirts and sweatshirts with their university’s logo on them are all the rage. When age continues to advance, people wear attire that they feel matches their generation. Moms are expected to never be caught dead in a mini skirt and wedges just like grandfathers probably wouldn’t wear a shirt that says “national beer pong champion.”

     Age is not the only thing that is obvious through clothing, but things like personality are as well. Certain stigmas are attached to the girl sporting the skin tight black mini dress with pumps compared to the refined girl with a turtle neck and flats on.

     It is entirely our fault that these clothes state these assumptions on people. Judging is human nature. Clothing cannot speak, but it sure can say a lot. 

"The One Sister I've Got!"

     Life is a much more simple when you have family standing behind you. Decisions become easier, stressful nights become relaxed, and a mere phone call can solve the frown you adopted after that email about your failing exam grade. When you have family, you never feel alone.

     My birthday last week reminded me of how family can be miles away, but yet make you feel like they are right next door. This birthday was hands down, the worst birthday of my 19-year span (here comes the part where you jump on the pity-me train). I could not celebrate because homework and waitressing piled up to the extreme. I got about two phone calls and upcoming tests circled my brain mocking me with each minute that my birthday clock ticked.

     And then I went on Facebook. Of course I had ridiculous amounts of “happy bday” wall posts. But only one made my finger stop scrolling. My sister loves to create witty poems. I guess you could say it’s her “thing.” Where the time and ideas steam from when she types these poems is beyond me. The following poem written by Jessica Daley reminds me how much rhetorical expression can influence others:

Rose r red, violets r blue, it's Molly's 19th birthday but what can we do?

Not yet legal, can't take her to bars.

Can't take her bowling ‘cause she live too far. 

I would buy her some clothes to cover her breast

But we all know brains just aren't what's her best.

I'd give her some money for books, bills and food

But let's face it she's My sister, she'll spend it in booze. 

Still so young at 19, the one sister I've got!

Can still remember the first time she Shit in a pot!!!

And the pictures we took of that lil turd!

But now that she's grown out into the world

I give her my hand, my heart and advice.

Follow your path. Don't ever think twice. 

Don’t get arrested (unless it was fun)

Don't get yourself pregnant until he's the One. 

Save money in banks, get your own gay named Frank and when you go

Date a Thomas ‘cause we have enough Joes. 

And when things get too hard that you can't comprehend

I'll make up an answer that comfort may lend. 

I love you Miss Molly. Happy 19th so far. 

It's time for you to go and break open your own star.

     Of course it’s not professional and vulgar at times, but this poem was the highlight of my disastrous birthday. I did not receive any expensive presents or cards that day, just a couple phone calls and this wall post from my older sister.  It did not need to be chock full of sappy emotional lines. The humor and one sentence stating, “and when things get too hard that you can’t comprehend, I’ll make up an answer that comfort may lend.” Knowing that despite her busy and overwhelming life, she took the time and effort to create this poem is more than enough for me. A couple years ago I would have complained about being gift less on my birthday. Now, gifts are irrelevant. The thought triumphs all. 

Mint, Wow.

      Shamrock shakes are the highlight of March at McDonald’s. I barely eat McDonald’s, but once the Shamrock shakes come back on the market, it’s like a once a week must. The minty delight needs no rhetoric to persuade McDonald’s consumers to buy due to its undeniable deliciousness. But still, like every other company, McDonald’s creates commercials to convince its customers to purchase the milkshake.

From YouTube

     Like many other commercials, McDonald’s uses comedic edge to grab the attention of the viewers. The following commercial from the company uses a typical scenario between couples to relate to the audience. Women will always be suspicious of their men which makes this commercial humorous. The way the woman questions the man and uses common reactions to if the man would have really been cheating on her allows the viewer to think of the Shamrock shake as a guilty pleasure, something we all desire to have. Because the commercial still keeps the hilarious edge and the man eventually tells the woman he only went to buy them both a shake, the drink does not seem like a sin or something that must be hidden, making consumers not feel ashamed if they wish to buy a Shamrock shake.

     The background music throughout the commercial also adds to the comedic aspect by providing music that not only keeps the viewer’s attention, but illuminates the ridiculousness of the female’s suspicions. It is upbeat but not too much so that it seems like the commercial is an advertisement for baby toys, a child’s summer camp, or something along those lines.

     Even the words that appear at the end of the commercial saying “for a limited time” bring a point of rhetoric into the ad. The font of the text keeps the theme of “tango” intact. But also, but only showing the words briefly, McDonald’s manages to remind viewers that these shakes are not available always, silently persuading them quickly go purchase the shake. 

Save Me From the Illuminati

     Never have I come across a song (besides for the prelude to Michael Myers slashing fits) that I have genuinely been afraid of. Usually songs, because of the beat, bridge, chorus, and overall message simply make you tap your foot and sway your hips rather than become frightened to the point that you turn your radio off and hope to not have nightmares that night. Recently, not just one song makes me feel this way. Several songs, from various artists, give me that uneasy feeling in my gut and automatically make me shiver with fear. This uncontrollable fear stems from the theory of the illuminati.

Documentary on the Illuminati Society

     The illuminati are a secret society that is thought to be organized and run by the devil himself. The group preys on the public by making its members wealthy, famous, and influential people in order to persuade society to not only follow the devil and perform his acts, but place him before God. The illuminati mock God and his teachings through numerology and treacherous acts that destroy America’s hearts. They claim that they are a secret society but they place their beliefs and practices out in the public eye so that the people of America know of them and begin to mimic them.

     Almost every celebrity that I can think of is a member of the illuminati. Such as, Beyonce, Kanye West, Barrack Obama, Opera Winfrey, Justin Beiber, Lady Gaga, the Apple company, Paramount Pictures and many more. There are athletes, politicians, rappers, singers, actors. The list continues to grow. These people are rewarded with endless riches if they pledge to worship the devil and spread his word. It can often be confusing because these celebrities will openly thank “God” when receiving awards, but their God is the devil, which is misconstruing. The celebrities use hand signals, certain lyrics in their music, illustrations in their music videos, and backwards messaging in their songs to persuade the public to dismiss all previous belief in Jesus and God.

      In order to be a member of the organization, the interested individual must murder a person close to him or her to demonstrate their allegiance to the society. However, if the person is already a member of the illuminati and they wish to end their membership, the illuminati will do anything in its power to crush the reputation of the person, from fake criminal charges which would led them to jail, to horrific accusations, to even the murdering of the individual. Examples of this are DMX time in jail and the killing of Michael Jackson who both desire to remove themselves from the illuminati.

     As my roommate and I intently watched numerous YouTube videos about the illuminati, the fear in me grew and grew. Everything I had grown up listening to, watching on TV, and buying was all a plot to convince me to become an evil person. My subconscious has been involuntarily processing this sinful information without me being aware. All rhetoric in commercials, ads, and shows are so misleading. God help my subconscious. 

Who Died and Made You Symbol King?

     Symbols surround us. Almost everything we see, buy, read, and even taste are composed of some sort of symbol that is designed to make a person experience a specific emotion. But as the amount of symbols increase it is apparent to me that these symbols are all collective. Society agrees on the effects symbols will have on a person.

      For example, angel wings. From the appearance of them on the Victoria Secret perfume bottles to the swaying of wings on the rear view mirror of your grandmother’s Cadillac, angel wings have formed a stereotypical view. Society has given the connotations of heavenly, peaceful, innocent, and more to these angel wings. But why? Who designed these connotations? After all, in the Bible the Devil was a fallen angel, so couldn’t wings also be labeled as evil, malice, greed, or lust?

      Who had the authority in society to develop the, now, concrete connotations that all these symbols represent? Because even though each individual experiences symbols differently depending on their own personal experiences with the words and objects, in the end, there is still one basic and common meaning of the majority of symbols.

     It is not like there is a manual all toddlers are forced to memorize so that when symbols are presented to them they automatically evoke specific emotions.  But it seems that way doesn’t it? When we see green, we think nature, health, or jealousy. When we see red, we think energy, excitement, passion. But what worthy individual decided on these things? Because honestly, the only reason why I experience these emotions when I see these colors is because someone told me on Google search that I was supposed to feel this way. That when I see the colors of McDonalds, because yellow is overbearing in the icon, that I am mechanically designed to feel joyous.

      Symbolic meanings are just tricky.

                

Random Murderous Rhetoric

     Rhetorical actions are not always healthy ones focused mainly on the compromising of an issue. Often times these actions are a product of internal anger, frustration, aggression, and other negative emotions. Although they result from a destructive place in the person, the action is no doubt rhetorical due to the hidden reasons that the person argues for the action. Actions such as suicide and murder are those rhetorical arguments that stem from a dark place. In particular, murderous shootings are examples of a form of rhetoric that aim strictly to harm others and communicate a person’s rage through violence.   

     For example, recently the shooting at the high school near Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, February 27^th illustrates the extent to which a person can unhealthy demonstrate his rhetoric. T.J. Lane, the young 17-year old, took his anger out at Chardon high school’s cafeteria that Monday with a .22-caliber gun killing three students and injuring two others. This murderous outrage was done at a school that he did not even attend and was not even a result of drugs, alcohol, or bullying that he had received. He “chose his victims at random,” states the county prosecutor David Joyce.



T.J. Lane Facebook picture found with USA Today article



     Lane’s victims were all between 16 and 17 years of age and male. Thankfully, prosecutors were given until March 1^st to charge the shooter and hopefully he will be charged as an adult rather than a minor, which would only lessen his consequences. His actions may have been repercussions of a troubling household in which his father and mother had had continuous domestic violence charges upon the both of them, but this is in no means an excuse for his unnecessary and harmful actions.

     Not only did Lane murder three and injure two, but he hurt and devastated an entire town. Trust is lost and now fear engulfs the school, town, parents, students, and teachers alike. The school plans to reopen this Friday in order for the students to be reunited with each other, but the hearts and safety of the people in Chardon will never be restored. Lane’s rhetorical actions that ultimately expressed his feelings that he had at a split second destroyed the lives of an entire community forever.

"State Sponsored Rape!"

     Vagina, vagina, vagina. It took a very long time for people to be comfortable enough with themselves to be able to say that word.  It took millions of feminists, thousands of books, and hundreds of lectures for society to appreciate the woman for what she is rather than what she can cook. And this comfort barrier that has been broken when it comes to the word vagina isn't always a good thing. Sometimes those people, who begin to use the word comfortably, take advantage of the progress that others have made, and in turn, take the vagina and detach it from its owner.

Found at Veracity Stew

    Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell took the word vagina to a new level with a violation that continues to shock me every time I press the replay button on the YouTube clip. Recently Virginia’s House and Senate passed a bill to enact a medically unnecessary vaginal probing of a woman if she wishes to undergo an abortion in the state. This probing is to be done against the woman and her physician’s consent if she desires to have an abortion and was surprisingly passed thanks to the help of the republicans in Virginia. The only reason why the subject was mediatized was because democrats in the state required that the republicans in the legislature spell out the conditions of this procedure in the bill. When the media caught wind of the fact that republicans were basically signing a bill for the state to rape women legally, the republicans including McDonnell backed down and claimed they “were not aware of how invasive the procedure could be.”

     Of course there were protests and the media bombarded the legislature. But this plan to “bully women into not having abortions,” as democrat David Englin states in the clip, is absurd! You cannot penetrate (which is exactly what it is, penetrating) women without their consent just for the sake of reinforcing your personal beliefs and those of your political affiliation. News and the government just gets weirder and weirder every day. Just as Rachel Maddow bodly says, “what a difference people paying attention makes.”

Watch the Video Here!

The Williard Preacher

     We mock him because we aren’t as courageous as him. It’s sad but true. People often poke fun at others who posses qualities out of the realm of societal norms only because we ourselves do not contain the special brave cells in our body to play this outcast role. We make excuses for the reasons why we despise these people and fill our day with clever jokes and puns directed towards the “weird” segment of our society. But as you look closer, you should realize that the only thing that separates us from these people is that they have the guts to express their rhetoric while we stand idly by.

     We all know the Williard Preacher. The ballsy man who posts out front of the side entrance to Williard and expresses his attitude towards the activities that Penn State students participate in according to his religious beliefs. This is the most pure form of rhetoric. He argues his point of view about the reckless college student’s behavior regardless of the stares and whispers he receives. And when others disagree, which is often, he stands behind what he believes in, in rain, snow, and sleet. He is not a professor here or a student, just an outspoken member of the State College community who has a lot to preach.

     Originally, I ridiculed him. Strutted past him on my way downtown wondering why in God’s name he would even consider preaching to students who obviously do not care. Was this his hobby? But clearly he enjoys what he does. It’s not just a hobby, rhetorical expression is his life. Using his hobby as a way to amuse yourself while rushing to your next class is pathetic. We should all be more like the Williard Preacher. At least he’s actively doing something he believes in. When can you say the last time you did that was?

I Believe In A Toyless Childhood

Fairytales of Sexual Organisms

     Welcome to the world of feminism. Where everything and anything that is said or done is analyzed to the point of obnoxious. Things that may not seem sexist can be spun around to be as prejudice as the 1960s. When I come across these feminist spin arounds, I can’t help to wonder whether the situations at hand really are as prejudice as they seem or if the fact is a fictitious run of a crazy feminist’s imagination to make the world hate the male gender.

    If any of you have ever taken a woman studies course in your educational pathway, you quickly realize you either absolutely despise it, or you can’t wait to fill your coffee mug up so you can grab the first available front row seat. Whether my approach is to hate it or love it, I can’t help but to respect this one article I read in the class.

Image found at Baby Birth Basics

     The Egg And The Sperm by Emily Martin demonstrates the secretive language of our everyday text books. Words that have forever been hidden in the biology books that we have been reading since the middle school days are exposed in this intriguing essay about the relationship between the reproductive systems of men and women. This short but sweet article explains how the depiction of the sperm and the egg can illustrate the classic fairy tale stories of the night in shining armor (sperm) courageously rescuing the damsel in distress (egg).

     Martin notes how in the most common biology text books of our youth explain how the sperm is an active part of the system who is rescuing the egg by penetrating through it. While the egg is a passive creature, waiting for the process to begin. The mere words in biology books illustrate how the egg is ultimately less important and adventurous as the sperm. The sperm is the main reason for a successful child birth and the egg is just there for the sperm to do its job. Medical Physiology by Vernon Mountcastle even states, “Whereas the female sheds only a single gamete each month, the seminiferous tubules produce hundreds of millions of sperm each day.” Our textbooks throughout the years have been providing us with negative connotations towards the egg and positive ones with sperm without notice from teachers, students, or parents.

     Only feminists like Martin recognized these hidden depictions. But as the bigger picture comes into play, we can wonder how many of these hidden descriptions exist. People we blindly trust, because of the number of degrees they hold or signatures on books they carry, could possibly have been placing this sort of persuasive rhetoric to make readers believe certain things for generations. Saying rhetoric is everywhere is an understatement. Rhetoric to convince young minds things through their subconscious is the new form of deception but is undoubtedly still a form of rhetoric.

Let Me Here Your Monologue First!

     The arts aren’t for everyone. Well let’s make this a little more magnified: the arts aren’t necessarily for the typical macho man, as stereotypical as that sounds. So it wasn’t a surprise to me that the only people who replied with  a yes to my request to go see the play Frozen by Bryony Lavery at the Downtown Theatre were girls (minus my friend Tim who is a theatre major). No current boy thing of mine was eager to go, regardless of my plea and rants about doing things I like, instead of being stuck in front of the ESPN network all day with the occasional switch to Call of Duty every hour on the hour. 



Penn State School of Theatre students who peform these fantastic plays. Check them out here !



     But as Frozen went on, and that two hour time span was chock full of emotional moments of crying and philosophical arguments that I know my boy thing wouldn’t have grasped anyway, I was glad I came with my girls (minus Tim). Not only did I have time without vigorous button pounding, but I had time to contemplate the overall message of the play. Frozen had hidden deep meanings throughout it, but for the purpose of rhetoric blogs, I chose to point out one specific act that struck me as interesting in the rhetorical aspect and its relationship to the real world.

     Frozen is about three separate life experiences occurring at the same time that all interconnect. One is a mother, Nancy, who lost her daughter, Rhona, at the age of 10 when another character, Ralph, abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered her in a shed not far from Nancy’s own home. The third character in the play is Agnetha, an American scholar who travels to England to present her thesis about whether or not murder is a forgivable act. Agnetha determines her decision on the thesis after doing multiple cognitive studies on Ralph while he is imprisoned for the murder of not only Rhona but several other young girls in England.

     One act in the play is a monologue by Nancy in which she speaks to the audience about the organization she is leading to find the lost children, like Rhona, of parents in England. She tells how she gets up in front of hundreds of people to speak about her experience and persuades them to donate money and assist her in locating the children around England who have been kidnapped. Her actions to find Rhona are an example of rhetoric. Her rhetoric is filled with emotion and personal experience which forces people to think of no other option but to help her find the lost children.

     However, as Nancy is giving her monologue, the audience can see a different twinkle in her eye that is not just for other parents to find their children. Nancy stresses to the audience (the people present at the play) that her goal is deceiving, that she honestly could care less about the other lost children of England, and that she really just desires something more selfish, to just have Rhona back in her arms.

Political cartoon displaying promises found here

     This example of rhetoric allowed me to witness that rhetorical arguments that we often see are sometimes misleading.  Not everyone is truthful in the hopes they wish to accomplish and they may actually have a different goal in mind that would not necessarily be approved by their audience. Speakers may throw out inspirational words and personal experiences to persuade you to do a certain thing, but in reality their motives are narcissistic. Promises by political leaders would probably be the most common form of this deception, but we may also hear the most influential, historical, and widely respected people practicing the same actions.

     Rhetoric might be used for more evil than good. We are noticing the things people are saying, but what about the things they aren't saying? It makes me wonder, who can you really trust to persuade you if aren’t present for their monologue?

"Omg, inbg."

     If you and I are having a peaceful night-in, popping microwaveable goodies and downing as much caffeine in our systems as humanly possible and I don’t scream at you to find the clicker so that we can change the awful and pointless commercial on, that’s how you can be certain that this commercial is a good one.  Commercials like this are rare. You know, the ones that intrigue you from the initial second and keep you laughing until the final 30^th second. Due to our irony-hungry and easily jaded generation, more and more we viewers are seeing commercials that are not just informatory, but interesting as well.

     There is a strict criteria for a successful commercial. It must be persuasive, captivating, humorous, relatable, and memorable. All of these elements demonstrate forms of rhetoric that the creator forces on the audience to get their point across. Once the point is apparent to the viewer, the main goal is for the audience to follow, purchase, or spread the word about the subject seen through that magical talking box.

     The Cingular commercial below in particular illustrates a simple form of rhetoric in which the company is attempting to persuade current and new costumers to purchase the unlimited texting. The commercial uses common ideologies, or a commonplace, about modern American families.

     Cingular carefully positions the commercial in the setting of a typical upper middle class household which is the primary demographic of their customers. They use an argument to spark a sense of familiarity in the viewers due to the inevitable confrontations between every parent and teenager that have ever walked this fine earth and also the rise of “text lingo” that baffle all people still.  This understanding is a way of using ethos and pathos to generate emotion in the audience rather than using something like a dying cat to make viewers feel heartbroken. Cingular’s approach creates familiarity but keeps the element of humor intact.

    Even the minute things, like spelling out the foreign language (well it might as well be foreign) of the teenager at the bottom of the screen keeps the viewers transfixed. Also, keeping the commercial short, sweet, and to the point and then introducing an entire screen of bright colored orange to grab attention once more forces the audiences’ mind to relate back to the main argument at hand.

     All these features of the rhetoric Cingular commercial not only solved my conflict a couple years ago of excessive texting  which led to not-so-excessive checking accounts, but still has me saying “idk my bff jill.”