This summer I worked as a
sales representative for Cutco Cutlery. If you’re wondering what I sold, you’re
probably wondering right – Yes, I sold knives. Not the typical summer job, but
it was a learning experience I’ll never forget.
Throughout the summer, I worked by appointment
and was introduced to hundreds of different customers through personal
referrals. Though I had my target market, or “target audience,” in rhetoric
terms, each and every appointment was unique. Every person I sat down with had
a different initial view on the product, and I was the medium of influence that
stood between a sale or a no sale.
It’s interesting how sales
occur so often without us even knowing it. They say two people can look at the
same thing and see it completely differently. That’s because we all perceive
life in different ways. It is utterly impossible to control anyone else’s way
of thinking besides our own. We have no control over that, but we do have influence.
We can say and do certain
things to change the mind of another. We can choose certain words, certain
gestures, a smile :), to influence people into thinking the way we do. And
in the end, they will either change their thoughts, or hold to their original
opinion.
Every conversation is a
sale or a no sale.
Articles are conversations
on paper. They use certain ‘word’s and certain gestures to influence how we perceive the information. Writers use
different tools of rhetoric to sell their argument to the readers.
We know from the title of
my blog that I view from a perspective that life should have a balance between
work and leisure. So when I came across this article, I was curious about what
the author had to say.
“Resume Required: Business
Majors Get a Wake-Up Call.” The article discusses a new policy at University of
Iowa’s Tippie College of Business, which requires applicants to submit a resume
in order to even be considered for admission.
My initial viewpoint: This
is a lot of pressure for young students.
In order for her readers
to even be open to changing their opinions, the author, Alison Damast, used her
first tool of rhetoric by deciding how to give her article credibility. So the
article was published in “Bloomberg BusinessWeek,” a notable weekly business
magazine with over 4.8 million weekly readers in over 140 different countries.
Ethos – check.
The author then takes out her second
tool of rhetoric and drives it into her introduction. She uses a quote from
Tippie’s assistant dean regarding the change in application process: “Certainly
for the person who only has had babysitting as a job, this will clue them in to
the idea that this is the time they need to start changing that.”
This quote brings about a
feeling of importance, urgency, and as for those getting the “wake-up call,”
probably some pressure and anxiety as well. Suddenly the text has generated
specific emotions in its readers.
Pathos – check.
In the paragraph that
follows, Damast begins to explain the logic of the new policy. She frames the
requirement as one that is parallel to several other credible Universities' policies,
including University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and
University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management.
New thought: If those
schools are also requiring a resume for their applicants, maybe this is a
policy that all schools should require in order to stay up to par. Or is the
author just using this technique to influence my point-of-view… ?
Damast continues by
explaining the value that the new resume requirement brings to students. “The
push comes as schools are trying to help students become more attractive to
employers in what is becoming an increasingly competitive job market for
college students” (Damast). In other words, when these students apply for jobs,
they will have their resume ready. But in the author’s words, it will “help
students,” and they will “become more attractive,” especially in the
“increasingly competitive job market.” These are simple phrases that influence
the way we interpret the text. Her argument is now both important, and logical.
Logs – check.
After reading the article,
I can’t say that my opinion changed. I can’t say that I now justify forcing high-school students to compete for jobs and look good on paper in order
to even be admitted to a college. However, I do see the value that the new
requirement could add for those students who do have better prepared resumes than the rest.
The author’s article may
not have been intended to persuade by any means. It may have been simply to inform
readers of a new policy, one that the author perceived as both useful and
important. Her use of ethos, pathos, and logos in the text influenced the
thought process of a conflicting audience member – me.
