A Big Moment in Time

The first situation that comes to my mind when talking about big issues is a conversation I had with a classmate in high school about abortion. Obviously, we both had different opinions about the topic but wanted to hear each other’s views on the debate. Personally, I don’t believe in abortion, but my classmate felt differently. When we first started discussing the topic, it came to my attention that I had never really thought about it before. Of course I had heard peoples opinions before, but I had never had a serious conversation with someone about the issue.

As the conversation was rapidly starting, she started to talk about how she left about the situation. Honestly, she had some pretty good arguments, so I listened with an open mind. If I remember correctly, she had three main points: you shouldn’t have to keep your baby if you don’t want to, if you cant support the child and you think abortion is what’s best for the unborn fetus then that’s what you should do and if you were put in a situation where you did not consent to the activities that lead up to it, then it should be your decision whether you want to keep it or not. As I was listening, I really started to understand where she was coming from; her views really opened my eyes. But at the same time, I had my own opinions and in some ways still stuck to them.

After she was done elaborating on her views, it was my turn. Like her, I had three main points that I wanted to get across. I started off by saying that I understood her views and in some way agreed with them but at the same time I thought that everyone should have a chance at life. Another point I made was that if you made the mistake, you should live up to it and the last point I made was there were health risks to having an abortion. Just like me, she agreed with where I was coming from but was still faithful to her own opinions. In the end, we agreed to disagree; we now both have opened our eyes and ears to new opinions and learned to hear all the facts before taking a side.

Out of Aristotle’s three appeals, this conversation mostly relates to pathos. I know I may not have done a great job of going into detail, but this conversation consisted of a lot of emotion and opinion. You could also say there was a little bit of logos in there, but the majority of the story and topic dealt with pathos. This story’s rhetorical situation would be rhetorical analysis; even though this conversation was between two classmates, it was still a serious topic talking about very sensitive things. Like I said before, even though it was an intense debate, we both learned something from it and are now further educated on the topic for the next time it comes up.

I think that when telling a story like this assignment entails, it is key to use as much detail as possible. A nauseating amount even! So to be super general without injecting a fair amount of pathos, or logos to make the story clear, can ruin your story. I think that the points you named on both sides were good, but elaborating on why the 2 of you thought what you did would be better. Also, saying what you agreed with specifically would help the readers get to know you, and essentially- you want your readers to get to know you through your storytelling. That's how you know it's good. When people hear your voice when reading, you've accomplished something great. You've put yourself into the story. Very good ideas though

I also agree with Olivia. While both of you had good arguments about the subject, I would of liked to hear more about those subjects. Putting in more detail would have made the post that much more powerful. Don't get me wrong though, it was a very powerful post/topic but could have had more to it. I think you have a lot of good ideas for your paper through this post so I think it will be a piece of cake for you elaborate on everything. Good post though!

I would take out the word "Obviously" at the beginning of the sentence in the first paragraph. Maybe I'm an idiot but it really confused me. So I think you should go into detail about what was actually said in this conversation. This would make it easier to get into the story as well. Abortion is a really interesting topic, seeing exactly what was said would be really interesting. Go more into what your views are!