Week 1 Post 2

Today in class we learned about how arguments are constructed.  I found that when proposing points for an argument, it helps to organize it by coming up with arguments that fit into the three categories of "Pathos", "Ethos" and "Logos".  When one assesses an argument from this perspective, it makes it easier to determine not only what type of argument you are using, but also what may be the most effective.  For example, our group was arguing the affirmative side of the smoking ban on campus.  I felt that our most effective argument was under our "ethos" category.  This argument stated that it is unethical to subject non-smoking students and other bystanders to the harmful effects or discomfort of second hand smoke.  I felt like this was a good argument for our side.  In the future, I think it will be helpful to organize or brainstorm for ideas and points for an argument by organizing them into these three categories and finding out which arguments make stronger points than others.

Week 1 Post 1

Yesterday in class, we watched the film Double Indemnity.  The film is about an insurance salesman who is seduced by a beautiful woman and becomes an accomplice in murder.  What interested me most about this film was the portrayal of women.  The minute the audience is introduced to the woman, she become an instant sex symbol and an object of lust.  She also is portrayed as the "contemporary" or "modern" woman in this way and this point is further exemplified by her being introduced initially only in a towel.  She also demonstrates the contemporary woman as she tells the main character, Walter, that she is not free, insisting that her husband "keeps [her] locked up".  She longs to be free and independent and uses sex to manipulate a man to help her get what she wants.  And this man, Walter, bends over backwards to help her.  He clears his busy schedule to meet with her, and even agrees to commit murder for her.

I think the topic of the romantic relationships in neo-noir films would be a great research topic for a future paper.  One could analyze how women are portrayed in these film and how that portrayal of women reflects that changing dynamics of relationships at that time.