Rhetorical Defense

Steven Kirby

Writing and Rhetoric

9/30/10

Rhetorical Defense (Ping Center)

“The Ping Center is one of the largest recreational facilities in the country. Covering 168,000 square feet on three floors, Ping houses a 36 foot tall double sided climbing wall…” These were the first words on the Charles J. Ping Center’s informational webpage located within the schools website (www.ohio.edu/recreation/ping). That was all it took for me to decide that the Ping Center was going to be a great spot to choose for my campus history project. With all the amazing features of Ping combining with my brochure and common interest in athletics I was able to easily connect with my audience.

When I chose The Ping Center, I was trying to reach an audience much like myself. I was looking for people who enjoy exercise and live active lifestyles. At the same time I was also trying to appeal to those students who don’t enjoy exercising, but are more aware or interested in the bigger events unfolding around the world(I.E; The Gulf Spill, Afghanistan, Global Warming, etc.) And That’s why I devoted a large portion of my information to Ping’s energy saving elliptical machines. I figured that if students heard this they would be considerably more likely to check out Ping because let’s face it, the idea of giving back while improving your own wellbeing at the same time is pretty attractive not just to Ohio University students but to just about everybody.

The whole idea behind the brochure was to inform my fellow students about the Ping center and to show them that Ping has something for everybody. For me at least, the brochure really stuck out as a great way to do this. My first choice was to make a video, but I wasn’t too familiar with my laptop’s video making programs. So I considered that to be too big of a risk to pursue. As it turned out, the brochure got my point across, and met my general needs for what I wanted to display to the readers while keeping them interested. So, the end result was definitely one I am satisfied with.

There was just so much information on the Ping Center that fitting all of it into my brochure was out of the question. So, I had to make some adjustments, and figure out which pieces of information needed to be in the promotional assignment, which pieces I wanted to be in, and which pieces could be left out without question. When deciding what information I was going to end up using there were a few different procedures I followed to narrow my information pool down. The most obvious way I did this was by setting aside the more important “needs” of my paper and implicating them first. Like the rock wall, and the already mentioned elliptical machines. After those bits of information were dealt with I was able to move on to what I “wanted” in the paper. Some of these included the brief bio on Charles J. Ping and the popularity/ease of use Ping offers. Naturally, I couldn’t use all of my gathered info. So there were some pieces of information that had to be left out even if they were important to the Ping Center. For example, I wanted to talk about how Ping is a huge student employer, and helps put many students into leadership positions that help them after college in the job market. The director, Hafedh Benhadj, is another example. I wanted to go more in depth on his contributions to the center, but I was only able to brush on him in the finished copy.

The bridge between my audience and I was a major concern of mine. Although, once I decided to do this assignment on the Ping Center I found that I could easily connect with my audience, I could do this through the brochure, and my own interest in the numerous activities at Ping. This only made the process of informing my classmates go that much smoother and ultimately more effective.

Introducing a Place

Steven Kirby

(9/13/10)

Mudd Eng 151

Describe a Place

When I asked Kelsey Williams about her home town she seemed apathetic about the topic and borderline bitter. Full of chain restaurants and car dealerships it would seem that Sylvania, Ohio was nothing but an uneventful town of middle class Ohioans located just outside Toledo. But as my interview with Kelsey progressed so did my mental image of the place, and what I found was that this town full of great wildlife, great people, and just a great overall location.

Sylvania is much like a grilled cheese sandwich. You start out by taking a bite out of the crust, and you decide that it tastes pretty good (fast food). But once you get more towards the middle of the sandwich you realize that it’s even better than the outside and even though it’s nothing but butter (Bambi) and cheese (schools) combined with toasted bread (location) this simple work of art is a truly delicious meal. So once you get past the McDonalds drive thrus and the Volvo dealerships you see the beautiful deer and cotton tail rabbits that run freely through this paradise in disguise. Just like a scene from Walt Disney’s “Bambi” they playfully roam this town, but with the modern threat of road kill lurking around the corner. In fact Kelsey is what you might call an “animal hero”. She recently saved a family of rabbits from their almost certain end. As exciting as the wildlife seems, nothing tops the thrills that will be waiting for you just minutes away from Sylvania.

Besides being a few minutes away from Michigan and the Great lakes, Sylvania is a manageable hour and a half away from exciting Cedar Point. At this distance you can always get your adrenaline fix and ride some of the biggest monster coasters on this side of the world. But if your “too good” for that and need a little extra to get you through the day there are a few fine drug dealers spread out across the area that I’m sure would be more than happy to help you out… for a slight fee of course. Kelsey has assured me that she doesn’t know any of them so you’re on your own there, and I would advise the readers to follow Kelsey’s example anyways on the subject. Also if you are planning on visiting this area sometime soon bring a little extra cash along for gas because there is no source of public transportation in the area.

In addition to this Sylvania is also home to two public school systems and many more catholic schools. I am told they are both relatively big and graduate between 300 and 400 students every year. In fact the school that Kelsey attended called Sylvania Southview High School won the state championship in football just two years ago and the schools were all recently renovated. Just icing on the cake I guess, but even with all of the amazing attributes this town possesses Kelsey Williams will not be returning after college. When asked about this decision she said “no comment.” This was a very bold move by the Ohio University freshman. Only time will tell if this was a good decision, but sometimes going with your gut is the best option and I am of the opinion that this was just one of those times.

In short Sylvania is a melting pot of fun just waiting to overflow, and anyone looking for a good time should seriously consider visiting here in the near future. With the great school systems, wild life, and awesome nearby attractions who knows you might even want to settle down.

Madeira

Madeira is the town where i grew up. By the time graduation came around last spring i knew a good 95% of the people in my high school and every senior. this has its pros and cons because on one hand you're comfortable with most everyone in your class since those are the same people that have been in your classes for the last decade. But on the other hand if you screw up bad everyone is going to know about it in a matter of days and usually hours. I have so many great memories and friends from this town, and it provided me with a safe environment to mature in, and for that I'm grateful. But as I have matured I have come to know more about myself just as every young adult does. And it was because of this that I had to get out of Madeira and on my own as quickly as possible. So while my friends stayed behind to attend The University of Cincinnati I ventured out to Athens to start fresh. I have discovered that what I need is new challenges and new adventures. And even though staying with my friends and the comfortable surroundings of Madeira sounds like a smart choice, I know that I would be unhappy there because I'm the type of person that needs to take risks in order to get through the day. My biggest problem with Madeira is that its a good plan, because I don't want a plan. I want the world to give me everything its got because I love testing myself and I love taking action without knowing what the outcome will be. Because in the end the people who try to control every aspect of their lives are always the ones that are most unhappy.

About Me

I am 18 years old. my favorite color is orange and I have lived in Cincinnati my entire life. I had a lot of fun this summer. I worked at Bruegger's Bagels for the entire summer, but I also managed to find time to take a trip to the Virgin Islands, go cliff jumping in Indiana, and have endless amounts of fun with my friends. I enjoy almost any kind of music, but my favorites are Linkin Park, Eminem, and Rise Against. My current plan is to graduate from Ohio University's school of business with a major in Accounting and/or Economics.