Introduction
To describe how the arguments (extracted from the book Pop Can: Popular Culture in Canada) appeal to aspects such as emotion, logic, and character; various scholarly ideas and notions on strategies for successful writing will be used. Moreover, various forms of reasoning will be relevantly used in furthering the arguments. In essence, various types of reasoning are used by people in writing including deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning, hypothesis testing, statistical reasoning, and problem-solving. However, in this paper, we will only focus on the logic, emotions, and forms of reasoning that apply to our cases.
The argument made “My shopping career began in earnest when I was seven. My currency was time and deceit. My boutiques were the garbage cans in the alley behind our apartment house in Edmonton.”
In the first sentence where the authors talk about the career that began at seven years, it can be preliminarily said that the expression is logical and believable since many people can attest to having started their careers as early as even five years. Moreover, it is logically understandable to have time as an important aspect of our lives since time is used in various endeavors. However, deceit is normally considered a vice by most people. Therefore, boasting of deceit introduces the reader to the persona’s untrustworthy character and low regard for morality. To morally upright people, such a character evokes negative emotions such as resentment and hate.
In the final sentence, the authors creatively give the reader an insight into the shopping world that was described in the first sentence of the extract. Starting a shopping career simply from picking valuable stuff from garbage cans shows that the people in Edmonton were, somewhat, rich or wealthy or financially endowed since common logic dictates that poor people cannot throw away useful things in garbage cans. The thought of someone living in a, presumably, rich neighborhood shopping stuff from garbage cans is, therefore, illogical and far from believable.
Deductive reasoning can generally be described as a form of logical reasoning in which conclusions are made from general assumptions. In deductive reasoning, conclusions are reached through logical evaluation of established rules and factual statements. This form of reasoning uses established rules in arriving at conclusions that are either true or false. Using this form of reason, it can be assumed that it takes a lot of courage to rummage through garbage cans in the name of trying to find useful stuff. In this regard, we deduce that the persona has a strong character—which is a commendable trait. Emotionally, this character trait evokes feelings of positivity and the need to progress irrespective of the eminent circumstances.
Through a fitting language and a mixture of literary expressions, the entire extract can be said to evoke strong emotions while portraying a character blending individual focus and low regard for morality or not-caring about other people’s perceptions. On the other hand, the text is not utterly convincing since some of the arguments are not as logical as we would have expected.
Arguments made in “Once I found scarf – a sophisticated, almost sheer, leopard-spotted scarf. It spoke of glamour, beauty, and capable women on television. It was perfect for my mother, who set off for work each morning with her matching high heels and handbag.”
The description given in the first sentence emphasizes the aesthetic value of the scarf. Just by reading the sentence, we can know the nature of fashion and shopping that was referenced in the earlier discussion. Even more importantly, the nature of fashion described in this first sentence helps the reader identify the social class of the people in Edmonton. This is further emphasized by the second sentence where authors tell us that the scarf “spoke of glamour, beauty, and capable women on television.” In other words, the scarf represented the class of trendy women usually shown on television.
The inductive form of reasoning can also be applied in this case. Essentially, inductive reasoning can be defined as the form of reasoning in which certain aspects are taken and used in coming up with a generalized principle. In this form of reasoning, conclusions are arrived at based on factual statements or observations. A good example of induction reasoning is category-based induction. In this reasoning, generalizations are established based on certain facts regarding a given group of people.
This is based on the similarities observed among members of the group. When the persona says that the scarf was a perfect match for the clothing (heals and handbag) that her mother wore to work; we can inductively use the facts and principles of how classy women dress to speculate that the mother was also classy and trendy just like the women on Television.
It is worth noting that in the shopping escapades, the persona not only does gropes for items that are beneficial to her, but she also remembers to get stuff to her mother. Here, the unselfish character is typified. Also, an emotional connection is exemplified by the sentimental attachment between the persona and her mother. Remarkably, the theme of hard work is emphasized in this extract. This is, specifically, shown through the persona tracing her humble beginnings in the shopping career and the tireless way she had to rummage through garbage to get useful stuff. On the other hand, the mother is depicted as an astute worker who goes to her workplace everyday dressing in trendy clothing—which is a good example to her daughter.
To a great extent, this passage appeals to logic through acts such as the daughter getting stuff for her mother or the emphatic description of the scarf. However, it beats logic that a, presumably, trendy woman like the mother would wear a scarf that was found in a garbage can. In summary, it can be said that the arguments presented here generally illuminate the somewhat convincing nature of the passage.
Conclusion
From the above discussions, it is clear that there is a myriad of strategies that can be used in writing. The way words are presented has a huge influence on the manner readers will get the intended message while interpreting aspects such as logic, emotions, character, and forms of reasoning. For this reason, learning institutions should make provisions that can help in training individuals on pragmatic schemas and how words can be tailored to evoke certain emotions or feelings while orienting particular forms of reasoning. It is only through such initiatives that proper communication can be channeled and sustained.