Taking it On: Striving for Professionalism in Research Writing by Evelyn Bagley https://padlet.com/ebagleyresearch/blog Personal updates on the writing process and reflections on the activities of E. Bagley Research. en-us 2018-06-26 12:59:36 UTC 2025-09-26 05:35:54 UTC hello@padlet.com Rhetorical Analysis 1: Some Commentary on 'Sensationalism' ebagleyresearch https://padlet.com/ebagleyresearch/blog/wish/272296686 In hindsight, deep awareness of thought for me has been an omnipresent constant in my life. I am highly perceptive of its existence, content, and form in all settings -- from conversation to multimedia, and this attention always stems from language. For me, perceiving the written or spoken word is like seeing into the depths of humanity itself in a very real and empirical way. I observe language as a conveying of thought irrefutably influenced by cognitive factors and am able to use it to learn (or at least make educated guesses) about the author, their school of thought, personality, and motives. 
 
Example document: This is a headline from Euronews (August 1, 2018) broken down according to my thought processes while reading the sentence. 
 
Here are the companies most responsible for global warming: Study
 
This title has been formed as adverb before subject, a sentence structure that presents the description of a verb to the reader before the subject of the sentence is introduced. For this reason, the style of the sentence is likely to psychologically lead the reader to value the action of engaging with the particular headline above ranking the merit of the content within. This is a style of "click-baiting" that can be used to pull the reader's attention and distract it from competing information, which in the multimedia landscape of web search results may include ads, graphic art, and similar articles. It is designed to promote an innate phycological response of interest.
 
When suddenly presented with options (such as competing headlines to read) we have been scientifically proven to subconsciously peruse the course of action that seems most advantageous to us. In this case, the arguably mentally gratifying adverb of "here" beginning the sentence may already lead the reader to believe that the article has answered a request for information even if not explicitly asked. 
 
The preposition of the sentence "are," a conjugation of the verb "to be" (in this case the 2nd person plural present) which qualifies existence, touching upon the reader's philosophical tenets relating to epistemology and their grounds for belief in and of existence itself. It assumes that global warming is (at least in some people's consciousness) an existing entity and thus an empirical phenomenon. The verb's conjugation and plural nature additionally faintly connotate a feeling of vastness in the reader's mind. This may include thoughts such as "multiple entities are involved," "this is a large-scale happening" and subsequently "I should be concerned." A feeling of concern is sufficient motivation for action. In this way, the author's usage of the verb raises the 'activation energy' required for readership. 
 
The definite article "the" begins the subject of the sentence and highlights a definitive answer to complex rhetoric imposed by the sentence itself, including questions such as "How can we understand global warming?" "Is global warming anthropogenic?" "Is global warming a complex issue?" and even "Is a human-generated understanding of the planet worth exploring?" and "Can (this) knowledge (of the subject inspire me to) take action?" This hints at an answer of "yes, yes, yes, and yes, this article has the facts you need." The definitive article imposes a rhetoric confidence and importance upon the consequential rest if the subject. 
 
Both the verb employment and usage of a definite article in this headline suggest that the author philosophically values the scientific method and believes that others should too as his or her advertising technique includes situating the subject "global warming" as a both a widespread and definitive concept. 
 
Similarly, as the reader takes in the subject of the sentence "companies most responsible for global warming" they encounter an intertwined rhetoric centered around the adjective "responsible" that connotates both negativity and accountability as it interacts with the literate reader's schema. In the dictionary, "responsible" is defined as "being the primary cause of something and so able to be blamed or credited for it." As the reader quickly and subconsciously calls upon their prior knowledge of the term "global warming" they will undoubtedly recall that many view the term with an adamant persuasion that its association is a problem that needs fixing, as this is the view of a sizeable group of people and the human mind is often more impacted by tragedy than triumph. In society responsibility has a complex connotation, involving both "blame" and "credit" as exemplified by the dictionary's explanation of the term, and so in this case that of "blame" is likely to immediately win out in the preliminary stages of comprehension. 
 
This term truly brings into play the tenets of moral philosophy as well as ethics and personal associations, such as the postulated influences of childhood upon an adult's perception of the world. Ultimately however, it may encourage the impressionable and/or emotional reader to play the 'blame game' and offset their own connections with both the term "responsibility" and their potential feelings of guilt surrounding their philosophical viewpoints on the relationship between humans and the environment by thus indulging the tempting solution offered as conjecture in the article. In other words, the title is rhetorically breaking the fourth wall, and the readers' possible biologically induced reaction of self-preservation may cause them to 'fight back' by finding out for themselves who is indeed responsible in the eyes of the article. Additionally, history shows that it may be in our nature to peruse drama and rumor over fact, and this plays our tendency to gravitate towards conflict. 
 
Though "for" is used as a linguistic phrase with "responsible" in this case, one of the thirty-two recorded definitions of the word is "affecting the interests or circumstances of," which may certainly be associated with the title within the native English speakers' mind. Hidden beneath that term than are two powerful others: "interests" and "circumstances" which have their own phycological dialogues and debates spanning centuries that briefly touch upon the average reader's conscious experience of a lifetime.  
 
Backtracking to the central noun of the subject, "companies," is weighted with political, economic, and social implications. The schema may be triggered to recall past headlines and associations with businesses in the press, as well as briefly interact with prominent company's marketing techniques and campaigns. This may incite a biased expectation or hope for the references implied by use of the word, as well as increase dramatic value of the term by providing conjecture-like basis for a systematic, large-scale, and interpersonal fault. Because people are social creatures and extremely interconnected, this can pose rhetoric questions in the readers' minds. Have I interacted with these companies? How often and for what cause or purpose? What merits faulty guilt? Can this issue be any singular entity's fault? Should my actions or those of others be changed? Is so-called "global warming" a worthy cause for such efforts? The answers to these seemingly unavoidable thoughts stem from the reader's very beliefs, and thus hit close to home which increases emotional investment in the headline that will 'pay off' as they read the article itself. 
 
Finally, the term "global warming" has been employed in the communication of the article's contents. "Global warming" is a popular term used to describe the dictionary-defined "observed century-scale rise in the average temperature of the Earth's climate." This term was in part coined by journalists and news outputters as they sought to communicate the advances of science to the general public. This action alone, which is part of the history of the phrase, is cognitively involved with the topic of science communication and evidently exemplifies the concept of "global warming" as popular science, also relating to the controversial scholarly issue of the knowledge-action gap. This term is in many ways static, limiting its subject matter to the confines of popularization and thus providing a limited foundation in which to explore the topic from the perspective of the reader in the first place. 
 
The origination of the term "global warming" by other journalists must be included in the analysis of the term as such as a predecessor in the information intake. The predicate adjective "global" (which with it constitutes the full phrase), a connotation of importance in the personal life of the reader subconsciously implies a measurement of content against the readers' personal beliefs. Is he or she for the greater good of humanity? For their relatives and friends, for their own life? Matched with the framework of the conscience, a pressured response is almost "coded for" by the implications of the adjective "global" as influenced by society's leanings and values as a whole. 
 
Additionally, the adjective "global" stems from the long-standing philosophical debate between anti-nihilism and nihilism. From an academic perspective the globe is an epistemic aesthetic developed by humanity to understand its nation states and self-imposed boundaries, and thus focuses primarily upon history and the time scale between "the past 5,000 years… neglect[ing] the much longer time when humans existed on Earth," (as argued by advocates of a Big History oriented school of thought). A globe, then, is connotated with a humanistic approach to the history of the universe, and interacts with a somewhat biased and some would even say mislead understanding of human importance in which our existence is not measured against that of all other things. The term's counterpart in "planet" takes a more scientific and approach leaning towards the formal sciences, yet may discount the very nature of the human experience (as argued by advocates of traditional history). For these reasons, the selective use of the adjective "planet" in the popularization process of reporting global warming takes a decidedly clear rhetoric stance on a major philosophical debate, in turn influencing the readers' interaction with the phrase, its meaning, and also their own mental objects regarding existence itself. 
 
The present participle tense used for "to warm" connotes global warming as a currently occurring phenomena/phenomenon (depending on your philosophy of science which will postulate your beliefs on both the causes and effects of global warming if you choose to so believe in its existence). Combined with its adjective "global," the term may simplify the truth of scientific concept to a mere sensation for readers to "eat up," discounting a comprehensive history of climate change occurring on Earth since its formation. 
 
The last part of this headline utilizes a colon which is punctuation used to "precede an expansion or explanation" in this case of the sentence previous. Following the colon is the term "study" (a detailed investigation and analysis of a subject or situation usually by a professional scientist). This grammar aims to situate the headline as an enticing advertisement of the latest academic research, thus effectively contradicting that very research itself by pitting contradicting philosophical tenants against each other. The term "study" is obviously employed due to a placement of importance upon the empirical scientific process as well as resulting from belief in professional analysis, however, its placement following the headline substantiates its secondary importance to the journalistic touch itself. 
 
 
A couple of key anecdotes to keep in mind while digesting the above example: 
 
  1. These 14 paragraphs of analysis are a summary of what occurs in my mind within what I would estimate to be less than a second that involves reading and then internalizing the headline. That action merits this exact depth and type of analysis -- every single time. As a result of this, I am fairly certain that it usually happens somewhere "above my head," nearly subconscious on average but in such a place that is accessible and quickly comprehended consciously. An analogy that I can think of that could be used to explain this how people remember their favorite music -- when a song is 'stuck in someone's head,' some can hear the main melody or their favorite lines; while others can literally 'hear' the song as though listening to it through headphones, all the way down the bassline, backup vocals, and other obscurities of the art. I would be the second person in this example, my mind clearly having picked up on so many aspects of the work and shelving them for later analysis. 
  2. This applies for pretty much all multimedia in my life because my mind is able to "translate" orality and symbolism into a visual conscious text in my mind -- not only is able to do so, but it nearly requires it, employing the technique whenever I am thinking and engaged in the action. So I can "see," "read," explicate, and revisit "text" in my mind. This aids in critical and creative thinking and argument. It can also be a nuisance for having to "tone it back" in certain environments, creating habits of ignoring my thoughts and going for less than my best, such as doing work around 70% of my best because it is still 110% of the expectation. 
  3. This heightens my ability to understand others' thoughts and is not unlike a selective photographic memory. So it’s a gift that can be developed, not necessarily a talent. I can use it to accelerate my learning, especially for my own writing and argument development, and that's why the rhetoric aspect of academics has always "come naturally" to me. 
 
]]> 2018-08-08 04:42:12 UTC https://padlet.com/ebagleyresearch/blog/wish/272296686 Manifesto Drafts ebagleyresearch https://padlet.com/ebagleyresearch/blog/wish/272296938 I research because I believe that in our known universe there exist two categories of entity: the physical and the cognitive. In humans, the relationship between the two is imperative to society. 
 
"What we think of, and how we think of it" can be referred to as "content and form."

My philosophy is that we are missing a method for quantitatively measuring sense and perception, but we can discover one because everything can be science. In other words, thought is the emergent property of neurons and electron transmitters in the brain, which leads me to induce that there is a biological correlation between analyzing thought patterns and tracking brain function.
]]> 2018-08-08 04:45:37 UTC https://padlet.com/ebagleyresearch/blog/wish/272296938 A Trinity = Success ebagleyresearch https://padlet.com/ebagleyresearch/blog/wish/272297028 Personality
Self-love
Discipline
]]> 2018-08-08 04:46:24 UTC https://padlet.com/ebagleyresearch/blog/wish/272297028 Confronting the Challenges of a Challenging Project -- A picture of "what I'm up against" ebagleyresearch https://padlet.com/ebagleyresearch/blog/wish/272300901 There are parallel systems of work ethic that I will need to follow to reach this goal in a timely manner. As a high school student, I will have to undergo background education and testing in the fields of sociology, psychology, and anthropology, as well as pursue social science methodology and research methods for style guideline compliance [which is shown to dramatically increase likelihood of publication (Pasek 2012)]. 

Additionally, as a social scientist, I will need to review existing research on the evolution of human thought and analyze it for knowledge gaps, useful research methods, common terminology, and reference. Once these tasks have been completed, I will develop a research proposal, execute on it, and finally produce a research report. 

Real-world applications and outcomes that I can contribute to the production of as a writer and creator will then be explored. ]]> 2018-08-08 05:53:28 UTC https://padlet.com/ebagleyresearch/blog/wish/272300901 Introspection ebagleyresearch https://padlet.com/ebagleyresearch/blog/wish/363592401 I had to come to the realization that what I do will never be enough -- not for anyone else but for myself. I take this issue very seriously and I always have, and I feel that there are so many byproducts and moving parts to this cogitation. I'm driven for success and feel that the only way to reach its pinnacle is via productivity. I will take any task and hold myself accountable for monotonously attacking it day by day, to a fault in which I seldom allow that plan to end. This ideology has virtuous benefits and my emphasis on truth as fact, objectivity, and both creative and critical thinking come from a determination to reach a goal in the best way possible despite the challenges of pursuit. My values drive that goal to be universal and in the largest scope possible including as many lenses as pertinent. I'm always thinking deeply and outside the box.
 
As I've gotten to know myself as a scholar and as a researcher, I wanted to take the time to document the key aspect of my thought process in an attempt to be as transparent as possible in the presentation of the project at hand. 
]]> 2019-05-26 21:23:34 UTC https://padlet.com/ebagleyresearch/blog/wish/363592401