Major: Audience Analysis Assignment- Cover Letter

Minor 1: DB: Job Post- Identify the Rhetorical Situation

Minor 2: DB: Identify Logical Fallacies and Appeals

Module 2:

Major: Essay 1: Critical Response

Minor 1: DB: Active/Close Reading of "The Danger of a Single Story"

Minor 2: Applying Literary Devices

Module 3:

Major: Annotated Bibliography

Minor 1: DB: Research Questions - Argument Essay

Minor 2:Finding Simple Facts Isn't So Simple

Module 4:

Major: Essay 2: Researched Argument

Minor 1: DB: Argument and Counterargument

Minor 2: Essay 2 Outline

Portfolio Reflection

Presentation

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to share my interest in the Information Security Analyst at Vivacity Tech PBC. I found the posting on Indeed.com. I am currently working towards an Associate in Science degree at Greenville Technical College. I have plans to transfer to USC Upstate to pursue a Bachelor’s in Cybersecurity. I have a strong passion for cybersecurity, and I am excited to potentially contribute to your team. (Pathos)

So far in my educational journey, I have gained skills in online security and assessing risks. My coursework and projects have given me experience in identifying risks and developing more efficient security measures. (Logos) While I may not have much industry experience as of now, I am committed to mastering cybersecurity concepts and working towards certifications such as CompTIA Security+.

Beyond industry knowledge, I have strong problem-solving skills, and I am able to adapt. My experience working at Walmart since the age of 16 shows dedication to those who put their trust in me. It has also helped me learn to work in diverse teams and solve problems efficiently. Quick thinking and being adaptable are essential in cybersecurity roles. (Pathos)

I would be happy to further discuss how my skills and passion would be beneficial to Vivacity Tech PBC. I look forward to the possibility of joining your team and hope to schedule an interview at your convenience. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Janara Paige

DB: Job Post- Identify the Rhetorical Situation

Audience Analysis:

The topic of the job posting is cybersecurity.  There is a high demand for protection of assets and identifying cracks in systems. The target group is cybersecurity professionals who have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, IT, Cybersecurity, or related fields. They prefer the candidates to have at least three years of experience. They require different certifications like CISSP, CISM, CEH, or CompTIA Security+. The selected candidate will contribute to security policies, monitor networks, and respond to security incidents. The channel is Indeed.com.

Rhetorical Appeals Strategy:

To appeal to this employer, I would use ethos or credibility within my cover letter. As I stated earlier, this employer vales experience and certification. I would explain my educational background in cybersecurity, technical skills I have gained throughout my educational career, and classes, projects, or certifications relevant to the desired position will be highlighted. I would go into detail by explaining how much I want to learn, my problem-solving capabilities, and ability to adapt to change regarding new challenges; even though I haven’t gained complete experience yet. I would say I am committed to keeping up with emerging trends in cybersecurity, so that I can feed that into their emphasis on industry knowledge.

DB: Identify Logical Fallacies and Appeals

The Allstate Mayhem commercial depicts a man pretending to be a teenage girl who is upset about boy problems. She then starts to swerve her car into other cars out of anger. He says that people should get Allstate car insurance to protect themselves from mayhem such as that.

False Dichotomy is used in this commercial. It's saying if you don't get Allstate insurance, a teenage girl will run into your car, and you'll just have to figure it out. There is also an appeal to emotion (Pathos). After the "teen girl" hit the car, the owner came out to the car in distress. This is to show viewers that if you don't get insurance with Allstate, you'll be stressed out if something happens to your car. I believe it is effective because people often rely on their cars for transportation and if their car gets hit, they will be stressed. People have to work, transport their children, etc. Not to mention how expensive car damages can be.

The Outsider’s Journey

In "Find More Ways to be an Outsider," Arthur C. Brooks argues that being an outsider, a foreign student, an immigrant, or a corporate executive changing companies, is what makes people stronger, more resilient, more adaptable, and ultimately better off in the long run. His argument rests on psychological and sociological research, namely on third-culture kids (TCKs), and is supported by historical evidence and anecdotal evidence. While Brooks employs sound logical reasoning, authoritative opinion, and appeals to emotion to good effect, his broad generalizations and excessive use of choose studies are obstacles to the comprehensiveness of his arguments. The article first establishes the hardships of outsiders, such as loneliness and uncertainty, prior to suggesting that these hardships are outweighed by long-term gains. Brooks supports this by referencing studies on TCKs, which state that individuals exposed to two or more cultures become emotionally strong, mentally flexible, and less depressed. Brooks also cites views from the past, such as Plato's hesitation to accept cultural fusion and Stalin's distrust of "rootless cosmopolitans." Citing expert views of sociologists and psychologists, Abraham Maslow and Erik Erikson, makes the argument stronger. Among the rhetorical devices in the article is one appeal to logos. Brooks utilizes facts, such as a 2018 study by the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology that determined TCKs are psychologically stronger and gain greater life satisfaction than their monocultural peers. He also cites a 2012 and 2013 study linking multicultural exposures to fewer anxieties and depressions: "acculturation is negatively associated with depression, anxiety, psychological distress, and sadness" (Brooks). These are realities that prove that being an outsider fosters growth. Brooks also employs ethos through experiences both vicariously and personally experienced. He speaks of his own personal experience of being an outsider in a foreign country, struggling yet becoming successful. He also explains how his daughter endured many transitions in high school before leaving to attend college in Spain. This gives credibility to the notion of being an outsider making one more resilient. Strong as the argument is, individual tales are not proof that being an outsider will have the same outcome for everybody. The article also invokes pathos, or appeal to emotions. Brooks appeals to pity by talking of outsiders' troubles and elicits hope by illustrating instances of victory. His plea for action, to adopt the life of outsiders, find multicultural places to live, and befriend outsiders adopts a motivational note. This appeal to emotion overtakes the complications of getting used to a new culture. Even when being so powerful, the argument is not flawless. One of its flaws is overgeneralization. While the article offers evidence that multicultural exposure improves TCKs, it assumes all outsiders will benefit from such growth. Results differ in the real world with socioeconomic standing, individual toughness, and support systems. For instance, immigrants and refugees are largely subjected to structural discrimination, language barriers, and economic instability. These are issues Brooks does not cover. In addition, Brooks also provides selective evidence in support of his argument and against the contrasting findings. Although studies have shown that outsider experience can pay

off in the long term, short-term adversity can continue to affect some individuals. The article is states that international students score lower on their life satisfaction towards the end of their first semester but fails to investigate whether a few of them still struggle: "one recent study found that international college students rated their life satisfaction around 4 percent lower at the end of their first semester than at the beginning of the term" (Brooks). Unless it acknowledges these potential limitations, the argument runs the risk of oversimplifying the outsider experience. In general, Brooks is effective in providing a compelling case for the benefits of being an outsider through historical context, psychological research, and personal experience. Brooks effectively utilizes logical reasoning, expert testimony, and emotional appeal in an attempt to persuade readers that outsider status is beneficial. Yet the case can be supported by a more balanced regard for the dilemmas of outsiders, particularly economically and socially. While the article is full of observations, its broad generalizations and one-sided evidence cannot prove it to be relevant to the experience of all outsiders. A more balanced discussion of the matter would better present the complexity of being an outsider

DB: Active/Close Reading of "The Danger of a Single Story"

Summary:

Chimamanda Adichie's TED Talk, "The Danger of a Single Story," is about the power of storytelling. She speaks on the effect of hearing just one biased story about a person, culture, or place. She shares personal experience from her childhood and how it followed into her adulthood. Adichie says that single stories create stereotypes, which are not necessarily untrue but limit understanding. She feels that multiple different viewpoints allow one to hold a truer and more accurate view. She urges people to seek out multiple stories to avoid misinformation and bias.

Reflection:

After the first couple of paragraphs, I expected Adichie to discuss how single stories influence society’s perceptions of Africa. My second reading revealed more subtle rhetorical uses, including pathos in her personal examples and ethos in her discussion of literature and cultural influence. Her main point is that single stories create misunderstandings. She uses emotional appeal, ethos, and logic to illustrate the danger of biased storytelling. I identified with this. I have felt the effects of simple stereotypes of cultures. The reading made me think about how I might be unconsciously buying into single stories of others. One of the key takeaways was that it’s my own responsibility to seek out multiple stories. One question that arose is how the media can better promote versatile storytelling to combat biases. 

Applying Literary Devices

Literary Devices of Snow

Lee Martin's nonfiction work "Snow" utilizes several literary devices that add to the speaker's message. Four major literary devices, imagery, irony, symbolism, and theme, contribute to the shaping of the story and its emotional resonance.

One of the literary devices used in "Snow" is imagery. Martin uses sensory appeal in descriptions, for example, when describing the parents coming home, "my mother's scarf knotted under her chin, the hem of her dress flying around her legs, the brim of my father's cap powdered with snow, his cheeks rosy from cold." The description gives a clear picture of the environment, which engages the reader into the world of winter cold and shows the physical toll that the process takes on the parents. There is irony in the tale as well. As a child, the narrator views his parents as invulnerable and powerful, and to see them struggling with the snow contradicts this idea. The thing that makes the moment notable to the narrator's memory is the irony of learning that his so- called invulnerable parents are after all like everyone else and prone to failures to begin with. This is the first lesson that the speaker learns about man's fragility. The other literary tool used here is symbolism, in this case using the footprints in the snow. The speaker questions the nature of his parents' lives as he observes their footprints, and their lives, will also fade away when the footprints melt. Snow on their path is used to symbolize time's passage and life's brief nature, supporting the narrator's growing awareness of mortality.

Finally, the theme of impermanence and mortality is the poem's lifeline. The child's understanding that his parents are not invincible is a lesson early in life. The poem suggests that times of survival are temporary, and in the end, all physical traces of life will be engulfed by extinction. This motif supports the narrative, instilling a feeling of depth in the speaker's contemplation.

With these devices, Martin introduces emotional depth to "Snow," transforming an everyday childhood memory into a profound meditation on time, loss, and human fragility.

Research Question: How does Flannery O'Connor use the grandmother's character in "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" to critique religious hypocrisy in Southern culture? Thesis Statement: In "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," Flannery O'Connor condemns religious hypocrisy through the figure of the grandmother as a self-righteous character whose external religion and moral contradictions are led to tragic conclusions. Annotated Bibliography Harris, Abbie C. "Jesus Thrown Everything Off Balance: Grace and Redemption in Flannery O’Connor’s 'A Good Man is Hard to Find'." Papers & Publications: Interdisciplinary Journal of Undergraduate Research, vol. 3, no. 1, 2014, pp. 1-6. University of North Georgia.

In this article, Harris explains O'Connor's use of the themes of redemption and grace in the tale, highlighting the hypocrisy of the grandmother and her eventual acknowledgment of sinfulness. The review explains how both the grandmother and The Misfit are sinners in need of redemption, noting the social commentary on the religious decline of the South. Harris speaks of the superficiality of the grandmother's religiosity and how her encounter with The Misfit is a forerunner to a moment of spiritual contemplation. Abbie C. Harris provides an in-depth critique of the moral and spiritual depth of the characters. The article is in an academic journal and

therefore some degree of scholarly standards must be applicable. The journal is interdisciplinary and might potentially include work from undergraduates, but the critique presents a sound argument on the issues of the story. This source is useful to understand how O'Connor satirizes religious hypocrisy through the character of the grandmother. It provides evidence to the thesis by demonstrating the difference between the grandmother's outward religiousness and inward moral shortcomings, leading to a moment that challenges her self-perception. The article will be useful in describing the story's critique of superficial religiousness. "Hypocrisy In A Good Man Is Hard To Find." Internet Public Library,

https://www.ipl.org/essay/Hypocrisy-In-A-Good-Man-Is-Hard-PCZJAL46U. The article examines the issue of hypocrisy in O'Connor's story, specifically in the grandmother's actions and beliefs. It shows how the grandmother's actions demonstrate the ideology of good and evil and hypocrisy. The analysis is conducted in a manner that the moral standing the grandmother tries to exhibit is superficial and leads to the family's tragic death. The Internet Public Library is a website that provides a platform for many different essays and analyses, and while this source of information is valid, it must be read in a mindful state as to its academic soundness. The analysis itself follows interpretations usually found within O'Connor's writing and provides an analysis of the grandmother character and moral of the work. This source is helpful in explaining the criticism of religious hypocrisy in O'Connor's story. It helps the thesis by identifying the moral contradictions of the grandmother and how they operate to support the theme of true versus false faith in the story. The analysis will assist in explaining how the grandmother's character embodies the difference between self-righteousness and authentic spirituality.

"Discussing Faith in 'A Good Man Is Hard to Find' by Flannery O’Connor." StudyCorgi, https://studycorgi.com/discussing-faith-in-a-good-man-is-hard-to-find-by-flannery-oconnor/.

This article focuses on the role of religion in O'Connor's tale with specific emphasis on the grandmother's superficial religiousness. It traces how the grandmother initially appears to be playing a part towards religion without adopting its essence and how it is changed as an outcome of her meeting with The Misfit by replacing her religion with the adoption of the Christian ideal of charity. StudyCorgi is a site that provides essays and analysis on several literary works. While the information is helpful, one must consider the scholarly integrity of the source. The analysis consists of interpretations of O'Connor's themes, providing some insight into the grandmother's character development. This source assists one in understanding the religious hypocrisy criticism of O'Connor's writing. It supports the thesis in showing the grandmother's shallow religiousness in the beginning and her ultimate confrontation with genuine spirituality. The discussion will be useful in discussing the investigation of genuine and performative religiosity in the story

DB: Research Questions - Argument Essay

How does A Good Man Is Hard to Find build the theme of free will vs. fate?

In what ways does A Good Man Is Hard to Find critique religious hypocrisy?

Finding Simple Facts Isn't So Simple

Flag burning as an act of protest has been put to rest for a long time by the United States Supreme Court, which established that flag burning is guaranteed by the First Amendment's freedom of speech.

Texas v. Johnson (1989)

According to the Facts and Case Summary on the United States Courts website, Gregory Lee Johnson torched a flag at the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas, in protest of the policies of President Ronald Reagan. Johnson was indicted and arrested for the crime of violating a Texas statute criminalizing the abuse of sacred objects, like the American flag, if such conduct would have the tendency to offend and to incite others to anger. He was convicted, but on appeal, he argued that he had employed symbolic speech which was entitled to protection under the First Amendment. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court, which, in a 5-4 ruling, ruled in Johnson's favor. The Court held that the government cannot muzzle the expression of an idea simply because society finds it offensive or distasteful and therefore overturned the Texas law under which Johnson was convicted.

Following the Johnson decision, the Flag Protection Act of 1989 was passed by Congress in an attempt to prohibit flag desecration at the federal law level.

United States v. Eichman 1990)

According to an article on Justia.com, congressional action was challenged in United States v. Eichman. The Supreme Court reaffirmed itself from the Johnson decision by overruling the Flag Protection Act. The Court held that such an interest of the government for retaining the flag as a symbol is not strong enough to outweigh a First Amendment right on the part of a citizen to express dissent through flag desecration. These early cases demonstrate the Court's passion for ensuring freedom of expression, even where expression takes the form of conduct offending many deeply.

All in all, per Supreme Court decisions in the case of Texas v. Johnson and United States v. Eichman, the act of burning a flag as a protest is an expression that is protected by law under the First Amendment. The cases highlight the point that the promise of free speech covers even offending acts that could be done, maintaining robust protections granted to personal expression in America.

“United States v. Eichman, 496 U.S. 310 (1990).” Justia Law, 2025, supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/496/310/?utm_source=chatgpt.com. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.

“Facts and Case Summary - Texas v. Johnson.” United States Courts, 2025, www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/educational-activities/first-amendment-activities/texas-v-johnson/facts-and-case-summary-texas-v-johnson?utm_source=chatgpt.com.

A Mirror of Hypocrisy
Religious identity has a strong grip on the American Southern way of life. It is expressed regularly in public life, domestic life, and political aspiration. And yet the same identity has been historically associated with prejudice, performative morality, and resistance to social justice. Flannery O'Connor's short story "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" is a good illustration of this paradox in the character of the grandmother, for whom religiosity is only superficiality, being used to camouflage her own immorality. In "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," Flannery O'Connor satirizes Southern cultural hypocrisy regarding religious matters in the character of the grandmother. The story is as applicable today as when it first surfaced due to the same models of performative religion and moral contradiction that permeate Southern and American religious cultures today.
In O'Connor's story, the grandmother puts on her Sunday best for the family car trip, justifying it by saying, "In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once she was a lady" (O'Connor 118). The scene refers to her fixation with appearances instead of inner goodness. In lieu of charity or humility, she acts religiosity and morality in public. Her shallowness is typical of the wider religious performance culture where religious articulation is prioritized over individual change. Matthews and Mazzocco account for such moral inconsistency in their study of religious hypocrisy. They note that whenever organizations or individuals make moral claims but do not back them with action, it dissipates social trust and spawns cynicism towards religious leaders (Matthews and Mazzocco 521). The grandmother exemplifies such incongruence. She continues to chatter about values and beliefs, but her actions throughout the novel are based on selfishness, manipulation, and denial. Her religious beliefs are not redeeming; they are superficial. The grandmother mythologizes the Old South, which formerly equated slavery and segregation. When she encounters a Black child, she refers to him as a "pickaninny," a racial slur that suggests she is a part of a shared assumption of superiority (O'Connor 120). Even though she is a self-proclaimed good Christian woman, her terminology and nostalgia for the Old South conceal an ugly accommodation with racism. This paradox is not simply literary.
Robert P. Jones, in White Too Long, writes that white Christian institutions have centuries-old traditions of facilitating racial injustice and moral superiority. White Christian churches, in his view, "have not been merely complacent; they have been active agents of building and maintaining white supremacy" (Jones 16). The grandmother is the personification of this paradox: she wears religion like a badge of righteousness while embodying bigotry. O'Connor's satire makes religiosity one that conceals, rather than cures, society's moral maladies. Her "child," the grandmother beseeches the Misfit at the story's climax for Christian charity (O'Connor 132). The gesture, however, is not genuine in the sense that it comes at the point of death. Her beauty is narcissistic rather than actual grace.
Far from living a Christ-like existence of selflessness, she only uses religious language when it suits her. Her death is not an atoning sacrifice but an ultimate revelation of shallowness. Jeanne Theoharis draws the same comparison in her book A More Beautiful and Terrible History when she describes churches being whitewashed during the Civil Rights Movement. There were some churches, she argues, that were just and moral but against justice (Theoharis 74). So also like such churches, the grandmother performs virtue but not the virtue of sacrifice or radical love that true faith requires.
O'Connor uses her as a symbol for how performative religion collapses under the pressure of real moral crisis. All readers cite the grandmother's last words and gesture—"Why, you're one of my own children!" (O'Connor 132)—as an exhibition of grace. They interpret that her recognition of kinship with the Misfit is a true moral conversion. That's questionable. Her words only come after she understands that death is looking her in the face, and that's an expression of fear, not faith. Matthews and Mazzocco offer proof for just such a reading. What their work has shown is that last-minute appeals to morality strengthen hypocritical impressions rather than forgiving them. "When moral behavior is engaged in only in coerced circumstances, it is dishonest and credibility is lost" (Matthews and Mazzesco 523). There is no decades-long history of dying for religion that the grandmother's deathbed confession precedes. The Irony used by O'Connor suggests too little, too late. Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" is a critical indictment of religious hypocrisy that continues to boil over.
Others interpret the grandmother's final deed—stretching out and referring to the Misfit as "one of my own children"—as an act of genuine grace and religious conversion. They argue that, in this final deed, she shakes free from her previous hypocrisy and does a genuine deed of love, perhaps in line with O'Connor's Catholic theology of salvation at the eleventh hour. This is not a credible interpretation when contrasted with the behavior of the grandmother during the story. As Matthews and Mazzocco explain, "When moral behavior is engaged in only in coerced circumstances, it is dishonest and credibility is lost" (523). The religious appeal of the grandmother is the one at death, not at living unselfishly. There is no record of righteousness to stand on. O'Connor's characteristic irony discredits the sincerity of the moment by suggesting that her dying words are driven out of desperation as opposed to real grace.
O'Connor shows how religion may be used to justify prejudice, act piety, and fail when the time comes in the grandmother. The story resonates with contemporary challenges of American religious life, from the racialized legacy of white Christianity to the psychological costs of moral dissonance. In making these connections, the readers are not just encouraged to question the sincerity of faith in others but also in themselves. O'Connor's satire warns that religion as a tool of self-image rather than spiritual growth is devoid of its ability to redeem.

DB: Argument and Counterargument

In Theodore Roethke's poem My Papa's Waltz, the speaker recalls a vivid childhood memory of dancing with his father. While some interpret the poem as a negative description of abuse, I think that the poem is a rough but loving relationship between father and son. The tone, imagery, and use of language all point to the fact that despite the father's rough and even harmful behavior towards the boy, they spring from love and not malice.

Roethke's employment of words like "romped" (line 5) and "waltzed" (line 15) suggests playfulness, not hatred. The word "romped" suggests rough and forceful movement, much like the rough play that is typical between dads and sons. Secondly, while the father's drunkenness is evident—"The whiskey on your breath / Could make a small boy dizzy" (lines 1-2)—nothing indicates that he is doing this intentionally to harm the child. The child clings "like death" (line 3), which may be interpreted as fear but may also be interpreted as excitement or desperation for brief attention from his father.

Further, the mother's reaction complicates the discussion. Her "countenance / Could not unfrown itself" (lines 7-8) suggests disapproval but does not create the certainty that she is witnessing abuse. She may be simply irritated by the mess and chaos rather than concerned for her child's safety. Even the mention of the father's "battered" hand (line 10) doesn't necessarily include violence on the boy; it could simply be an effect of the father doing labor or hard work, highlighting the father as working-class breadwinner.

Ultimately, the poem is one capturing a rough but loving relationship between a son and father. Playfulness and love balance out the traits that would do harm, providing this with a poem about an imperfect yet cherished bond.