Investors Keep a Close Eye on November Elections

With the November elections approaching, investors will be paying close attention to the outcome. For the past several months, the stock market has rallied based on information that the November elections are likely to elect Republicans, which is expected to bolster big business, resulting in a better stock market.

In this article, the author has the purpose of raising awareness that the stock market may not be as stable as we think. The author was using a technique related to logos, appealing to the logic of the reader. This reasoning makes the reader believe it is likely that we could actually be in for a ride when it comes to the stock market by using examples.

Examples of this use of logic include referencing the fact that many investors expect Republicans to gain control of the House. Therefore, if they did not win the House, he reasons that as a result of the unexpected happening, the stock market will become increasingly unstable.

As a result of that instability, a reader using their logical reasoning could come to the conclusion that consumer confidence in the economy could decline, therefore resulting in a sharp drop in the stock market. All this could potentially take place without anything actually being done wrong by the Democratic party, so despite the performance of either party, the market could become become unstable.

Thanks to the authors strong use of reasoning in order to win over his readers, he is able to make a point that the stock market should be watched closely as election results are announced, as it could have a drastic effect on the economy.

Read the original article here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39937144/ns/business-stocks_and_economy/

Foreclosures May Have Made the Housing Crisis Worse

Ethos, pathos, logos. These words are three of the biggest elements in rhetorical analysis. Ethos refers to the credibility of the author in order to support one's claims. Pathos refers to the emotions the author intends to use to influence readers. Lastly, logos is the part of an article that appeals to the reader's logical reasoning.

In today's article, the authors uses all three of these elements to prove their point in which they present that many people believe that banks have been handling foreclosures improperly.

To begin with, the authors use ethos, or their credibility to win the readers support. The article was posted on the Reuters website, which is known as a reliable source of good information. That alone draws the attention of many readers, and helps the authors be more influential.

Next, the authors attempt to appeal to the readers emotion in order to win over the reader. This is the most evident of the three elements in this article, and it is brought to the readers attention very close to the beginning of the article in which it states, using a quote from Barack Obama, that it is shameful that financial institutions have possibly made the housing crisis worse due to improperly processing foreclosures.

The last of the three elements mentioned, logos, appeals to the readers logical reasoning. This element is not used nearly as noticeably as the others, but it is still used. In one particular instance, it uses in its argument that foreclosed homes make up 25 percent of home sales. Using a fact in an argument is a great use of logos, however, this article unfortunately does not have many facts, just opinions.

Using these elements to analyze an article can be very helpful when learning something. One cannot necessarily believe everything he or she reads, but through this analysis, it can be helpful to figure out which is worth more researching.

Refer to the original article here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69G10J20101017

Randy Moss: Why was he traded?

In any article, video, or other form of media, the author always has an intended message for his readers. Randy Moss, an elite wide receiver in the NFL, was traded by the New England Patriots to the Minnesota Vikings for a 3rd round draft pick and over the past few days, there has been much speculation as to the real reasoning Randy Moss was traded. A rhetorical analysis of an article can be used to try to determine the meaning the author intended.

According to the article, a week before the trade, Randy Moss and quarterback Tom Brady got into an argument in the locker room. Tom Brady expressed concern about Moss' behavior, and as a result, the two got into an argument in which they had to be separated.

When analyzing this story, one could infer that because the author reported a story that attempts to explain why the Patriots traded away one of their top receivers, then the author may believe that the Patriots made a mistake. Also, one could infer that the author does not have faith in Randy Moss being a good person, and the author may expect that trend to continue.

Readers use rhetorical analysis quite often, whether they realize it or not. Through rhetorical analysis, much is learned about the message, as well as the author. When related to this article about Randy Moss, his trade, and his altercation with Tom Brady, the reader really learns a good portion about the situation.

The importance of the Randy Moss trade remains to be seen over the rest of the NFL season. Over the next few weeks, it is almost certain that more news about Randy Moss and the circumstances of the trade are to surface. Only time will tell how much we will learn.

Read the full article here:
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2010/10/cbs-tom-brady-randy-moss-had-to-be-separated-after-altercation/1