what makes me feel comfortable in a class: background noise, laid-back vibe, classmates are respectful, professor is available, dimmer lights.
what makes me uncomfortable in a class: no room to move around, silence, no visual aids, professor hovers over.
Who is the author? What are his intentions? He is a journalist, but he has said “I don’t think of myself as a real journalist.” He has some controversy surrounding his writing. This writing was intended to be sarcastic with some humor.
Does he treat opposing sides fairly? No. He demeans people who are “yankee haters”. He does this to emphasize the sarcasm.
What is the rhetorical context? He includes references to events that happened and were relevant at the time of publication. He is responding to events such as Alex Rodriguez being traded to the Yankees.
Who is the intended audience? Anyone who dislikes the Yankees is the audience he is speaking to.
What values do the writer and reader have in common? Both have passion for baseball, and Stein is using that passion to get a reaction out of the audience.
Does the writer use illustrations or examples to prove points, show events, or explain methods? He uses a lot of past events that were relevant in 2004 to emphasize his writing.
Does the writer build a case for his position by starting with widely accepted knowledge? No. He starts off with opinions/accusations in a harsh manner.
Does the author appeal to reason? Not really. This is not to be taken very seriously.
Does the author use/invoke emotion to help make the point of the story? Yes, for comedic purposes.
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