Unit 2 Portfolio Author's Note

My final portfolio includes all of the paper assignments that could be printed and the rest is on this blog or in the hands of one of my students (i.e., my comments on their drafts, body paragraphs, brainstorming, etc.). I completed the Rhetorical Analysis Questions and the Toulmin Charts for 2 sources as I added them into my analysis. My final draft of the paper is the first thing you will find in the portfolio. I think that it adds insight to a situation bombarded by media of all kinds because it uncovers some of the stylistic elements and literary devices that are put to use by many authors daily. It is my belief that this portfolio is complete and satisfies the requirements of the unit.

Best Wishes,

Holly Buechner

Development of Rhetorical Case Study

As I have edited and revised the draft of my Rhetorical Case Study I have seen it change quite a bit. Not only did I add more details to the draft with each revision, I also discovered new rhetorical strategies at work within the articles themselves. I was then able to include these new insights in my essay. It was also interesting for me to see how my original thoughts on what I might find in the articles were sometimes spot on and were at other times completely off base. I thought I would find many more articles expressing disappointment in Phelps for smoking marijuana. As it turns out, most of the articles that I found were supportive of him and of his career and urged the public to forgive and forget. I had originally thought that Phelps would be depicted as apologetic as he addressed the claims made against him. This turned out to be a proper assumption, as he did not once try to deny the claims or make himself seem innocent. He owned his actions and apologized directly, which was exactly what I had expected. Over all, the essay has grown and developed a lot over the past few weeks as I have expanded upon many of my original ideas. 

My Case Study and the Community

I think that the topic I have chosen for my Rhetorical Case Study affects the community simply because it involves one of the most popular names in America, Michael Phelps. Because he made such a name for himself with his performance at the 2008 Olympic Games, he cannot be far from the public eye. It is because of this that most everyone has heard about the issue of him smoking marijuana. The community is also affected because Michael Phelps is associated with the YMCA and programs for young athletes all around the nation. Children have now seen something unattractive in their hero and role model and have to sort through this information. Their view of a role model has been shaken and Phelps will have to regain the trust of his fans and admirers.

Author's Note, Rhetorical Case Study Draft

This draft is missing analysis for one more source. It is also missing a conclusion. I have not focused as much on the transitions for the paper yet and have not focused on the introduction with as much intensity as I did the body paragraphs. It is very much a draft and I greatly appreciate your feedback. If something doesn't flow or should be rearranged or anything like that, please let me know. Also let me know if it is sounding biased or repetitive or anything else you notice!

Thanks so much,

Holly

Prewriting

Prewriting

Connections between sources
So far, the sources that I have seen are connected by their support for Michael Phelps despite his recent run in with the law. A couple of sources have called this a “non issue” and are trying to get it put in the past as quickly as possible. I have seen a little bit of denial within the community as well through these sources. Some sources are saying that the photo was “allegedly” taken and that he may have been pictured with drug paraphernalia but was not actually smoking pot. Most of the sources are making an attempt to keep this issue as small as possible and not let it get out of hand.

Summary/Controlling Idea
The media is supportive of Michael Phelps, despite his recent photograph with a marijuana pipe, and most would like to see the buzz fade around this issue rather than see it get even larger. They are trying to encourage the general public that the issue with Phelps is not a big deal.

Organization

Order of Sources

*Intro* introduce the way we view athletic heroes/superstars, responsibilities that come along with that, tell the story of what happened (could use the statement source here), concerns this might raise in the general public, get into the media’s viewpoint

1. Olympic Hero in Times Square (showing original view of Phelps, post Olympics)
2. Phelps Sorry for Regrettable Behavior (original statement)
3. Phelps Backed by Sponsors (little change in view of Phelps)
4. Additional Source in support of Phelps (either the pastor or police commentary)

*Conclusion* Review the ways in which the issue was presented within each source, do a bit of analysis of how affective the media’s argument has been in the lives of the public.

Justification of chosen organizational methods

I will organize my paper sort of like a narrative. The story itself has developed over time and our view of Michael Phelps has developed overtime as well, so by writing the paper in this same way, I will be connecting it to the bigger picture. I think that it will work well to describe how he was viewed pre-incident, describe the incident itself using his statement, and then go into the reactions of different sources to the incident. The sources themselves are pretty similar. They are all in support of the athlete, but they portray the incident in slightly different ways.

Transitions

The transition from source one to source two will be one reminding the reader of how the media and public viewed Phelps going into the incident.
The transition from source two to three will be one that makes the reader interested in how Michael’s sponsors reacted to his actions.
The transition from source three to four will be one that makes the reader interested in seeing another point of view on Michael’s actions.

Viewpoint

Throughout the research process my opinion on the matter of Michael Phelps being photographed smoking marijuana has changed in a couple of ways. While not approving of his actions, I have come to a place of greater understanding. I have also come to view this occurrence as a smaller issue than I originally did. 

There are so many sources showing support for Phelps and there are very few that are dramatically opposed to his being viewed as a role model despite these actions. I began to see that there is little reason to be disappointed for a long period of time because of Michael's apology and his lack of misbehavior previously. He was sincere in his apology, as far as we can tell, and there is no way to determine whether or not he was sincere until later. So for now, it is my opinion that we should accept Michael's apology and not let it taint how we perceive him as an athlete and role model while still keeping in mind his youth. Even though he is an olympic athlete, he is still a person who makes mistakes. I might have been more disappointed in Phelps if I had not done this research.

Pre-Writing for Primary Source Workshop

One of the concerns that I am having so far in my research process is the lack of material within the sources that I have found. I have found multiple primary sources but they lack depth because they are things like interviews, statements, etc. I'm also concerned with the way they will fit together for an essay. I have one source from before Michael Phelps was photographed smoking marijuana, his statement on the matter, and one source from after he gave his statement. They all seem to fit together but I am concerned as to whether or not I will be able to write an essay with the information that I have gathered thus far.

Source 1: This is a primary source because it is an interview with Michael Phelps directly and is not any sort of analysis on the interview. I chose this source because the questions asked by the interviewers are very telling of the media's view of Michael post Olympic success. This source is about Michael and his life and success at the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing. It talks about Michael's up and coming endorsements that he is receiving as well. Light-hearted humor is put to use in this source as it is trying to humanize the champion who seems untouchable to the masses.

Source 2: This is a primary source because it is a statement made by Michael himself and not by anyone there or anyone who heard about it. It is simply the statement that he gave the press. I chose this source because it had potential to give a reason for a change in the media's view of Phelps. What he said was very important to his image on many levels. In the source, Phelps addresses the photograph of him smoking marijuana and assures the public that it will never happen again. The strategies combine to reassure people that he is still a good guy and can be a role model.

Source 3: This is a primary source as it is simply giving factual information about Phelps' sponsors rather than analyzing why they are or are not backing him after this incident. It is a report straight from the sponsors. I chose this source because the idea of losing sponsors was and is very important to Phelps as a result of his actions. This source is about two of the leading sponsors of Michael's career that are standing by him even though he acted in the way that he did. The article is short and uses that to its advantage here. It shows that there is little need for discussion and debate over the matter and that it can be cleared up and left alone.

Research Process

Throughout the research process I found ample information for my topic, the media portrayal of Michael Phelps, before and after his drug use incident. I found sources that portrayed Michael with god like qualities right after the 2008 Olympic games. Other sources describe him in a more human light after the incident without tearing him down. There seems to be as much support for Michael as there was before because I believe the media has been doing their best not to taint the image of such a popular, heroic figure in the minds of people all across the United States. I will also be using Michael's official statement as one of my sources. 

Because Phelps is so popular, there has been plenty of media coverage for me to analyze in this paper. Despite the volume of articles and sources, there is little diversity amongst them. Most of the opinions are similar and are showing support for Michael, mostly because of his apology rather than denial of his actions. Continued research should be interesting as I write this paper.