"Israel in a Post-Deal World" Precis and Response

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/08/opinion/israel-in-a-post-deal-world.html?ref=middleeast

Ami Ayalon, in his “Israel in a Post-Deal World” (Sept. 2015), asserts that Israel needs to accept the Iran nuclear deal and use it to come closer to the United States and be ready in the event that Iran misuses their privileges and proceeds to develop a nuclear bomb. He supports this by reminding us how important the Israeli-American relationship is and how ineffective it is for Prime Minister Netanyahu to be in conflict with the White House, while also touching on Iran’s tendencies to be unreliable in the past and explaining that when the day comes when Iran violates the deal, a military option should be considered because sanctions have already been put into place. His purpose is to help readers and Israelis understand what the reality is, in order that they will be ready and able to respond effectively if the deal falls apart. His audience is anybody who wants to be educated about the current conflicts in the Middle East, and he forms a relationship with his audience by appealing to logos and showing what Israel needs to do from a logical and reasonable perspective.

I find myself agreeing with much of Ayalon’s statements in his New York Times article “Israel in a Post-Deal world.” To the dismay of many, President Obama has garnered enough Senate support to move forward with the Iran nuclear deal. Ayalon makes a great point when he urges us that this challenge is something that should bring us closer, not pull us apart. Our relationship with the United States should only grow stronger, because when that day comes when Iran violates this deal, we need to know how to take action. America by our side will only be beneficial for us.

We need to take heed of the idea that “we must prepare a viable military option.” I mean, how far do we have to go? America has already imposed hefty sanctions on Iran’s economy. Now, they are being lifted on the condition that Iran complies with the deal for a certain amount of time. If they proceed to violate it again after that, it is time to turn to a last but necessary resort. There is no time to play games when it comes to a country like Iran, because in eight short years they will have a stock load of ballistic missiles. However, when America and Israel join together in military force, Iran doesn’t hold a candle to the things we can do.

Sometimes in life, things don’t necessarily go as planned for you. The key is adapting as you go along, making the most of each situation and adjusting accordingly. For Israel, a potentially nuclear Iran is far from ideal. However, it is time to move on from a stage of “we need to prevent this deal from going through” to “we need to do whatever we can to make sure Iran stays in strict compliance with the rules of the deal.” Together with America, we can ensure that will happen.

Mac Vs. PC Commercial Rhetorical Precis JJ/Efraim

Apple, a computer software company, in its commercial “Choose a Vista” (2007), argues that Apple’s software package encompasses everything you need in one computer, while Windows has many different options, none of which combine product and price like Apple. They develop this claim by comparing the different Windows options to a spin wheel, in which there is no perfect option, while the Apple representative sits content with the software he has. The purpose of the author is to put down Windows in order to highlight the flawless Apple package, with the ultimate purpose of selling Apple computers. The audience is all consumers, and Apple tries to establish a trust relationship by using humor which appeals to pathos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Yt30wrbl4

(commercial starts at 1:30 and ends at 2:00)

Kristof Rhetorical Precis and Personal Response

Rhetorical Precis

Nicholas Kristof, in his “Kristof: Lessons From the Virginia Shooting” (New York Times, 26 Aug. 2015), asserts that America needs to start taking gun violence seriously and strengthen it’s gun restrictions. First he brings in statistical data to highlight the damage guns have caused over the years, using logos, then he appeals to ethos by bringing in the story of the shooter in Virginia and how he was “waiting to go BOOM!!!!” He then tries to theorize about possible solutions and restrictions, and he used the analogy of the car to represent how America goes to such far lengths to ensure the safety of drivers, so why are guns ignored? His purpose is to persuade the reader and America that we need to do more, because guns are taking away countless lives each year. His audience is the American public and the government, and he excludes anyone that is not in our country.

Response

Nicholas Kristof’s opinion article, “Kristof: Lessons From the Virginia Shooting,” opened my eyes to the real dangers of gun violence in America. The data he provides is astounding. The fact that more Americans die by gun homicide or suicide every six months than have been killed in the past twenty-five in every terrorist attack and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combined is absolutely shocking and troublesome. It seems to me that whenever I open up Yahoo or the Commercial Appeal, there is another story about a little child playing with his father’s gun while he is sleeping and inadvertently shooting his father to death. How are we standing by and letting this happen? Something needs to be done. These are kids that will have to live with the reality that they took their father’s life for the rest of their own. Additionally, the lack of security and precautions regarding guns in America is also stunning. Kristof remarks that “if someone steals an iPhone, it requires a PIN; guns don’t.” How is it that we go to such extreme measures for a measly cell phone, yet we sit back in the face of human life? Something has to be done.