Revised introduction

In this post I completely re-worked my introduction. I think that my new version uses less broad generalizations, and more effectively lays out the importance of the issue as well as the skill of rhetorical analysis in my field. I also think that the 2nd version eliminates the need for an introductory section explaining the project.

Original Intro:

In 300 years will there still be rainforests in Brazil? Will it snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California? Will the Colorado river still run? What can we do as a society to ensure that the answers to these questions are favorable to humans?  The issue of how to address Climate Change is the biggest public environmental discussion of our time. Scientists almost unanimously agree that Climate Change is happening and that it is a direct result of human activities, and that the consequences of inaction will be devastating. Because of this, one of the main jobs of environmental activists today is to write about these issues in a way that gives readers hope and spurs them into action rather than overwhelming them into apathy. How do climate activists make arguments that are both compelling and accessible to the general public about a topic that is societally controversial? Bill Mckibben is a leading climate activist and environmental journalist writing and thinking about climate change and how to address it. In his 2013 article titled "Obama and Climate Change: The Real Story", he employs compelling and clear language to push for action. He uses shocking facts about the direness of our environmental situation, and potent language to emphasize that Obama has let us down when it comes to climate action. He ends with emotionally-charged stories of grassroots action and a hopeful tone for the future to leave readers feeling empowered to fight for change and pressure politicians into doing the right things.

Revised Intro:

President Obama recently travelled to Alaska to see firsthand the effects of climate change. In his travel log from the trip, he stated: "It’s my hope that decades and decades from now, when this generation has long since left the planet, we will have acted decisively. We will have left those generations with a planet they can continue to thrive on." This is a nice sentiment, but how much has Obama actually done during his time in office to combat climate change? This is the question explored by leading climate activist and environmental journalist, Bill Mckibben, in his 2013 article titled "Obama and Climate Change: The Real Story." An understanding of rhetorical strategies, how they are used, and how to use them, is vitally important in environmental fields because addressing environmental problems on a large scale will require convincing and mobilizing large groups of people for change. In this article, Mckibben uses shocking facts and about the direness of our environmental situation and powerful imagery to engage readers emotionally in the issue. He lays out stark contrasts to illustrate his main claims, and emphasizes them visually using bullet points to make it very clear to readers what he's arguing. He ends with emotionally-charged stories of grassroots action and a hopeful tone for the future that leaves readers feeling empowered to fight for change and pressure politicians into doing the right things.

Webb, Michaela "direction" summer 2015