Flowers and Candy

As I was thinking of what to for my rhetoric blog I looked over in my room and I saw this bouquet of flowers that was given to me as an "I'm Sorry" gift. Flowers and candy are often used as a way for people to "Win someones heart." In many cases between two people who are involved and in an argument, I'm Sorry's and I love you's are ways of making up, but flowers and candy is usually always the ice breaker.

I recently got into an argument with a friend of mine. He did something to hurt my feelings and and I stopped talking to him for a while. He texted and called me constantly apologizing and trying to win my friendship back, but I did not know how easily I could just forgive him. The next day I received an email from the common's desk stating that I had a package and a bouquet of perishable flowers waiting for me. I was completely baffled and didn't know who would possibly send me flowers. When I picked up my flowers and candy I went to the room and read the card and realized that it was from the friend I was arguing with. Although the card said the same things that he was saying before when I wouldn't forgive him, the flowers changed my entire perspective and made it much easier for me to forgive him.  The flowers were used to persuade me and positively modify the situation and cause me to forgive my friend. This is a perfect example of rhetorical exigence in everyday life.

MLK Day Of Service

Martin Luther King was an activist and a leader in the African American civil rights movement. He worked to end racial segregation and discrimination between black and whites. On Monday January 16th Penn State held a day of service in honor of Martin Luther King. Students on campus signed up to volunteer and spend the entire day doing volunteer work at different locations on an off campus. Some students stayed on campus and helped clean and assist workers at Penn State. Some students went to nursing homes to assist in caring for the elderly and accompanying them for the day. There was also a blood drive being held at the HUB that many people also participated in. Students where passing out flyers and recruiting other students to donate blood. Students of all different races and backgrounds participated in the day of service. Many new friendships and bond where made with different people who would have never thought they had so much in common and could relate to so many things.  It was great to see this type of civic engagement from the students at our school. It is common for people to only befriend their own “kind” or feel as if they have nothing in common with someone of a different race or lives a different type of life, and they do not take the time out to actually get to know them. The idea that we all served in honor of someone who spent most of his live trying to improve the relationship between blacks and whites in our country made me proud to have participated in the day of service. This civic engagement brought our campus closer at allowed people to recognize what Martin Luther King fought for and how much of an impact he has made on our communities today.