Newt Gingrich Platforms Article

This article, http://newtgingrich360.com/newt-gingrich-solutions describing Newt Gingrich’s platform on several issues, can be found on his campaign website. The author’s purpose for this article is to persuade people that Newt should be the next President by informing them of his beliefs. This is because the article is nearly all opinion, but the way it’s stated is matter-of-factly, as if the author wants to inform. Also, there is little evidence of any usage of persuasive strategies.

          The author’s viewpoint is that not only Newt Gingrich should be President, but that his platforms on issues should be implemented if he is elected. I think this because of a couple of reasons. First, the author uses a text structure of problem/solution, which shows that the author presented the problems as current issues, and the solutions as what Newt would do to solve those issues. Also, the author uses connotations to slant your opinion, such as “big government Obamacare”, “revolutionary idea”, and “safeguard freedom”.

          In terms of the accuracy of this source, if you are looking for Newt’s beliefs on issues, and if you are looking for the candidate you want to vote for, then this is a good source, and the information is reliable because it comes straight from Newt Gingrich. But, the quality of evidence in this article is not good at all. Like I mentioned earlier, this source is almost completely opinion, so I would suggest you should stay away from this article if you are looking for facts about Newt Gingrich, not his opinions.

Rick Santorum Biography

This short biography http://www.ricksantorum.com/why-rick can be found on Rick Santorum’s campaign website. Because of this, similar to the other biographies I have analyzed, the author’s purpose is to persuade people that Rick Santorum should be the next President of the U.S. I think this because the author uses persuasive strategies such as logos- “He served eight years on the Senate Armed Services Committee”, and pathos- “But of all his accomplishments, Rick is most proud of his role as a husband and father.”

            The author’s viewpoint, similar to the purpose, is that Rick Santorum is the best candidate for President because of his credentials. There are a couple of reasons why I think this. First, the author uses a chronological text structure, which shows that he/she wants to show how much Santorum has done in his short time (compared to the other candidates) in politics. Also, the author uses a lot of connotations to slant your opinion, such as “championed legislation” and “bravely proposed”.

            I believe that this is an accurate source of information because it comes directly from the subject: Rick Santorum.  Despite this, though, the quality of this evidence is not great because a lot of this information is slanted, and it can be hard to determine fact from opinion. So, if you are trying to decide who to vote for president, then this source might be better than if you wanted just facts for a research paper.

Ron Paul

This article http://www.ronpaul2012.com/who-is-ron-paul/  is a biography about Ron Paul from his campaign website. Because of this, the author’s purpose is, obviously, to persuade people that because of his previous career, Ron Paul is the best candidate for president. There are a lot of persuasive strategies used in this article. For example, ethos is used when the article refers to Paul as “Dr. Paul”, to show people that he must be reliable because he is a doctor. Also, logos was used when the article says that “Dr. Paul has delivered more than 4,000 babies!” to again show people that he is trustworthy.

            The author’s viewpoint, similar to the purpose, is that Ron Paul should be the next President of the US. This is shown with the use of slanted language, using connotations such as “premier advocate” and “voluntarily relinquished”. Also, the author uses a chronological text structure to show how long Paul’s career has been and the many things that he has done.

            I think that this is an accurate source in terms of facts about Ron Paul, but so much of it has opinion that you have to be careful as to the “effect” of all of his “causes”. Since this article is from his campaign website, all the information should be true because it comes directly from the source. So, in terms of the quality of this evidence, it is good, but you wouldn’t want to go to this website for pure, objective facts. 

Barack Obama Biography

This biography http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president-obama is a brief description of Barack Obama that can be found on the White House’s website. I think that because of this the author’s purpose is to inform people of President Obama’s achievements, more than to persuade them to vote for him in the upcoming election, because technically the White House can not interfere with the affairs of an election campaign. Also, the article is mostly objective, as evidence of any persuasive strategies used is limited. Despite this, there is some bias, for example, they try to appeal to the average person: “His story is the American story — values from the heartland, a middle-class upbringing in a strong family.”

            The author’s viewpoint is not extremely clear as this is, like I said earlier, an objective biography. If there was a viewpoint, it is probably that Obama has many achievements and that he has had a good career. This is because there is a little bit of slanted language in the biography, such as “unwavering belief” and “his is the American story”. Also, the text structure of description shows that the author wants to give the facts about Obama, but still can work in that opinion.

            I believe this is an accurate source for one main reason- it comes from the official White House website, which is secure and a government website. This means that the evidence from this source is of good quality, and if you want to research plain facts, this is a good article. There is a little opinion worked into the facts through connotations, but if you look past them, this article is objective.

Mitt Romney Biography

This short biography http://www.mittromney.com/learn/mitt can be found on Mitt Romney’s campaign website. The author’s purpose, then, is to provide a background of Mitt Romney that will persuade people that he should be elected for President. It is clear this is the author’s purpose simply because the biography is on a website that is pro-Mitt Romney. Also, the author uses many persuasive strategies. For example, logos is used to show how Mitt Romney served in the private sector under Bain Capital. Also, pathos was used when the author focuses on the fact that Mitt’s “unwavering care and devotion” helped his wife get through her ordeals with multiple sclerosis and breast cancer.

            The author’s viewpoint of this biography is that Mitt Romney is the best person to be the new president. A lot of slanted language to prove this is shown through connotations such as “impressive skills” and “intimate knowledge” is used to describe Mitt as opposed to just using the words skills and knowledge. Also, the text structure of description is used, which shows that the author chose to describe Mitt Romney in-depth and in a good light.

            Despite the bias, this source is still accurate, because it comes from the subject’s website. The facts are all correct; you just have to watch out for how they are presented. For example, the fact that Romney helped his wife through multiple sclerosis and breast cancer is true, but the author uses this as a way to convince you that Romney is a caring person and lives a life similar to many Americans.

            So, in terms of evidence quality, if you are looking for clear-cut facts on Mitt Romney, this might not be your best source, because its purpose is to persuade more than to inform, and there is a lot of opinion worked into the facts. If, though, you are trying to decide who to vote for president, this might be a better source, like all the articles I will be analyzing.