Persausive Essay Summary

Paper topic and thesis statement:

PepsiCo is one of the world’s most familiar consumer food and beverage companies, offering brands like Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Tropicana and Quaker.  The company offers more than 500 beverages and snacks that appeal to every consumer age group and demographic category, spanning every time of the day.  These brands also serve a wide variety of consumer needs- from fun and enjoyment to health and nutrition- and they remain the single greatest reason for PepsiCo’s continued success.   “Today, PepsiCo is a $29 billion company, employing more than 150,000 people speaking more than 40 languages around the globe.  The company is consistently recognized for its corporate citizenship, philanthropic efforts and diversity programs,” (The Pepsi-Cola Story).  All of these factors contribute to PepsiCo being the best food and beverage company in the world.

Arguement:

Many will argue still today that there is a great Cola War still brewing between PepsiCo and Coca-Cola.  Yet Pepsi, fueled by smarter and more aggressive advertising campaigns, has moved ahead.  PepsiCo achieved a new CEO in 2006, Indra Nooyi, who completely changed the game for this company.  The company started a new strategy: Better- For –You Products.  With the growing concern about obesity in our nation, the company decided it needed to offer an alternative beverage to the market. 

Supporting evidence:

PepsiCo is also very committed to helping their community develop healthy lifestyles by helping in a program called Activate America.

Arguement #2:

Many will argue that despite all the contributions this company has made to its consumers, that it’s still a sugary, fatty cola company.  Recently, Pepsi fell to the number three spot in ranking carbonated beverages.  In the new CEO defense, it’s difficult to make carbonated drinks healthy. 

Supporting evidence:

Today PepsiCo is the world’s fourth-largest food and beverage company.  This company has a strong plan to continue to expand with a large lineup of convenience foods and drinks that provide great taste and nutrition.  The company has contributed millions of dollars and countless hours of its employee’s time in providing humanitarian and philanthropic aide through countless programs, grants, and organizations.

Research, Research, Research

Works Cited

“The Pepsi-Cola Story.” 

©2005 PepsiCo, Inc. Purchase, N.Y.-based Pepsi-Cola North America

 (www.pepsi.com)

PepsiCo Contributions & Programs/PepsiCo.com

http://www/pepsi.com/Purpose/PepsiCo-Contributions/Programs

“Coke vs. Pepsi…Are the Cola Wars Finally Over?” by Tony D’Altorio

http://www.investment.com/2010/November/are-the-coke-vs-pepsi-cola-wars-over.html

“The Pepsi Challenge Loses its Fizz,” by Tony D’Altorio

http://www.investment.com/2011/March/the-pepsi-challenge-loses-fizz.html

PepsiCo Values & Philosophy/PepsiCo.com

http://www.pepsico.com/Company/PepsiCo-Values-and-Philosophy.html

PepsiCo Purpose & Foundation/PepsiCo.com

http://www.pepsico.com/Purpose/PepsiCo-Foundation.html

PepsiCo Foundation – Disaster Response

http://www.pepsico.com/Purpose/Pepsico-Foundation/Disaster Response.html

Style

I found many of these to be helpful when writing my paper, as I am guilty of a few.
#6.  Do not overwrite.
I tend to get carried away at times, especially when writing about a topic I am passionate about.  I babble and carry on jusst when speaking and seem to carry that into my writing style.  I think that one goes hand in hand with #7. Do not overstate.  It's hard to not want to fill in some gaps with slightly more exciting text.
I don't think I'm ever guilty of #14, Avoid fancy words.  Being a brash person myself, I tend to just spit it out without needing to make it sound prettier than it is.
#17 was a good one for me to read as I was going over my papr beause it would have been easy for me to place a lot of my opinion in a paper about my favorite drink...or rather the company that produces my favorite drink.
#20 is kind of the "dah" one.  At this level of writing, no one should be adding foreign languages.

Effective Arguement

Logos:
He clarifies all of the reasons for his arguments and supports them well. His arguments are also logical in their appeal. For example, in the beginning of his letter he gives a response to the clergymen’s claim that the demonstrations were unwise and untimely. He states that the Negro community had no alternative except to prepare for direct action. He supports this claim by saying that the Negro leaders sought to negotiate with the city fathers, but they consistently refused to engage in good-faith negotiation. He also gives more support to his argument by writing about another incident in September when the Negro leaders finally got their chance to talk with the leaders of Birmingham. He states that in the course of negotiations certain promises were made by the merchants-for example to remove the stores’ humiliating racial sings. On the basis of these promises, the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth and the leaders of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights agreed to a moratorium on all demonstrations. As the weeks and the months went on, they realized that they were the victims of broken promises, because the signs went back up. Due to the fact that their hopes were yet again blasted they were forced to resort to direct action. This is just one example of many others in which Martin Luther King makes excellent appeals to logos.
Ethos:
He establishes this from the very start of the argument. In the first paragraph he sets the tone for the letter. He states that he wants to answer the clergymen’s statements in patient and reasonable terms. Also, he establishes his credibility in the second paragraph by responding to the clergymen’s view that he was an outsider coming in. He reveals that he is the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. This clearly establishes his credibility on arguments and claims throughout his letter. Martin Luther King also appeals to ethos by even stating the clergymen’s views throughout his letter, which of course embodies the alternative to his views. 


Pathos:
The last issue addressed in King’s letter is that of the Birmingham police force being commended for keeping “order” and “preventing violence”. This section contains the greatest sense of pathos in the letter. He starts out by talking about some of the actions that the police force took, such as letting dogs loose on the people and their treatment of the people. He states that he saw the dogs sinking their teeth into unarmed, nonviolent Negroes. He says that the clergymen would not so quickly commend the police if they observed their ugly and inhumane treatment of Negroes in the city jail; if they were to watch them push and kick old Negro man and young boys; if they were to observe them refuse the give the demonstrators food because they wanted to sing their grace together.

Logical Fallacies

Ethos:

It is wrong to murder.

For those of us that choose to live by God's standards, it's against the 6th commandment..."Thou Shall Not Kill..."  It's also wrong because it's not up to man but God to choose who lives and who dies.
Murder is stealing another person's right to live, without their consent.
It is also wrong because it is illegal in all fifty states of the US, and every country I can think of at this moment.  It goes directly against the Constitution of the United States which gives us the right to "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness..."
Last but not least, it's pretty socially unacceptable!


Pathos:

Denote $ to save the whales, or these poor cats/dogs, or any other animal on those commercials...

A personal note:  Having a really huge heart for all God's living creatures.  I really wish they'd stop putting those commercials on tv as it makes my son cry every time.
And, that's what they are going for...which I explain to my child every time. 
These ads are meant to appeal to those people who cannot stand to see suffering of any kind.  They display the most pathetic, sickly, underweight animals available to them.  Fact:  before these animals start getting any medical treatment to help their health, they are used to make these commercials.  I guess I see where it would be beneficial but it's that the same thing as all those animals rights activits are fighting against??
They use your pity as a tactic to get you to donate your money.  They use words like compassionate people, which leaves you feeling like a sick jerk if you don't have the funds to send.  Below is one of the favorites I found when searching for some goodies...

"Animals are sentient, sapient, innocent beings. That they should be persecuted, tortured, and murdered - simply for existing - represents the most profane violation of basic morality and decency."

It reminds me of smooth boys I used to date when I was younger.  They would just say about anything to get what they wanted.  Nothing is off limits.  Sorry, best analogy I can think of.


Slippery Slope:

If we pass laws against fully-automatic weapons, then it won't be long before we pass laws on all weapons, and then we will begin to restrict other rights, and finally we will end up living in a communist state. Thus, we should not ban fully-automatic weapons.

You should never gamble. Once you start gambling you find it hard to stop. Soon you are spending all your money on gambling, and eventually you will turn to crime to support your earnings.

If I make an exception for you then I have to make an exception for everyone.

Topic

PepsiCo is the best soft drink company available to consumers.   This company is known in over 200 countries with over 500 snacks and soft drinks available to all consumer age groups.

"Throughout the ’80s, a long list of stars and

superstars lent their magic to Pepsi, including
pop music icons Lionel Richie, Tina Turner,
David Bowie, Glen Frey and Gloria Estefan
and sports greats Joe Montana and Dan
Marino. Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman
vice-presidential candidate in the U.S.,
starred in a Diet Pepsi spot. The irrepressible
Michael J. Fox brought a special talent, style
and spirit to a series of Pepsi and Diet Pepsi
commercials. Michael Jackson returned to
star in the first-ever episodic commercial, and
Pepsi made its first trip on the Space Shuttle,
carried in a specially designed “space can.”"

"Today, PepsiCo is a $29 billion

company, employing more than
150,000 people speaking more
than 40 languages around the
globe. The company is
consistently recognized for
its corporate citizenship,
philanthropic efforts and diversity
programs."

It is the world’s fourth-largest

food and beverage company—
and is staking its claim as the
global leader in convenience
foods and beverages. PepsiCo has
a strong plan to continue to
expand with an enormous lineup
of convenience foods and drinks
that provide great taste, nutrition
and fun around
the clock."
"Look around and you’ll see PepsiCo’s
brands in nearly 200 countries. The
company offers more than 500 beverages
and snacks that appeal to every consumer
age group and demographic category,
spanning every time of the day. These
brands also serve a wide variety of
consumer needs—from fun and
enjoyment to health and nutrition—and
they remain the single greatest reason for
PepsiCo’s continued success."

When Your Opinion Matters

Unfortunately, a week doesn't go by when I wish I would have worded something differently.  Whether for the purpose of getting my point across more effectively or because I stuck my giant foot in my mouth again, I usually have doubt over what I say several times a month.
I am currently helping run a flag football/cheerleading league.  It has been very stressful what with also being a full time student and mother of three.  There has been countless times these last few months where I had the opportunity to voice my opinion but was practically shut down before even considered.  It's very frustrating to feel like you don't have a voice in the matter, especially when you donate hours of your time to something.
When I look back on the times when I felt my opinion was not considered, I see now that I wasn't able to sucessfully get my views across.

There are other aspects of my life where my arguementative skills get much better use, especially when it deals with home or domestic issues.  One of the ways I parent my children is to express to them way something needs to be a certain way or way something was wrong and am usually sucessful in having them see my views.  Almost shockingly sucessful, since it's dealing with children.

Muddiest Point!

The first part that isn't my strongest suite in regards to writing this paper is reading one of my two choices is utilizing APA format.  Last semester, I had to write every paper in my human disease course in this format and it is really confusing for me.  I also think it's a little redundant which is ironic to me since we are taught in English classes to not write redundantly. 
It's a little muddy which format I should utilize as my field of study does utilize both formats.

I also am a little ensure of what topic matter I should choose now as I was always taught that persuasive papers did argue for or against a certain position.

In writing these papers, it's always been easy for me to write mostly about logic knowing to utilize the emotional or moral appeals only when wanting to emphasize something more.  Utilizing these more sparingly is correct because you are writing as though you are working for that certain group, organization, etc. If you were, you would not want your personal emotions clouding the facts and getting in the way of providing the facts that help lead people to seeing your view.