For my ACT tutoring, I am supposed to read magazines like “The Week” and “Newsweek”. Previously, I had been thinking about the crisis of mortgages and the housing market because of how popular the crisis is becoming, but I came across an article called “America underwater” in one of my magazines. That sparked some thought, so I went to talk to my parents about the topic. Although I do not have any first-hand experience, I decided that the solution could be easy: don’t let desire get the best of you and buy a house that simply exceeds your realistic price range. It has become a problem that people think that they can afford a house because it may only be slightly above their price limit, but they usually end up putting it up for sale, getting a foreclosure, or not even being able to finish the construction. My argument is that homebuyers should figure out what a realistic price limit is before investing in a house. They should not exceed the limit because when they spend more than they can afford and a bad situation arises, they can no longer maintain this price. The audience for my argument includes those who are looking to buy a house.
My strategy is to begin my argument with nice houses that many people would desire to own, but realistically cannot afford. Initially I planned on including homes that an average income can afford, but in the end I only have pictures of exquisite houses. My idea is that if I show the extreme situations, like very nice houses and foreclosures, then my point will be more obvious. For the first section I included photos of outside a house and the insides as well. I include the inside because it includes the situation of someone purchasing a normal house and filling it with exquisite merchandise. I found the most impressive house and opened the slideshow with it, and then I formatted the pictures so that there was a pattern between outdoor shots and indoor shots. I also added a picture of an expensive looking neighborhood to show that location of the house also has an affect on the price. In the second half I went directly to foreclosure as an extreme, yet increasingly common outcome. The last picture in the second half of the argument is shinny and gold, which is appealing and catches the eye. I make a pattern by switching off between foreclosure, for-sale, and half built pictures. I also include two cartoon pictures that show the correspondence between money and housing, which I find very effective because they show the direct correlation and make my argument more evident. I complete the slideshow with one rhetorical question and one final sentence. The question pulls together the first half of the pictures and questions whether this is realistically affordable. The last sentence is speaking to those who answer no to the question, which are most people. This is a powerful sentence that concludes the purpose of the argument in three, short words.
I chose this music because it does not have lyrics and all of the dynamic beats land on important parts in the slideshow. Also, a single note that is held constant emphasizes the transition between expensive houses and the horrible outcomes. String instruments are used in the song, which I find is more effective in moving the emotions in an observer. This is because of the elegance of the sound and the softness of the piece. It projects a feeling of hopefulness. I chose not to include lyrics in the music because of the seriousness of the situation and the fact that there are few songs written about this situation. I did not chose a pop song because my audience is not the younger population, but adults who may not listen to popular music. If I chose a song with lyrics it may direct the attention more to the music instead of the music being in the background. Also, if the music was more light-hearted, then it would decrease the seriousness of the situation. In the beginning of the slideshow the notes are a little more up beat and lively, which I hope gets the audience interested in the houses and in the slideshow. During the second part the notes become more staccato bringing on a more serious emotion. At the end, the notes are long and drawn out which emphasizes the question and statement. My hope is that as the music changes so do the emotions of the audience.
And that's that!
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h=125&tbnw=187&start=0&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:0&tx=158&ty=88
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http://i.usatoday.net/money/_photos/2011/09/21/Home-sales-jump-as-investors-swoop-in-6LDEED0-x-large.jpg
http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/the-condoist/assets_c/2010/11/HouseUnderConstruction-thumb-640xauto-255535.jpg
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http://www.ianmarshall.com/files/Atlanta_Mansions_over_1million.jpg
http://adventuresofzoocookie.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/interior.jpg
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