Madison Przybylski
Dr. Weaver
Engl 1102 Section 322
13 April 2022
Major Project 3
“Experience your education” is how Brevard College states its goal as an institution. From the moment you enter the website, it is evident that community involvement is an important part of how the college conducts itself because pictures of its students and faculty are prominent throughout the page. An ideal prospect for Brevard College would be someone who prides themselves on community and impact. Students who thrive in smaller environments with substantial amounts of support would flourish in this institution, especially since opportunities for growth in a wide variety of fields are plentiful.
Analysis
The author of the website uses phrases, such as, “experience the difference,” and “the mountains are your classroom” to illustrate the dynamics of the college. Upon entering the “Life at Brevard” tab, statistics about the university’s student population are presented inside a large, blue box, which is certainly eye-catching. From the 30 states, 10 countries, and 80 percent of students living on campus, Brevard College is “a place where academics, athletics, mountains, music, art, and small-town living combine to create an ideal environment for learning, experience, and growth.” To further illustrate this, the author continues to state that the town of Brevard has been nationally recognized as the “best place to live,” as well as the “coolest small town.” Experiential Education and Learning serve as Brevard’s mission, displayed by the heading under the “About Brevard” section which states: “Learn to serve.”
Imaging Ideal Readers is a rhetorical strategy that presents itself as an understatement of the larger picture, in a humble manner. The author of the webpage appeals to both Purpose and Imaging Ideal Readers rhetoric by illustrating the importance of its students and their academic experiences while leaving a comfortable boundary to allow prospects to discover their paths. Brevard acknowledges everyone while collectively putting forth the effort to build a bond between its students and faculty. On their school’s homepage, sight words and phrases like “Brevard could be the perfect fit for you!” and “100% faculty is dedicated to teaching” exhibit awareness about what audiences they are trying to reach. As mentioned by Elizabeth Losh and Jonathan Alexander in Understanding Rhetoric, “A good way to read something critically is to think about ideal readers… those most likely to be “persuaded or affected” by an author’s work” (Losh & Alexander 97). Given this information, a convoluted narrative is the opposite of what Brevard College is searching to embed in its website instead, it is using verbiage to create an instructive atmosphere that prospective students, faculty, parents, and everyone in between will comprehend.
Response
If boundaries were not an issue, I would attend Brevard College. After perusing through their website, I took it upon myself to look up pictures of the city of Brevard. The city and its surrounding areas are mountainous and have a heavily influenced natural culture. To name a few reasons, I would enroll at Brevard College because of its small/intimate atmosphere, the beautiful scenery, and the abundant student life without a heavy sports culture. The thing that really caught my attention about this school and its location was the idea of leaving and regressing back to an environment not engulfed by consumerism and large eyesore buildings. I am undoubtedly a city person, however, if location, finances, and other materialistic boundaries were not in the way, I think I would find a spot on their campus just fine.
Works Cited
“Brevard College: Your Academic Adventure Awaits!” Brevard College, 12 Apr. 2022, brevard.edu.
Explore Brevard. “Brevard | North Carolina’s Land of Waterfalls | Official Tourism Site.” Explore Brevard, 6 Apr. 2022, explorebrevard.com.
Losh, Elizabeth, et al. Understanding Rhetoric: A Graphic Guide to Writing. 3rd ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2020.