Posing as Lori Lightfoot

Rhetoric is an Integrated Humanities class in GCE. In my Rhetoric course, we learn about the art of persuading different audiences through writing and speaking techniques. For this unit, we studied the way important figures in history interacted with others using a rhetorical analysis. In a rhetorical analysis there is the speaker, audience, genre, occasion, and purpose. When rhetorically analyzing something, you can also use Aristotle's 3 appeals : Logos, Pathos, and Ethos. In this unit we applied rhetorical thinking to hands-on projects and Field Experiences. In the beginning of the unit we had to analyze a Fender Guitar AD and make a slideshow on how it was rhetorically successful. We took that project to a new level by actually getting to see Fender Guitars along with several other instruments at the Chicago Music Exchange, a music equipment retailer. Getting the opportunity to see these instruments and the way retailers sell them demonstrated how people use rhetorical thinking. Our action project for this class is focused around a political figure. The mission is to convince an audience that they’re a trustworthy candidate through a speech. Our job was to select a mayoral candidate in Chicago. I chose Lori Lightfoot and wrote a scripted speech, acting as if I were her in an interview. The speech is supposed to include logos, pathos, ethos, and effective oratory. You then have to take a video of yourself reading the interview question you made up with the answer to it, posing as your candidate. Later on we will get the chance to read these speeches at a people’s assembly.

Design and Engineering: Making A Tool For You

In Design and Engineering class, we learn about producing things that we can use in our everyday lives. We also incorporate Mathematics and Physics to understand what components go into designing products. In this unit, we learned about simple machines and how they are used. For example, we got to see how wedges, levers, and inclined planes work before learning about tools and how people use them in their everyday life.

This action project was about empathy, but mainly about how we can use empathy to develop new tools for people who may not function the way the “average” person does. The user would be an elderly person, but the tool I made can be used by anyone with a physical or mental disability. Our main focus was to make a product for someone that is of old age and has difficulties with using regular tools. Empathy is understanding how someone really feels. In order to create a product for someone else, we need to use empathy.

I interviewed my neighbor Eileen about the tools she uses in her garden. She stated, "I love a tool that doesn't require much bending". This inspired me to make a sledgehammer that won't cause back strains when using it.

Three things I learned from interviews with gardeners and experts:
1. Good grip is important and effective.
2. Tools with a sturdy and sharp point are helpful (shovels for ex.)
3. Multipurpose tools work best.

Three things I learned from researching existing examples of my tool:
1. The best sledge hammers are the most expensive.
2. They’re usually made with steel.
3. They come in different shapes, lengths, and sizes.


My new and improved tool is called the “Grave Diga”. The Grave Diga is an example of a lever because one hand would be considered the fulcrum, while the other hand is the first weight, making the head of the tool the second weight. It’s a sledge hammer with a long length and movable handle grips on the ends. It is made out of carbon fiber so it’s lighter. The handle grips are helpful for old people who may need more support. The grip slides up and down for an easy use. Some people have really weak or shaky hands so the grip and extra hand support helps with that. Since it is very long, you don’t have to bend down that much either. Just lift and smash.

My partner and I did some prior research on the sledgehammers by looking at other sledgehammers. We went to Home Depot as a Field Experience and looked for the improvements we could make. We noticed that the grip was not stable enough and it was too heavy. From there we looked up the prices of the sledgehammers we saw and the materials used to make it. This gave us a good sense of what we needed to create: an affordable tool with simple but helpful qualities. Knowing this information led us to creating an easy product for mostly elderly people.

Three ways my tool is better than the competition:
1. Carbon fiber to make it lighter.
2. Hand strap and grips are for shaking or weak hands.
3. Sliding grip for comfortable use.

A lot of sledgehammers have very uncomfortable grips. Any tool without a sturdy grip can make the job hard and time consuming. The Grave Diga is unlike other tools because it has everything you want and need in a sledgehammer.

I learned that it’s possible to make a tool that doesn’t already exist. I also learned that you need to understand empathy to create a product for someone. This was not easy for me because I had to make a model for someone who doesn't function like I do. I’m not an old person so I don’t exactly know what a “good tool” would be for the elderly. I had to put myself in the shoes of an old person and think outside the box. One obstacle I encountered was figuring out how to make the sledge hammer lighter. The sledge hammer has to be heavy in order to do the job because of the hard steel/metal material. I had to think of different ways I could make it either lighter or easier to hold. The handle straps seemed like a reasonable choice. Thinking outside the box, especially when faced with difficult obstacles can be challenging but it is worth it in the end.