CIMA Law Group Blog

How Angela Duckworth uses Ethos, Logos, and Pathos in her book “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance”

Grit is an essential trait needed to achieve your goals? The chapter “Showing Up” in Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Lee Duckworth goes into detail about just how necessary grit is. Duckworth defines grit as the “passion and sustained persistence applied toward long-term achievement.” Angela Lee Duckworth is a psychologist who is very interested in what makes successful people successful. In this chapter, the reader is brought along on her journey to find answers about traits that predict success. As part of her research, Duckworth interviews a variety of individuals from different fields. Duckworth interviews successful people in their occupations and observes students at West Point’s Beast program on her path to answers. In this chapter, Angela Lee Duckworth effectively uses ethos, logos, and pathos to back up her findings that grit is a must-have for success.

Ethos is used successfully in her writing when Duckworth references her credibility. Duckworth brings up her background in psychology. She also brings up her time in graduate school. Discussing her time in school made Duckworth’s observations much more credible. In graduate school, Duckworth first gained a fascination with the traits needed to succeed and persevere through challenges. When looking at Beast, an exhausting program at West Point, Duckworth wondered what kind of person made it through and said, “[i]t was 2004 and my second year of graduate school in psychology when I set about answering that question”(5). Duckworth’s time spent in graduate school while researching helps the reader feel more comfortable with her evidence that grit is crucial to success. The Beast program’s observation propelled Duckworth’s curiosity about who exactly made it through such harsh training. From her research, Duckworth developed a Grit Scale. The Grit Scale was a test that “measures the extent to which you approach life with grit”(5). It wasn’t long until students at West Point took the Grit Scale test. This test was used by West Point to examine their cadets’ level of grit. With West Point trusting Duckworth’s research enough to test it on their students, it’s clear that her findings have merit. From the reader’s perspective, West Point being confident enough in the concept of grit and the Grit Scale test proves that Duckworth’s discoveries are trustworthy.

Logos is used favorably by Duckworth when she presents the logic behind her findings. Duckworth incorporates logos into her writing by talking about the interviews she conducted while researching. While in graduate school, Duckworth took time to interview prosperous professionals on what made them successful. Duckworth “was interviewing leaders in business, art, athletics, journalism, academia, medicine, and law”(7). During her quest for answers, Duckworth took the time to meet with professionals from all walks of life. Through these interviews, Duckworth recognized certain prevalent traits in these professionals that aided them on their journey to success. These interviews assisted Duckworth greatly in learning more about successful individuals and the qualities they possess. One thing she found was that these individuals “knew in a very, very deep way what it was they wanted”(8). The sureness and confidence the professionals had in their path made these interviewees stand out. Duckworth also noted that these professionals had big goals and wouldn’t dream of giving up. Without certainty in their paths, successful people would give up during hardships. The certainty the interviewees had in their goals is what contributed to their grit. With a bigger goal in mind, individuals are more likely to persevere through hardships and failure. From this, she found that “[i]t was critically important–and not at all easy–to keep going after failure…”(7). The quality the interviewees had that consisted of perseverance and passion was what Duckworth called “grit.” Grit is the quality that develops when perseverance meets passion. Perseverance through failures is a significant predictor of success, and the people Duckworth interviewed showed a great deal of perseverance. Everyone Duckworth interviewed persisted through tough times and had an unwavering focus toward their goals. Duckworth also looked at this quality when seeing who would make it through the “Beast” program at West Point. She found “[g]rit turned out to be an astonishingly reliable predictor of who made it through and who did not”(10). This piece of information uncovered by Duckworth is very telling. Duckworth’s goal in her research was to determine what quality predicts the success of an individual. The cadets who showed passion and perseverance were more likely to complete their time at West Point. Her observations about West Point’s cadets, along with her interviews with triumphant professionals, proved that grit was a reliable predictor of a person’s success.

Pathos is used flourishingly by Duckworth to support her findings on what quality contributed to individuals’ success. Duckworth appeals to peoples’ emotions when she discusses the struggles successful people face and the struggles students at West Point face. Something Duckworth took away from interviewing professionals is that “[e]ven if some of the things they had to do were boring, or frustrating, or even painful, they wouldn’t dream of giving up”(8). The author’s word choice of “boring” and “painful” provoke known emotions in the reader. These emotions root the reader in the reading. When the reader feels emotions while reading, it helps them relate to the story and feel inspired. This is something Duckworth did very well in her writing. When Duckworth discussed the Beast program at West Point, she said it’s known as “‘the most physically and emotionally demanding part of your four years at West Point…’”(4). Duckworth’s use of the phrase “physically and emotionally demanding” plays to the reader’s emotions excellently by stirring up common feelings in the reader. Duckworth also discovered that successful people are satisfied being unsatisfied and never feel fully complete in their accomplishments. She adds that each person she interviewed is “chasing something of unparalleled interest and importance, and it was the chase–as much as the capture–that was gratifying”(8). The word “gratifying” awakens intimate feelings and experiences in the reader. Almost everyone remembers a time they felt grateful for achieving something, and the use of this word brings the reader back to that moment in their life. Also, the quotes discussing chasing a goal bring emotions to the reader. Almost everyone has had dreams they were passionate about and driven to complete. The passage alludes to pursuing a goal unwaveringly, which triggers familiar emotions in the reader.

Ethos, logos, and pathos are used constructively by Angela Lee Duckworth to prove that grit is a critical trait to attain success in any endeavor. Ethos was used as Duckworth discussed her credibility as a researcher and a psychologist. Showing her credibility gave Duckworth’s opinions and findings more weight to the reader. Logos was used when Duckworth talked about the logic and facts behind her findings. Along with stating her credibility, the use of logos by Duckworth was vital in expanding on her findings. Her explanations of her findings using logos effectively educated the reader. Pathos was used when Duckworth discussed the journeys of the people she interviewed. These journeys typically harbored emotion, whether it be from failures or from success. Duckworth mentioned how interviewees felt when they achieved success, and these details awakened similar emotions in the reader. After she completed her research, Duckworth found that whether or not someone possesses grit will be a predictor of their success. Throughout the reading, Duckworth seemed determined and passionate about her findings and her journey to uncover them. Her determination in learning about grit showed that she harnessed a great deal of grit herself. From Duckworth’s work, the reader can learn how necessary it is to be dynamic and persistent, or in other words, have grit when in pursuit of their dreams.

This blog post is part of the CIMA law group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA law group specializes in Immigration law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.

Senate Confirms Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court

On Thursday, April 7th, the Senate voted to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court after significant debate and questioning. This historic appointment makes Jackson the first African-American woman to ever serve on the Supreme Court which many individuals across the country considered a victory for diversity.

Judge Jackson was confirmed with a narrow margin of 53-47 vote, with three Republicans joining all 50 members of the Democratic caucus in supporting her appointment.

When the vote was announced, the chamber erupted in cheers, with senators, staff and visitors all standing on their feet for a standing ovation. A video posted on President Biden’s official Instagram account also shows him and Judge Jackson watching happily together as Vice President Harris announces the confirmation. Jackson is seen crying tears of joy and hugging the President which portrays how significant this decision is for her personal life and her career.

The narrow margin of Jackson’s appointment and the brutal questioning she was subjected to represent the extreme partisan divide plaguing both chambers of American government. In recent years, Supreme Court confirmations have become political fights, featuring combative hearings in which senators of the opposite party aim to tarnish the reputation of the nominee rather than focusing on the important qualifications of the candidate.

Although Judge Jackson will not be officially sworn in for a few more months, she and President Biden appeared at an event today to mark her confirmation and this historic achievement for Biden’s presidency. Jackson was ecstatic about her accomplishment and emphasized how proud she is of the progress the country has made since segregation.

This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.

Eco- Fascism and how environmentalism isnt always left-leaning

With every passing year it seems we get closer and closer to not being able to turn back in terms of environmental destruction. And when most people think of environmentalists themselves, white hippies pop up in their mind. The flower children who started the recycling movement, and petition the government to end harmful activities like improper disposal of nuclear waste or fracking. People don’t picture the far-right activists in the same way, assuming since republican consensus is that any regulation especially on the side of environmental protection will hurt a businesses ability to make money. But through a new lens from social analysts, there is an interesting intersection between the far-right and the traditional environmentalist movement.

While there is this overlap, the reasoning behind beliefs is rooted in very different places. The mass shooting that took place in El Paso, TX was because a man believed he needed to control the population of Mexicans in the town. Instead of changing the individuals way of life to help contribute to a growing community the man insisted that killing was the only answer. While these acts were clearly rooted in racism and a belief that white people are somehow chosen people, overpopulation is a hard-hitting issue within the environmentalist community. Understanding that with a lack of development the earth cannot sustain the population growth rate, but their solution instead of murder is to accommodate and encourage development so that we can all continue to enjoy the earth.

The environmentalist movement itself is composed of mostly white people. Individuals looking to go into STEM related fields are diverse, while it is still mostly men, minorities and women who have made real headway in the sector. But when it comes to minorities going into environmental science the gap is still really large. With minorities only making up a combined 12.3% of workers in the field. It is suspected that this gap is so large because no matter what side of the environmentalist spectrum you’re on it has been and continues to be an institution that serves white people the most. Sustainability as a concept is marketed as a way to help the environment, and leave less and less of a carbon footprint. But the way sustainable products are priced and sold makes it harder for disadvantaged groups to participate in the movement. Because an overwhelming amount of these people are people of color it’s no wonder why the field doesn’t speak to them the same way it does white people. And discouraging them even more is the fact that their communities are often where companies and government organizations dump the things white people don’t want to deal with. In the case of the Keystone pipeline, original plans had it set up to carry oil through the land of upper middle class white people, but with their strong opposition it was moved to underneath Native American lands. Even though their resistance was harder and backed by most of the country it was ignored. As long as government policy and corporate expectations encourage the racism behind environmentalism we won’t see the movement evolve as it should.

This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group Blog. If you are in need of legal help, the CIMA Law Group is a law firm in Phoenix, Arizona which possesses expertise in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, and Personal Injury.

The US Graciously Opens Arms For Ukrainian Refugees… But Not For African Refugees

Refugee and immigration advocates cheered the Biden administration’s decision to extend temporary protected status to Ukrainians in the United States, offering them safe harbor from the devastation of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. But that designation has brought about difficult new questions for the administration on its handling of asylum-seekers from other war-torn countries—primarily Cameroon. People fleeing conflict and violence from the Central African country have for five years sought from Washington the same protections that Ukrainians were granted after one week of conflict.

For refugee advocates and human rights activists, the difference between U.S. policy on refugees from Ukraine and Cameroon is a split-screen that encapsulates the Biden administration’s approach to immigration and refugee policies. They argue that U.S. President Joe Biden has been too slow to reverse the crackdown on immigration and refugees from his predecessor Donald Trump’s administration, and say Biden’s rush to extend temporary protected status (TPS) to Ukrainians while still blocking Cameroonians from the same protections point to an inherent racism in U.S. immigration policy.

Ukrainian asylum seekers are exempt from asylum restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19. Hundreds of them are currently waiting in the mexican city of Tijuana to request protection in the United States.

“The U.S. extending humanitarian protections to predominately white and European refugees, all the while these 100 million people of concern to the UNCHR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) , again predominately people of color, from Africa, the Middle East and Asia, they continue to languish.”, says Tom K. Wong, Associate Professor of Political Science at University of California San Diego.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees TPS and other humanitarian programs, declined to comment the complaints of racism in American immigration policy.

Furthermore, reports have highlighted the stark differences between the ways African and Middle Eastern refugees from Ukraine have been welcomed into western Europe compared with white Ukrainians. Last month, an alliance of prominent civil rights lawyers from around the world announced it would file an appeal to the United Nations on behalf of Black refugees facing discrimination while trying to flee the invasion.

Meanwhile, immigrant advocates and politicians have consistently called for relief for Black immigrants and refugees in the U.S. In the weeks leading up to the conflict in Ukraine, the U.S. halted deportations to Ukraine and U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Mondaire Jones, D-N.Y., urged the administration in a letter to “extend that same level of compassion” to Haitians in the U.S.

A man carries a child on his shoulders as Haitian migrants cross the Rio Grande between Mexico and Del Rio, Texas, on Sept. 23. Pedro Pardo / AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. has deported more than 20,000 Haitians since September, Pressley and Jones noted in their letter. Cameroonians deported in recent years have reported being raped, tortured, jailed and more.

Sacramento Shooting

On April 3, 2022 around 2AM there was a mass shooting that erupted in Sacramento as people were leaving the bars and the clubs for the night. The shooting resulted in approximately six people dead and at least twelve other people injured. It is still unknown as to what exactly caused the shooting, it was rumored that a fight broke out before the shooting but it is unknown as to whether or not the fight had any correlation to the shooting. According to Sacramento law enforcement they initially suspected 2 or more suspected gunman.

On April 4, 2022 police arrested their first suspect which was Deandre Martin. They booked Martin as a “related suspect” under charges of assault with a deadly weapon and was convicted with possession of carrying a loaded firearm.

The second man was arrested on April 5, 2022 and his name was Smiley Allen Martin who is the brother to Deandre Martin. Smiley Allen Martin was already serving a 10 year sentence which for domestic violence and assault with great bodily injury and just recently won his release for probation and was found in Sacramento with firearms the night of the shooting.

The third man that was arrested on April 4, 2022 was Daviyonne Dawson and he was arrested under the charges of a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. He was seen carrying the gun immediately after the shooting in downtown. After further investigation police officials didn’t see the correlation of Dawson’s firearm to the firearm used in the shooting so he got released under bail the next day.

Police officials still aren’t sure the exact motive behind the shooting, but they are still investigating to see what the motive was.

Black Californians may Receive Reparations

California’s reparations task force voted 5-4 that Black Californians who can prove their direct lineage to enslaved ancestors or a descendent of a free Black person residing in the U.S.during the 19th century will be eligible for the statewide reparations, thus finally addressing the harms of slavery. Although this new upcoming law excludes Black Californians such as Black immigrants. The decision to receive reparations based on direct lineage will only allow for a fraction of the 2.6 million Black residents to qualify.

Governor Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders have filled the task force with elected officials, civil rights leaders, attorneys, and representation experts. The process for the task force to determine who was eligible for reparations and how to properly address slavery and discrimination was a two-year process.

The vote made by the task force has received enormous pushback. Many people argue that all ““financial reparations should go to all Black people in the state regardless of lineage.” In addition, there are limited written records of enslaved people, therefore, proof of lineage might not be the right direction to proceed. An example of how lineage does not need to be used is Japanese Americans who were not born during World War II were paid reparations similar to the Japanese Americans who survived the internment camps during World War II. Therefore, the use of lineage can seem as if the government is favoring privilege. The recommendations made by the task force have yet to become law; they must work their way up to the California legislature, then must be signed by the governor.

Justice for Melissa Lucio

As of today, there are 26 days in order to stop Melissa Lucio’s execution. She has been on death row for 14 years and has been scheduled to be executed on April 27th, 2022 in Texas for a crime that never occurred. A motion to withdraw or modify the execution date was filed by Melissa’s attorneys on February 8th. A petition for clemency was also filed on March 22nd to the governor and the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole.

Facts of the case

Melissa Lucio was convicted for the murder of her 2-year old daughter in 2008. On February 15th, 2007, her daughter had an accidental fall down the stairs. She passed away two days later from a nap she did not wake up from. Melissa Lucio was taken into police custody and it was believed that she murdered her daughter due to finding bite marks, bruises, and scratches on her body. Authorities made an assumption that Melissa abused her 2-year old daughter and therefore, led to her death. What authorities failed to take into consideration is that Melissa’s daughter had a physical disability, which affected her walking and caused her to trip more often. To add on, an investigation was not conducted of how the toddler got the injuries.

Coercion

Coercion by police officers during interrogation often leads to false confessions and this is what happened to Melissa. Not to mention, false confessions are a leading case of wrongful convictions. There is no physical evidence that a crime was committed other than her confession. While still mourning the death of her daughter, Melissa was interrogated two hours after her death. She was pressured aggressively and manipulated by officers, but continued to say she did not hurt her daughter. After five hours of interrogation, Melissa states, “I guess I did it.”

They applied coercive maximization and minimization interrogation techniques that are notorious for their tendency to produce false confessions. Maximization in this context is when officers exaggerate the strength of the evidence and the magnitude of the charges. On the contrary, minimization is when officers mitigate the crime. Both are legal and fall under the infamous Reid model that officers use in interrogations; however, minimization is one that is often criticized because of its tendency to imply leniency towards a crime. Consequently, minimization techniques increase the likelihood of coerced confessions.

What makes confessions admissible in court is that they have to be voluntary. In Bram v. United States (1987), the Supreme Court ruled that in order to be admissible, confessions must not be extracted by any sort of threats or violence, nor obtained by any direct or implied promises, however slight, nor by the exertion of any improper influence. Although this is true, there lies ambiguity from what constitutes as an impermissible confession as police officers use a variety of tactics that can help them prove a confession was not coerced. Equally important, the Supreme Court has allowed for inconsistency with what is an admissible confession, which for example, is shown in People v. Pugh (1978) and in United States v. Mashburn (2005). Given this information, it reveals how Melissa’s confession should not have been admissible.

What we can do

Moreover, the death of Melissa’s daughter was an accident and not a murder. Melissa Lucio is a mother of 14 children and was pregnant with twins at the time of the incident. Additionally, she gave birth to twins while she was incarcerated and had to place them up for adoption. Her other children were split up between the state and family members. Time is running out for her and if she is not granted, she will be the first Hispanic woman in Texas to be executed. The following is what you can do to help her:

Sign Melissa’s petition here
Share her story throughout social media platforms
If you live in Texas, call D.A. Saenz and urge him to withdraw the execution date: 956-300-3881
If you live in Texas, contact Gov. Abbott and ask him to grant Melissa clemency: 956-446-2866

House Passes Bill Legalizing Marijuana on the Federal Level

On early Friday morning, the House of Representatives passed a bill to federally decriminalize marijuana and eliminate criminal penalties for individuals who distribute or possess it. The bill passed with a narrow margin of 220-204 and had 3 Republicans supporting it while 2 Democrats opposed it.

There was a previous marijuana legalization bill passed in the House in December 2020. However, the measure did not go far in the Senate as it was still largely GOP controlled. There might still be a bit of a struggle to advance this new bill in the Senate, but Schumer will be working to introduce the bill sometime this spring.

The bill is intended to clear marijuana convictions and remove it from the list of controlled substances, thereby decriminalizing any marijuana-related offenses on the federal level. There would also be an imposed sales tax, that would range from 5 to 8% over the next few years, that would be used to fund programs aimed at helping underprivileged communities.

Additionally, Democrats emphasized how the bill would work to reverse the severe negative impact of criminalizing marijuana on racial minorities, especially Hispanics and African Americans. Despite similar use among African Americans and whites, African Americans are much more likely to be arrested for marijuana use or possession. As a result, the decriminalization of marijuana will remove previous convictions and prevent future convictions for those whose records were ruined simply for marijuana use.

Opponents of the bill cited that marijuana is a gateway drug that would lead to greater use of opioids and other substances. They also said the marijuana sold today is more potent than what was sold in previous years which would lead to greater impairment and increase crime and possibly fatal car accidents.

In 37 states, medical marijuana use has been legalized. In over 18 states, adult recreational use has been legalized. Many states have already been ahead of the federal curve which is why it is very important for the federal government to take this important step and make it an overarching federal law to decriminalize marijuana and expunge those records.

Chuck Schumer will now be working diligently to craft similar legislation in the Senate, but the outlook for passing a bill of that kind in the Senate appears to be low because of the significant support that Democrats would need to advance to a final vote and avoid extreme Republican opposition that would prevent that vote.

Academic Transparencey

Senate has approved a bill that requires teachers to post their curriculum online. This would require all teachers to post their lesson plans and materials online. It would allow for parents to be able to review what their child is learning in class and where they are at in the semester. SB 1211 requires teachers to post on their school’s website including links, book, and worksheets. Along with this, any curriculum that will discuss race, gender, and diversity must be uploaded before discussion.

This bill is all about creating transparency between teachers and parents. They want to be able to have a certain level of trust when their child is going into the classroom. Parents will no longer be left in the dark about what their child will be doing at school and be aware of the curriculum.

Supporters of this bill are saying it will allow transparency for parents. Due to discussing highly sensitive topics in the classroom, parents want to know what is going on. Since there is so much pressure on the school board, this would address the concerns of parents wanting to know what is going on. Parents are hoping this will allow them to know exactly what their child is learning about.

However, with this bill comes a lot of negativity and specific arguments from staff members. For starters, some say it will be extra busy work for teachers. Perhaps, this could be done in a simpler way without creating an overkill. Other’s believe it limits creativity in the classroom. Since they are required to include everything in this lesson plan, they will not want to take any chances and will teach by the book. With that being said, there will be a lack of creativity that educators can bring.

Why HBO’S Minx Should be Far More Popular

HBO is known for taking a more provocative step towards television, with classic shows like Sex and the City or new age shows like Euphoria they make content that grips viewers. They have not fallen short with their new show Minx. Minx follows a young woman in the 1970s who has set out, seemingly since birth, to create her feminist magazine. She is determined and refuses to lose hope, even when her family and friends seem to doubt her. In the first episode, she is pitching her magazine to older, outdated-looking, publishing companies who are all confused about the point of her content. The only publisher interested in her magazine deals in porn rather than intellectual content. As this is her only option to achieve her goals, she goes for it. The following episodes show their teamwork, struggles, and growth as characters. Joyce, played by Ophelia Lovibond, learns how to get over her relatively prudish nature and increasingly embrace the raunchy nature of making the first erotic magazine for women. Her boss, Doug, played by Jake Johnson, navigates the new terrain that comes with working with Joyce and the new content that they make.

Minx is one of those special shows with a cast that works well together and makes the show come alive. The content is focused on a different type of feminism than we are used to seeing portrayed in recent shows, the main character, while privileged still works for everything she wants without using shortcuts. It’s admirable that HBO decided to portray her as a knowledgeable woman who knows what she wants and is determined to get it without a conflict of character. While the show depicts such a strong and relatable female cast they also hit time accurate issues, having Joyce ignored simply for being a woman and cut out of conversations because she isn’t part of the boys club of the time. Having the female leads play different versions of what feminism looks like rather than a singular “girl boss” model of stepping on and over everyone to achieve individual goals.

Joyces’ sister Shelly, played by Lennon Parham, is a stay-at-home mom who shows her struggles with that being her identity but after working with the magazine she opens up and shows different layers to herself and finds strength within that without losing sight of her family. Dougs’ second in command Tina, played by Idara Victor, is the model of a strong black woman in the 70’s seen by Doug and the rest of the cast as an equal whose input matters rather than lesser because she is a woman of color. A model for one of the other explicit magazines, Bambi, played by Jessica Lowe, shows that on the surface she may seem like a ditz but knows herself and is sure of her place in the world.

All of these characters are exemplary examples of how women should be portrayed in the media. Instead of single-tone leads that encourage the stereotype that women are one-dimensional objects offering depth to them shows people the true meaning behind what feminism is. That women are more than what is on the surface and should be treated as equal counterparts rather than being vilified for having goals or stepping on when they don’t. With all of the other content that circulates, more should focus and write about issues like this.