Article 3: Bribing Admissions Officials

Sarah Graves, an opinion contributor for USA Today, explains her belief that it is not worth it to bribe admissions officials in order to get into college. She debunks the belief that going to an elite college makes it easier to be successful in the future by using data from past studies. In fact, she provides evidence of less elite schools providing an education that is just as good or maybe even better. She continues her argument by explaining that some companies do not require their employees to have a college degree because although they may be valued, it is not because of the prestigious school they received a degree from. She concludes her argument by stating that parents can not control the destinies of their children. It is up to the student to take advantage of the opportunities they are given and working hard to achieve their goals. She explains that successful careers and lives are not direct results from receiving a prestigious college degree.

Graves uses an appeal to ethos to accomplish explaining her opinion that it is not worth it to bribe an admissions official to get accepted to attend a prestigious school. She uses  “2011 research by Stacy Berg Dale of the Mellon Foundation and Alan B. Krueger of Princeton” to prove that the college a student attends, wether elite or not, does not affect their future ability to be successful. She also uses evidence from “a 2013 Gallup Poll” to show that employers value “skills and knowledge”, not a prestigious college degree. Her use of outside evidence helps her explain her argument and back it up well.

I completely agree with Graves argument. I believe that it is not acceptable to bribe your way into an elite college or university. From my perspective, if it is important for you to attend a prestigious school, then you should work for the opportunity to go there instead of cheating your way in. I also believe that it is more important to go to a school that you love and that you fit in well at instead of forcing yourself into an elite school that you think might benefit you in the future.

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/03/14/college-admissions-scandal-bribing-officials-bad-investment-column/3151205002/

Article 2: Maryland’s End-of-Life Option Act

Samantha Kupferman, a writer for the Washington Post, tells the story of her mother’s battle with a rare degenerative disease called primary progressive aphasia. This illness caused her mother to not be able to swallow, which stopped her from eating normally.  Kupferman explains how her mother did not want to use a feeding tube which was eventually going to lead to her death. She tells her personal story to give an example of why personal choice matters in health care. Her mother made her own decision to not use the feeding tube and this allowed her to be happy for the last moments of her life.

Kupferman’s purpose is to use her story to explain to others the importance of ill individuals being able to make their own choices about their medical care. She uses an appeal to pathos to help convey her positive opinion on Maryland’s End-of-Life Option Act. By telling the personal and emotional story of her mother’s sickness, it is easy for readers to relate to her journey. She says, “That was when we knew it was time to take my mother home from the hospital and bring in hospice care. As we drove home, she was the happiest she had been in weeks, because all she wanted was to be in her own home, surrounded by our family.” The struggle of losing a loved one to sickness and this story shared by Kupferman helps persuade readers to agree with her and support this End-of-Life Option Act.

I agree with Kupferman’s argument supporting Maryland’s End-of-Life Option Act. I believe that terminally ill individuals should have the opportunity to make their own decisions on how they want to be treated and medicated. I believe that this would give the sick people freedom to choose how they want to live out the ends of their lives as they wish. This is important because, even though families of sick loved ones want to help, the person who is ill should have the final say on how they want to be treated medically.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/03/01/personal-choice-matters-health-care-especially-end-life/?utm_term=.8174ac77eef9

Article 1: Deaths of Horses at the Santa Anita Park

Jane Smiley, a writer for the Los Angeles Times, describes her passion for horses and her perspective on the world of horse racing. She reminisces on the different horses she has owned, the friends she has made because of racing, and the experiences she had with both. She mentions the harsh treatment of horses in the off-season winters. She also shares about the horses she owned and the horses that she loved. She tells about the things that drew her to racing, like the beauty and personality of the horse. But, she also tells about how she regrets putting her horses in danger on the race track.  She believes that the deaths of the many horses at Santa Anita Park could be a signal of horse racing coming to an end. The memories she shares are evidence to the fact that she wouldn’t be sorry to see it end.

Smiley’s purpose is to expose the reality of horse racing and to share her personal experiences. She criticizes the betting in horse racing and the harsh treatment of the animals. Her use of diction helps her accomplish getting her message across. She describes the horses as having “beauty”, “individuality”, “willingness”, and “pleasure in their job”. These phrases help capture and explain her love for horses. However, she explains how the “mistreatment” and “betting” lead her to not be a fan of this sport anymore. She exposes the hidden harshness behind horse racing and gives good evidence to why she is no longer a fan.

Although I am not well-informed about or familiar with the world of horse racing, I agree with Smiley’s argument. I believe that since American racing has not made good enough reforms to fix the issues at hand, like cruel treatment, people should not support this. I believe that it is fair for Smiley to be content with horse racing possibly coming to an end. I grew up riding horses and it saddens me to think about them being mistreated or killed. For this reason, I agree with Smiley’s opinion and believe her argument is fair.

 

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-smiley-racehorses-20190310-story.html 

Essay Analysis – Bowden’s “Our Wall”

1. Charles Bowden’s purpose in this essay is to explain the issue of the border wall between America and Mexico. He believes that a wall should not be built and provides evidence that supports his perspective. Bowden informs readers of how the wall taints the image of America as a country welcome to immigrants and explains that the wall should not be built for this reason.
2. Bowden uses an appeal to pathos to accomplish explaining the problems that come with the border wall. He uses personal examples from “Rodolfo Santos Esquer”, “Emanuel Castillo Erúnes”, “Jesús Gastelum Ramírez”, and “Dan Duley” as evidence opposing the construction of the wall. Each of their stories show the effect the wall has on their lives in Mexico, their jobs, and their families. This emotional appeal causes the readers to sympathize with these men that are being negatively affected. Duley says, “we need help”, and continues to explain the struggles these people are facing.
3. Despite Bowden’s strong opposing opinion, I neither agree or disagree with his perspective. I believe that it is important to protect America and its people. However, I also believe that America should welcome immigrants because of the principles this country is based on. I think immigration should be regulated more strictly, but I do not know if a border wall is the best way to accomplish that.

Women’s Brains – Essay Analysis

1. Stephen Jay Gould’s purpose in this essay is to explain the research done by numerous scientists and to explain their conclusions. He disproves Broca’s research by providing evidence of his faulty experiment in which he used men and women of different ages, heights, weights, and races. These differences affected the outcomes of his research and caused them not to be credible. Gould used other scientists’ findings to correctly compare the brain sizes of men and women. He refutes the idea of women being inferior to men because of their brain size.
2. Gould uses logos to refute these false beliefs. He utilizes data from other scientists and clearly explains his precise reasoning. Gould says, “I have reexamined Broca’s data, the basis for all this derivative pronouncement, and I find his numbers sound but his interpretation ill-founded”. This clearly shows how he took Broca’s data and conclusions into consideration while correctly examining brain sizes. He learns from Broca’s mistakes and uses logic to accurately make his own data set.
3. I agree with Gould’s point in this essay. I believe that his conclusions are accurate and precise because of his explanation of finding his data. I believe that men and women are equally intelligent and are both capable of accomplishing amazing things. Take Marie Curie and Albert Einstein as examples.  They are both incredibly intelligent scientists who have made advances in the scientific world. Both of them were equally intelligent, despite their strengths and weaknesses in different subjects or topics.

About Men – Essay Analysis

1. Gretel Ehrlich’s purpose in “About Men” is to expose the false stereotypes about cowboys. Her goal is to inform others of the real character of these cowboys. She describes the men that she knows, their work ethic, and their personalities with the hope of educating others of their true character. She explains the contrasts in the description of cowboys in ads and the cowboys she is close to.
2. One rhetorical analysis Ehrlich uses is parallelism. In the first paragraph, Ehrlich repeatedly says the phrase, “If he’s… it’s because…” to emphasize the the strength and hard work of a cowboy. She says, “If he’s ‘strong and silent’ it’s because there’s probably no one to talk to.” This shows a struggle and the strength a cowboy combats it with. This parallelism demonstrates the boldness, strength, and courage of cowboys that Ehrlich is striving to portray.
3. I agree with Ehrlich that cowboys can be stereotyped. I grew up riding horses on my aunt’s ranch and I was able to see men working hard to take care of their animals, land, and family. Watching how hard they worked was incredible to me because it showed me that they were motivated, strong, and working with purpose. Cowboys are not just “macho”, they are motivated workers who continually sacrifice.

Should the Voting Age be Lowered?

Teens across the country are pushing for the voting age to be lowered. They believe that certain events, such as school shootings, are affecting them just as much as they affect eligible voters. Teens under 18, who are not currently legal to vote, feel that it would be fair for them to have a say in prominent issues. They believe that they are well-informed and able to vote wisely on issues that affect them daily.  Although these teens are fighting for a right to vote, it is not smart to lower the voting age because some may be ignorant or uninformed about the matters at hand.

I don’t think that it would be smart to allow minors to vote because most do not know much about how the government works or the topics being voted on. Personally, as an almost 16-year-old, I don’t feel as if I have the knowledge to wisely vote. I am not being taught about the government in school, therefore, my knowledge on this depends on the research I choose to do. I feel that people should not be able to vote unless they are well-informed on the people or issues they are voting on. It is dangerous to allow ignorant people to vote on important things that will affect the people in our country.

However, some ineligible voters may be well-informed about the way our government works and the topics being voted on. Some young people who are intrigued with politics may know more than adults who are eligible to vote. Even though this may be true, I believe that the majority of minors are not informed enough to vote on current issues. At least one high school course in government or civics is required in only thirty nine of the fifty states. This means that not every student is expected to learn about how the U.S. government works. Unfortunately, this results in ignorance and many people vote without understanding exactly how it works.

I do not believe that the voting age should be lowered from 18 to 16 because the majority of minors do not understand how the U.S. government works. It would be dangerous to allow these teens to vote because they may vote despite being uneducated on important topics. Voting affects  the people living in this country and that responsibility should be given to those who value it and recognize the importance of it.

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/push-lower-voting-age-gains-traction-across-states-n886146