SWA #23

Title: Does Lowering the Drinking Age Solve a Problem or Create a New One?

Thesis: By examining the debate on lowering the drinking age we can see that parents, college students, college presidents, and police officers all have opinions on what needs to happen, but college presidents have the best plan, especially if it is expanded on.

 I.     The parents perspective

A.   Stating the parents perspective

1.     Describing the perspective

2.     Explain if further

B.    Describe why it isn’t the best way

1.     List flaws

2.     Reasons why they don’t know what’s best

  II.     The college students perspective

A.   State the college students perspective

1.     Describe the perspective

2.     Explain it further

B.    Describe why it isn’t the best way

1.     List flaws

2.     Expand on why they have somewhat of the right idea

III.     The police officers perspective

A.   State the police officers perspective

1.     Describe the perspective

2.     Explain it further

B.    Describe why it isn’t the best way

1.     List flaws

2.     Expand on why they have somewhat of a right idea

IV.     The college presidents perspective

A.   State the college presidents perspective

1.     Describe the perspective

2.     Explain it further

B.    Describe why they have the best idea

1.     List why the presidents have the most reasoning behind it

2.     Lead into the best solution

  V.     My solution

A.   Give my perspective

1.     Reasoning behind changing the drinking age

2.     Classes required in order to drink at 18

3.     Increase punishments for DUI

VI.     Conclusion

SWA #22

The problem that I will be addressing in my essay 4 is the debate over changing the minimum drinking age law.  Some believe that the law is fine as is, but others believe it would be better if it was changed from 21 to 18.  I plan to address all four perspectives and give details as to why the college presidents have the best plan, and possibly expand on their plan further.

My thesis is: By examining the college students, college presidents, police, and parents perspectives we can see that each has their own reasons in favor or in opposition of drinking laws, but the college presidents have the best argument for changing the law.

SWA #21

• The focus of this paper was the issue of the Occupy movement.  They take the first paragraph to describe the importance of this issue to America.
• The four perspectives in this paper were that of the actual protesters, indirect sympathizers, college students, and Tracey Vitchers.  The four perspectives were a little hard to recognize initially.  There doesn't seem to be a clear thesis.
• The introduction and the conclusion were the best parts of this paper, but still should be reworked to contain a strong thesis.
• I would say that the essay is very informative but I don't know if I could call it effective.  It didn't spend enough time elaborating on the four perspectives.

SWA #20

 I.              Introduction

·               By examining the minimum legal drinking age in the college environment we can see there is much debate if the current age of 21 is effective, this is significant because parents, university presidents, university students, and police officers all have unique perspectives on what needs to be done.

II.              Paragraph 1 Parents perspective

A.            Don’t want their college students drinking

B.             Information on automobile accidents

a.            Automobile accidents caused by alcohol have decrease since the MLDA was established

b.           Parents want the roads to be safer

C.             MADD

III.              Paragraph 2 Police Perspective

A.            Accident rate due to alcohol

B.             Mortality rate since the MLDA was first passed

C.             Colorado police chief example

a.     He is for the drinking age being changed

b.     Claims we are pushing drinking into more high risk situations

IV.              Paragraph 3 Students Perspective

A.            Self serving bias

a.     Believe that it should be changed because it would make their illegal acts illegal.

b.     Will drink more given the change in age.

B.             Serve in the army and vote example

C.             Drinking in high risk situations

D.            Rates of underage drinking on college campus

V.              Paragraph 4 College Presidents Perspective

A.            Amethyst initiative

a.     150 College Presidents

b.     Believe that the drinking age should be 18

c.     Believe in more alcohol education

B.             Drinking in private

C.             Upperclassman can buy and underclassmen cannot

VI.              Conclusion

A.            Restate thesis

B.             Reveal bias 

SWA

Hingson, Ralph W. "Magnitude And Prevention Of College Drinking And Related Problems." Alcohol Research & Health 33.1/2 (2010): 45-54. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Mar. 2012.

This source addressed the alcohol misuse among college student and examines why this is happening.  It provides stats and figures to support the fact that college drinking is increasing and examines how lowering the drinking age would affect that.

McCardell, John. "The Status Quo Has Bombed." U.S. News & World Report 15 Sept. 2008: 10. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Mar. 2012.

This source addresses the side of the issue that says that the drinking age should be lowered to 18.  The reason given is that by making the drinking age 21 we are creating a culture of binge drinking in private.  It provides examples of why this private drinking is actually more dangerous.

3/13/12

The first term I researched was from the title and it was misappropriation.  I had an idea of what it meant after reading the title and when I looked it up it confirmed what I thought.  This helped my understanding because it made me realize that he is making the point that not all immigrants are the same, and that there are differences among various Asian-Americans.

The next name I had prior knowledge of but I thought it was really important in the article and that was Ichiro.   I remember when Ichiro came over to America to play and how it was such a big deal.  People were constantly talking about how he would never be as good as he was when he was in Japan because baseball in America is a whole different game.  There was much emphasis put on the fact that he was an Asian trying to play professional baseball.

3/12/12

1.) He examines racial stereotypes for Asian-Americans in baseball, and how baseball is supposed to be a unifying experience but it still segregates within the game.  He does this by talking about Ichiro and how Ichiro is Japanese but he is Korean.

2.)  He talks about how baseball is America's pastime and everyone feels included as long as they are familar with the sport. So basically it is an American sport in the fact that it includes the people who are exposed to it, but those who aren't are left out.

SWA #17

I decided to change my topic from funding for autism research to changing the drinking age because there wasn't enough current information on autism research funding.

Carpenter, Christopher, and Carlos Dobkin. "The Minimum Legal Drinking Age and Public Health." PubMed Central. (2011): n. page. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3182479/>.

This article provided insight into the legal drinking age in America.  It researched whether the higher drinking age really reduces alcohol consumption in the United States.  It examines the effects of the drinking age in terms of injury and crime.

Martinez, Julia, Miguel Muñoz, and Kenneth Sher. "A new minimum legal drinking age (MLDA)? Some findings to inform the debate." Addictive Behaviors. 34.4 (2009): n. page. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306460308003419>.

This article is used to argue that the drinking age does not need to be lowered because it is a political stance that reflects student’s behaviors.  They present this argument by taking a study of 865 college students under the age of 21.  They found that the beliefs of students generally do reflect their drinking behaviors.

SWA #16

"What Is Autism?." autismspeaks.org. Autism Speaks, 2012. Web. 29 Feb 2012. <http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism>.

This article provided an overview into what autism is.  It goes in depth and explains how common it is and how what are the causes of it.  It provides valuable information necessary to understanding what autism is.

"Autism Fact Sheet." National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. National Institutes of Health, 18 Jan 2012. Web. 29 Feb 2012. <http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm>.

This article provided various facts that are important to understanding what autism is, and why research is important.  It gives examples of causes and give some examples of possible treatments.

SWA #15

The issues I researched

• Funding for Autism Research
• African Famine
• South Carolina Drink Laws

The search process wasn't too hard because we had to use the USC database for English last semester.  The issue I found easiest to research was famine in Africa.  This is such a broad topic and there was a lot of information on it.  Finding information on South Carolina drinking laws was much harder.  I am leaning towards research funding for autism research because it is an issue that interests me most.

SWA #13

Issue 1
a. Autism research
b. There are many way to treat it but some are more effective and there are no cures
c.  More money should be put into autism research
d.  What are some of the ways to treat it and what is most effective

Issue 2
a.  laws in South Carolina that make it possible to still get a ticket at a party with alcohol even if you are not drinking
b.  They are being responsible and still getting in trouble
c. Its wrong
d. how it can be changed

Issue 3
a.  African Famine
b.  People are dying
c. Help people
d. How to help

SWA #12

This article was about a woman who believed that healthy food was essential for a children's well being.  She gave examples of how they worked for a few kids.  She emphasized how children need to learn the importance of farming and how that relates to us.

I didn't understand what the assignment was so I just summarized.  I know what an annotated bibliography is but I don't understand how to annotate an article without sources.

1.  According to Waters food teaches values central to democracy by helping children understand cooperation.  They learn about how farmers depend on land, we depend on farmers, and our nation depends on us, and this shows them the importance of working together.

2. She makes the claim that healthier food leads to better learning by students, and she supports this claim with an example from a school in Wisconsin.  I think more evidence would have definitely strengthened her argument because right now I'm not at all convinced.

3. I'm not sure about the state of south carolina, but I know that the school district that I am from would never do anything like this program.

SWA #11

Part of the reason that Bittman has such an effective argument as to why there should be a tax on sugary foods is that he able to address both sides of the issue.  For example, when giving an example on the successful initiative to curtail tobacco marketing he is able to address the point that sugary foods are not tobacco.  He points out that food is necessary for survival and tobacco is not, and then counters that by saying you don't need extra sugar in our foods either.  He even gives examples of health benefits to further his counter argument that they are similar.  Another time that he addresses the other side of his argument is when he talks about enhanced drinks. He admits that it is better to drink these than just plain sugary drinks, but then comes back by saying it would just be better to not drink them at all.  He is able to recognize others opinions and spin them in a way that it supports his argument.

SWA #10

Title: A Growing Problem; A Rhetorical Analysis on Mark Bittman’s “Bad Food? Tax It.”

Thesis: By examining Mark Bittman’s “Bad Food? Tax it,” we can see that Bittman effectively argues for a tax on unhealthy food by using strategies such as addressing both sides of the issue, using statistics, providing examples of how it would work, and providing examples of why it is necessary.

                            I.     Bittman addresses both sides of the issue

A.   When comparing the issue with the tobacco industry he recognizes that food is a necessity and tobacco is not.

1.     Offers counterpoint that you don’t need sugary drinks

2.     Provides examples of risks that are similar to that of smoking

B.    Addresses claim about enhanced drinks

1.     Agrees that drinks with vitamins are a little better

2.     Says they would be better off just consuming less of these

                          II.     Bittman uses statistics

A.   Average American consumes 44.7 gallons of soft drinks annually

B.    American consumed 278 additional calories per day between 1977 and 2001 and more than 40 percent came from soda and other sugary drinks

C.    Talks about how obesity cost are projected to reach 344 billion by 2018

D.   Talks about how the tax could save cities billions of dollars

E.    Mentions the food advertisements children see and how 86 percent of them are for unhealthy foods.

                        III.     Bittman provides examples of how it could work

A.   Talks about how sweetened drinks should be taxed at 2 cents per ounce

1.     Pepsi would cost a 1.44 more

2.     This shows readers it wouldn’t be a significant price change but it still could make a difference

B.    Tobacco example

1.     Shows similarities

2.     Talks about how if that can work so can this

C.    Gives examples of it working in other countries

1.     Demark

2.     Romania

3.     Hungary

4.     Brazil

                        IV.     Bittman provides examples of why it is necessary

A.   Talks about how it would save America money

1.     Save the government around 30 billion in health related costs

2.     New York State example

B.    Save lives

1.     Prevent 1.5 million Americans from becoming obese

2.     Prevent 400,000 cases of diabetes.

Conclusion Point: This is an effective argument because it addresses both sides of the issue, provides examples of how and why a tax is necessary, and it contains strong statistics to drive his point home.

SWA #9

The main claim of Ethan Huff's article, "Factory food artificially cheap, bad for your health," is that we need to revert back to smaller local farms, and give up the practice of having factory food.

The reasons he listed for why we should go back to local farms is that:

• Better for the environment
• Better for the animals
• Healthier for us

An unstated assumption is that he is against government supporting cash crops and that he wants government to back off of that and support local farms.

SWA #8

2. "If reason and morality are what set human beings apart from animals, then reason and morality must guide us in how we treat them, or else it's all just caprice, unbridled appetite with the pretense of piety."

• I think Scully means that since we are set apart from animals by our knowledge and recognition of right and wrong then when should use these principles to treat animals with respect, even if we are going to eat them.  I agree with Scully to an entent.  I believe that we should try to be respectful of animals before we eat them, but I think he forgets that humans are carnivores.  When a lion tears apart his prey does he think about the animals feelings? Probably not.  I believe humans should express some sentiment but the carnivore in us with take over at times.

3. Where does Scully stand on the "rights" of animals.

• Scully believes that animals do have some rights.  He thinks that they shouldn't be tortured before they are killed and should be treated humanely.  An example of this is on page 356 when he mentions a bible verse about how animals should be treated with respect.  He follows that up with a statement that American laws should follow this verse.

• Scully's argument is effective because he addresses the other side of the argument as well.  Scully mentioned a conservative columnist that didn't want to know about the horrors of industrial farming.  Since Scully is a conservative this makes his argument more effective because it shows he has seen both sides of this issue.

Questions/Concerns about my paper:

• It's not long enough
• Thesis could be stronger
• Wasn't sure what to compare
• Weak Conclusion

SWA #6

Dr. Pepper has been around since the 1880's and has been marketed as having a "one-of-a-kind taste."  While the soda may actually have a very unique taste, the marketing tactics have long been the same.  Dr. Pepper is able to recognize who it's audience is and make them feel as though they are one-of-a-kind just like the soda.  By examining the two Dr. Pepper ads we can see that they have been tailored to fit a target audience; this is significant because while the ads may be designed for a specific audience, they include similar overlying themes.

SWA #5

• This ad was first featured in Ladies Home Journal.
• The typical topic covered in this are any subject that involves women.  This includes interior design, food, beauty and fashion advice, and marriage advice.
• The demographics of its prospective audience is women that are old enough to have children and a family.
• There are many products advertised here and they encompass a wide variety of items.  Some are food products, some include feminine products, or they can be items for home decor.
• Based on these answers it is clear that the publisher is interested in talking about things that interest women.  They assume that women value family and home life.

• This advertisement was featured in Sports Illustrated.
• The typical topics that are covered are whatever is going on in the world of sports.  They try to cover the most important stories in professional or collegiate sports.
• The demographics of the audience is mostly men, but there are probably a few women readers.
• The other products advertised here include beer, cigarettes, razors and shaving cream, and other products men use regularly.
• They publisher assumes that because it is a magazine about sports it is mainly men reading, and they value products that deal with being a man.

SWA #4

1. I am analyzing two different Dr. Pepper ads.  The first one came from the internet and it appears to come out of a magazine from the 1950's or 1960's.  The second advertisement come from a common commercial that is on TV now and can be found in magazines like Sports Illustrated.

2. The audience of the first advertisement was clearly women because it focuses on how you can drink Dr. Pepper and still fit into your bathing suit.  This probably came from a magazine that writes about women's health or other interests women have.  The second advertisement come from television and magazines like Sports Illustrated.  The audience is men because it is mostly advertised on stations like ESPN, and its plain and simple.

3. Ad #1- This advertisement shows a woman standing in front of the mirror in her bathing suit.  The ad   goes on to talk about how women want to fit into last years bathing suit and how drinking Dr. Pepper will allow you to do so because it doesn't contain sugar.  It talks about how its enjoyable but the best part about it is that you will not gain weight after drinking it.

Ad #2- This advertisement is very plain and only feature a picture of Dr. Pepper in a can and in a glass on top of a grey background.  It contains the text "It's not for women."  At the top it talks about how it has the same taste as Dr. Pepper but only has 10 "manly" calories.  "Women"is in red font which makes it stand out more than the other words.  All the main text is in all caps.

4. I chose these two ads because they are trying to sell the same product, but are focusing on why its good for men or why its good for women, instead of trying to sell it to everyone.  They both advertise being healthier for you which I found interesting since one is trying to sell to women and the other to men.  What makes them strikingly different is how complex the first ad is and how simple the second ad is.  They both have the idea that people want a good tasting healthy drink, but they use different methods.  The first ad uses the stereotype that all women worry about is fitting into their bikinis.  It emphasizes that this drinking will enable them to do that.  The second shows that men too want to be healthy about what they drink, but that men are tougher so they don't want a "womanly" drink with no calories.  It also uses the stereotype that men are simple and women are complex so the second advertisement gets right to the point, but the first has a whole paragraph and picture explaining the reasons to drink Dr. Pepper.

SWA #3

The issue that I decided to focus on from the Carolina Reader was the environment.  This article focuses on the manmade wasteland created in countries such a Russia and China.  It talks about how a once luscious landscape had now become uninhabitable desert.  The main argument it makes is that we are not unaware of what is going on, but rather don’t really care what is going on.  We know we are the causes of problems such as deforestation, wetland destruction, and greenhouse gas emissions, but instead of trying to fix them we have turned a blind eye to these issues.  Our recklessness has set up a problem that the future generations will be required to deal with.

            By pointing out this issue and citing examples of where irreversible damage has already occurred the author is calling for a change.  At no point in the article does the author come out and directly say, “this must change,” but by giving examples of issues where there have been a change of practice such a water boarding and slavery, he is calling for a change of practice in how we deal with the environment.

            The image I decided to focus on can be found on page 27 of the Writing Arguments book, and it is figure 2.1.  This picture focuses on a man standing outside of a Home Depot store holding an American flag and a sign that says, “It’s illegal to hire illegal’s.”  The man is protesting the practice of contractors and businessmen hiring illegal immigrants to do work for them at a price that is below minimum wage.  This man is protesting the act of illegal immigration and giving jobs that could be given to hard working Americans to workers that will do it for illegally low wages.

            By holding the American flag and the sign about the illegal immigrants this man is saying it is un-American to hire illegal immigrants.  He is making the argument that American worker should be hired to do jobs in America and should be given fair wages.  This sign bring attention to issue that might be commonplace at this location and serves as a reminder that it is an illegal practice.  It is estimated that there are around 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States.  These people do not pay taxes that the US citizens pay and take jobs for less than minimum wage.  The man in the image is protesting that we keep these people from taking American citizens jobs.

I found the "Get Smarter" article by Jamais Cascio to be a lot more interesting than the article by Nicholas Carr about Google.  My reasoning for this is that I got the feeling that Nicholas Carr was no more than an aging old man, that was having trouble adapting to modern technology.  I found Cascio more relatable, because he can accept that Google is changing the way we think, but these types of evolutionary changes have been occurring for years within the human population.  He says, "Google isn't the problems; it's the beginning of a solution." I completely agree with that statement, and maybe that why I found this article a lot more interesting to read.