This little Child Went to Market

In the essay “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift, irony is present throughout. Swift claims to have a plan that will help the financially struggling families of Ireland and the country as a whole. Swift proposes that to relieve the financial stress, children as young as one year old must be slaughtered. He states “I am assured by our merchants, that a boy or girl before twelve years old, is no saleable commodity, and even when they come to this age, they will not yield above three pounds, or three pounds and half a crown at most, on the exchange.” This statement completely ignores the potential of a child to do more laborious tasks as they grow older and stronger. These children he plans to kill may become very profitable and contributing members of society, lightening the burden on their families and country. Swift is obviously attempting to help a struggling family and country but actually, this could make the financial struggles of Ireland and the families significantly worse without promise of thriving future generation.

"Don't Get Smart With Me!"

In “Everything Bad Is Good For You” by Steven Johnson, a correlation between the Sleeper Curve and the Flynn Effect is suggested.  The Sleeper Curve discusses how media may have a positive effect on mass culture, while the Flynn Effect debates how today’s culture affects IQ scores. Johnson connects these ideas by arguing that more technologically advanced students have led to the increase in the average IQ. However, this can be difficult to determine because IQ tests are limited in the material they cover. While playing video games and working with electronics can be very beneficial in building fast reflexes and problem solving skills, students in the past did not have technology so readily available to them and were much more likely to read a book to learn. Both activities have their benefits when time is invested into them but these are completely different areas of intelligence that an IQ test might not accurately distinguish. A person playing The Sims 2 isn’t necessarily more intelligent than the person reading .Media may not be as “harmful” as once thought but more research needs to be done before we can attribute media with the rise in IQ test scores in recent years.  

Careful! Don't Get Tangled In The Wrong Web.

 “Don’t talk to strangers,” the classic phrase of parents everywhere needs to be emphasized more so today. In Kevin Alexander’s MySpace Not Responsible for predators, he argues that MySpace cannot be held responsible for the behavior of young adults or who they choose to speak with. He states that “There is no way to stop a determined predator. There is no way to stop a determined victim” (119). He uses the case of a 14 year old girl who agreed to meet with and 19 year old man the she had never met, only chatted with on MySpace. It was a normal teenage date with dinner and a movie but went terribly wrong when he raped her. This is a very tragic circumstance that Alexander uses to plea with parents to be more aware of their child’s online and offline activities. “MySpace is a business and one that has never advertised itself as an online baby-sitting service” (119). says Kevin Alexander. Whether MySpace chooses to take new security measures to prevent predators or not, Alexander makes a very convincing argument. He not only claimed that MySpace cannot be held accountable for the actions of others but he supported it solidly. In the case of the 14 year old girl who later moved to file a lawsuit against MySpace, he asks a critical question “where were the parents?” (120). If the mom or dad knew this was a boy she had never met (no matter his assumed age), it would be irresponsible of them to allow their young daughter to be alone with him. Alexander understood this was a tragic occurrence but was bold enough to question what some may have overlooked to find the truth of MySpace and predators.

Alexander, Kevin. “MySpace Not Responsible For Predators.” Elements of Argument: A Test and Reader.  Annette T. Rottenberg and Donna Haisty Winchell. Boston.MA: Bedford/St.Martin’s.2009. 119-120.print

To age or not to age? That is the question.

Dreaded by many and inevitable for us all, aging has been the main focus of cosmetic companies Worldwide. What if a product was created that could slow or stop the progression of aging? Well that is exactly what this advertisement is claiming their product can do. A beautiful woman is seen in a collection of photos taken with her husband over the years. As the photos become more current, it is clear the man has aged. His face has begun to wrinkle and his hair has turned gray but the woman remains the same. Seeing that this woman has been able to maintain her beauty and youth throughout the years, the claim that the product will prevent aging is well supported.  However, we have to make certain assumption for us to believe claim. We must warrant that the reason for this woman’s youthful appearance is because she has used this product and has had successful results. We must also warrant that the photos were actually taken over a period of several years rather than different photos taken at the same time. The advertisement makes “stopping the clock” a very appealing idea that woman can now obtain with the use of their product. This is a claim of value or an attempt to try to prove that some things are more or less desirable that some other things. Seeing the contrast in the man’s aging and the woman’s youthfulness, it can be easy to desire prolonged youth rather than the natural process of aging.

Not Missing A Beat!

    

I was in the 6^th grade when I walked into a Florida public school for the first time. I was 12 years old and was not sure what to expect when my parents first announced that we would be leaving our quiet little town of Newland, North Carolina for the sunshine state, Florida. There were many things I had prepared myself for before walking through those doors that day, like jokes being made about my thick southern accent. The one thing I didn’t prepare for was the sound of an 8^th grade girl playing her flute beautifully as I sat down to my lunch. She was with other band students to recruit new members for the band, and that was all it took for me to become obsessed. The next few weeks were filled with pleas to my parents for a new flute, the next few months with painfully wrong notes, and the next few years with irreplaceable friendships and memories. I didn’t quit and by 8^th grade I was sounding like the girl who inspired me to begin playing. It was now time for recruiting to begin for High School marching band and as I got to hear many performances from different schools, one stood out. The Gulf Coast High School “sharks” marching band were big, friendly, and loud. I joined them my freshman year and continued with them until my graduation from High School. I enjoyed playing in the band so much and continued to improve as a player each week, finally deciding to become an officer my junior year. As an officer I had a responsibility to resolve any problems that my section had. I will never forget having to once calm two fellow officers fighting over authority but I still wouldn’t have changed a thing!

Me with the Gulf Coast High School "Sharks" Marching Band