The essay by Stuart Greene certainly drives home the quote that “there is nothing new under the sun”. In fact, in trying to discover who to give credit for this particular quote Shakespeare, Bierce, and Ecclesiastes 1:4-11 was cited for saying it. The point here is that research is crucial to writing arguments on any topic. Without research, a person will possibly be reiterating what has already been said, which does not propel an argument forward. Although research is vital to a convincing argument, it is only the beginning. A few more steps for writing an argument are necessary.
Stuart Greene’s essay was very enlightening. When writing an argument, I typically try to consider questions an opposing viewer may have. I never really considered that this internal dialogue was a way for me to “enter a conversation”. It sounds rather conceited; however, I was shocked at the realization that anyone needed to be taught how to do this. Then again, I am an extremely empathetic person and always try to look at things from another person’s point-of-view. Without being in someone el...
In John Leo’s “The Beauty of Argument”, Leo discusses how discussion and debate has changed drastically over time.
In the introduction, the author has done a good job engaging the audience with emotions, and painting a vivid scene of the seals being slaughtered. This essay does a good job of acknowledging the other point of views. This essay also has a good, clear sense of structure. The author has a strong thesis statement, that gave a clear indication of what the following paragraphs are about.
This book is telling a story about two African American boys (Wes A and Wes P) who have the same name and grew up at same community, but they have a very different life. The author, Wes A, begins his life in a tough Baltimore neighborhood and end up as a Rhodes Scholar, Wall Streeter, and a white house fellow; The other Wes Moore begins at the same place in Baltimore , but ends up in prison for the rest of his life. Then why do they have the same experience, but still have a totally different life? I will agree here that environment (family environment, school education environment and society environment) is one of the biggest reasons for their different.
Have you ever felt stuck? Wherever you are, it’s the absolute last place you want to be. In the book Into the Wild, Chris McCandless feels stuck just like the average everyday person may feel. Chris finds his escape plan to the situation and feels he will free himself by going off to the wild. I agree with the author that Chris McCandless wasn’t a crazy person, a sociopath, or an outcast because he got along with many people very well, but he did seem somewhat incompetent, even though he survived for quite some time.
It is a prevailing assumption among both philosophers that having an accurate belief of our self and the world is important. On the topic of free will and moral responsibility, Strawson argues for the pessimist viewpoint while Susan argues for the compatibilist viewpoint.
The court had thought themselves to be correct, and if you were accused of witchcraft, you were either put in jail or to death. John Proctor had been accused of this, so he "confessed" to it to save his own life and take care of his family. Although, he changed his mind later on and said that the document he was signing was a lie, the minister had asked, “If [the document] is a lie I will not accept it! What say you? I will not deal in lies!” (1112). He believed that John was telling a lie when John was actually telling the truth. John was not a witch, but it did not matter what he said to the minister, if you were accused, then you were a witch. Elizabeth Proctor, John's wife, had been accused by Abigail Williams. After John had admitted to
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James has been the cause of many debates about whether or not the ghosts are real, or if this is a case of a woman with psychological disturbances causing her to fabricate the ghosts. The story is told in the first person narrative by the governess and is told only through her thoughts and perceptions, which makes it difficult to be certain that anything she says or sees is reliable. It starts out to be a simple ghost story, but as the story unfolds it becomes obvious that the governess has jumps to conclusions and makes wild assumptions without proof and that the supposed ghosts are products of her mental instability which was brought on by her love of her employer
The snow, the cold, loneliness and starvation. Alaska in the miserable winter. These are all the things Christopher McCandless endeavored (or tried to endeavor), on his adventure through the wilderness. Before embarking on his life-changing road-trip, he burnt his money and ran. Was he running, hiding, or starting over? Chris could’ve been planning on an unplanned return after his trip, despite the extremes he persevered through. But nonetheless, he was gone without a trace. Missing in action like he had disappeared into thin air. His material life that his parents had formed was nothing but the past to Chris. He was a college graduate who wanted to break free from the nullifying snobbery his family upheld. No Harvard Law School, mansion, or
Chris McCandless lived a life that can be examined in many different ways. He was an adventurer from the heart, and he didn’t want to conform to society’s views of how the world should be run and how each person should live their life. McCandless was able to stray from the normal progression of life, seen as going from graduating college to getting a 9-5 job and starting a family, by completely disappearing from his family’s life and trying to control his own life. In order to truly live life, one must be able to break free of the constricting confines of society, which control individuals and try to shape their life.
I write to offer my unconditional endorsement of Blakely Byrd as a Triple-Impact Competitor. I have known Blakely for 13 years and have served as her classmate, friend, and teammate on both our club and high school teams. If there is one thing I can say about Blakely, it is that she always embraces challenges. Whether it is being the first to accept the invitation to take a penalty kick or the last person to leave the field after practice, she never stops working and always does it with joy. My father nicknamed Blakely "Flash" because of her lightning speed and her self-confidence and determination to uplift and inspire everyone else around her. To me, Blakely epitomizes the concept of leading by example. No matter how tough our opponent is,
While both black and white people fought over segregation versus desegregation, black people defended their freedom and civil rights while white people focused on isolating black people and treating them as under classed.
On November 5, 2008, William Sean Burger died from esophageal cancer. In 2004, one month prior to his diagnosis, he and my mother bought a house together. He was forced to quit his job as a trim carpenter at custom remodeling which left my mother with a mortgage to pay, along with two kids and a sick man to support by herself. In 2006 he beat his cancer, and was in remission for two years. Sadly, on the day of his and my mother’s wedding, they ended up at the mayo clinic in Iowa city. His cancer had returned and he died less than a year later. Although him and my mother were never technically married, I considered him to be my step father and role model. Three days before he died, his family came to the house and took him away. Although he
“Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! I have given you my soul, leave me my name!” (1333), laments John Proctor at the climax of the classic drama, The Crucible, as written by New York playwright, Arthur Miller, and inspired by true events. Set in the year 1692, in Salem, Massachusetts, John Proctor, a near-middle-aged, working farmer, is among the many people in the (at the time) small town that are accused of witchcraft after rumors are spread by Abigail Williams, the cunning antagonist of the story. After a lengthy trial, John Proctor refuses to have a paper of proof signed by him be displayed on the town’s church door, stating that he would rather die than commit to a crime which is, in fact, false. This seemed
Our society today depends on money and material objects. It is a popular belief that money makes happiness. Although this is believed to be true, transcendentalists around the world live with the idea that living with only what you need is the prime lifestyle. Chris McCandless, a transcendentalist, did not support this lifestyle. Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, helps support the idea that people do not need luxury to be happy. Becoming used to comfort and luxury leads to apathy and boredom because people become dependent, become predictable, and lack work ethic.
“Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both” (Roosevelt). The goal of America’s legal system as we know it is that everyone is given an equal opportunity to stick up for what they may or may not have done, as described by former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Also this is what officials strive for, it is not always the case. Facts can be skewed, distorted, or misrepresented to make one side seem to be guilty without a doubt and to make the other side seem as if they have done nothing wrong. The Crucible by Arthur Miller begins and ends with one-sided accusations of witchcraft. It all results from a group of girls who had been dancing in the woods. After two fall sick, the accusations begin. The girls who were dancing, especially Abigail Williams begin blaming others to look less guilty themselves. Accusations are flying left and right so that soon, hundreds are in jail and over a dozen are executed. Abby’s main goal is to get rid of Elizabeth Proctor, so she can be with John Proctor, a man she previously had an affair with. However, John is not interested in Abby and his