Writing Project #2
Write an essay in which you explore and explain ways in which a generation has been generalized, either accurately or inaccurately, because of aseries of images and representations. In other words, describe how a series of representations has created some type of a perception of a generation and present commentary about the nature of that perception. Your audience for this paper is made up of readers who are interested in how you are reading these images and the sense that you are making of them. Your essay needs to be well-reasoned (as opposed to reactionary), fully developed, and rich in examples and details.
In the end you need to achieve a balance between the following elements:
a) Assume that your audience may or may not be familiar with the representations that you are describing. Regardless, they do not have the image at their fingertips while they are reading your paper. You will need to spend a significant amount of time describing these images without letting description overpower your paper.
b) In the end, your paper should be about the conception that was created by the images you choose to work with. These images should serve as secondary material to your paper topic and the points you are going to make.
The image that many young people are being labeled with is an image of stupidity and one of total disregard for authority. Many adults feel that various music groups, such as the Smashing Pumpkins and R.E.M are polluting teenagers with visions that it’s cool to smoke weed and dress like a bum. Just because the younger generations are wearing clothes that seem to brash for their older counterparts, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are going to run out and buy a compact disc and actually try to live out the scenarios that the music is depicting. This is the most absurd thing that I have ever heard of. People have got to stop treating this generation of teenagers like morons. When you treat someone like a moron you get a moron. Kids don’t listen to groups like the smashing pumpkins because they want to learn how to experiment with drugs. They listen to music as a release, something that they can possibly relate to or possibly using the music as a drug itself to relieve stress or other troubles. Most kids know right from wrong it’s just a matter of which direction they want their lives to go in. The same is true for the musicians who write these songs. They are merely showing a part of society that they think we need to become more aware of. Musicians can reach millions of people through their music and they are simply trying to inform people of problems they may not face every day.Write an essay in which you examine and analyze one particular method of education reform. You may choose one method that you feel is very effective and write a positioned essay in which you present your praise. You may choose something that you feel would fail and write a positioned essay in which you outline its shortcomings. You may choose something that shows both strengths and weaknesses. In the end, your goal is to write an essay that presents a thorough, thoughtful examination of a narrow topic. Your essay should forward a strong thesis that is in need of exploration ans support. Also, your essay should be both descriptive and well reasoned.
Finally, you should incorporate at least three sources in your essay. Sources may include but are not limited to periodicals, books, pamphlets, WWW texts and other on-line materials, and interviews (if you have any questions about whether a source is acceptable please ask). At least one of those sources should come from your reading assignment outlined in the handout, "Writing Project 3 Part I." We will talk further in class about how to document these sources into your paper.
Many public schools are in financial trouble and are probably not providing the best education for the dollar. Many of these problems are the result of failing levies, which, in turn, force school districts to cut back on programs and teachers in order to save money. So, because, of this the federal government, in conjunction with the state governments’ is trying to come up with a system that would allow parents to receive a voucher which can be applied to the school of their choice. This would create increased competition between public and private schools. The increased competition would not only benefit the students, but both types of educational systems by forcing them to set higher standards for students to achieve. The vouchers would make a valid attempt to give students an opportunity to pursue better education if the one they are enrolled in doesn’t meet the needs they expect. Vouchers would extend an opportunity to all students who aren’t attending a private school, the chance to do so. Vouchers would also be making a valid attempt to level the playing field for all students, as well as schools. This would help students by providing assistance for students who might not be able to attend a private school otherwise. They would also greatly increase the competition between school districts by allowing students to leave a public school, and pursue their education at a private institution. This would aid students by giving them an education that is on a much higher level. Schools would be forced to set higher standards for education. Once this all happens, enrollment would increase at public schools again, because the education would be even with the private sector. We have the power and the money to touch each and every students life through education. Why let that power go to waste because we feel it costs too much to raise standards in every school? The item which has become so controversial is merely a tax plan. This plan would enable parents to send their children to any private or parochial school they feel they want their child to attend. For example: in the state of California, the proposal they have come up with would allow students in kindergarten to receive one thousand dollars per year. A first grader would receive one thousand five hundred dollars per year, a second grader would receive two thousand two hundred and fifty dollars per year, and students in grades three through twelve would receive three thousand five hundred dollars per school year. This money would be distributed to every student in either school system. The money that is distributed does not have to be used, but it can only be used in a specific student’s education. Another great advantage of the vouchers is the fact that parents would be allowed to save this money in a bank account , as long as it is earmarked for their child’s education. This doesn’t mean that they won’t be paying tax money to their school districts. It just means that they will receive a voucher that can be treated as money and be deposited in a bank. This saved money can then be applied toward their son or daughter’s college or technical education. Opponents of the voucher system fear that vouchers will lead to increased segregation by allowing students to escape the ethnic make-up of their schools, by giving them the freedom to choose a school not just by the curriculum, but because of who attends it. In Take the money and Run, Barbara Kantrowitz cited that a black think tank in Washington found eighty-eight percent of blacks backed vouchers, a higher percentage than more general surveys show (64). Opponents also fear that the voucher would interfere with the constitutional separation of church and state. They are feeling this way because the state government would be actually returning tax money in the form of a voucher. This would lead many people to believe that the states would be financially supporting Catholic or other religious schools. This is an issue that would be viewed as unconstitutional by our federal government. Some opponents also argue that vouchers could possibly eliminate public schooling by allowing students to leave and pursue other activities and programs that are only offered at private institutions. Kantrowitz states that people don’t want to spend tax money on schools they can’t control (64). From my perspective, I can’t see how opponents could say that vouchers are violating separation of church and state. I disagree that this would create a paradox. The federal government isn’t supporting religious schools. All the government is doing is returning some tax money to parents, money they would have paid to schools anyway. Parents are making the decisions as to where their children will attend school, not the federal government. If the government was forcing children to attend religious schools funded by the government, then they would be in violation. But they aren’t. They are leaving the choice of which school up to the parents. The federal government is just trying to give power back to parents. Michael Abramson writes: "Limiting vouchers to only poor families would reduce this segregation because some private schools with mainly affluent clientele would be happy to accept more students from diverse backgrounds if they brought vouchers covering part of the cost of the tuition they would be paying to attend." You would end up with a mix of cultures at both public and private schools. Some would want to remain at public schools and others would want to go out and take full advantage of this new system of being allowed to attend a private school. School vouchers would benefit both public and private school systems. This is because when you increase the competition between the private sector and all public schools, not only do you start to see changes taking place in the schools but you start to see changes in students. Public schools would be forced to keep more experienced teachers. If they cut the best teachers they have, they won’t be giving your child the best education for your hard earned tax dollars. You would notice bigger changes in the students. Their attitudes would probably have a much more positive outlook towards education. The test scores of students would drastically improve because they would be receiving a much more advanced education than they are now. In conclusion, if we want our children to receive the best education possible, it may mean that students will need to receive these vouchers. The students would then be able to attend a school with modern technology and highly educated teachers. Public schools may not be at that level yet and this would give them a chance to obtain that level of excellence. It would give them type of education that Theodore R. Sizer describes as a high schools obligation to touch most aspects of an adolescents existence-mind, body, morals, values, career (85).Writing Project #4
Write a reaserched essay in which you explore, analyze, and respond to a problem that exists within the context of a specific community. This problem, which you should identify early in your paper, should have at it's core the presence of "difference." This may include a difference of opinion or world view. Or perhaps this difference stems from race, gender, sexual orientation, social class, religion, or a combination of these defining qualities. Also, your essay should be addressed to an audience that may not be familiar with the community in such a way that your audience understands the context of the problem. Your writing should exhibit a clear sense of purpose and should be directed toward a specific audience. Above all, your essay must be supported by strong evidence and thoughtful reasoning.
You should make clear reference to at least six (6) sources in the text of your paper:
at least four (4) sources must be textual sources (no more than two of these four may be from th WWW).
at least two (2) sources must be personal interviews of someone who could be defined as an authority either within the community or about the problem.
You should vary, as much as possible, the ways in which you use these sources: direct quotations, incorporated quotations, block quotations, and paraphrases. Your sources must be citied correctly using MLA stlye of documentation.
When people drive down roads in the school district you will see nice scenic areas, but along with that pleasure you will discover the biggest problem that the district has faced in a long time, sign vandalism. Many signs in the Pleasant school district have become coated with graffiti. Signs that used to be bright red and alert people when to stop now just inform people of which class is graduating this year. Most of these signs are coated with multi-colored phrases such as "class of 97." Some signs even contain explicitives. One might think that graffiti is nothing more than a nuisance, yet it can have a more serious effect. Not only does graffiti detract from the appearance of neighborhoods and cause a danger to those traveling on county roads in the school district, but it also erodes the community spirit Pleasant school district has always had. Students who continue to go out and paint signs think it’s no big deal. They think why should we care? They really should. If they were to get caught, they would find that it is a federal offense to destroy public property owned by the government. Sheriff John Butterworth states that "any individual caught will be arrested." Another reason students could be having so much fun is the fact that they feel this vandism doesn’t cost them anything. But if they would examine it closely, it does. Jack Tozzer states that "Marion County spends between 5,000 and 6,000 dollars a year repairing signs in the Pleasant area." Many students fail to realize that their parents are continually forced to pay higher tax rates. These tax hikes are to pay for things such as fixing signs and the labor involved in the process. Continuing to paint signs doesn’t ease the tax burden. The sign painting has gotten to the point that on some of the busiest and most dangerous intersections you can’t even tell what is a stop sign. The intersection of Owens Rd. and State Route 423 is especially dangerous. This area has become so dangerous because Owens Rd. leads you to 423, but before you get to 423, you have to travel up a small hill. The combination of the hill and painted signs makes visibility onto 423 very poor. People who don’t travel the road often may miss the stop sign at the top of the hill. It is well know in the are that this intersection has the largest number of accidents per year in the area. People literally have to go by shape of the signs on some roads. A person who is not familiar with the roads could easily miss a stop sign at an intersection and go right into the path of an oncoming car resulting in a very serious accident. John Butterworth states that "Certain roads in the area are dangerous enough in the winter, let alone covering signs up with graffiti." There is more to this problem than just physically painting signs. All of this graffiti is detracting from the looks of this once immaculate community. People work hard to keep yards and homes looking beautiful. But when this type of action takes place, graffiti takes so much away from the whole picture. It doesn’t look the same when you drive down a street with neatly groomed lawns, get to the end and people can’t even read the stop sign. The issue we are facing involves more than simply going out and spray painting signs. The issue is the fact that many teens don’t seem to have any sense of pride towards themselves or other people’s property. This isn’t something that has erupted overnight. It started to become noticeable with Pleasant’s class of 1992. This was a class which had a lot of students who were very artistic. Many of these students thought it would be cool to put logos of their class on street signs throughout the school district. This particular classes logo happened to be Mickey Mouse. But ever since that class started painting signs, later classes have just gone absolutely crazy painting signs, especially the class of 1997. But they fail to realize that this is hurting more than just the article they paint. It is having a very negative effect on the community. Joel Garreau states, "I guess it depends on the way you look at it whether you see it or not" (66). People are starting to complain and constantly put the blame on people whether they are involved or not. Not only does graffiti have a negative effect on the inside of the community, but causes people outside the community are starting to stereotype Pleasants students as criminals and vandals. People in this community don’t like to hear things like that being said, and it creates a lot of tension. This tension is evident when Pleasant plays other teams in athletic contests. People can literally feel the hatred between the two competing schools. Because of all the graffiti that keeps appearing on signs, many residents throughout the Pleasant community are becoming outraged. They feel that nothing seems to be getting done to solve the problem. The graffiti is really making a mockery of what Pleasant stands for. Pleasant has always had the highest standards of any community in this area. But lately students seem to be losing their Spartan pride. The Pleasant school district has got to come up with some solutions to this problem. If not, it will just occur every year and progressively get worse. The community needs to come together as a group and start forming block watches, and neighborhood patrols. Describing ways to curb the problem with vandalism, CCNet suggests "jail, fines, and compensation to property owners." This would get the message out to teens that people are not going to tolerate acts of vandalism. A program in San Francisco is trying to teach no tolerance by involving major companies in the fight against graffiti: "It won’t cost them a cent. A company need only mark a box on the city tax statement (due Feb. 29), and 1 percent of its tax payment will be diverted into a significant civic investment with multiple benefits" (San Francisco). If kids become aware that parents are becoming involved, they may think twice because they don’t want to get caught by someone else’s parents let alone their own. Instead of parents just warning someone caught in the act, they need to start being tough with them. It won’t take too long for kids to become petrified of "whipping" out that paint can to touch up that sign next door to some houses. Our communities are falling apart, and the only people we have to blame for this problem is ourselves. We are the ones who always sit back and complain, but when push comes to shove, we never want to take the initiative to do something about it. If the vandalism goes unreported, then we have no one to blame but ourselves. But if we do report these acts, then we are doing our part to bring about change to our community. The police can’t do it alone, they need us just as much as we need them. We can be the eyes and ears of the police force. We have got to aid them by making them aware of activities that are taking place in the community. Then just let them crack down on the problem. If we don’t make small changes now, then we will have to make more severe and drastic changes later. If people can catch a couple of the offenders and prosecute them to the fullest extent, the community is going to be setting an example of what will happen to others caught defacing signs or other property. In his article on graffiti Kevin Hledman states "Writers are now being charged with felonies and given lengthy jail terms." But we can’t simply become vigilantes. We need to work in cooperation with the sheriff department and other law enforcement agencies to catch the offenders. Graffiti is a very large problem which seems to intensify every year. As it intensifies, it not only physically destroys the community, but morally destroys it as well. Pleasant has always had such high standards for students and community members to uphold. Vandilism takes the wind right out of the sails around the district. People feel let down they want this district to continue to be beautiful and thrive. If signs continue to get painted and we do nothing about it, we are putting not only the lives of our families in danger, but the lives of anyone who travels down a county road in danger. I don’t think we should wait until someone gets hurt or possibly killed before we start to make changes.