Since the cloning of the sheep Dolly, there has been much debate
over whether or not human beings should be cloned. Many people
feel this is a violation of the natural order of things and that all
research in the area of human cloning should be banned. Others
feel that this is a natural progression of science and human
evolution and that research in the area of human cloning should be
a priority. How do you feel about this issue? Use specific reasons
and examples to support your position.All-girl schools have been gaining popularity in recent years
because of the belief that girls learn better when they aren’t
competing with or intimidated by boys, who statistically get more
attention in the classroom. Do you think single-sex schools are a
good idea? Why or why not? Use specific reasons and examples to
support your position.
Many of us spend hours in front of our computers and
communicate more by e-mail or instant-messaging than in person.
Some people believe that this is good because it helps shy people
communicate more openly with others. Others believe that
computer communication prevents us from developing
interpersonal skills and limits our ability to have meaningful
relationships with others. How do you feel about this issue? Use
specific reasons and examples to support your position.According to some health organizations, many foods on our
grocery store shelves are made with genetically modified
ingredients. Most of these foods, however, do not have a GMO
(genetically modified organism) label. Do you think there should
be a law requiring manufacturers to label foods containing GMOs?
Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.What is your all-time favorite movie and why? Write an essay persuading readers to watch this film.
Today, there are more and more reality shows on television. Do
these shows make good television? Why or why not? Explain your
answer using specific reasons and examples.
Is “an eye for an eye” a good basis for determining an appropriate
punishment? Why or why not? Use specific reasons and examples
to explain your position.
Is there a book that you feel should be required reading for
everyone? Write an essay persuading your audience to read
this book.
Some people go right on to college after high school; others take a
year or more off to work or travel. Which do you think is the
better choice? State your position and support it with specific
reasons and examples.
For centuries, people have wondered about the possibility of life
on other planets in the universe. Do you believe extraterrestrial life
exists? Write an essay persuading others to share your point of
view.If someone discovered a formula that would enable us to live
forever, would that be a blessing or a curse? Use specific reasons
and examples to support your answer.
Some educators argue that every child in every school should have
access to computers. Others believe that the value of computers in
the classroom is overrated and that computers may actually
interfere with the learning process. In your opinion, how
important are computers in the classroom? Use specific reasons
and examples to explain your answer.Some people believe that students aren’t learning enough in high
school. Should school standards be higher? Explain your answer
using specific reasons and examples.
It has often been said, “Ignorance is bliss,” and “What you don’t
know won’t hurt you.” Do you agree with these statements? Why
or why not?
55 comments:
People who believe that some kids aren't learning enough in high school are not necessarily wrong, but the ones who are blaming school faculty for this problem aren't necessarily right.
A high school student is generally unable to learn for one of two reasons: they are mentally and/or physically disabled, or they are not wishing to apply themselves academically. Should the situation be more in the area of the first reason, schools should employ teachers and educational assistants who are able to help kids dim down their struggles.
In simple terms, a high school student that is not personally motivated enough to complete work and function appropriately in an academic setting should not use the school's potential lack of accommodation as an excuse for their absent-mindedness. That's the kid's own problem; if the student wants to take advantage of a school's assistance, the reality is that the student is being inconsiderate— not the other way around.
Kids who want to learn will readily apply themselves, and kids who couldn't care less will continue to do so for as long as they wish. Unfortunately, some people overlook the fact that education is a privilege rather than a given thing, and ones who deliver it to you should be treated respectfully. If one can't be respectful to those who are supplying an opportunity for them, they shouldn't have taken the opportunity in the first place.
In modern society, almost everyone has access to computers in some way. Twenty years ago the computer was ancient, but in the small amount of time, computers and the use of computers have grown rapidly. Not only is it easier to use a computer, but also there are now an inconceivable amount of things that you can to with them. But should kids be allowed to have access to them in the classroom? I think not.
Computers are like an army, you can use them for good things, and you can use them for bad thing. Computer can help people write much faster, do research, and over all help people work faster at school. But they can also be very distracting. The question is, are kids mature enough to use them for work, instead of play.
Last year I went to a school in Pittsburg Pennsylvania were they gave each of us our own computer I thought it was very cool, but after the first couple weeks of school I started to notice that instead of listening to the teacher, the kids were playing games and chatting on Gmail. I thought it was very unfortunate that tax’s payer are paying thousands of dollars so that kids can have computer that they just use for gaming.
I am not saying that is it always a bad thing to give students computers, but in my experience they hurt us more than they help us. It may seem like a good, time saving idea. But in the end, it is only distracting students from the work they should be doing.
The “an eye for an eye” system of punishment was developed in the beginnings of civilization when the first codified law was established in ancient Mesopotamia. The code of Hammurabi reads “if a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out,” and “if he break another man's bone, his bone shall be broken.”
Of course, today’s society is different. If somebody injures another person, then a trial will be conducted, and a charge determined. The general consequences of a wide variety of crimes like this would be prison time and fines, not any kind of physical punishment.
An equal punishment for a crime is generally not the right solution. In cases of violence, doling out the same violence as punishment is like fighting fire with fire; prison time is a way to punish criminals without doing the very thing that got them arrested in the first place.
The reason that the “an eye for an eye” basis of punishment does not work today is also because of how our justice system works. Considerations of intent and repentance give way to a gray area, and there therefore cannot be a concrete system of punishment.
Even when the crime is murder, the punishment for the perpetrator is not always to be killed, although many believe that it should be. Each case is unique, however, and therefore each consequence is different. Because justice is never black and white, our nation will never be able to go back to the simplistic idea of “an eye for an eye.”
Jonathan - I thought that your argument was good, and the strongest part about it was the personal experience you described to support your point. You could find some other evidence that makes computers bad for the classroom though, like how technical problems can become an obstacle to learning.
Reality television shows are becoming more and more popular in today’s society. I believe that these shows make poor television because they show poor role models and show a warped view of real life.
People watch reality TV because it is entertaining. If reality were actually portrayed on these shows, no one would watch. There is nothing entertaining about a regular soccer mom going grocery shopping and then picking the kids up at school. Instead, the TV guide is full “Real Housewives”, possibly the most artificial women imaginable. Most of these women are involved in sex scandals or are constantly arguing with one another. They are all wealthy and most have been married multiple times. This is not an accurate representation of life in America. It also teaches viewers that behaving badly gets you attention. Is this really the signal we want to be sending to children? While these shows may not be geared towards younger audiences, they certainly see them. TLC, Oxygen, MTV, and ETV all air reality TV shows. These channels are readily available through most TV providers. I myself am guilty of watching these shows, but I do not think that they make quality television or offer positive role models for viewers.
Claire- I think you gave a very accurate description of the nuances and flexible nature of today's justice system. I like how you explained the differences between justice today and justice in the beginning of civilization.
Computers have completely changed the way we go about our everyday lives. Years ago, such technology never existed. Today, we use computers in some way day in and day out. It may be at school, or at home but in some way we are always interacting with computers.
With the rise of social networks, the way people communicate with each other has certainly changed. People can now have a friend/relationship with someone that is on the other side of the earth. This has both advantages and disadvantages.
It's advantageous because it allows you to stay connected with people you ay not see as often, such as a relative or a grandparent. If you met someone while you were visiting another sate or even country you can still stay in touch with them.
The disadvantage is that some people abuse this power. It gets to the point where you might talk to them online more than you do in real life. This could change your real life relationship with them and/or make it less strong. There's also a disadvantage with meeting someone online because they can characterize his or herself however they want. There is no true way of knowing who they really are.
All in all, I think that computers boast both good and bad things. However, it depends on how you use them. As long as you make sure you're not letting them take over your real social life, then computers aren't such a bad thing.
Nathalie -
I completely agree with your opinion. These types of shows really spoil America's image. I myself do sometimes watch reality shows but I can definitely relate to what your saying.
Some people choose to take a gap year because of financial issues, others want to explore something new and take a break from the stressed life of a student. In my opinion, you should not take a gap year in between high school and college. There are many reasons as to why I say this, but that does not mean that I disagree completely with the other side. My main concern for students that decide not to go to college right after high school is the risk of loosing motivation. Chances are you'll like a life without a regimented schedule and constant work. That will cause you to disconnect from the pros of school, and you'll only see the cons. Take summer vacation for example. Your hands forget how to hold a pencil, your backpack lives in your closet (still containing last years' binders), the school looks deserted, and your days feel twice as long. Everyone looks forward to summer, and the living seems too easy. Imagine if you could have an entire year on your summer schedule, and then tell me you would choose to go back to school.
Des- I agree that schools should not be blamed for a student's failure in high school because of the student's "absent-mindedness". Great points, nice job!
If someone found a formula that enabled us to live forever it would be a terrible curse. The world would soon become overpopulated, many people would suffer, and life would become boring. It would ruin the world if our lives never ended.
Overpopulation would lead to scarcity of food. As babies are born everyday the world population would grow fast. Soon there would be so many people in the world that there wouldn't be enough space to accommodate the numbers. The concentration of people would force us to build houses in forests and possibly over water. This would take the homes away from all the animals and they would soon die off, leaving us with no natural animals to eat. Building in forests and water would also take away land used for crops that we harvest and eat. Food would soon become scarce and people would be in agony. It would very tough to handle living like this.
Also, much suffering would occur if people lived forever. Many people that get into live threatening accidents would have to live forever in pain. They wouldn't be able to be relieved of the pain that death can take away. Also, elderly people with diseases and illnesses would live forever suffering. Death is a wonderful thing because it saves people from the pain of living and living forever is cruel to those in pain.
Lastly, life wouldn't become boring. There is only a certain amount of things someone can do. Once someone has done everything there isn't anything new to do. There isn't anything new to learn. People would not know what to do with themselves and their motivation would go away. Little motivation would lead to poor performance in school and work.
Overall, living forever is a curse. People would starve from overpopulation, disease-stricken people would suffer, and life would become boring causing poor performance in school an work. Everyone would hate their lives and they would be forced to live a life not worth living.
I think students are learning enough in high school. The standards have changed a lot already in one generation with how much the curriculum expects for education and knowledge of high school students. I think a high school education should not change over the years in standards. To much change in standards could cause more high schoolers to do poorly because of the elementary and middle schools not preparing their students enough for high school.
“Ignorance is bliss” is a very interesting statement that really doesn’t have a valid point. I disagree with this statement because of the other quote seen here, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you.” If you are in a situation when your friend has collapsed on the ground chocking on a piece of candy and you don’t know the Heimlich maneuver then you’re not going to know how to save your friend. If your friend dies then you might be saying to yourself if only I knew the Heimlich maneuver then my best friend would be standing here beside me. This is a pretty drastic example that won’t effect many people but things like not knowing questions on tests also hurts people in many different ways. It builds stress, it makes you think less of yourself and many other not so positive feelings that people have. Not doing well on a test might not hurt for very long but getting a failed test back does hurt in some ways. Your ignorance of the material in this situation did not lead to any sort of bliss. Some people might say that they do agree with the statement “Ignorance is bliss” because for example if you don’t know about all the bad things going on in the world today like poverty then you won’t be effected or hurt by them. This is a logical point but then you are hurting others. If no one knew about the poverty in countries today then no one would offer help. This wouldn’t be good. If “Ignorance is bliss” really was a true statement then why would people be trying to get information out in all sorts of ways. Today we are surrounded by things that educate us on new technology, world issues and other important things. News papers, computers, radios, and TV all are sources of news. People are trying to inform people so we can help, change, or prevent things from happening.
Claire,
I really like your points and I think your argument is very solid. I like the way you structured your essay into short paragraphs with different points, it really helped your argument. I think the quotes are a good addition to the essay also.
John, I agree that living forever would be a curse. Nice job backing up your argument with specific things like suffering, overpopulation and boredom.
If someone found a formula enabling human to live forever, it would be a curse, not a blessing. All living organisms, no matter what they are, must die in order for the cycle of nutrients and energy to continue. If humans never died and the population increased, Earth’s resources would run low, giving hardships to everyone. What if the whole world fell into corruption? Dying might be better than living forever in the horrible situation. Death is the influence for humans to accomplish a goal they set. They try to achieve the goal before their life ends. If humans lived forever, nature’s influence over humans disappear, effectively making humans dominant over nature. Unchangeable aspects of human lives are necessary in order to keep stability in the universe. Human beings taking over a law of nature which is meant to be a “law” could unknowingly bring about the end of the world. Death is something humankind should not mess with.
John –
I totally agree with your arguments supporting how living forever is a curse. Your third reason says life wouldn’t become boring. I think you meant “would”. Wouldn’t life always be exciting since there are so many mysteries in the world, and it’s impossible to know everything? However, I do agree with how there wouldn’t be any motivation for goals.
Computers haven’t been around for a very long time, but in their short existence, they have managed to influence many aspects of our lives. Although computers are very useful and convenient, they have negatively impacted our communication skills.
Computer conversations, either on e-mail or instant messaging, give the people time to think about the information. This affects a person’s ability to respond quickly to things that are said during a conversation that is face-to-face. Eye contact is more infrequent because the people who use the computer are not in the habit of it. The ability to read another person’s body language is also harder. These things have a negative effect on interpersonal relationships.
Another negative impact computers have is that they give people more confidence and they often say things they wouldn’t otherwise say. They can hide behind the screen and they don‘t have to see the effects of their words on the other person. This is also why relationships on computers are a lot less meaningful. The people involved are never able to see how the other person reacts to what they have said. They can’t tell if it made the laugh or if it hurt them. Seeing and hearing someone laugh is more meaningful than a simple “haha” on the screen.
Claire,
I completely agree. Your argument was well supported and very clear. I like that you referenced the origin of the quote.
After 12 years of school, don’t high school grads need a break? Gap years are becoming very popular. They are a good way to study a language, learn about different cultures and help determine a career. I believe that it is a good way to learn outside of a classroom. It is a perfect time because they still have time to make a decision about their future and be able to follow up on it during college.
It is very hard to be passionate about a language in the classroom. When you go abroad on your gap year, you can put the seven years of language to use. In a classroom, a student can only speak a fraction of a day in a different language. Going abroad forces them to speak the whole day and perfects their language skills.
In social studies classes, students learn about many different places across the world, but it is not specialized. Learning about other cultures is vital because each place has something new to teach.
During a gap year, you have time to follow your interests and get an idea of what you want to be. When they go to college the next year, they have an idea of what they want to be, therefore making their college education useful.
Eileen- I agree with the points you made. The arguments you made were clear and backed up your thesis.
If you could live forever, would you? The ability to live forever would be a curse to the human race. If nobody died, then the cycle of life would be altered and destroyed because of overpopulation and lack of resources. People would fight over simple resources such as water, and in turn that would harm all of the animal life sustained in that water. As animals die from human fighting the food chain would be thrown out of line and the humans would eventually self destruct because nature wouldn’t be able to support itself. Without natural resources, human existence would die.
Secondly, if the procedure for infinite life is only available to certain, wealthier people; there would be anarchy and war. Poorer people would wonder why they didn’t have right to live forever like the rich. Chaos, confusion, and war would erupt from this disagreement that everybody isn’t treated equal. As a result of this, humans would be fighting against another and ultimately killing the human race. This is why being able to live forever is a curse.
Hansol - I really liked you last sentence about how humans shouldn't mess around with death or the lack of it. It would really throw everything off. Good job.
The phrases "Ignorance is bliss" and "What you don't know won't hurt you" are both incorrect in some cases, and generally not the best words to live by. For example, the reason schools are required to have a certain number of fire drills, lock downs, and evacuation drills each year is to ensure all students know what to do in one of those situations. However, if the school went by "what you don't know can't hurt you" and there was a fire many people could end up injured or dead. "Ignorance is bliss" is another ridiculous notion to live by. For instance, all stereotypes are based on ignorance, and stereotypes might lead to discrimination. Or on a smaller day to day basis; if someone had something on their face or their fly was unzipped and nobody mentioned it to them, they would not be experiencing "bliss". In fact, that person might feel embarrassment when they realized why people had been staring at them all day.
emily- i agree with your opinion about a gap year. I liked how you pointed out the differences between learning in a class room vs learning from experience.
Who doesn’t love sitting on the couch eating a bag of greasy potato chips and engrossing themselves in a trashy episode of “The Jersey Shore”? Every now and then, reality TV shows give us a good dose of guilty entertainment. But do we really take pride in watching the artificial lives of celebrities who are only famous for their sex scandals like Kim Kardashian? Or is it that they make us feel better about ourselves when we see people who hoard meaningless junk and can’t even see the floor of their own house? Either way, reality TV wouldn’t exist if people didn’t watch it. Most of us will admit to enjoying even the stupidest reality shows such as “Kate Plus 8” or “The Real Housewives”, even if it’s just once in a while. Therefore, yes, they do make good television, but they don’t make good reality. The answer we all want to hear is “Well, reality TV isn’t really reality”. Yet, our culture is evolving into a generation of people who are heavily influenced by the media. Many of these reality shows reflect a materialistic world where money and looks are all that matter. Just watch and episode of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians”!
It’s a shame that our lives have become shallow, greedy, and trapped inside a bubble of constant stop-and-go traffic. Life is such miracle, and if we don’t pursue the opportunities it has to offer, then we’ve wasted our precious time. When are we going to get off the couch and start doing something more purposeful? When are we going to stop caring so much about things and start discovering, making the world a better place, and exploring what life is all about? The saying “You are what you eat” is exactly what we’re doing to ourselves. No matter how much people say reality TV isn’t real, if we continue to support it, it will become reality.
John-
I think you made a lot of really great points in your essay. I especially liked your straight-forward tone; it really helped present your argument.
Go into this with the mentality that clones are not humans, but simply shells without the capacity to think and function at a high level. Human cloning should be pursued with significant resources, but it should be strictly regulated. The need for a transfer of an organ or other part of the body would have to be extreme, and there would have to be legal channels to go through. There could be many benefits to cloning, such as organ and blood transplants, humans could be used as test subjects, and other therapeutic purposes.
If somebody was sick and needed a bone marrow transplant, a blood, transplant, or an organ, a clone could be produced. This would effectively nullify the bad affects of a transplant because the person would be receiving what was essentially a part of them self. In most cases, the transplant would not be life threatening to the clone, but in some cases it would be, which would breed moral and ethical questions. Although, technically, the clone would be property of the original owner of its genetic material, which wouldn't really make it a person.
The way we have people now who are organ donors or who donate their bodies to science after death, we could have people who had genetic diseases and were willing to donate their genetic material to science so that clones could be made and the disease better studied. Scientists would have easy access to living people with the diseases in question, and could try multiple treatments on the clones that no real person would volunteer to have done.
Human tissue could be cloned instead of an entire human. This could help with burn patients and other people who need skin grafts. It could also help reverse the damage of a heart attack. A healthy version of the tissues and cells could be injected to help the healing process. This could help heart attack patients to get back to living normally in a very efficient way.
Human cloning would definitely have its benefits, but the intelligence of the clones would have to be altered so that they weren't thought of as humans, but simply as a shell. They would be things that we could harvest organs and tissues from for research and for helping people with serious illnesses.
I just want to address something that seemed like a common theme in the writings of everyone who addressed the quote "Ignorance is bliss." Nobody really seemed to consider that someone could be truly ignorant. For example, Kendra talked about how somebody could experience pain because they didn't know the Heimlich maneuver, and therefore couldn't perform it to save their friends lives. I think that if they were truly ignorant then they wouldn't even know about the Heimlich maneuver, and would therefore not feel like the death was their fault.
Many people today, especially teenagers, can spend hours at a time on the computer using e-mail, instant-messaging, or things like Facebook and Twitter to communicate with others. Using computers can often times be the most convenient way to communicate, but it does have drawbacks.
Computers don’t always allow people to get their true meanings and emotions across. One can’t always tell if the person they’re talking to is being sarcastic or if they’re angry.
If a person is only communicating with people through the computer, they will lack many interpersonal skills. They may not be able to talk to people in person, which all people need to be able to do. A person can’t go through life without really speaking to people. He or she can’t stay in their houses all the time and can’t avoid talking to people, either.
Another problem with communication through computer is in meaningful relationships. With a screen separating two or more people from each other, it is hard to develop true relatioships if they don’t talk in person. People can say all the right things, but it’s the actions that really count. If you can’t see and experience those actions, you don’t really know what the person is like and the relationship will be based on false assumptions that the person is how they say they are.
Computers don’t allow people to truly be themselves and get to know others for who they really are. The computer, when it comes to realtioships and interpersonal skills, can often hinder the people who use it to communicate. Our generation and generations to come should step back from the screen and get to know people and live their lives in person, not virtually.
The internet has become a new sensation with the ability to communicate on online chatting. Some people may agree that this is a good thing because it lets people be able to get out of their comfort zones without feeling the stress of talking in person. Some disagree and say that it is a bad because it prevents people from having the communication skills that we need in life. I say that if people are happy connecting via email or chat, then let them do it. I believe for one, once you break the barrier of a persons comfort zone in anyway, even on chat, then it will become easier in person. Yes, it does help with being more confident talking in person, but it’s not any less harder on chat. The only difference is that you cannot see the person face-to-face. You may also not be able to get the true feelings that you do in person, but you get the gist of it. I’m not saying that either is good or bad. I am saying that talking on the internet in very reasonable.
Evan- I like you view on if we all lived forever. It was very interesting and I agree. Good job!
Imagine a world with only women. The idea of men are never discussed or even cross a woman's mind. In today's uptight world where education and statistics shape the type of education one obtains, more and more young ladies are condemned to a misfitted high school experience lacking the company men. This environment is unfavorable for many apparent reasons. This is NOT a world with only women, and girls that grow up without conversing with guys are missing out on a huge life skill. Secondly, without the opposite sex as a source of company, catty and aggresive behavior could easily break out between the girls. Though parents may think they are assisting their daughters in school by elliminating the extra focus that teachers have on men, they are also elliminating a key aspect to girls' lives.
Nathalie-
Good point! I think you have a great start, try to come up with a few more points and you'd have a great essay. I think a few more examples of TV shows that people could relate to would help your case a lot as well
Some people say that there is absolutely no possible way that there are any other living beings in the universe, but in truth, it is more than likely that there are other living beings. One piece of evidence is some of the many sightings of aliens throughout our history which might be circumstantial, but there purely been to many for them all to have been staged or faked. The other piece of evidence which has often been brought up is how some of the great wonders of our world were made. Things like the pyramids and some of the many carvings that have been dug in the ground throughout the world. My final argument is a basic piece of logic and a quote from the movie "Contact", "It would be an awful waste of space".
In the past ten years the rise of reality television has eclipsed every other type of television show. Shows like the Kardashians, Jersey Shore and the Real Housewives rule the ratings and take in the big bucks. Personally I found these shows to be harmless fun, in moderation.
Many people think reality tv sets bad role models for children and poisons the brain. Even though it was a great misrepresentation of American life I feel like they’re almost designed to be like sitcoms. They may be extremely fake and scripted but they show people what not to be like when they grow up and almost makes you feel better about yourself as a person.
The nasty and ignorant attitudes of Kris Jenner, NeNe Leakes and Snooki all show how messed up some of these people actually are and when I’m watching these shows I feel like a more compassionate and accepting human being.
The point of reality television is that it’s entertainment and not actually “reality.” Watching a few episodes of Kim and Kourtney Take New York every now and then certainly isn’t going to turn you into a money hungry, promiscuous diva overnight.
Nathalie-
I definitely could see your thoughts and understand your side of the story! I thought it was well written and contained some very valid points!
Mary-you make a great point, without companionship from the opposite sex, girls could become unpredictable.
Should people go straight to college after high school? or maybe take a year off? I honestly feel that every person is different, Some people have sport obligations or scholarships, but others don;t quite have everything figured out yet. They aren't ready for a commitment that could potentially decide the rest of their live. Some kids really need to explore all of their options before committing to a school. Kids who don't make the right decision end up being unhappy. I think it is important for kids to know themselves well. People who don't feel college shouldn't be the next step for them shouldn't feel like they have something wrong with them. Our society expects a lot from us kids today. Do well in High School and extra curricular activities and get into a good college. Not everyone is that simple. In a an overwhelmingly pressuring society I think it is important for kids my age to understand that they don't have to comfort and that they have options.
Molly- Thats a good point. Girls can get vicious amongst themselves, I agree that it is important to have both sex's because it can help avoid same gender aggression and jealousy. It is better to mix sexes in school because it is important for kids to develop the skill of professionally conversing with the opposite sex.
The computer is a strange invention. It can single handedly ruin and save our lives. While the computer was only invented a few years ago, and social networking websites even more recently, they have had more of an impact on us than almost any other device.
The computer has left its biggest footprint on human life in communication. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter have completely changed the way we communicate. Although we cannot deny that there are many positives to the social networks, there are equally as many if not more downsides to constant communication over a computer.
Communication over computers have immensely helped shy people. By communicating over a median in which you are given ample time to respond, and where you don't see one another's face has given many shy people to come out of their shells and comfortably talk to people who they would usually have a hard time conversing with.
However, constant online communication has a very significant downside, those who spend more time conversing over computers than face to face, often lose key interpersonal skills. You simply cannot build a meaningful relationship using only computers. Here is a hypothetical scenario: a boy falls in love with a girl; however, he is too shy to talk to her. As a solution, he starts talking to her online and they soon become good friend. But he is not satisfied with just being friends with her, and he decides to ask her out on a date. Here is where the boy is faced with a dilemma. "You can't ask someone out online or over text" is an unspoken rule so he must ask her out in person. However, over weeks of not speaking to her in person, he no longer has the skill or the courage to ask her out, and loses the girl.
Only using computers as a method of communication has its pros, but ends up being counterproductive. Making shy people converse only in person will help them. Letting them converse only over computers is enabling their fear without facing it head on; hence, computers should not be used as the only median on which to communicate.
Molly,
I agree completely with your points that all girls schools aren't preparing their students for the real world and can lead to hostile and aggressive situations
Aditya
Some people may believe that “ignorance is bliss”. There are times when not knowing may be a good thing, such as when someone may not tell another person something because they think it may hurt them. Ignorance may also be better when someone is at a young age and has people in their life to guide them. Most people try to keep young children away from inappropriate material. This is so they don’t know about these behaviors, and therefore it is difficult for them to get involved. Then there comes a point when they do turn a certain age, and people start telling them these things and they begin to get exposed to them. This is when not knowing something can be very harmful. At this point, people need to be educated about choices they are going to make and need to know what is right from what is wrong. Knowledge has become important, and for the majority of a person’s life it is important that they understand things. If someone is going to grow older and have to lead their own life, they must know the truth behind everything in order to make decisions on where they want to go. If someone does not know the truth about everything, they may not be able to make a fully educated decision. As time goes on, people need to know more and more about what is going on.
Hailey,
I agree that if it helps someone to talk to another person, then the internet can be useful. I was a little bit confused about what exactly your opinion was on everything you talked about, although you gave some examples that I wouldn't have thought of.
Have you ever heard the saying, ‘ignorance is bliss’? Well, it’s wrong. From as far back as we can see, people have been around adversity, that’s human nature. However, there have always been some who have chosen to ignore warning signs, and ended up in trouble. In Greek myths, Icarus was ignorant to his father’s warnings about the sun, and flew too close to the sun, melting his wings and evidently killing himself. That sort of ignorance seemed blissful at that time, however, considering to consequences, was it truly all that spectacular?
Consider not the Great Depression. We’ve learned about the stocks plummeting, banks closing, and people scrambling to save their money. It seems shocking now, but there are accounts of people being ignorant to the very real threat of losing all their money. People not in touch with the news, thinking that everything was all right, not taking action, and therefore losing everything they owned. Is that true bliss? Ignoring something for a week, then having to deal with the consequences for a lifetime afterwards?
Ignorance is confusing, and deceptive. While it might seem like a good thing, not being aware of dangers, then living your life carefree, but living in ignorance is like holding a ticking time-bomb. This is because accidents and disasters do happen. They can come to those who don’t deserve a consequence, and to those who do. Ignorance may be bliss for a moment, but something is bound to happen that can take the good feelings away. While we might wish to say ‘ignorance is bliss’ we are kidding ourselves, because ignorance is just a temporary matter.
aditya, i liked what you wrote because you explained both the good and bad aspects of the computer. i found your essay very persuasive
If someone discovered a formula that would enable us to live forever it would be a curse because the life cycle would be rearranged, the world would be over populated, and people wouldn't know what to do.
The whole life cycle would be rearranged because if nobody dies and another is born to replace the dead, what would be the cycle of life? Really there would be no circle of life. The world would be over populated and natural resources would not exist. Earth can only hold a certain amount of people and then we would have to find other places to live. Also people would get bored because there is only so much you can do and if you've done everything in the world that you could possibly do, then what next? Since people live forever they wouldn't savor life like we do today because people would have no reason to. If they live forever they won't live in the moment and try to enjoy it.
Lindsey, I think you have a great start to your essay great job!
Computers have definite advantages and disadvantages in the classroom. On the one hand,
they are a very useful tool. The ability to directly collaborate on things like presentations, speeches or other online work is handy. For example, this very English class allows us to review each other's essays
using Google Docs in class, thanks to HHS's wonderful computer carts.
On the other hand, computers can be a problem. I have directly observed people using class computer time for internet distractions, such as email, online games and the ever - present Facebook (nobody in this class, for the record). I would be the first to agree that these distractions are extremely difficult to resist, and occasionally, almost everyone will use a bit of class time for other stuff. This is the main disadvantage of using computers in the classroom - the access to distraction.
Overall, the computer is very important in the classroom, especially for certain assignments. Science classes and classes with Peer Editing are two major examples of how helpful they can be. They are not without their issues, but with motivated students and a smart teacher, computers are well worth any trouble.
Rainie, you have an excellent point about how the downsides of an immortality formula would cause problems. I noticed that one possible upside of the formula is that people would be forced to find ways to expand to other planets, something that is very important for the human race in the long term. Overall, you made a great argument.
James
I believe that all-girl schools are not a good idea for many reasons. Part of growing up and going through high school is to not only learn academic topics, but also learn how to create relationships with other people. If girls and guys went to different schools, then when they graduated, entering the real world would be a lot more difficult. Guys and girls communicate and interact differently between people of their own sex, and those of the opposite sex. During school you learn the difference from what is acceptable between only guys or only girls, and what is acceptable between both guys and girls. Maybe girls learn better without guys, but the lack of interaction with guys, in my opinion will end up hurting them more in the future, never learning how to socialize.
nick- what standards are you talking about that have changed in high school education in one generation? if you could give specific examples, that would help your argument alot.
I am almost positive that there is life on other planets. To start off, we have no idea of the scale of the universe. This thing we call the cosmos could be ten times bigger than we think it is.
That leads me to probability, or how great a chance something has of happening or existing. Starting with only our solar system, we have eight planets. This means that the probability of there being life on at least one of them is 8:1. It turns out, there is life on one of them.
Another system we live in is the Milky Way galaxy. This is a giant swirl of lots of stars. About 300 billion stars in fact. So if there are five to ten planets per star (we'll say an average of eight), that means the probability of there being life on at least one of the planets is 16 billion:1. You can't work around odds that small.
Considering there are about 500 billion galaxies in existence, what are the odds of there not being life?
Parents wonder why there kids don't have enough time to spend time with them in high school and the simple answer is that we don't. High school is extremely stressful with the workload and the amount of material you have to obtain in everyday classes. For people that are saying that we don't learn enough and that our standards should be higher and completely wrong. We actually learn more then we need in my opinion, I admit that some stuff is essential to our learning but at what point in our lives are we going to need to know how to find Euler's line through a triangle or know the atomic numbers of each element by heart. Some things that we may spend two to three weeks on in school are wasted when we could be learning things that might be useful to us in our future. This is just based on my opinion and I'm not saying people will go on to be Mathematicians or Biologists but I'm speaking in part of the vast majority of students.
John,
You really argued well for your point of view. You made some key points that made the reader reconsidered his/her opinion. good job
The issue of communication by e-mail and texting is starting to become a bad issue to some people. I believe that something must be doe because it is making todays kids very unsocial.
There have been many cases of kids becoming addicted to Facebook and e-mail in very severe ways. A teenager which i used to know as a kid even became extremely addicted to Facebook so that she spent an average of 21 hours a day for a week online, but then her parents noticed that it was getting way out of hand. She was a very shy and this may have made it so she could talk to people but it isn't the same as a real social meeting.
Another large problem that were facing is always present no matter where you go. Texting has become so bad that even a few people i know at hanover high don't talk on the phone. A few of my friend don't pick up their phone unless its is a text. This is creating a generation where actually talking to someone is disappearing. It's creating a generation of unsocial people.
Communicating by text and e-mail and social networks can be helpful, but it should never be the primary way of communication.
Parents wonder why there kids don't have enough time to spend time with them in high school and the simple answer is that we don't. High school is extremely stressful with the workload and the amount of material you have to obtain in everyday classes. For people that are saying that we don't learn enough and that our standards should be higher and completely wrong. We actually learn more then we need in my opinion, I admit that some stuff is essential to our learning but at what point in our lives are we going to need to know how to find Euler's line through a triangle or know the atomic numbers of each element by heart. Some things that we may spend two to three weeks on in school are wasted when we could be learning things that might be useful to us in our future. This is just based on my opinion and I'm not saying people will go on to be Mathematicians or Biologists but I'm speaking in part of the vast majority of students.
John,
You really argued well for your point of view. You made some key points that made the reader reconsidered his/her opinion. good job
Xavy,
I agree that people have to have a perspective about the opposite sex in life. I think that is the most important thing about growing up. If you don't have any interactions with them, what do you base your assumptions about the opposite sex on?
If humans were to live forever, this would be a curse. The cycle of life depends on death, and although it is a tragic thing, if it were not to happen, the cycle would not function correctly. For one, earth would most likely become very much over populated. The natural cycle of someone dying, and their children replacing them, this ongoing circle would not exist. Secondly, resources would be even more limited, if no one ever died, surely clean water would run out. Oil, food, and energy shortages would soon arise, and then what? In the US, a child is born approximately every 4.2 seconds, and someone dies approximately every 4.7 seconds. If no one were to ever die, this would cause the population to dramatically go up. The lack of food and water, and a disturbed cycle of life is why never ending life would be a curse.
Ethan -
I liked how you did all the math out to prove your theory, it made your argument very understandable and easy to agree with.
My favorite movie is Horrible Bosses. It is really funny and has an interesting plot. Pretty much, these three guys have these awful bosses and the bosses are ruining these guys’ lives. It finally comes to the point where they can’t take it any longer and one of them decides that they will hire someone to kill their bosses for them. In the end they end up trying to kill each others boss. It is very comical and fun to watch. You should watch this movie because it keeps you engaged and laughing. Its plot is enticing and the actors are perfect for the role they play. It appeals to many different senses of humor, people who like random things, clever things, and just out right hilarious things. This movie is very well made. In particularly, one of the bosses makes you really mad, he is selfish, rude, cruel, and extremely annoying (not to mention a psycho murderer). This character will really get you mad at him and that is a sign of a well-crafted movie. You should definitely watch this movie.
Sophie, I agree with your argument. The way you backed it up with statistics about berth and death really supported your idea. Good job.
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