"Can We Curb the Privacy Invaders"

This essay was very similar to that of Bill Nelson's. Ray Spencer has good supporting evidence for his argument for privacy. He makes his claims and supports them with examples of false privacy guarantees in the coorporate world. Also, he gives solutions to the issue of privacy in the last section of the essay. I think that the paper is effective but is a little too long. It could be shorter and have the same point come across so that people are more willing to read it.

"The Right to Privacy"

Bill Nelson makes a good argument relating to privacy. First of all, he goes back to the founding fathers and their ideals for this country. This puts the influence of the American goals on the issue of terrorism and the right to privacy. After this introduction to his claim, Nelson clearly states the idea that he is trying to get through to his audience. Also, within the middle of the essay, Nelson questions the legitimacy of Poindexter positions in the government. This is helpful to his cause because he creates distrust in the opposition. And finally, he uses the examples of the Florida dumpster controversies. This sums up his argument helps solidify his ideas of privacy. Overall I thought the ethos of this was well developed and was effective in its goals to sustain the privacy values that have made this country unique.

"Dawn of the Daddy State"

Paul Starobin's essay had a different tone than that of Poindexter's. I did not like this essay as much because it had more of an analytical way of thinking. Unlike Poindexter's essay which gave the issue and solutions, Starobin's essay was more of a summary of global actions. It did not engage me fully until the eighth paragraph in which it directly addressed the security issue. I do not think that this paper engaged the reader well and should have been more about our safety and security. It focused too much on other people and other countries for me to worry about what was being said. Also, the tone was more relaxed, like a history lesson. It was not urgent in style and did not make me think about the issue. This essay could have been more better and more engaging to the reader.

"The Need for Information Awareness"

The style that John Poindexter is going with in his essay is that of an informative, urgent paper. He wants to educate people on the issue and then states solutions to the problems at hand. This is good writing because it allows the reader to understand the topic and then create their own views on the situation. By providing solutions to the privacy problem, Poindexter is giving the reader the opportunity to fully grasp the danger in what is happening. This was a good piece of writing.

Paper 2 Proposal - Drinking Age

Young adults and alcohol has been an issue for the longest time in the United States. Both sides of the spectrum are being argued by both sides of the age gap. The older more conservative citizens believe that teens today are drinking too much and should not be allowed to partake in such activities where alcohol is present. They believe that young adults are too immature when it comes to drinking and are not accustomed to proper alcohol etiquette. Others, younger adults and teenagers feel the opposite of these views. They feel that if they can be drafted into the army and can vote then why can’t they drink? Also they have been driving for several years already. This group also feels that if they are able to drink at eighteen then they can drink with their parents and learn how to drink in a more sophisticated manner, like the Europeans.
In this essay I will approach the issue of drinking amongst teenagers and young adults in the United States. I will be taking the side of the teenagers because I feel strongly that young adults can become mature drinkers if the age was lowered. I feel that because under-aged teens cannot drink, they rebel and drink too much at one time. This is a cause of binge drinking. I will cite specifics that give suggestions on how teens can improve their reputation. I want the older more experienced citizens to understand that we can handle ourselves accordingly and to their liking. They just need to give us a chance and need to drink with us so we can become better, more mature alcohol consumers.

The Myth of Media Monopoly

This essay was different than the others that I have read. I enjoyed reading it because it refuted the idea that media is a monopoly and controls what people think. Gillespie interested me with his writing style and allowed the reader to understand his wiews by giving examples of what the major media corporations have done. He uses Fox as a target in his essay, stating that Murdoch has aired poor television shows. This was creative and unique compared to other essays that I have read in class and I enjoyed reading a different opinion.

Reading for Jan. 29

The essay "Operating in the Public Interest or in Pursuit of Private Profits?," by Dell Chaplin and Janet Knoedler seems just like previous essays that I have read. It states that there is a media monopoly of a few large corporations that work together to prevent additional competition. They do this to make more profit. The authors of this essay are bringing the same message across as Tom Goldstein did in his essay, "Does Big Mean Bad?." This theme of stating that there is a media monopoly is getting repetitive. I was bored with the essay. It used strategies like listing facts and statistics, which have been used before in previous essays. It is a good essay but I have read too much about this topic of big businesses owning multiple sources of news.

"Does Big Mean Bad?"

The essay "Does Big Mean Bad?," by Tom Goldstein, is a good argumentative piece. It clearly states that he is opposed to the media monopoly that exists in the United States. Although I do not completely agree with the views of the author it a good display of quality writing. Goldstein gives many examples and quotes that back up his argument, such as the Bagdikian example. The use of Bagdikian and the influential books that he wrote to express the idea that media is a monopoly. Goldstein quotes Bagdikian from his book "Media Monopoly," "The new communications cartel, he wrote, has the power the surround almost every man, woman, and child in the country with controlled images and words. With that power comes the ability to exert influences that in many ways is greater than that of schools, religion, parents, and even government itself" (Goldstein 223). By using this particular quote, Goldstein can claim that the media monopoly controls what people think. This statement is bold but is supported very well within the essay.