Rhetorical Reading Response: “Beautiful Teenage Brains”

Rhetorical Reading Response: “Beautiful Teenage Brains”

In David Dodds’ article “Beautiful Teenage Brains” (2012), he explains that there are reasons why teenagers act irrationally. Dodds develops the idea by describing case studies in which teenager’s actions were studied and compared. Dodds wrote this work in order to inform that there are reasons why teenagers make impulsive decisions and why they behave the way they do. The intended audience is people who don’t understand teenage behavior.

I feel like this article defines the teenage brain in a nutshell and proves that teens understand the risks but has a higher regard for the reward for taking the risk.  I know from my own personal experiences there were certain things that I would not do in front of my parents that I would do in front of my friends. I knew and understood the consequences that came with them, but I wanted to be cool for my friends. To me, during the teenage stage, it’s all about image when it comes to being a teenager. It's either you're popular or you're not popular. Teens take more risk not because they don’t understand the dangers, but because they weigh risk versus rewards differently (Dodds). It is stated to believe that teens understand they just don’t care when it comes to getting approval from their peers.

Dodds does a great job at elaborating his thesis statement. “14-17-year olds-the biggest risk takers-use the same basic cognitive strategies [ways of knowing] that adults do” (Dodds). In this quote, Dodds is saying that teenagers have the ability to think critically as adults can. This leads to how teenagers view risk versus rewards, which enable them to make hard decisions. Dodds mentions that because teens take more risk, they are able to think more critically and start to succeed more often. “They usually reason their way through problems just as well as adults” (Dodds). The quote suggests that teens can reason just as good as adults because they usually overestimate risk. Dodds further informs us about a driving game test done to teens and adults. The teens ended up driving more carefully with friends around unlike the adults, which further confirms the critical thinking power that young people possess. Overall, Dodds was able to cover over sufficient information about the young brilliant minds of today’s generation.

Works Cited

Dodds, David. “Beautiful Teenage Brains” LaunchPad. Originally published in National Geographic Creative, October 2011 http://www.macmillanhighered.com/launchpadsolo/readwrite/7385790/Home#/launchpad/item/MODULE_bsi__2B8776E4__C845__493C__8BFF__4BCA15B8E06E/bsi__BCEC3C1D__6394__4FDC__B0B6__9AA8F81E92A0?mode=Preview&getChildrenGrades=True&includeDiscussion=False&readOnly=False&toc=syllabusfilter&renderIn=fne

Rhetorical Reading Response: "Working at McDonald's" Amitai Etzioni

Rhetorical Reading Response “Working at McDonald’s”

In Amitai Etzioni’s article “Working at McDonald’s” (1986), he informs that working isn’t necessarily beneficial for teenagers and advises that teens should stay in school. Etzioni develops the idea by including facts, statistics, and various reasons how fast food jobs affect teens. Etzioni wrote this work in order to tell students to stay in school and that working possibly isn’t the best thing for them. The intended audience is students who need guidance.

In the essay, Etzioni hazardously mentions the bad influence of working in fast-food chains, he thinks that working in fast-food chains as a student can cause academic problems. As a student who has an experience of having a part-time job, I can say that working while you go to school is a tough mission. Although I only must have worked during some weekends, I strongly agree with what the author mentions in his essay. Work can be really an exciting experience because we can get “our own money”. However, I think that once we forget our purpose to go to school and precede part-time jobs, we can easily lose our chance to get our dreams to come true.

Etzioni demonstrated his expertise by using logos in his essay to further prove that fast food jobs are not good for high school students. “Minorities are “over-represented” in these jobs (21 percent of fast food employees)” (Etzioni). In this quote, Etzioni states the population of teens in fast food places. He further states that these jobs provide no career ladders and few marketable skills since they are low-skilled jobs. “A third of fast-food employees (including some school dropouts) labor more than 30 hours per week” (Etzioni). Here, Etzioni provides more facts about the long hours' teens usually work per week. This adds to the fast-food theme because of the small time frame the person has before the next order is requested. Eventually, it leads to having no room for initiative, creativity or even elementary rearrangements. More statistics are given as he then explains that 58 percent of seniors know that their jobs interfere with school work (Etzioni). The statistics let us know that the teens are self-aware of the harm jobs do to their education. It is then shown that these jobs are “ideal” for lower-class and “non-academic” youngsters. Furthermore, Etzioni gives an abundant amount of statistics to argue on why fast food jobs are bad for high school students.

Works Cited

Etzioni, Amitai. “Working at McDonald’s” LauchPad. Originally published in The Miami Herald, August 24, 1986. http://www.macmillanhighered.com/launchpadsolo/readwrite/7385790/Home#/launchpad/item/MODULE_bsi__2B8776E4__C845__493C__8BFF__4BCA15B8E06E/bsi__F4596593__FA1C__43C3__A395__DD50DE127AC9?mode=Preview&getChildrenGrades=True&includeDiscussion=False&readOnly=False&toc=syllabusfilter&renderIn=fne

Rhetorical Reading Response : "How Serious Was the Volkswagen Scandal?" Jacob Skovran

In Jacob Skovran’s essay “How Serious Was the Volkswagen Scandal?” (2017), he informs that there was a serious scandal involving Volkswagen car production that affected the environment. Skovran develops the idea by appealing to ethos; he includes several sources about the situation which helps to authenticate the essay. Skovran wrote this work to educate readers about the scandal, its effects, and why there are certain regulations set in place concerning what gas is used. The intended audience is people who haven’t been enlightened about the situation.

After reading this essay I was shocked. I had never heard anything about this scandal, and it was really an eye-opener. The text states, “Diesel engines produce much more pollutants than gasoline engines (European Environment Agency 34). One of these pollutants is nitrogen oxide, also known as NOx, which is regulated because it is very damaging to the human respiratory and cardiovascular systems when present in the atmosphere (European Environment Agency 11)” (Skovran 203). Before reading this passage, I didn’t know this. It was extremely surprising that even after Volkswagen knew all these rules that they continued to do what they did. They violated so many rules that caused many people their lives, and that is unforgivable. When people of a higher power found out what was going on they should’ve put a stop to it immediately. Instead, they overlooked it, so they’re equally at fault for the lives lost. Volkswagen should be stopped now rather than later.

Skovran uses ethos to properly inform us about the Volkswagen scandal. He starts off by explaining to us the use of a diesel engine. “The most effective way to increase the fuel economy of a car without dramatically increasing the production costs is to use a diesel engine” (Skovran 202). Here Skovran tells us why diesel engines became so popular. Not only can it propel a car further than a gallon of gasoline, but it is also very responsive to turbocharging (Skovran 202). However, Skovran then goes to the dark side of the scandal by pointing out one major con of the diesel engine. “Nitrogen oxide which is regulated because it is very damaging to the human respiratory and cardiovascular system” (Skovran 203). In this quote, Skovran goes into detail about the damages nitrogen oxide can do to humans and the environment. He connects these points by informing us about the decline of the diesel engines. The strict regulations made it impossible to stay on budget (Skovran 203).  Skovran then goes to the heart of the scandal with the “defeat device”. “The cheat device was software in the engine control unit that concealed the real emissions of the cars during laboratory testing” (Skovran 203). The following quote tells us how Volkswagen got away with using diesel engines during emission testing. Volkswagen then claimed that it was not a corporate decision. Skovran talks about the bigger picture of the issue. “Volkswagen cars have caused significant environmental and economic damages that could result in the death of innocent people” (Skovran 205). The quote says, that damage the cars have done during the scandal cannot be undone and we will start to pay the consequences. He later states the damage it has done to more than just the environment. Various innocent lives have already been taken and much more will be claimed because the regulations are still being ignored (Skovran 205). Skovran not only informed us about the Volkswagen scandal, but the kind of future we got ourselves into. 

Works Cited

Skovran, Jacob. “How Serious Was the Volkswagen Scandal?” Connections, edited by Mary Lamb, Fountainhead Press, 2017, pp. 202-206.

Rhetorical Reading Response: “If Black English Isn't Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?” James Baldwin

In James Baldwin’s essay “If Black English Isn't Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?” (1979), he discusses that black English is an important part of the community and culture, and that it has evolved based on the experiences faced in America. Baldwin develops the idea by using his own personal experience while also including the background of other languages. This essay was written in order to tell about the impact that African American culture has had on English and to get readers to see language from a new standpoint. The intended audience is Americans who don’t understand the concept of black English.

I personally agree with this essay because of the fact that in this American society, believe that language is what they make it and nothing else. Different regions have been forced into turning into what the people in power decide to make it instead of allowing cultures their individual right to evolve as they see fit. Baldwin stated, “Now, I do not know what white Americans would sound like if there had never been any black people in the United States, but they would not sound the way they sound” (Baldwin). I could not agree more with this statement. He uses the example of jazz in the paper, and there are so many terms that Americans took from black english and made their own. If not for the experiences that blacks were put through in American then there wouldn’t be anything to be stolen, and only God knows what the language would be like if there wasn’t anything to be copied.            

Baldwin uses plenty of examples from all around the globe to demonstrate the social impact on the role of language. He effectively supports his claim by giving in depth details. “People evolve a language in order to describe and thus control their circumstances” (Baldwin). The quote gives us the understanding that even if the main language is French, there could be many sub-categories. He further tells us that the man in Paris could be speaking an entirely different language than the man in Marseilles because of the different realities they must articulate or control. “The price for this acceptance, and achievement, of one’s temporal identity” (Baldwin). Here, Baldwin is saying that one’s language is part of their identity. He informs us about the conflict between the Basque and Welsh; the reason for their conflict is the determination to preserve their own language and prevent it from being destroyed. Even if it is a sub-category, people will try to preserve the language because it connects to who they are as a person. “Language is a political instrument, means and proof of power” (Baldwin). This quote is telling us that just by the language we speak, others can know our identity. Speaking a certain language could inform others that the speaker is rich or speaking the same language could inform people that they’re from the same hometown. Baldwin then explains the amount of knowledge others can obtain just by speaking a certain language. To open your mouth and speak in England, you have indirectly confessed your parents, youth, school, salary, self-esteem and future (Baldwin).        

Works Cited

Baldwin, James. “If Black English Isn't Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?” Launchpad, 1979. http://www.macmillanhighered.com/launchpadsolo/readwrite/7385790/Home#/launchpad/item/MODULE_bsi__2B8776E4__C845__493C__8BFF__4BCA15B8E06E/bsi__1F43878F__6D60__47DF__8F9E__1192F9B4A562?mode=Preview&getChildrenGrades=True&includeDiscussion=False&readOnly=False&toc=syllabusfilter&renderIn=fne