Advertising has a huge impact on each and every person and consumes our way of life.  While advertising may be purely informational, overall, the effects are harmful.

Billboards that advertise the harmful effects of cigarettes have a positive effect in informing citizens of the dangers of smoking.  However, if not for the advertisements for cigarettes, we probably wouldn’t have bought them in the first place and needed to see the billboard of their harmful effects.  The cigarette advertisements actually made smoking more appealing by making people believe they were accepted and the majority of people smoke (Source B).

According to Source C, advertisements are meant to teach us.  They give us “the information in ads [we need] to buy the necessities of life.”  However, not all of the necessities are life are advertised.  As Sesana Renato mentioned in her online journal, flour is a necessity that isn’t advertised.  However, companies spend millions advertising soft drinks.  Do we need cokes in order to survive? (Source F)  Should we spend our money on unnecessary items just because the television makes them appealing?

Not only does advertisement encourage us to throw away our dollars, but advertisement “has led many companies and governments to put aside the necessary moral responsibilities in the age of the global market. ” (Source F) In order to gain the attention of consumers, advertisers will use whatever method they can, even if those methods include totally unrelated topics.  How does a half-naked woman on a motorcycle advertise a toothbrush?  How does a monkey eating a chicken leg relate to that restaurant?  However, when people eat at that restaurant they’ll most likely be thinking of that adorable chimpanzee that ate the same chicken they’re eating, rather than the quality and price.

According to Source E, it is almost impossible to avoid falling into advertisements dirty hands.  Advertisers use every “microscopic detail” as a way to reel consumers into their grasp.  The colorful, flashy and sometimes irrelevant words make the most useless items a sudden necessity.  We don’t decide what we need.  “Advertising tells [us] what [we] need.” (Source D)

Advertisements are intended to be used as a method of informing.  However, ads seem to make life more complicated by making the world a place centered around material objects and unnecessary activities.

Grade based on AP writing scale- 7.5 out of 9

The author’s disappointed exaggeration mirrors his view towards the way some intelligent people are being mistreated and their actions as a result of this mistreatment.

Fridman’s diction over-exaggerates his belief that intellectual people are scared to embrace their academics for fear of social rejection.  If students from a “prestigious academic institution” such as Harvard are “ashamed to admit” “how much they study,” which “nerds” willstand up for themselves?  Students from an Ivy Leaue school are expected to be the best of the best in academics.  However, Fridman implies that social standing greatly competes with intelligence so much that even the smartest students are shamed of their brilliance.  Society does not help this issue by “idoliz[ing] [their] athletes” while “nerds” are “social outcasts.”  Fridman’s strong descriptive terms give him a slightly biased attitude towards the popular jocks and the shunned nerds.  His exaggerations, however, clearly inform the readers that the mistreatment of the intelligent needs to end and that Americans need to get their priorities straight.

Fridman uses many rhetorical questions at the end of his argument.  Rhetorical questions are not meant to be answered, but rather reflect the ideas mentioned previously.  While his questions are slightly to the extreme, they further emphasize his belief that intelligence is a trait to be respected.  Also, the author uses chiasmus to contrast nerds with athletes.  The parallel contrast between nerds and athletes mirrors the equality that needs to occur between intelligence and social/physical skills.  A sense of balance needs to occur with all people.  People need to be more well-rounded and not depend on a certain skill to get them through life.

While his argument may suggest he was one of the mistreated nerds, Fridman still states a cold-hard fact: many intelligent people are bein treated unfairly as a result of their intelligence, while those who are most likely responsible for the mistreatment are worshipped among their peers.

Grade based on AP writing scale- 7 out of 9

In The Great Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan says that she hopes her daughter will be “a beautiful little fool.”  Daisy believes that, in some cases at least, ignorance is bliss.  The contradictory attitude is the commonly-stated belief that “Knowledge is power.”  Write a carefully reasoned. persuasive essay that demonstrates which of these two ideas is the more valid.  Use specific references from you observation, reading, or experience to develop your position.

With knowledge comes power, with power comes responsibility, and with responsibility comes consequences.  Knowledge places a heavy burden upon the soul and sometimes, life would be better to live in ignorance.   While “ignorance is bliss,” I qualify that knowledge is also important.

An ignorant person is usually a happy person.  Life is simple.  They have no worries.  Life is going great.  There is rarely “harmful” knowledge to attack their utopia.  When people are younger, their parents rarely burden them with their problems.  Children who don’t hear about their parents’ marital problems are usually happier than those who do have to listen.  These children are confused and don’t understand why their world is being turned upside down.

With great knowledge comes grreat consequences.  For example, in The Great Gatsby, Daisy comes to realize that Gatsby still loves her.  However, this knowledge tears her apart, for she is married and can’t be with him.  This realization that she can’t have the one thing she wants further rips her heart.  If she was ignorant of this knowledge, she could of been having a semi-happy life.  However, the knowledge of his forbidden love weighs on her.

How many times a day do people say,” I could have lived my life without ever hearing that” ?  Many people want knowledge until they receive it.  Knowledge is extremely powerful, whether for better or worse.  Why are secret service agencies and spy networks so effective?  Why are scientists and lab workers able to produce effective medicines and hospital equipment?  They all have knowledge.  Knowledge is not only used in this way, but can also bring a person inner contentment.  Most likely, Daisy is relieved to hear from Gatsby again.  She didn’t even get to say goodbye to him all those years ago.  Her conscience was put to rest knowing he’d still been fine after so many years.  Knowledge does not only bring power, but can also bring bliss.

All in all, ignorance will most likely bring happiness, and knowledge can be shocking, but can also bring inner peace.

Grade received based on AP writing scoring- 7 out of 9

Young children can comprehend actions better than they can words.  How else would different races that don’t use a common language communicate with each other?  When training a dog to sit, the word “sit” is usually accompanied by a pat on the rear so the dog can understand the command better.  Now don’t get me wrong.  I’m not comparing your child to a dog.  People also learn new languages this way.  In Spanish class, I could easily learn verbs when we participated in acting out each one and repeating it.  Slightly harsher methods are sometimes necessary when enforcing rules and manners.  Spanking usually helps trigger children’s memories better than repeatedly telling them “no.”  I was spanked as a kid, usually by my father and occasionally (reluctantly) by my mother.  I was caught jumping on the bed after being told not to and was spanked by my dad.  I learned not to jump on the bed extremely quickly because of that spanking.  However, spanking wasn’t used to enforce a very important rule: look both ways before you cross the street.  One day, roudy and carefree, I “forgot” to check the street.  Luckily, there were no cars nearby.  My mom very, very sternly told me I had better look both ways next time unless I wanted to get run over.  Well, the next time I crossed the street, I “forgot” again and was nearly hit.  We’re not always this lucky and not enforcing morals and standards can result in smart-aleck adolescents who “forget” to follow the rules.

Spanking should only be used as a method of showing young children yes and no.  I agree that other ways to discipline a child exists, but sometimes a harsher method needs to be enforced.  Spanking is only appropriate at certain ages and times.  Spanking is most appropriate with children 2 to 6 years old and when milder types of correction have failed (The Minnesota Family Council).  Spanking doesn’t work for everyone.  There are many factors that could determine the results, but that doesn’t make spanking wrong.

If spanking is a form of child abuse, why is this “violent” method now becoming an issue?  50 years ago, almost all children were spanked (Paul).  As time passes, technology increases, and parents are becoming more and more lenient, making this traditional form of discipline seem harsher than it really is.  Spanking may be getting more and more out of hand, but parents, with increasing knowledge, should know the limits between disciplining their child and abusing them. 

A spanking is a form of discipline that helps teach a child right and wrong.  Spanking is not wrong unless taken too far.  Parents that don’t know the difference between discipline and a beating should not be parents in the first place.  If a parent loves a child, they will take the time to discipline their child correctly, whether they choose to spank them or not.

Data: The dictionary definition of a spanking is a beating with the back of the hand to someone’s rear, given as a punishment. 

Warrant: Since spanking is only a swat to the backside, which is not abuse, and is not a harmful treatment to a child, then spanking children is okay.

Backing: The dictionary definition of abuse is the physical, psychological, and sexual maltreatment of a person or animal.  Also, a beating is a punishment in which someone is repeatedly hit.  Since a spanking is used as a punishment, and is not maltreatment, then it is not abuse and is acceptable.

Qualifier: Sometimes someone does not know the line between a spanking and child abuse, but most of the time, parents know when a child is being punished and when they are experiencing unfair pain.

Rebuttal: Even though spanking works for some parents in distinguishing the meaning of right and wrong, there are other forms of punishment and raising a child.  Spanking may or may not be effective for a parent, but spanking is not abuse and is a suitable means of discipline.

1. Antithesis- You can do it, we can help (Home Depot slogan)

2. Parallelism- Save Money. Live Better (Wal-Mart slogan)

3. Personification- Milk’s favorite cookie (Oreo slogan)

4. Onomatopoeia- M’m! M’m! Good! (Campbell’s soup slogan)

5. Onomatopoeia- Snap! Krackle! Pop! (Rice Krispies slogan)

Rhetoric concerns everybody. Finding examples is only a matter of opening your eyes. So open your eyes, look around you, and see how many you can find!

L.A. Times Music News RSS Feed is a popular choice to read for those whose pastime is gossip. This rapidly updated feed discusses everything from celebrity scandals to the difficulties on touring bands due to gas prices.

Because there were at least three articles updated a day, I found being bored impossible. While I have no interest in which celebrity is cheating on their spouse, I did take interest in the articles discussing upcoming artists. Not only were well-known celebrities mentioned in these posts, but highly praised movies, such as Mama Mia!, were also mentioned. I was glad to find that the articles were widely varied in topic and I rarely read the same story twice. Band stories varied from the punk rock band Jimmy Eat World to the pop sounds of Miley Cyrus.

Reading these articles helped me to expand in my thinking. Because there were so many different topics, I could hardly stay focused on one thing too long. Reading these posts kept me on my toes and further inspired me to broaden my range and choose a variety of topics to write about.

My love for this game kept me reading the foreign language that highlighted major matches between names unknown to many people and the scoring process familiar only to those who understand the game. While I was highly interested in the Nadal-Federer matches and Serena William’s injury, the topic for discussion was not varied, for many of the writers wrote about the same players and situations. I would have liked to have read wide-ranging topics and this feed was not updated very often. The information revealed in these articles was highly statistical and would have lost the interest of readers who are not completely obsessed with the sport.

I was exceptionally glad to find a personal interest to write about. Writing is always easier for me when I can relate to the topic. While I enjoyed reading these articles, they were more of a personal delight than an inspiration to my writing.

I was constantly learning the effects of new medicines, for this feed was being frequently updated. As I am completely obsessed in my health, I took great caution and thoroughly read the content of each article. Reading about the latest medical disasters and accomplishments gave me a feeling of awareness and helped me stay at peace. While learning which foods to avoid due to salmonella outbreaks interested me, I could not keep up with the more complex words and statistics that some of the articles contained. Even though percentages prove a point, the writers seemed to over prove their point. The many numbers left me confused. Since I do not keep up with the news, I was glad to be informed of the most recent medical stories.

Reading these articles inspired me to write with more facts and exact details to emphasize my point. As a writer, I hope to be able to persuade my readers.