Matthew Kee

1st period

Mr. White

9/02/2015

1. The method of development is a unique combination of the two elements, argument

and persuasion. The method utilizes the more aggressive tactics of argument with the subtlety

of influencing and appealing the reader. The method usually follows a structure. The structure

begins with a claim followed by multiple appeals backed by evidence. These appeals expand the

claim in multiple directions while maintaining the connection instead of going off tangent. The

assumption is the opinion of the author that follows the claim. These elements are the

argumentative side of the method. The persuasion comes from the reasoning and fallacies used

to support the argumentative side in a subtler manner. With these elements combined, a

proposal can be created as a solution thought up by the author.

2. The first thing to note is that the writer, while distributing the some of the blame on the

advertisement companies as well as web companies, dishes most of the blame towards the

audience themselves. One quote to note is “if you don’t know about it, you haven’t been paying

attention” (Harper 546). The writer basically states that many people blame cookies as

malicious without actually understanding what cookies are. While people demand more

security to protect their privacy, they do not understand that with this security come

restrictions towards this freedom on the internet. Quoting from famous singer, Hannah

Montana, you cannot have the best of both worlds.

The author utilizes a handful of rhetoric methods to further his argument. The first

example is the Juxtaposition on page 546. He compares The Internet to the television to depict

how malleable The Internet is. Because of this malleability, there are too many factors to

account for rather the sole blame on privacy leaks through cookies. Another method used is the

Connotation vs. denotation. Alluding to the “greasing of gears” with the fluidity of the internet,

the author further paints a visual image of the complexion of this world. While the question

“what am I getting in return” is a basic question, the rhetorical question causes the audience to

stop for a moment and ask themselves if they truly know what they receive out of the internet.

The usage of phrases such as “business attacks privacy” further shines companies in a poor light

in visual detail.

3. Upon finishing college, these new and naïve adults venture off to the great world upon

them. All of a sudden, a realm of information from 401ks to mortgages and filing for loans

engulfs them. The point is, education chooses to educate students in algebra or cursive

handwriting rather than informing them of their basic human rights. All of this information can

be fatal when graduates are thrown into a world that moves so rapidly. While there are

multiple factors that cause the education system in America to fail, this point is aimed towards

the curriculum. Simply put, the curriculum should be altered in such a fashion that basic

knowledge becomes mandatory rather than arbitrary facts.

The current class system contains one guideline: to meet all standards by the end of the

year. To determine whether that guideline has been met, a standardized test is issued to define

the proficiency of all students. This standardized test morphs students into mere percentages

and numbers rather than portraying the qualitative data. Also, because of this loose guideline,

teachers are free to pick their own adventure as they lead their students on a wild chase to

catch all of the standards. This chaotic frenzy causes students to be on different pages or even

books. For one, this skews the so-called accurate data of the standardized tests. Furthermore,

students are longer engaged in learning but focus on memorizing facts and numbers to receive

a number to put them into another four year cycle of this nonsense. By the time they exit the

cycle, none of that memorization of facts and number pay off unless it relates to their passion

or career. By reforming the curriculum in a way that actually engages the students, students will

have a chance to actually find out their passions and pursuits before entering a career school or

college.

The classes that have major impacts on students’ lives are the classes that should not.

The core classes are defined as a class that is required for a student to progress further in his or

her life. These classes only focus on three to four subjects. It is hard to believe that a person’s

progression in life is dictated on whether or not they have mastered the Pythagorean Theorem

or if they can recite all fifty states in the country. The concept of core classes is a good idea, but

the content in the concept must change. Instead of focusing on meeting standards, schools

should incorporate classes such as current events to discuss problems that are actually affecting

the students. This group discussion based class will allow students to unite as a whole and

attempt to resolve the problems. This is the kind of class that builds a foundation of critical

thinkers.

I’ll admit that the proposal given is very vague. While it is impossible to fix a century’s

worth of problems with this one solution, this is an oversimplification of things that must be

repaired in order to produce a generation that is brighter than their predecessors. This is why

topics such as basic rights and current events should be of higher priority rather than the

classes that are top priority as of now. By focusing on these topics instead, students will

become engaged because they want a say in topics and issues that actually impact their lives.

This passion is followed by a drive for a passion found, and thus beginning a positive domino

effect. With this scenario, students will become a community of bright thinkers and learners

rather than robots copying and processing chunks of information only to regurgitate it one year

later.