Observation 4: MLK Letter from Birmingham

In Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham, he uses the appeal to reason. Some examples of him using this method are:

1) He states that he went to Birmingham because there was injustice there. He feels that although he went outside of his hometown to restore justice, he was considered an outsider. He claims that "anywhere who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds". His justification for going outside of Atlanta was because he should lawfully never be considered an outsider
2) The reason that the demonstrations are happening in Birmingham is because the power the whites hold over black people left them with no alternative option to fight for justice and the brutality has gone too far
3) King uses nonviolent direct action as his way of creating tension or crisis because it forces the white community to negotiate. It was the only type of action they would react to
4) King feels that there has never been a gain in civil rights that did not include nonviolent tension or pressure
5) He says he and others are impatience with the disrespect and belittlement that blacks are receiving; being called names like "boy" even if your old or not having "Ms." as part of your title
6) "Any law that degrades human personality is unjust"; the only laws that are just are ones that uplift a personality
7) Injustice has to be exposed fully and openly before it can be fixed; you cannot continue hiding or trying to cover up the unjust acts that have been going on
8) Oppressed people can't stay oppressed forever; eventually further frustration will break through and the acts against unjust laws will not be as nonviolent
9) Jesus was an extremist for love, he believed in loving your enemies

King is using the appeal to reason in all of the above statements. He is trying to justify the acts of African Americans during the civil rights era by giving these reasons

Observation 3: Community-based writing assignment

One possible topic for my community-based writing assignment is the controversy of sex education in schools. My claim is that abstinence should be encouraged in schools, however, some kids will engage in pre-marital sex and need to be taught how to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies or disease. Some questions I would ask are:

Should schools give out free-condoms? YES, giving out condoms to students does not in anyway tell them they should be having pre-marital sex, but it will protect those who choose not to remain abstinent.

Should abstinence be promoted in schools? YES, students should know that the only way to be 100% safe from disease or pregnancy is by remaining abstinent, but alternative methods should be taught for those who choose to have sex.

When should teachers start education kids about sex? Middle school, when kids start their transition from middle school to high school. Kids that age do not usually feel completely comfortable asking their parents questions about sex; just because they don't ask does not mean they do not have questions.

Is this issue prevalent everywhere? YES, statistics say that roughly half of all kids have sex before entering high school. Different cultures have different ways of life but it is unrealistic to think that not even one kid will engage in premarital sex.

What specific areas will safe sex education be more of an issue? Urban areas have more kids that engage in pre-martial sex. When I went to a public high school in Atlanta, condoms were available in the nurses office. Being in a more rural city would make safe sex options less available.

How does family background make a difference? YES, a family's financial situation as well as there religious background would make a difference in views on pre-marital sex.

What are some of the main reasons people are against safe sex education? I think people feel that if you educate about safe sex, kids are going to ignore the option of remaining abstinent. Religion will also play a role in the debate. Some religions teach pre-marital sex to be a sin and do not want to introduce their kids to other ideas.

I think that the main issue that people will debate is that handing out condoms or informing kids about birth control seemingly gives the impression that premarital sex is acceptable. I feel like people will have a hard time distinguishing the true difference between promoting safe sex and educating people about safe sex. The community on my side would be kids who have already engaged in pre-marital sex and suffered the consequences of it or kids who do not plan on staying abstinent.

Observation 2: The Toulmin Method

• Main claim: Capital punishment is the best way to protect the public from criminals like Ted Bundy
  
• One specific reason she states to uphold her argument: "capital punishment carries with it the risk that an innocent person will be executed; however, it is more important to protect innocent, would-be victims of convicted murderers"
• What makes this reason relevant: Ted Bundy was imprisoned and escaped not once, but twice. During the time he escaped he managed to kill several other people. If he had been given a lethal injection the first time he was charged, the deaths of those other women and young girl could have been prevented.
  
• What makes this reason good: Although an innocent person may die, more criminals will be eliminated with no chance of escape as Ted Bundy did and the general public will be safer.
  
• What evidence supports this reason: The author uses the example that innocent people die in automobile accidents everyday but we do not eliminate the use of cars. "Society has decided that the need for automobiles outweighs their threat to innocent life, so capital punishment is necessary for the safety and well-being of the general populace".
  
• List the counterargument/objection to this specific reason:
  
• Innocent people could die
• "the chances of a guilty person going free in our system are many times greater than those of an innocent person being convicted"
• many criminals would rather die than go to jail so why give them a punishment they would prefer
• there has been no proof that capital punishment lowers the murder rate
• killing someone because they have killed someone else does not justify the crime that was committed. Instead it puts us on the same level as a murderer (two wrongs do not make a right)
• What is her rebuttal to this objection: The need for legalizing the death penalty is more important than the risk of an innocent person dying because they were wrongly accused.
  

Observation 1: Chapters 1-2 in Aims

I read the argument called "On Teenagers and Tattoos", which I found to be especially interesting because my parents have the same views on the issue of childhood body decorations. While I do not have any tattoos, I have four piercings: two in each ear, my cartilage, and my nose. They do not like any of my piercings expect for the traditional hole in each ear because they feel that society will view the other piercings as "classless" or "not tasteful", just as the author states in his biased argument. It is evident through the strong wording of his writing that he is against piercings or tattoos and sees them as "irreversible and permanent", which they are not. Tattoo removal is becoming increasingly more successful and piercings very rarely leave noticeable scarring. I do agree with the idea of your body being your own territory; as a minor, your body is one of the only things you truly have to yourself. I can understand how a teen would want to take advantage of this freedom through body decor. It was especially oppressing to me not only when my parents made me wait until I was 18 to pierce my cartilage, but I had to wait until I graduated to pierce my nose because it violated my high school dress code. It almost became an issue of rebellion rather than a fashion statement; because I was told I could not do it, I wanted to get my piercings even more. I feel that times have changed and piercings or tattoos are not viewed in this generation the same way previous generations view them. With time, I think that society will become more accepting of body decorations just as they have with the other issues such as more revealing clothing worn by girls.