Argumentative Speech On Text Books

A. Students should be aware of the problem that they face while being forced into the textbook monopoly. We as students, therefore should take a stand and change the way we acquire their textbooks.

B. Jessie Lee Bennett once said, “Books are the compasses and telescopes and sextants and charts which other men have prepared to help us navigate the dangerous seas of human life.” This is the reason we should have easier access to the books that we need that help us learn new subjects. You see we need them to learn and the bookstores know this. The textbook policy at schools across our nation is very unfair. I urge students to stand up for themselves and make a change. Students must come together to change the problem with high textbook prices.

C. Today I’d like to talk to you first about why text books are so expensive at the book store, second how high textbook costs harm students and last what they can do to cut the costs of college text books.

TRANSITION There are many reasons why college textbooks are expensive and here are a few of them.

II. Body of Speech

A.

Students are being taken advantage of by bookstores that supply college textbooks. We demand textbooks in order to excel in our college course work. The bookstores have the supply, so from a business standpoint everything is well for them. However, most of us are not in the position to pay hundreds of dollars every semester to acquire these textbooks. Textbooks are sold new and used. The problem is books are well over one hundred dollars. A used book may sell for eighty but that is still expensive. Books are also sold as specialized packets for a specific class so you may not be able to buy it anywhere else. When you purchase a book through the campus bookstore, a percentage of what you pay is an additional bookstore markup. The College Board recently estimated that the average student spends upwards of $1,200 per year on