Should We Really Give Children the Vote?
Sixteen year old Vita Wallace is an activist for children’s rights. In her argument, “Give children the vote,” she attempts to show that an injustice has been made to citizens of the United States. Wallace’s major claim, or thesis (McFadden, 2003), is that citizens under the age of 18 shouldn’t be denied the right to vote on account of age. Rather, she argues, children should be allowed to vote at whatever age suits them individually. By saying individually, she is using a qualifier, words and phrases used to limit and modify the overgeneralization of claims (McFadden). It is important that Wallace uses the term individually, because she recognizes that an age limit would be inappropriate for
…show more content…
Right away she discusses “Discriminatory laws” which prevent high school drop-outs from getting their driver’s licenses. This leads to her first minor claim that children are being “Punished for exercising one of the few legal decisions they now have” (Wallace, p. 145). With this statement Wallace is trying to connect her values of freedom, justice, and democracy to persuade the reader to agree that indeed children are being treated unjustly for dropping out of school. Her argument is weak here because she doesn’t account for other values of drop-out students such as personal responsibility or self-worth. Wallace argues that it’s okay for people to drop out of school because it’s their choice. While she argues that it’s their right to not be in school, she forgets that others have the power to take away special benefits, such as driving due to her actions. As my mother would say, Wallace seems to be confusing the words “right” with …show more content…
She then cites the Fourteenth Amendment saying that it is legal to change the voting age starting at state level. This is excellent information but once again is lost by the remainder of the paragraph. It is one of her stronger points, but doesn’t mention it until the last page. This seems like information that she should have included sooner. In general I thought the final page of the essay was difficult to read. I became lost in a jumble of information that I thought was poorly placed at the end of the essay when it should have been towards the front or middle. Wallace finally had a good opportunity to enhance her major claim, but she lost the audience due to poor organization.
Although Wallace used universal values in trying to persuade the audience the argument failed for three reasons. The majority of the paper fails due to overall lack of credibility and evidence. This is because she bases much of her argument only on personal experience. The final reason I found her essay unsuccessful was the overall choppiness of the paper due to poor organization. Overall, Wallace’s argument may have been more successful if she would have focused on actual evidence rather than
In today’s practice there are several options to consider for contraception. Multiple different birth control pills, intrauterine devices, vaginal rings, implants, and injections are viable options. The development of the first oral contraceptive A male non-hormonal contraceptive polymer is in the process of gaining approval which will empower men to have equal say and responsibility in preventing pregnancies outside of the use of prophylactics. The impact of Margaret Sanger’s activism is reflected outside of birth control measures in today’s medical practice. Sexually transmitted diseases and infections have been a serious problem for a significant amount of time. However, the efforts of Margaret Sanger along with others has impacted how society approaches sexual education and testing. Programs such as Planned Parenthood and the general acceptance of birth control measures have changed the nursing process greatly and in general, the way we live
This lecture on the Pill will focus on the introduction, controversies, and outcome of women’s control of contraception during the mid 20th century. It will also discuss how the Pill became an influential stepping-stone for women activists. I chose to focus this discussion on three questions. First, what did the Pill teach us about the role of women in the middle 20th century? Second, what were the arguments for and against the Pill? Lastly, how safe was the Pill and what effects did women experience from taking it? By centering in on these questions, I hope to provide insight on the struggles women faced before and after this birth control technology became readily available to women in the United States.
Blanche Dubois provides as Williams’ core personage throughout ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’. Her vulnerability in a changing society and monomania with her appearance, along with her mental fragility both cumulates pathos from the audience and draws in our attention. Furthermore, the contrast between a pure southern belle and a cheap seductress, as well as her relationship with Stanley, allows Williams to explore ideas relating to the patriarchal society of the time. As the play progresses and the audience observe Blanche endure an exigent predicament, we see her come forth as the conspicuous protagonist in the play and a victim of circumstance.
In Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy he proposes several arguments regarding human perception. He begins this exploration by examining the principles that his beliefs are founded on. By doing this, Descartes is choosing not to question each of his beliefs individually; he is choosing to examine the foundation of his perceptions. Descartes proceeds to question where he has attained his knowledge. The answer, he decides, is from his senses. Descartes also determines that there have been instances where his senses have been deceptive. It is from this idea that Descartes forms his deductions for Meditations I, II, and VI, and begins to question the concept of dualism.
Considering the delegates that are currently running for office, a voter should have a vast level of understanding regarding the intentions of each and every candidate. Arguing whether to raise or lower the age limit for the right to vote has raised many speculations as to how it would affect the economy. There are pros and cons within both sides of the argument, but any decisions made by the powers that be will have an adverse effect on today’s society if it is placed in the hands of the younger generation. Therefore, raising the voting age to twenty-one is a better way of making sure that voters are more aware and would be more equipped to making a more sound decision rather than lowering
abstinence to prevent or delay pregnancy. As time passed, many methods were used by various
At the beginning of the very first meditation, Descartes states that he has lost his trust with his senses because they can be easily deceived (Descartes, 18). While dreaming sometimes it feels very real just as it does whi...
Second, Descartes raised a more systematic method for doubting the legitimacy of all sensory perception. Since my most vivid dreams are internally indistinguishible from waking experience, he argued, it is possible that everything I now "perceive" to be part of the physical world outside me is in fact nothing more than a fanciful fabrication of my own imagination. On this supposition, it is possible to doubt that any physical thing really exists, that there is an external world at all. (Med. I)
“The Streetcar Named Desire” shows how desire can become a vice for people’s lives and be a destructive force for others. Blanche was unable to hold her desire and as a result was forced out of her home and lost her credibility to save her future reputation. This was only made worse when Stanley’s inappropriate desire for Blanche made her situation worse as he took away all of her power and those she loved from her. It makes one think how easily one could choose to view reality based on desire or emotion; it helps to to understand how those choices can negatively impact a person and those around
Pam Belluck discusses and strongly criticizes voting age in her article " Sixteen Candles, but Few Blazing a Trail to the Ballot Box". She starts by referring to a day of a regular sixteen year old girl, who was preparing for a musical, then going out to eat with her boyfriend and last visiting the polls to vote. With the use of this type of claims and a very sarcastic tone throughout her writing, Belluck develops her position, arguing that young voters “lack of competence, maturity and experience”(par. 6) and for this reasons they are not prepared to vote properly. During her argument she exposes different opinions in this controversial manner of voting, describing the actions of supporters that believe that the young generations should be
A very important moral lesson that I gained from A Streetcar Named Desire is to always tell the truth. Telling lies ultimately got Blanche Dubois nowhere. She was lonelier than ever at the end of the play. She starts off lying intentionally. For example, she tells Stella at the beginning that the school superintendent, “suggested I take a leave of absence” from her job as a teacher (Williams 14). In reality, the principal fired her for having an affair with a student. It is suspected that she is lying and later our suspicions are confirmed. Even though a reason isn’t mentioned as to why she lies, it is probably to save herself grief from her sister or to possibly keep up her appearance. Towards the end, Blanche says she received a telegram from “an old admirer of mine... An old beau” who invited her to “A cruise of the Caribbean on a yacht” (Williams 152, 153). At this point, she even begins to believe her own lies. She has lied for so long to others and even to herself that she ultimately ends up believing them. When Tennessee Williams shows us through the sound of the polka music and the shadows on the wall what is going on in Blanche’s head, we are left to wonder if something is truly wrong. She even told Mitch that she didn’t lie in her ...
The first form of birth control came in the form a pill and was approved by the FDA in 1960(qtd in Gladwell ) The pill was said to be the safest form of birth control because it was safe and said to be a natural form of birth control. John Rock was a well know man around the community. Loretta McLaughlin writes, "It was his name and his reputation that gave ultimate validity to the claims that the pill would protect women against unwanted pregnancy.”(qdt in Gladwell) Even back then, with all the research that they set out to do the pill was still know to cause cancer in young women, not only cancer but the miscarrying of children shortly after taking the pill.
In the early 1900s, premarital sex was far less common than it is in modern society. The culture of that time period valued virginal brides and condemned teens that had sex prior to marriage. In fact, “social ostracism awaited young ladies who did not wait for marriage” (Mass) However, social isolation was one of the lesser consequences that some believed could befall an individual partaking in premarital sex. Exceptionally religious families and institutions believed that sex outside of marriage was a heinous sin and that such an offense could be punishable by eternal damnation. Furthermore, before “the pill” was ...
I believe that Williams passes on a strong message through the play, “Desire deteriorates our lives while our greatest fears stare us in the eye, the only reward we find is in knowing why we regret.” In the end, Blanche Dubois of A Streetcar Named Desire is a tragic figure. All she ever desired was a good, clean life. What she acquired was pain and illusion. One can only be relieved that Blanche finally emptied her secrets and came clean. Whether she ever actually got what she wanted or not, at least her torture even ours conclusively came to an end.
Blanche’s immoral and illogical decisions all stem from her husband's suicide. When a tragedy happens in someone’s life, it shows the person’s true colors. Blanche’s true self was an alcoholic and sex addict, which is displayed when “She rushes about frantically, hiding the bottle in a closet, crouching at the mirror and dabbing her face with cologne and powder” (Williams 122). Although Blanche is an alcoholic, she tries to hide it from others. She is aware of her true self and tries to hide it within illusions. Blanche pretends to be proper and young with her fancy clothes and makeup but is only masking her true, broken self.