Following the Wrong Footsteps :: essays papers

Following the Wrong Footsteps For much of Public School's history, the academic standards had little to do with whether or not you were a male or a female. Much of one's placement in a classroom or school depended on the age or academic standing. Other issues such as the consolidation of schools and the Americanization of immigrants were given a higher placement of importance. The subject of gender was almost taken for granted and when the issue did intrude, historically the reaction was one of arbitrary response. The public was much more concerned with the development of their men than the equality of their children (Pollard, 1993.) As time allowed more men and more women to be schooled together, it was evident that a woman's presence alone would not ensure an equally beneficial education. The school systems continue to follow a gendered curriculum, created mainly by men in order to serve men. It is the reinforcement of the gender biases and assumptions through their methodical distribution and teaching of stereotypes and ideas that put the education of men and women on two separate levels. There is no example to follow when it comes to the equal education of children because even though they receive the same education, it is far from equal. It is this along with the lack of recognition towards women who have achieved greatness both in and out of education that creates an outsider status for the female student (Lasser, 1987). The main problem in attempting to accomplish gender equity is the fact that the teachers being sent off to teach children in gender equitable terms are not trained to do so. Gender equity issues are virtually ignored in most university level education classes and any strategies created to decrease gender-biased classroom behavior are basically non-existent. Most efforts to remove this problem are geared toward working teachers when the focus needs to be on the upcoming generation of teachers presently in school (Miller, 2001). Teacher Expectations and Learning Environments In addition to poor teacher training; culture stereotypes and the expectations of these teachers are what diminish a girl's self-esteem and confidence. This is turn continues to cheat girls out of the education they deserve (Miller, 2001). What has created this phenomenon of discrimination is not something of a natural occurrence, but one of social distortion.

Rhetorical Essay: Shame is Worth a Try Essay

Dan M. Kahan’s â€Å"Shame is Worth a Try† was first published in the Boston Globe on August 5, 2001. In this essay, Kahan contends that the use of â€Å"shame† as a penalty of low level crimes is not only effective, but is an economical and humane alternative to imprisonment. It’s difficult to ascertain who Kahan’s intended audience is. However, because he uses examples of shame being used as an alternative sanction around the country; â€Å"Drive drunk in Florida or Texas, and you might be required to place a conspicuous â€Å"DUI† bumper sticker on your car† (Kahan 574) I would venture to say that the public at large is whom he is possibly targeting. This is further reinforced by the fact that the author chose to at least â€Å"initially† publish the article in the Boston Globe, a local Massachusetts newspaper. Kahan competently uses contrast and comparison throughout his essay to illuminate a subject that otherwise might be ignored. Nevertheless he ultimately falls short of being convincing, mainly, due to his lack of usage, of relevant facts and figures. Kahan opens his essay with the basic question â€Å"is shame an appropriate criminal punishment?† (574). He then explores examples of its use in various jurisdictions. â€Å"Refuse to make your child-support payments in Virginia, and you will find that your vehicle has been immobilized with an appropriate colored boot†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Kahan 575). Immediately after grabbing the readers attention with examples, Kahan presents a contrasting viewpoint. â€Å"Many experts, however, are skeptical of these new shaming punishments. Some question their effectiveness as a deterrent†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Kahan 575). This further elicits the readers curiosity, bringing them to the heart of the issue. The author eloquently asks the question, â€Å"Who is right?† (575). He then goes on to use a logos style exploration, of both sides of the issue. Kahan’s main claim is that proponents don’t get that shame, can be as effective as prison, at a lower overall cost to society. Kahan further argues and finishes strongly with the statement that the overall question shouldn’t be â€Å"isà ¢â‚¬  shame a proper punishment, but how do we employ it’s use properly? The author does an admirable job of grabbing the readers attention right from the start by giving interesting, and relevant examples of how shame has been employed around the country. ie: DUI’s in Texas, child-support in Virginia. Moreover, his use of logos styled arguments throughout the article does an excellent job of articulating his viewpoint while keeping the reader engaged. Kahan gains the readers respect by presenting well reasoned and intelligent viewpoints in such a way that it’s actually hard to find any particular fault with his assertions. The authors choice to present an opposing view right from the start, although not as effective as it could have been, was an apropos way to strengthen his stance. In moving forward, Kahan counterbalances some opponents by making it perfectly clear that his stance for shame based penalties applies to minor infractions of the law only . â€Å"There’s obviously no alternative to imprisonment for murderers, rapists, and other violent criminals†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Kahan 575). By using examples of these shame based penalties from around the country, the author also makes it appear to the reader that he is knowledgeable in matters concerning our justice syste m. His strongest point though comes at the end of his article when he simply asks the question â€Å"Why not at least give it a try?† (Kahan 576). This seems to beg an additional question, since our current system is overloaded why not try a different approach? Kahans major downfall in this article is his insufficient use of relevant facts and figures. Although the author does reference one particular study by Harold Grasmick that shows â€Å"public disgrace exerts greater pressure to comply with the law than the threat of imprisonment and other formal punishments.† (Kahan 576). Overall it lacks the kind of â€Å"hard figures† it would take statistically to reinforce his claim. If the author had chosen to include some statistics on say, the effectiveness of alternative sanctions, or showed a cost analysis on prison sentences. He would have established a sense of trustworthiness with his reader. Unfortunately, due to the lack of those types of â€Å"hard figures† his essay lacks credibility. That lack of credibility, leaves the reader to wonder, just how knowledgeable is this author with this subject? If Kah an had just chosen to tell us a little about himself and his background, he could have very well hit a home run in the credibility department. He does after all have an exceptionally distinguished law career. Unfortunately, he fails to do so, thus leaving the reader with too many unanswered questions. The last major complaint of this essay is a complete lack of pathos style writing. Overcrowding, as well as, the shear number of offenders in our criminal justice system alone is staggering. This  hot button topic could have easily been used to stir up some emotion and passion in his argument. In this way, the author would have essentially legitimized his stance, as well as, inspired his readers to take action. For whatever reason though, the author chose to ignore this completely, and as such completely fails in winning over his audience. In the writing of this essay, Kahan addresses an important topic of our times. Our current criminal justice system is overloaded and wrought with problems, and addressing how to punish petty crimes is certainly relevant. Yet his article, despite illuminating this controversial and important subject, fails in delivering the facts needed to inspire any sort of change. Kahan does an admirable job of creating interest in a topic many might otherwise ignore. However, he ultimately falls flat in the execution and leaves the reader floundering, rather than informed. As a last note, Khans writing style might not always include the use of pathos. Unfortunately for him his lack of appeal to emotion in this particular essay will render it ultimately â€Å"forgettable†. Works Cited Kahan, Dan M. â€Å"Shame is Worth a Try† Models for Writers. Ed. Rosa Eschholz. Boston * New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, January 2012. 574-578 Print

Speech Dealing with Change Essay - 894 Words

The bombing of the two towers, September 11th, 2001. 2 749 reported deaths. The bombing of Hiroshima, August 6th and August 9th, 1945. 120 000 reported deaths. The battle for Gallipoli, from February 1915 to January 1916, a total of 505 000 recorded deaths, 28 150 of these were Australian. The Trojan War, 400 B.C. Total annihilation of Troy. Good morning friends, classmates and teachers. On any of these given days, thousands of people died. These acts of war were inspired by passion, greed and revenge. No one really wanted for their people to die – but they did. And this is something that no one can, or ever will be able to change. People have however, taken steps to address these wrongs. Some by retaliation, or being retaliated†¦show more content†¦We cannot turn back.† Martian Luther King said this in his speech given on the 28th of August in 1963. He is right, we cannot turn back. Throughout our lives we have constantly walked ahead when we would have happily turned back, had we been given the option. For example many of us remember the first day of school, when we so desperately clung to our parents, not yet willing to admit that we were ready for the next step along the path of our lives. Had we been given the option that we didn’t have to start school on that day, many of us would have taken that road. Had we done that, it is quite probable that we would have kept putting off our first day, therefore, not all of us would be where we are now. Everyone has been traveling along on their own journey, and every journey has been and will continue to be a personal journey full of experiences, challenges and accomplishments. Every different journey will shape who we become later in life. The trails and errors that we are put through, will strengthen us, teach us, and encourage us to become the best that we can possibly be. Our life experiences guide, mold, and create the person that we become. Our past is what makes us who we are today. When we take a step forward in our journey we must remember when Walt Whitman said Not I - not anyone else can travel that road for you. You must travel it for yourself. Where we end up isnt the most important decision, butShow MoreRelatedCharacteristics Of Nonverbal Communication1169 Words   |  5 Pagesdifferent types of gestures used to communicate and some include speech illustrators, emblems, paralinguistic cues, proxemics and haptics. Speech illustrators are, â€Å"movements that are directly tied to speech, and serve to illustrate or highlight what is being said† (Matsumoto Juang, 2013, p. 245). Examples of these would be holding up your finger to show the number one. This is different across cultures so some places do not like using speech illustrators. 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