Response to, "My Friend Michelle, an Alcoholic"

    In America, the legal alcohol drinking age for citizens is twenty-one, and although this is the law, many teenagers choose to illegally ingest these beverages. In the student essay, “My Friend Michelle, an Alcoholic”, which can be found on page 338 of The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers, the author, Bridgid Stone, discusses the problems her friend had with alcohol. Although the author never directly stated if her friend was of the legal drinking age, she does inform us that they are both college students. The author then delves deeply into the many instances where alcohol became a problematic substance in her friend Michelle’s life. For instance, Michelle constantly announces her want to go out and get drunk and even does so to the point that it makes her miss her classes. When she goes out and partakes in these parties she gets so drunk that she will, without a doubt, have to be carried back to her dorm room, where she will most likely get sick. When the author finally confronts her about her drinking issues, Michelle swiftly brushes off her concerns and questions whether she should finally go to class, or go out and get drunk again. Sadly, Michelle chooses to go out and get drunk, rather than attend her classes, which seems to be the breaking point for the author. The author decides at that point to move out of their shared dorm and doesn’t see Michelle as frequently. When the author does see Michelle, she learns of the new consequences that she is facing due to her drinking, and unfortunately Michelle seems to have no regrets.
    Personally, I do not party and really don’t have a want to do it. I do, however, know of people who choose this type of lifestyle. While I cannot scorn them for doing it, because it’s their life and not mine, I do hope that they don’t become as out of control as the author’s friend, Michelle, did. Alcohol may seem like no big deal to some people, but what they may not realize is that you can become addicted to it. Once someone is addicted they may actually be considered an alcoholic, and they would require some serious help to overcome their issues. While people choose to drink alcohol for several reasons, I just do not see the need for it. Why can’t you have fun and be sober while doing it? Why do people believe all their life problems will be solved if they choose to drink? Truthfully, I believe there are a lot of misconceptions about alcohol and it really can be dangerous to a person. I can only hope that more people will read Bridgid Stone’s important essay and will realize the dangers of alcohol and partying.

Response to, "Do Americans Really Want Jobs?"

    Illegal immigration in America has always been a hot topic of debate and it surely will remain this way for many years to come. In the short essay, “Do Americans Really Want Jobs?”, which can be found on page 547 of The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers, the author, Ruben Navarrette, Jr., delves into the topic of illegal immigration and the effects it has on the American industry. The author believes that many people are misinformed on the topic and tries to explain many of the misconceptions. Firstly, the author believes that there is a big lie hidden in the illegal immigration debate. This lie is that Americans would be happy to do jobs that illegal immigrants are currently doing, but only if the wages were higher. He believes that while this may be true in some cases, generally Americans are lazy and would rather work less physical jobs that provide them with good benefits, as well as a large sum of money. Obviously there are jobs out there that may not be the most “glamorous”, but they do need to get done. The author then discusses cases involving several meat-processing companies. Supposedly, these companies were more prone to hiring illegal immigrants rather than Americans because they would work for smaller wages and didn’t complain as much. After delving deeper into these issues, the author then ends his essay by saying while he doesn’t condone the hiring of illegal immigrants over Americans, he is beginning to understand the concept more.
    After reading this essay, I was shocked. While I knew that illegal immigration has been a big problem in the United States for many years, I didn’t know of these specific consequences that we are facing due to not enforcing stricter rules on illegal immigration. It’s horrifying to think that an American would not receive a job in their own country, where they legally reside, just because there is a bad rap for some Americans and their work ethic. This practice is totally unfair and stricter actions should be taken on those companies who choose to hire people who illegally reside here. I truthfully can see why a company might be drawn to hiring someone who doesn’t complain a lot and who will work for less money, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. In my opinion, unless you are a legal resident of the United States, you should not even be given a chance to get a job in America. Some people may call my philosophy harsh, but these immigrants are taking part in an illegal situation, and until they come to our country legally, there is no excuse for them.
    While I do understand that some Americans may have poor work ethic, the author should not put us all in this unfair category. I know of many people who may not enjoy working, but they push through this to do the best work that they can do. They don’t sit around complaining and they surely do not ask for constant vacations of pay raises. Many Americans even take pride in their work, although I am not sure the author of this essay could even understand this concept. I can quite obviously agree with the author when he suggests he is learning more about this topic, but does not condone it. I do not condone illegal immigration and I surely do not agree with hiring illegal immigrants over American citizens. If we do not take action against this practice now, when and where will the line ever be drawn?           

Response to, "I'm O.K., but You're Not"

    Our world is inhabited by billions of people who have billions of differing opinions. While in most situations there is rarely a right or wrong answer, many people enjoy believing that everything they do and say is the only way to view a situation. In the essay, “I’m O.K., but You’re Not”, which can be found on page 31 of The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers, the author Robert Zoellner discusses his experience at a restaurant with a very hypocritical couple. Robert Zoellner admits to smoking three to four packs of cigarettes a day and has done so for about 40 years of his life, so when he arrives at a restaurant, he knows he will be sitting in the smoking section. He is seated at a table that is literally five feet away from a table in the non-smoking section, but since he is technically in the smoking section, he decides to light up a “breakfast” cigarette. Soon, a well-dressed couple walks into the restaurant and chooses to eat their meal in the non-smoking section. Basically a minute after they are seated, they clearly become annoyed with Robert’s smoking habit. Robert is quickly asked by the man to stop smoking immediately, which leads Robert to point out that he is technically not doing anything wrong because he asked to be placed in the smoking section. The couple, visibly annoyed, eat their meals quickly and quietly and then leave the restaurant to go jump into their gas guzzling vehicle. In the vehicle are two poodles who clearly were in need of a “potty break”. The dogs do their “business” on the restaurant’s lawn, and without picking up the waste, the couple gets back into their car and drive away. Robert watches the whole escapade and finds them completely hypocritical. They had asked him to stop doing something that they found gross, while they didn’t have to stop doing things that he found gross.
    I found this story to be one that I believe many people can relate to. When people feel so strongly about something, they take comfort in believing that they are right and people with opinions different than theirs are wrong. This obviously should not be the case, but as they say, ignorance is bliss. While many people enjoy living their lives in an ignorant state, there are also people out there who are open minded. Personally, while I do have strong opinions, I find it interesting to listen and process through others opinions as well. I believe it can be helpful to hear others opinions because it can either help me validate my opinion more, or slightly alter it. Either way, I don’t feel the need to penalize others for having different opinions than me. After all, opinions are important in creating diversity.
    In conclusion, I really enjoyed reading this particular essay because it made me remember that there are people out there who lead ignorant lives. While I do also believe smoking is disgusting and I would probably have been offended by the smoke in the restaurant, I would not have singled out the smoker. Sure it would be annoying, but I am aware that I do things that annoy people as well. It’s all about remembering that we live in a free country where we can choose to live our lives how we want to. So while the non-smokers found Robert’s actions rude and gross, they are in the wrong when they ask him to stop. In situations like this, we need to step back and take a moment to think it over. We need to realize that we are only in control of ourselves, and nobody else. The mentality that “what I do is perfectly okay, but what you do is perfectly awful”, is not correct, but rather very ignorant, and until that mentality is changed, the world will continue to clash on the rights and wrongs of societies. 

Response to, "Gimmie An A (I Insist)"

    As a student, I have always worked hard to maintain my good grades. Apparently though, this is not always the case for all students around our nation. In the essay, “Gimme an A (I Insist!)”, which can be found on page 283 of The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers, the author, Abigail Sullivan Moore insists that students of today are more likely to receive an “A”, than the students of yesterday. She draws her facts from a new survey that suggests incoming freshmen at more than 400 colleges and universities received higher grades than usual (283).  Apparently, a researcher at the University of California believes that students of today are not studying as frequently as students of yesterday, which makes her question how these students are still receiving such good grades. Could the teachers be to blame? Are they carelessly handing out “A’s” to the students as to not “shatter the student’s self-esteem”(283)?
    Personally, I find it irresponsible to accuse educators of not really doing their jobs. I simply do not understand why a teacher would feel the need to please a student by giving them only good grades. If we were all just given good grades just to appease our self-esteem, how would we really learn? Where would the lessons on what we need to improve on go? I would hate to think that I have survived in school and received good grades only because my teachers feel “sorry” for me and want to please me. That would not be fair to me, nor would it be fair on my teachers. While I do enjoy getting good grades, I also enjoy the knowledge that I had to work for them. I enjoy the fact that I’m not perfect, nor is anyone else in the world, so there is always something I can improve upon.
    In conclusion, I do understand that some teachers may feel the pressure to give only good grades because of the pressure from their students, or even their students parent’s. While I understand that pressure may be hard to ignore, I believe the teachers should be more focused on helping the students improve on their work. Of course, credit should be given where credit is due, but for the other situations, I believe there is always room for improvement.   

Response to, "Today's Special"

Every single day, many Americans choose to eat meals at restaurants that are considered “fine dining” establishments. In the essay, “Today’s Special”, which can be found on page 419 of The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers, the author, David Sedaris, recalls his experience at a fine dining establishment in New York City. Though he normally was not a regular “fine diner”, he accompanied his friend to this dinner on account of his birthday. They ordered entrées that the author claimed had names that were “fifteen-words long…” (419), and seemed to be “unrecognizable” once the author brought them to their table. Obviously, the author uses a lot of sarcasm and funny little quips in this writing, but it also tells an interesting tale about something that many Americans can relate to.
    In this essay, the author jokes constantly about the atmosphere and also the menu of the restaurant, that I am assuming the author’s friend chose. He jokingly complains about the snobby waiters, and the hard to pronounce food choices. The essay becomes even more comical when he claims that he couldn’t even tell which entrée was his and which entrée was his friend’s. In the conclusion of the essay, he describes how anxious he got when their meal was over, because he couldn’t wait to go and get something to eat. It seems kind of ironic that he would be worrying about food right after he finished eating a meal, but he obviously didn’t get full off of his long named, but rather small entrée. To me, it seems like the whole dinner was a waste of time, worry, and money.
    Personally, I rarely venture out to restaurants that are considered “fine dining” establishments. More often than not, I eat at Ruby Tuesday, or Applebees, which are truthfully considered to be” casual dining” establishments. I have never eaten at any restaurant that has unrecognizable or overly priced entrées because I simply do not see the need to. When I do decide to eat out, I prefer to get something that I can easily recognize, such as a cheeseburger and french fries. I also want to eat in a place with a casual atmosphere because that is where I feel most comfortable. Eating out shouldn’t be an event where you feel obligated to wear your “Sunday best”, or where you feel like people are judging you. If I am going to spend my time and money to eat somewhere, I don’t want to feel uncomfortable, and I surely don’t want to waste my time trying to figure out what each entrée is made out of. Some people may call it simple-minded to only eat at restaurants where I feel comfortable, but I guess I am just a simple person who enjoys simple things. 

Response to, "All's Not Well in Land of 'The Lion King' "

In America, Disney movies are typically very popular with young children and their parents. While this is usually the case, there are obviously exceptions to this idea. In the essay, “All’s Not Well in Land of ‘The Lion King’”, which can be found on page 418 of The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers, the author, Margaret Lazarus, discusses the issues that she has with a popular Disney movie. The movie she delves into is the well-known, “The Lion King”, which is basically about the circle of life. Personally, I believe the movie sent a positive message to children, but apparently the author of this essay doesn’t agree.
    The biggest issue that Margaret found in, “The Lion King”, was that she believed it promoted stereotypes. A few of the stereotypes that she mentioned were about homosexuals, as well as African Americans. Personally, I just don’t see where she came up with any of the specific ideas about stereotypes in this movie. Out of the probably 100 times that I have watched this movie from beginning to end, I have never once thought that anything in this movie promoted stereotypes. It’s truly incredible and unbelievable that this woman came up with such specific ideas about each character in the movie. To specifically call out each character and attach a stereotype to them takes some serious thought. Apparently, the author is good at attaching stereotypes to people and characters because she basically labeled everything in the movie!
    The author took my disgust for her lame opinions to new heights when she resorted to stereotyping the voices to each character as well. She claimed that Whoopie Goldberg, who voiced a dark hyena character, had a voice that was ,“…clearly inner-city dialect.”(418). She then went on to say that Disney used her voice because they wanted to create a “ghetto” image. Personally, if I were Whoopie Goldberg, I would be offended that someone called my voice “ghetto”. I just don’t understand how the author can label people or characters, by not only their physical appearance, but also their voices. Deep down, I think Margaret Lazarus has some serious issues that she needs to work through! Disney movies are meant to be enjoyed, not be to picked apart until there is nothing left to say.
    In conclusion, I found this essay to be annoying and an overanalyzed view of the movie. “The Lion King” is a story that teaches children about the life cycle, not about stereotypes and false labels. As a child, I always enjoyed this movie, and subconsciously, I never thought of the characters as stereotypical people. The easiest way to describe this essay, is to say that the author obviously had a lot of free time on her hands. To put it bluntly, I think that Margaret Lazarus should put down her “label gun” and focus on things of higher importance.