2009 AP Form B Question 1

This day in age, kids are required to start attending school at the young age of 5. From 5 years old on, kids will be in school for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 9 months a year for 13 straight years. If a child fails to complete this regimen, they are viewed as a failure. This strict schedule leaves little time for students to do anything with their lives, outside of school. To even play a competitive sport is a major feat. With hours of homework and studying to be done after the actual school day, it’s a miracle that kids have not transformed into, walking, talking, breathing robots.
Schools claim that their ultimate goals are to (1) to help each student gain personal fulfillment and (2) to help create good citizens. For a school to have these goals is quite lofty, considering that they have no idea what personal fulfillment is for each student. Public schools do not take the time to get to know each individual; they’re too busy worrying about fulfilling the state’s standards. Each student is just another tool used to do that. Source E suggests that, “by giving children every year a large number of authorized absences” students would feel less pressured and likely to act out. Some kids simply do not have any desire to go to school; these are the kids who are going to make trouble. In high school especially, students feel as if they can not miss school, no matter what. Even missing for a school sponsored event, such as an athletic competition, comes with the almost unbearable consequences of make up work and make up quizzes and tests. All of which have to be done on the students own time because of course during class time, teachers have other ‘important’ things to teach. With so much schooling, “It is a rare child who can come through his schooling with much left of his curiosity, his independence or his sense of his own dignity, competence and worth.” (source E). Is it not a school’s desire to encourage some sort of curiosity, independence, sense of dignity, competence, and worth? Without all of these things, it must be very hard for a school to achieve their number one goal of helping each student gain personal fulfillment.
A school’s second goal of creating good citizens can be seen as a success or a failure depending which point of view one takes. According to source D, “You cannot have a democratic—indeed, civilized—community life unless people have learned how to participate in a disciplined
way as a part of a group.” The conformity that schools force upon children definitely in grain discipline and being a part of a group into young minds. This conformity will make for a civilized nation, but is that what America needs? The American belief is that everyone is free. Shoving children into “a system of compulsory secondary schools that all too often resemble prisons.” (source A) doesn’t exactly ring of freedom. John Taylor Gatto, the author of Source A points out that some of the most successful American minds came not from a “school system”, but were educated through other means. “George Washington, Benjamin
Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln….were not products of a
school system, and not one of them was ever “graduated” from a secondary school” (source A), but they learned through life experiences and were taught by the adult influences in their lives. Each one of these successful men had creative, radical ideas that helped make America what it is today. Modern schools squash creativity and radicalism. Being creative and radical does not help one conform to society and become a ‘good citizen’.
Conformity does not only occur in the way that teachers are teaching, but also in the general schedule of a school day. Source B shows a high school bell schedule. The schedule portrays that every class is exactly 46 minutes long and students only get 4 minutes between every class. This strict schedule does not allow students any time to socialize with their peers, let alone go to the bathroom between classes. Of course, every high school has punishments for being late to class. Even being a few seconds late will result in a tardy, if not eventually detention. A routine like this discourages human interaction; every student is always in a rush to get to their next mundane, 46 minute block of day. And just think, impressionable children do this for 13 years.
School’s across the United States have the best intentions of raising kids to be successful adults in the world. But to achieve this success schools believe that conformity is the answer. Conformity is often taken so far that the children are no longer given the opportunity to grow and learn in a way that encouraging to them. Schools need to focus less on conformity and more on individualism. An increase in individualism would give students the opportunity to transform into not only successful adults, but successful adults that are eager to tackle the world.

Moon Landing Conspiracy

1) Many people think that the US government staged the first moon landing.  They believe that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were filmed on a set in either hollywood or Area 51 and that they never actually left Earth or set foot on the moon.

2)  The people that would believe that the moon landing is a conspiracy are those who distrust the government and want to find things to blame them for and accuse them of tricking the overall population.

3)  The people that believe the conspiracy think that the US government created it in order to beat the Soviet Union in the space race.  The Cold War was going on and America was in competition with them.  The conspiracy first appeared in the 70’s and was originally proposed in a book by Bill Kaysing.

4)  The conspiracy doesn’t work very well at all.  People who beleive it think that the videos and pictures were faked and that because the flag appeared to have movement, their is no way that they could have actually been in space.

5)  In 1969, the technology was not available to create the special effects that would have been needed to produce a moon landing video and their are many reasons that the flag could have been moving, besides the existence of wind.  Also, their were too many people involved in the moon landing that it would have been next to impossible to keep all of those people quiet. 

http://www.cracked.com/funny-74-moon-hoax-conspiracy/

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1860871_1860876_1860992,00.html

Argumentative essay

How many times has someone made fun of something or someone else and then said, “just kidding!” It happens all the time but isn’ their always a little truth behind what they are saying? Although comedians use their jobs as a way to entertain the public, Botton believes that they have a deeper purpose; the purpose of telling the truth and delivering the messages that no one else has the courage to do.
Late night television is filled with shows that are all classified as comic. Saturday Night Live, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Chelsea lately, and so many more are shown in order to entertain us and get a few laughs out of the audience. While they are all entertaining, all of them also have the same plan to poke fun in order to get their laughs. Most of the jokes are made at the expense of celebrities, reality TV, magazines, and other various topics. Most of the time, the jokes are cruel and humiliating to the target. The comedian always successfully receives laughs, but they could have accomplished that mission through other means. Their is truth behind the hurtful jokes and comedians are the only ones who can get away with delivering that truth.

TAKS Practice: The Diary of Adam

In “The Diary of Adam”, Mark Twain portrays Adam as a character of intolerance who solely wants to live in a place of peace and solitude.  Adam states that he wants Eve to just “stay with the other animals” and “wish[es] it would not talk” because the sound of her voice “offends my ear”.  Later in the week, on Wednesday, it rains and Adam proceeds to build himself “a shelter against the rain, but could not have it to [him]self in peace. The new creature intruded”.  No matter how hard Adam tries, he cannot escape the presence of Eve, he even “travelled two days, and built … another shelter, in a secluded place” but yet she still “hunted [him] out”.  Eve’s continued presence frustrates Adam to the point that he only wants her to “go by herself and not talk”.

Oscars TAKS Practice

Both the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times percieved the Oscars as being dull, long, and poorly presented. Neither reporter was impressed with the host, MacFarlane, saying that he was the “least recognizable OScar’s host since…1931” and mentioning the “possibility of being named the worst host in history”.  Of course their were other problems besides just the host.  The musical performances were “a little unnecessary” and “their was no reason for the show to be interrupted half way through”.  The ‘writing for the presenters was so bad that even Melissa McCarthy fell flat” and the New York times agrees that with the “fatuous presentations” even “Melissa McCarthy wasn’t funny”.  The Los Angeles Times and New York Times agree that the Oscar’s was unentertaining and  contained many flaws that brought the show to an unsuccess.

A Time I Helped Somebody (TAKS)

       Bustling around the kitchen, I grabbed tubaware, bags, lids, and any other assorted objects I would need to pack up a meal.  My mom and I had been slaving away in the kitchen for multiple hours; baking and cooking till the point of exhaustion.  This was not just a  typical meal for our family, but for someone else’s.  We wanted to make sure that everything was perfectly packaged and equally delicious.

       A family friend had recently been diagnosed with cancer.  It had been a complete surprise that nobody had even expected, especially her.  Her and her family were distraught over the news and were just trying to cope with it at the time.  We had known the family for years and yet we were completely helpless, except to give our condolences and encouragement.  When nobody was sure how to proceed, my mom and I decided that to help the family, we would do what we do best: cooking and baking.  So we set forth with a mission to do the only thing we could to make these times easier on the family.  We made dinner and dessert for one night and then the next day would deliver muffins for breakfast.  Any thing we could think of that they might like to eat, my mom and I made it.

        While preparing meals for someone may not seem like a great act of kindness or a huge event that changed someone else’s life, it was all that we could do to help in a time of crisis. Just the fact that a simple action by my mom and I could make a family’s day easier, makes me feel good about myself.  From then on, whenever someone is going through a trial or just having a tough time, I make a point to prepare a special treat for them.  Whether it be a meal to relieve some of the daily household stress, or just simpley dropping off a batch of cookies to brighten their day.  I like to think that I can help someone else in a small way which make me feel even better.  

War Attacks on Civilian Populations

People all around are dying. The air is raining fire, shrapnel, and ash; their is no escape, nowhere is safe. Individuals are slowly burning to death, the lucky ones die instantly from one of many explosions. Thousands are crying out for any sort of help, and yet, none comes. They are all alone in a dying city. The planes overhead have not come to rescue, but to kill. No sane person could ever feel good about murdering someone, let alone thousands of innocent people, so why is it that so many civilian bombings have taken place throughout the history of war? Ernest Hemingway said, “So far, about morals, I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.” While attacking civilian populations could bring a quicker end to a war, brutally and mercilessly killing and destroying thousands of innocent human beings is completely morally perverse.
On August 6, 1945 the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima and three days later, one on the city of Nagasaki. Combined, the bombings killed over about 200,000 people. All of them innocent civilians. The cities were flattened, completely decimated. After the bombings, not only Japan’s people, but their fighting spirit as well, was killed. Their surrender came soon after and the war was brought to an end. Many say that by releasing the atomic bombs on Japan, the United States saved hundreds of thousands of soldiers’ lives that would have been lost fighting in future battles. During the time of war, Truman believed that this was the best option to bring the war to a close and in the end, he was correct. The atomic bombs quickly and efficiently ended World War II. But was it truly worth it?
While some say that the lives lost in Japan on those days was less than what would have been lost in future fighting, did they count the amount of lives that would be lost in the future because of the effects of an atomic bomb? The horrific amount of radiation that was released with the explosion of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has caused leukemia and birth defects all the way from directly after the bombing until now. Nothing can be done to reverse these effects. Children of the twenty-first century are still dying today because of one decision to bomb innocent people. Truman made a war decision to bomb the civilians of Japan, but he did not make a humane one. Two atomic bombs killed women and children. Two atomic bombs killed people who may not have supported the war cause. Two atomic bombs killed the futures of generations to come.
The excuses of using civilian attacks to end a war are not excuses at all. There is never a reason for the mass murder of thousands of innocent people. It is unmoral and a terrible act by a country. Most soldiers do not consider the effects or even think about the people who are losing their lives, they are simply following orders. But, maybe if someone did think about the victims more often, then there would be fewer victims. If one were to truly consider the damage they are causing then they would be sickened solely by the idea. No sane person could ever feel good about murdering someone, let alone thousands of innocent people.

Slaughterhouse Five TAKS practice

The author of “slaughterhouse five” deglorifies war by showing the humiliation that the American soldiers face when captured by the Germans. Once they have been captured the Americans “formed a fool’s parade” and were forced to march through the streets of Germany while citizens gawked at them. Once at the prison the men are forced to disrobe and the German officials, “measured Billy’s upper right arm with his thumb and forefinger, asked a companion what sort of army would send a weakling like that to the front”, degrading him in front of other Americans and Germans alike. The humiliation that the Americans must feel is exemplified through these scenes.

SAT Essay Prompt

            One independent person does not have the power or ability to change or help the country; the actions of each individual do matter though.  Everyone coming together can cause change, but an immense group does need a leader.  Overall, the government has the main power to make changes and improvements in our country, but it is not solely up to them.

            Throughout the first half of the nineteenth century, America was focused on developing and prospering.  As a result, the American System was suggested by Henry Clay.  The American System included a protective tariff to improve industry, a national bank to foster commerce, and federal subsidies for roads, canals and other internal improvements.  Without this one man, Henry Clay, the idea may never have been broached.  Without workers a lack of action to make the plan a reality would have been compulsory.  Without the government’s support, the plan would have never been taken into consideration.  Each individual that makes up this hierarchy of power was imperative to make the American System a success.

            Although the government has the most power over changes in our country, it is up to each individual to take responsibility for their own situation.  We must not become completely reliant on the officials of our country to fix our every problem and meet our every whim.  Their power spreads over the country as a whole, not reaching each and every person.  Individuals can propose ideas and find supporters for their cause.  Without the people that are willing to administer their ideas, such as Martin Luther King Jr., nothing would ever change.  MLK Jr. had the idea to end segregation and completely get rid of Jim Crow Laws, to improve the life for every colored person, and to change the culture of American societies.  He risked his very own life for the lives he wished to improve.  He rallied supporters for his widely unsupported cause.  This one individual caused great leaps to be taken in our culture.  While he was a key proponent, he did not change the laws himself, that was the government.  MLK Jr. solely convinced the government officials to vote in favor of his own beliefs. 

One man held a great amount of power, and as someone great once said, “With great power comes great responsibility”.  Each individual has the responsibility to change what they can and help to inspire change.  One belief or opinion can lead to the next step of change until the change actually occurs. 

Legalization of Marijuana vs. Prohibition of Alcohol

            While President Franklin D. Roosevelt supported the repeal of prohibition in 1932, our current president has not spoken an opinion on the legalization of marijuana.  Even though we are now in a different time period and discussing two very different mind-altering substances, the fight for each is quite analogous.  Supporters for both argue that legalization would reduce crime and law enforcement would have the opportunity to focus on more serious crimes.  The opponents argue that usage could be seen as morally wrong, lead to more danger and drug abuse, and that it could find its way into children’s hands. 

            Back during the time that prohibition of alcohol was being argued, many proponents of the cause argued that without alcohol there would be less crime.  Many believed that alcohol lead to violent behavior.  Today, people are arguing that legalizing marijuana would decreases crime through the reduction of drug cartels (Messerli). Seventy percent of cartels’ business comes from the dispersing of marijuana.  But would it really reduce crime overall?  With the legalization of marijuana, state governments would have to create new laws to regulate the age of users, amount of consumption, and laws to protect against driving and performing other activities while high (Ferner).  When alcohol was once again legalized in the United States many of the same questions were brought up.  Even with these new kinds of laws, people believe that their would be less police work used in regard to marijuana related crimes (McLaughlin).  During the 1930’s they believed that without the consumption of alcohol, there would be less crime in general.  Even though today’s argument is to legalize marijuana and past arguments were to ban alcohol, the results of each are believed to be similar and related.

            The banning of alcohol and the fight to keep marijuana banned have almost the same arguments (Al-Khatib).  Even if they do not end up with the same results, they will go down in the history books together.  The argument that each is morally wrong stems from stricter religious beliefs in the 1930’s.  Some people believed that drinking alcohol was wrong and now some believe that the use of the drug marijuana is wrong.  Both are substances that alter the mind and ability to think and make decisions (Messerli).  Opponents to the legalization see marijuana as a stepping stone to harder drugs such as cocaine or heroin and are concerned that one day these could be legalized as well.  If marijuana is completely legalized, it would be much easier for the drug to be available to children, and people could be victimized by second hand smoke.  Alcohol and marijuana are seen to have many of the same negative effects and drawbacks in the race to legalization. 

            Prohibition took place during a very different time period, and yet it can still be used to compare with the legalization of marijuana today.  The arguments for both were based on the same theories and opinions.  Even though we do not yet know the complete result of the fight over marijuana, it could be predicted to conclude similarly to prohibition.

 

 

 

Al-Khatib, Talal. “Discovery News.” DNews. Discovery Communications, LLC., 12

Nov. 2012. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.
The Discovery Channel is a sponsored television network that provides information through documentaries, TV shows, and news articles. They not only provide information about current issues, but also history.

Ferner, Matt. “Rachel Maddow Draws Parallels Between Marijuana Legalization In

Colorado, Washington And End Of Alcohol Prohibition.” The Huffington Post.

TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 Nov. 2012. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.
The Huffington Post is a newspaper that provides information about national issues. People around the country read it with the intention of being provided with accurate information.

McLaughlin, Eliott C. “Marijuana Advocates Hope to Rise from ‘prohibition'” CNN.

Cable News Network, 04 Dec. 2012. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.
CNN is a reputable news source. Many people rely on CNN to provide accurate information. For a long time they have been used to find information on certain topics and they inform the public about current events.

Messerli, Joe. “Should Marijuana Be Legalized under Any Circumstances?”

BalancedPolitics.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.
Balanced Politics is a website that provides different political opinions and the information about the arguments used to support them.