Progress on Inquiry Contract

I think I have narrowed my choices down to debating the topic of gas prices. For this topic, there is a lot of information to research and I would be able to find to find a variety of sources. I would be able to read about different opinions and views and would be able to come to a conclusion on what I think should be done. I could research what steps the U.S. should or should not take to obtain oil, and whether it should to do more to regulate improving gas mileage in cars and conservation of energy. I could not just only research about what the U.S. does about oil problems, but I could also search about what other countries do to handle the problem.

This topic interests me the most as it personally affects me more than any of the other subjects I was considering. Each time I fill up the tank of my car I see how expensive it is and how the price of a gallon of gasoline keeps going up. It seems that oil prices are influenced too much by the world producing countries. In addition, it appears the American oil companies are not doing enough to help consumers by keeping the cost down since these companies make more money if a barrel of oil costs more.

Ideas for Inquiry Contract

I have several ideas about which I could do my inquiry contract. The first issue I thought about was whether abortion should be allowed. This is a hot topic in politics that has much controversy. There are people who are strongly pro-choice, there are those who are strongly pro-life, and then there are many people who are in the middle and do not have strong opinions (most of the time these are men and do not have to think about making the final choice as they will never be pregnant).

The second idea I thought of was whether stem-cells should be used for research. This is also another controversial subject. Some people do not like the idea of using embryos or cloning for research. They do not believe in abortions and they are concerned that cloning might change the nature of the human race. They believe there is a limit to what scientists should do. Other people like the idea of stem-cell research because it will advance medical technology and it might help scientists find new and better treatments.

The last topic that crossed my mind was debating the issue whether America should explore and develop its natural resources, specifically oil, in the Alaskan National Wildlife Preserve (Anwar) and in the Gulf of Mexico. There are two groups at opposite ends: corporate America wants to make a profit and the environmentalists want to protect these areas at all costs. The rising cost of gas prices are causing American citizens to be upset and not have as much money to spend on other needs. Conserving oil is good but would it be justifiable to drill for oil in these areas to keep the cost of gas down and to make us less dependent on foreign oil? Or would this cause us to be less conservative? I know this topic would relate to me because I drive and have to worry about the gas prices. In addition, I am concerned about the environment.

I still have to search more in depth for the right topic, but tomorrow we are getting time to research. I hope I will be able to find a topic that I do not get frustrated with after several months of researching.

Effectiveness of Proposal

The essay I chose was the one written by Mark Bonicillo. It was a proposal for universal health insurance in America.

Bonicillo establishes credibility and adequately supports his thesis that America needs to change its employer-based insurance system. He effectively appeals to the reader’s pathos by relating a story about a college graduate who works as a waiter because the economy is bad. This graduate has hurt his back and has no insurance as the employer does not provide it and it would be too expensive for the person to buy. This example points out the desperate need for providing a way to obtain insurance. Boncillo further emphasizes this need by using statistical facts to show what percentage of people in certain age groups do not have insurance and that there are 39 million Americans without health insurance. He also uses pie charts, research studies, and a personal interview to support his case. All of these techniques educate the reader about some of the problems of America’s employer-based insurance. Bonicillo’s proposal shows that poor people and people who work minimum wage jobs will most likely not have health care because it is not included in their jobs and it is too expensive for the employee to buy. I think Boncillo is very effective in telling and showing the audience that there is a problem with the health care in America.

However, I do not think the solutions Bonicillo presents are very effective and they do not seem feasible. His proposals seem too general and would most likely raise taxes. His plan would hurt the insurance companies, and he needed more facts as to how the government and employees would be able to afford the premiums. He should have done a cost-benefit analysis to make the readers accept his plan. Bonicillo had me convinced that there was a problem with employer-based health care, but once he started explaining his solutions, he lost me. (Bonicillo even said that there are problems with his proposal.) His piece was no longer effective because the solutions he presented would not work. His solutions would upset the middle class and upper class because they would have to pay higher taxes. In addition, insurance companies would not want to pay out more. Therefore, Bonicillo’s proposals would not pass since the middle and upper classes, who have more power in the economy, would not accept these changes.

C.P. Ellis

Ellis’s story offers a credible way of overcoming misunderstanding and hatred between races. Ellis believes the solution to overcoming racial misgivings is to make the groups who are at odds with each other come in contact with one another. By so doing, they will get to know each other and hopefully realize that their prejudices are not well-founded. Through this personal contact, even if it has to be forced upon the individuals, the parties involved will see that stereotypes or labels are often wrong and not based on any valid evidence. For instance, the prejudice may be a result of one’s parents influencing their children to believe that the other race is inferior or hates them. It can also be the result of deciding you do not like the other race because you believe they might take your job away. Sometimes one group might blame the other group as a scapegoat instead of criticizing themselves for the problem. Once the groups have a better understanding of each other through personal contact, they will realize they are human beings with “things in common” (598). For example, they have concerns and feelings about racism, sex education, the qualification of teachers, the value of religion, and making a living. By talking and having a chance to understand each other, Ellis believes the misunderstanding and hatred between races can be overcome.

I believe this solution might work on a large scale as long as there is a way of getting opposing groups to talk to each other and for them to truly believe that through positive interaction there is a chance to start to understand one another. Unfortunately, many people are closed-minded and not willing to change their opinions, no matter what they are told or what they see. If there were some means of having them work for a common goal, such as improving the education of their children as Ellis was involved in, they might be able to break down the barriers of prejudice and be able to begin communication. They must somehow see that even though people have diverse backgrounds and beliefs, they are all human beings with feeling and emotions. They all want to have a chance to succeed and to give their children a better life.

The Mainstream Myth

Yoshino discusses the “mainstream” throughout his article. By “mainstream” he means the way people in America conform and behave as they believe the majority of Americans expect them to behave. They want to be assimilated into this dominantly white, Anglo-Saxon and Protestant society. People want to fit the norm so they cover up any of their characteristics, which others might see as “obtrusive”. One can’t be too openly different because courts will not protect “mutable traits” or those which a person can change so the person can “fade into the mainstream”. Underlying this mainstream idea is that assimilation is a precondition of civilization. If people fit a mold, such as what comes from the traditional American “melting pot” idea, then there will be less discrimination because everyone is more similar.

However, Yoshino believes this “mainstream is a myth”. Everyone, not just traditional civil rights groups such as “racial minorities, women, gays, religious minorities, and people with disabilities” (605), tend to cover. Most everyone, in some sense, is “struggling for self-definition” (605). It is no longer just confined to civil rights groups. Generally, everyone wants to conform to what society views as normal, but as Yoshino says “it is not normal to be completely normal.” There is not longer a mainstream as human beings have many identities. We must all be allowed to be free “to develop our human capacities without the impediment of witless conformity” (606). The emphasis is no longer on equality but now it is on having the freedom to be who one is.

I believe Yoshino does a good job at persuading the reader to see the importance of being free to be yourself and not feeling you have to cover up. He gives good examples of conformity. He also shows how the courts ruled against people because they were not part of the mainstream (wearing cornrows, speaking Spanish, being a new mom, and marrying the same sex). Yoshino then appeals to all of our individuality by telling us no one is normal and that it is important to have the freedom to be ourselves. His essay was thought provoking.

Freedom from Slavery

Linda finally attains her freedom from Mrs. Bruce (Mr. Bruce’s second wife), the person for whom she worked. Linda’s freedom was at stake when Dr. Flint’s daughter and her husband came looking for her. They were in desperate need of money. Fortunately, Mrs. Bruce employed someone to negotiate with Mr. Dodge for Linda and her children’s freedom in return for 300 dollars. At first, the offer was declined as it did not seem to be enough money, but then negotiator said that if they did not accept the offer, Linda would go out of the country. Mr. Dodge decided that “half a loaf was better than no bread” and sold her to Mrs. Bruce. A bill of sale was drawn up and then Mrs. Bruce freed her.

At first, Linda was horrified as she had actually been “sold” in New York, which was a free state. She was afraid she was going to be sold again because she thought she was going to be “sold from one slave owner to another” (349), which seemed like slavery to her. She thought the obligation could not be easily cancelled. Linda also did not think she, or anyone, else should pay for her freedom and especially pay money to those who had made her suffer. Most of all, she did not consider herself an “article of property”. In the end, Linda is deeply grateful to Mrs. Bruce for buying her freedom. However, Linda despises those who demanded money for her, since she never rightfully belonged to them. Once free, Linda feels like a great weight has been lifted off her shoulders, and she is no longer afraid to “unveil” her face and “look at people as they passed” (349). Ironically, it was a white, sacred, friend who had freed her, not her family.

Passage Using Honesty to Establish Credibility

The passage I chose is from chapter 21 in the first paragraph.

In this passage, Jacobs talks about how she would rather be in total darkness sharing her “den” with rats and mice than to be living in slavery. She would rather spend seven years of her life not regularly being able to stand up, without being able to talk to her kids, or without breathing fresh air, than to be Dr. Flint’s well-kept slave.

She establishes her credibility with the reader by explaining how she was a well-treated slave compared to the many other slaves who were “cruelly over-worked”, “lacerated with the whip from head to foot”, “beaten and bruised”, had their “heel-strings cut to prevent” running away, “chained to a log and forced to drag it about”, “toiled in the fields from morning till night”, “branded with hot iron”, or “torn by bloodhounds”. She had always been treated kindly until Dr. Flint. He started sexually abusing her and made sure she knew she had no power or rights. However, even this was a life of little hardships compared to the majority of slaves. By comparing her situation to other slaves and stating how her condition was not so horrible physically, Jacobs establishes her reliability. She presents the facts honestly and without seeming to exaggerate. Jacobs becomes somewhat of an independent observer to describe the physical and mental brutality slaves endured since they were treated as mere possessions, not as human beings.

Jacobs lets readers know that her situation was not a typical “bad” situation for slaves, but yet just knowing she had no rights, she could not own anything, and she was controlled by someone else was cause enough for her to want to runaway. She describes other slave’s horrible situations and outcomes, and tells her own story. She is saying this to let people know that no matter how mistreated one is in slavery, not having any rights is enough for them to try to escape and do anything for freedom. They want to escape so they are no longer considered animals without any feeling. Jacobs wants the Northern whites to empathize with the slaves and see them as human beings. In this way, these northerners might help in the abolitionist cause.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: Chapter 1-9

It is important that Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is autobiographical because it must be credible to show the injustices and horrible nature of slavery. It tells Linda’s (Harriet Jacobs’s) story of what it was like to be a slave and what tragic hardships slaves had to endure. By the story being a real account of a slave’s life, it appeals to ethos and pathos. It appeals to ethos because it has credentials since it is based on the personal experience as being a slave. It appeals to pathos because Jacob portrays the hardships she had to endure and it makes the audience have a better understanding about slavery. Through Linda’s stories of being a slave, the reader comes to comprehend the suffering, the degradation, the abuse, and loss of dignity that slaves encountered. It gives the perspective of the slaves and how they felt. By presenting the truth about the life of a slave girl, Linda hopes to “arouse the women of the North” (120) to see what abomination slavery is in the hopes that they might be able to help the women who are still slaves in the south.

It is important that the editor did not clean up the language or the content because it keeps the story more real with more feeling. It is convincing. By changing Linda’s account, the editor could have changed the emphasis or a strong feeling about a subject. It is important that the work be authentic so the reader is moved by the reality of Linda’s story.