Spring Research Paper: Blog Post #5

Reflection on “The Privilege of “Arrest Without Incidence’”

In the article “The Privilege of ‘Arrest Without Incidence’”, Charles M. Blow questions the event in which a white woman was arrested and left unharmed by the police. Blow revives the news story in which this 45 year-old white female was convicted of shooting local people on the streets and in cars. When a police force arrived to the scene, the shooter led them into a chase and even pointed her gun at them. However, apparently the officers took her in “…’without incident or injury.’” After reviving this story, Blow wonders if the shooter’s fate would have been any different if she were male, black, or both. Blow then goes on to question the stereo-types and fears that have been wrongfully planted into our minds as Americans. Blow states: “The American mind has been poisoned, from this country’s birth, against minority populations. People of color, particularly African-American men, have been caught up in a twister of macroaggressions and micro ones.” Ultimately, Blow is referring to the Ferguson trials in which people were furious with police for killing black males out of fear. The policemen did not appear to be fazed by the white woman who was guilty of crime, however they were fearful of black males and shot several people. Blow even provides examples of black males who were discriminated against during the Ferguson trials: Eric Garner was unarmed on a Staten Island street.Tamir Rice was 12 years old, walking around a Cleveland park and holding a toy gun that uses nonlethal plastic pellets, but he didn’t shoot at anyone.” Blow provides examples of innocent black males who the policemen did not extend peace to. After raising these points, Blow concludes his article by wondering why the police fired at unarmed black males but not at an actual shooter. 

I agree with that the policeman seem to have contradictory views. Policemen will refrain from shooting a white woman with a gun, however they react entirely different to harmless black males. For instance, the young African American boy with a toy gun was not intending on hurting anyone. Yet the police still shot and killed the boy, and did not show any compassion to the boy. I completely agree with Blow that racist views from the past are still integrated into our minds today. In several of the Ferguson cases, the police shot or convicted innocent men with crimes, simply because they were viewed as dangerous since they were African American. I think that Blow raises an interesting point when he even states that whites generally feel like they are treated more equally than blacks are by police. Apparently, only about two in ten blacks “… ‘say they are confident that the police treat whites and blacks equally whether or not they have committed a crime.’ In contrast, six in 10 whites ‘have confidence that police treat both equally.’” I do not think that its right that whites are treated more equally by the police than blacks are. There are laws installed in the U.S. Constitution that require equal treatment of all citizens regardless of race, yet our own police are discriminating against them. Therefore, I agree with Blow that police must treat all suspects equally and hold their fire unless it’s absolutely necessary. 

Overall, Charles M. Blow uses several rhetorical devices throughout his article to advance his argument. Through these devices, Blow is able to efficiently argue that police officials discriminate the black minority. For example, Blow frequently uses juxtaposition to contrast the ways police treat whites and blacks. In the beginning of the article, Blow shares an account with his audience in which a white female shooter is caught by the police. Blow states: “Surely this was not going to end well. We’ve all seen in recent months what came of people who did far less. Surely in this case officers would have been justified in using whatever force they saw fit. Right?” In this statement, Blow refers to the Ferguson trials and the number of people who were immediately shot by the police. However, apparently the white woman was treated much differently than the black men in the Ferguson trials: “According to the paper, the shooter was ‘taken into custody without incident or injury.’Who was this shooter anyway? Julia Shields, a 45-year-old white woman.” The outcome of the woman’s confrontation with the police is evidently different than what happened during other trials. Ultimately, Blow’s audience is able to recognize the different ways that the police treat individuals through juxtaposition, and contrasting events. 

Source: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/05/opinion/charles-blow-privilege-of-arrest-without-incident.html

Spring Research Paper: Blog #4

Reflection on “How Expensive It is to Be Poor”

In the article “How Expensive It is to Be Poor”, Charles M. Blow argues that a life in poverty is not easy. Blow claims that it is actually “expensive to be poor”. He openly refutes the common misconception that people in poverty can easily survive off of government funds, without doing anything in return. In reality, poor people often work just as hard as everyone else; they simply do not make enough to overcome financial debt. According to Blow’s article, about eleven million Americans fall into this category and cannot escape poverty. In addition to this, the columnist of this article believes that impoverished people also struggle from having to pay taxes. Apparently people in poverty have to pay heavy taxes, so the money they earn does not even benefit them in any way. Blow continues to stress his point on the challenges of being in poverty by raising the issue pertaining to education. Blow makes the point that although people can overcome poverty by seeking higher job positions, it is difficult to pay for education in order to pursue these careers. It is expensive for poor students to attend decent colleges, house themselves, and find some way of transportation. Although there are loans and scholarships available for students in poverty, these do not cover all the costs of college or the expenses of living. By drawing attention to all of these issues concerning poverty, Blow concludes that life is not easy for those who are in debt.

I agree with Blow that life is not simple for those who are in poverty. Although people try to work hard and earn money to support their families, they are often stuck in financial debt because there are other expenses that they must take care of. For instance, according to a new analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy: “… in 2015 the poorest fifth of Americans will pay on average 10.9 percent of their income in state and local taxes, the middle fifth will pay 9.4 percent and the top 1 percent will average 5.4 percent.” According to this fact, people in poverty generally pay more taxes based off of their income than the average person does. Therefore, most of the money that poor people make is used to pay taxes rather than sustain a living. In addition to this, I know for a fact that it is difficult for people already in poverty to gain an education and pursue better jobs. Unfortunately many individuals who are not applicable for higher paying jobs, must apply for minimum-wage jobs. Although people may be working hard to perform minimum-wage jobs, one cannot survive efficiently off of a minimum wage. For instance, in Nickled and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich struggles to make a living while supporting multiple minimum- wage jobs at a time. In the end, she even finds that she has to “cheat” several times in order to live efficiently. However Ehrenreich has an advantage that low-income families do not have- they cannot rely on a supply of money to support them. All they have is governmental support and the small amount of money they earn. 

Overall, Charles M. Blow uses several rhetorical strategies in order to convince his audience that it is not easy to live in poverty. For instance, in the beginning of the article Blow provides his audience with a common belief that is contradictory to his argument: “…most wealthy Americans believed ‘poor people today have it easy because they can get government benefits without doing anything in return.’” Blow makes this statement seem absolutely absurd by proposing a counter-argument with intelligent use of diction. Blow argues: “This is an infuriatingly obtuse view of what it means to be poor in this country- the soul-rending omnipresence of worry and fear, of weariness and fatigue.” Blow uses selective word choice in this statement in order to advance his views, and make them appear sophisticated. By calling the apparent views of the upper class “infuriatingly obtuse”, Blow appears more intelligent to his audience and worthy of attention. I also think that Blow’s claim that it’s expensive to be poor is paradoxical. This claim seems to be contradictory, however it reveals a truth. In reality it is expensive to be poor because people in poverty have to pay a higher rate of taxes and can barely afford to survive. Therefore it is expensive for people living in poverty to try to manage an efficient lifestyle. By presenting this paradox in the title, Blow captures his readers’ attention and advances this argument throughout his article. Overall, I think that the strategies that Blow uses throughout his article allow him to capture his audience’s attention and promote his beliefs. 

Source: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/19/opinion/charles-blow-how-expensive-it-is-to-be-poor.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fcharles-m-blow&action=click&contentCollection=Opinion&module=Collection&region=Marginalia&src=me&pgtype=article&_r=0

Spring Research Paper: Blog Post #3

Reflection on “Library Visit, Then Held at Gunpoint” 

Charles M. Blow’s article “Library Visit, Then Held at Gunpoint” tells of the instance in which his son was inappropriately approached by a police officer. Blow recounts his son’s encounter with an officer outside a library at Yale, and how he pointed a gun at his son. Blow explains how his son, a student at Yale, was forced to undergo the police’s inspection even though he had not committed any crimes. Finally after the officer had examined the son’s ID card several times, it was concluded that the officer had made a mistake. Blow’s son was not guilty of any crimes at all; he was simply mistaken for a burglary suspect. After sharing this experience with his audience, Blow conveys his fury at the police officers for pointing a gun at his son. Blow is not upset by the fact that his son was mistaken for a criminal- he is upset that an officer would endanger the life of his son by pointing a gun at him: “What if my son had panicked under the stress, having never had a gun pointed at him before, and made what the officer considered a ‘suspicious’ movement? Had I come close to losing him? Triggers cannot be unpulled.”  Blow continues to express his fury at the officials for endangering the life of his son throughout the rest of the article. Blow expresses his parental concerns for his son, and wonders what would have happened if his son had shown any potential sign of resistance. Blow ultimately suggests that the police do not act responsibly when encountering suspects. 

I agree with Blow that it is not right for a policeman to point a gun at an accused suspect. Although the policeman thought that Blow’s son was a criminal, the officer had no right to threaten a suspect who was not proclaimed guilty by law. I also think that it is alarming that the police accused an individual of crime based off of his outward appearance.Too often people judge others based on their outward appearance, and make false assumptions. Although Blow does not specifically verify the race of his son, one can assume that his son is the same race as him- African American. Blow alludes to this fact, by verifying that his son was judged by his appearance rather than by his actions. Blow states: “ I am reminded of what I have always known, but what some would choose to deny: that there is no way to work your way out — earn your way out — of this sort of crisis. In these moments, what you’ve done matters less than how you look.” At any given moment, the officer could have easily chosen to hurt the young man, regardless of any laws. Ultimately, I agree with Charles Blow that it is disturbing that people who force the law are violating the safety of innocent individuals. 

As a whole, Charles M. Blow uses several rhetorical strategies to convey his frustration with the audience. Blow makes it clear that he does not approve of the way that officials encounter suspects.  In the beginning, Blow alerts the audience of his concern about a particular issue by stating: “Saturday evening, I got a call that no parent wants to get…He had been accosted by a campus police officer, at gunpoint!” This statement promotes Blow’s outrage, especially since it  ends with an exclamation point. This particular form of punctuation expresses Blow’s fury and rage at the news that he’s about to share. As a result, the audience gets a perspective of the upset tone that Blow will use throughout the article. Additionally, Blow expresses his concern as a father to the audience by only referring to his son as “my son”. Blow never reveals the actual name of his son; however this conveys his genuine care and concern as a father. It is evident that Blow intends to convey his paternal concern to the audience when he states: “What if my son had panicked under the stress, having never had a gun pointed at him before, and made what the officer considered a ‘suspicious’ movement? Had I come close to losing him?” Ultimately this statement expresses Blow’s concern for his son, and strengthens his argument against police using guns against suspects. As a whole, Charles M. Blow effectively conveys his frustration with the officer’s violence to his audience, and justifies his paternal reasons for concern. 

Source: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/26/opinion/charles-blow-at-yale-the-police-detained-my-son.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fcharles-m-blow&_r=0

Spring Research Paper, Blog Post #2

Reflection on “Reducing Our Obscene Level of Child Poverty” 

Charles M. Blow’s article “Reducing Our Obscene Level of Child Poverty” presents the issue in which many children in the United States experience the hardships of poverty. In the beginning of his article, Blow states that poverty will never be completely obliterated from society. However, he suggests that there may be ways to prevent it from negatively affecting children. Blow claims that Americans should feel a moral obligation to help children suffering from poverty. He appeals to the audience by refusing to critique their opinions and beliefs. This columnist states: “People may disagree about the choices parents make…People may disagree about access to methods of family planning…People may disagree about the size and role of government…But surely we can all agree that no child, once born, should suffer through poverty. Surely we can all agree that working to end child poverty- or at least severely reduce it- is a moral obligation of a civilized society.” Blow continues to stress the importance of helping poor children by providing his audience with supporting facts and statistics. His information convinces the audience of the severity of his proposed issue and persuades readers to consider taking action. For instance, Charles M. Blow quotes a report from the Children’s Defense Fund, stating: “America’s poor children did not ask to be born; did not choose their parents, country, state, neighborhood, race, color, or faith. In fact if they had been born in 33 other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries they would be less likely to be poor. Among these 35 countries, America ranks 34th in relative child poverty…” This fact supports Blow’s belief that action needs to be taken in order to solve the issue of children suffering from poverty. Blow raises the audience’s awareness that America is not as well-off as people typically imagine; children may even be better off in other countries! Blow continues to develop this argument throughout the rest of his article, and suggests that we invest funds into helping children with poverty. He claims that if Americans can put aside their other issues and focus on the critical matter concerning children in poverty, the world would be a much better place. 

As a whole, I agree with my columnist’s argument. I think that Charles M. Blow has a point when he claims that it is important for us to set aside our matters, and focus on a more critical issue. As Americans we get so caught up in our own dilemmas, that we do not take the time to reflect on the bigger issues that are occurring in the world. Although everyone may not agree that it is right to have premarital sex or use birth control, it is likely that everyone agrees that something must be done to stop the suffering of innocent children. Therefore I agree with Blow that it is important to put our focus on issues that do matter and that we can agree to resolve. 

Overall, Charles M. Blow uses several rhetorical strategies throughout his article in order to convince the audience to support his claim. For instance, Blow purposefully states his opinion on poverty in the beginning of the article in order to introduce his perspective to the audience. He intentionally makes a statement and contradicts himself in order to soften his claim and appeal to his audience. Blow states: “I’m not someone who believes that poverty can ever truly be ended — I’m one of those “the poor will always be with you” types — but I do believe that the ranks of the poor can and must be shrunk and that the effects of poverty can and must be ameliorated.” This statement has a negative context at first, however it appeals to a variety of readers. People may find that they can agree with Blow either way; whether they believe that poverty can be resolved or not. This opening statement has the ability of holding the audience’s attention, and encouraging them to read even further to see the author’s point of view. Charles M. Blow is able to effectively create a position, and alludes to conflicting issues in society- such as premarital sex and abortion. Ultimately, Blow’s allusion to conflicting ideas in society stresses the importance of focusing on an issue that can be resolved- children in poverty. Additionally, Blow connects to his audience by promoting questions and offering possible suggestions. For instance, he sarcastically asks readers: “What would we get for our $77 billion, anyway?”. This columnist then goes on to offer suggestions that would be ideal to reducing poverty: “Things like the creation of subsidized jobs, an increase in the earned income tax credit, a raise of the minimum wage, an expansion of child care subsidies and housing subsidies…” Overall, I believe that Blow’s rhetorical strategies help promote his claim and stress the importance of taking action against children suffering from low-income. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/28/opinion/charles-blow-reducing-our-obscene-level-of-child-poverty.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fcharles-m-blow

Spring Research Paper: Blog Post #1

After browsing through the different columnists and their pages, I made the decision to follow Charles M. Blow. I chose to follow this columnist and read the articles that he published because his articles cover several areas of my interest. In his articles, Blow covers the issues surrounding politics, public opinion, and social justice. Each writer has his/ her unique sense of style and form of writing, and when I saw that Blow covered these areas I was interested in reading his point of view on issues in society. I was also curious to learn about the social injustices within our country and how our society/government deals with them. I figured that if I chose to follow Charles M. Blow, I would be provided with a way to interpret the different social/ political issues in our society- regardless of whether I agreed with him or not. 

Additionally, the different titles of Blow’s articles captivated my attention when I was searching for a columnist to follow. For instance, the article titled “Reducing Our Obscene Level of Child Poverty” caught my attention. I was interested in reading this article when I first saw its title because the issue surrounding child poverty strongly resonates with me. Ever since I went with my church on a mission trip to Guatemala, I have always been very aware of the effects that poverty can have on families and individual children. Therefore, I was interested in hearing what the author had to say about this topic.

As I read Blow’s article about children in poverty, I found that I enjoyed his writing style. Rather than making accusations against different groups and their beliefs, Blow gets right to the issue. In his article “Reducing Our Obscene Level of Child Poverty,” he recognizes the fact that people may not always agree on different issues in society, however everyone can agree that children should not suffer from poverty. I appreciate the fact that Bow is not judgmental of different group’s beliefs and convinces his audience of the severity of his issue by providing facts and statistics that support his beliefs. I also appreciate the fact that Blow does not limit this form of writing to one article. In the article “ A Future Segregated by Science”, Blow continues to promote questions to his audience and offer possible suggestions backed with evidence. Blow's style of writing is not biased because he presents his points and allows his audience to make their own judgements. He does include a bit of sarcastic humor in his articles and promotes his own beliefs, however his points are persuasive and open to interpretation.  As a whole, I think that I will enjoy reading Blow's articles because they will provide me with interesting information and allow me to make my own inferences on society’s issues. 

Didion Blog Question Assignment

“Didion’s essay deals with memory, identity and writing. Think about your own memories, identity and writing that you have done. How does writing shape who you are and how you reflect on your life? Give specific examples. ” (Hint: you writing doesn’t have to be formal writing—think about social media, texts, images, as well as the writing you do in school)

Didion’s essay “On Keeping a Notebook” reflects the impact that writing can have on an individual’s life. Throughout her essay, Didion discusses the significance of keeping a notebook and recording events throughout her life. She claims that a writer does not have to record every single detail throughout his/her life; simple notes can symbolize great events. Didion provides an example of a seemingly meaningless note that she once jotted down: “That woman Estelle…is partly the reason why George Sharp and I are separated today. Dirty crepe-de-Chine wrapper, hotel bar, Wilmington RR, 9:45 a.m. August Monday morning.” To a reader, this note may seem pointless and confusing. However, this note is significant to the author because it has meaning behind it. This note allows Didion to recall memories from the past and reflect on the development and process of her thoughts. Didion goes on to explain the meaning behind this note, and prove to her audience why it reminds her of who she is as an individual. Didion clearly believes that writing allows one to focus on themselves and on what they want to write, rather than what others expect from them. She emphasizes this point by stating: “We are brought up in the ethnic that others, any others, all others, are by definition more interesting than ourselves, taught to be diffident, just this side of self-effacing…And so we do. But our notebooks give us away, for however dutifully we record what we see around us, the common denominator of all we see is always, transparently, shamelessly, the implacable ‘I’.” Didion clearly believes that writers should not follow the style of writing that others try to enforce. Rather writers should focus on themselves and “shamelessly” pronouncing themselves as individuals. 

Didion’s message on developing one’s identity through writing is relevant to the lives of writers today. Despite issues that may be occurring in the world. jotting notes and keeping records of events allows an individual to focus on themselves. For instance, Anne Frank was a young Jewish girl who kept a journal during the Holocaust. Although Anne had to hide away with her family in the back of an apartment with several other people, she found that keeping a journal allowed her to focus on herself and develop her identity. Even though Anne knew that she would probably not survive the Holocaust, she used her journal as a way to continue her legacy. For instance, in her journal Anne says, “ I don’t want to have lived in vain like most people. I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people, even those I’ve never met. I want to go on living even after my death.” Anne Frank’s journal served as a source of hope. She seemed willing to accept her fate as a young Jew in the Holocaust, as long as she could convey her thoughts through her journal. Even though Anne would not be able to reflect on the notes and thoughts that she recorded in her journal, like Didion did, her future audience would. Once Anne’s diary was revealed to the nation, people were able to understand the hardships that she was forced to undergo as a young adult. However, Anne continued to grow as an adolescent by keeping a journal and developing her thoughts. 

Overall, writing can allow one to grow and discover who they are as an individual. Writing can have several different purposes. For instance, Didion uses writing to remind her of who she is and what happened in the past. In contrast, Anne Frank used her diary to convey her thoughts to potential readers; she could still make a difference in the lives of others, even after she was gone. Although both Didion and Anne Frank may have had different purposes for writing, they still expressed themselves as individuals, unconcerned with the thoughts of others. As a whole, no matter what a writer’s purpose may be, he/ she can learn to truly express themselves and uncover their identity through writing.   

Work Cited: 

"Anne Frank, the Writer." The Diary of Anne Frank. Anne Frank House/ Anne Frank Fund, 2012. Web,01.Feb 
2015. <http://www.annefrank.org.au/About-the-Diary>.