McCain's Advantage in Recent Debate

In Sunday's Chicago Tribune, Gerould Kern argues that in the debate between McCain and Obama, McCain had the upperhand due to his years of experience in foreign affairs and military endeavors. In the editorial, the author's audience seems to be the same as the candidates': the American people. Kern is trying to make a connection with his audience when, while explaining our nation's debt, he writes "any bailout likely will..push that number into (gulp) the low 14 digits." He is showing Americans that he too is worried about the debt and future taxes, and in this way, he connects with his audience. His purpose in writing this editorial is to inform readers that McCain's experience gave him an advantage over Obama in the debate; however, Kern never goes so far as to say that this experience would make McCain the better man for the job. This may be because such a statement would not appeal to much of his audience, as he is writing in Illinois, a primarily democratic state.
Kern's argument is based on logos. He supports his claim that Mcain had the advantage because of his experience with specifics on McCain's past involvement in military decisions. Kern did not however, establish his own credibility on the subject, so the argument lacked "ethos." The argument also lacked any sort of emotional appeal, or "pathos," but that is likely because arguing the winner of a debate does not exactly warrant a heartfelt argument.

Perilous Times in the Inner City

For some time, Hetty Shephard felt trapped inside her home because she was not allowed out in fear of outside dangers, such as violent Indians. On June 19, 1676, she wrote "My heart longs sorely for the ocean, and all day I am weary of staying in the house." In the North Shore, times are rarely "perilous" and it's difficult to imagine what it would be like to have to stay home in order to be safe. However, a short drive to inner city Chicago transports us to a different world, where simply walking the streets can be extremely dangerous. Gang violence has become such a large problem, and has cost so many innocent children their lives, that many children and adults are now reluctant to leave their homes. I found an article detailing the sentiments of these Chicago children, and one fifth grader says 'I feel like a prisoner because I usually can't go outside.'
In order to ameliorate the situation, after school programs, sports teams, and church groups for youth have been formed, not only to get kids off the streets, but to give them a sense of belonging. Gang violence is one of many problems making times in the inner city "perilous," so many kids join gangs to obtain support and protection to help them cope with their problems. However, organized programs provide an alternative that gives kids a group to look to to help them deal with the times.

Changing Names

When reading the "Survival and Adaptation" packet, I was apalled by how the Native American children at English speaking schools were forced to pick an American name, just to make pronunciation easier for their teachers. These kids gave up their name, a crucial part of their identity! And even though this seems like a terrible thing to make students do, name-changing continues to be very common and acceptable. Asian Americans often give up the name they were given at birth and change it to an English name, as to avoid mispronunciations. Although it is the individual's choice to change his or her name, I couldn't help but wonder if they feel pressured to do so.
I found an aritcle at
http://www.asian-nation.org/headlines/2006/01/changing-names-among-asian-americans/ written by an Asian American expressing his feelings towards name change. The author quoted the Daily Northwestern Newspaper, which states that students with Asian and American names do not feel detatched from their culture. One student explains "Having an American and Korean name helps to kind of represent both of the cultures that I embody.” While this student appreciates having these two identities, the author of the article itself seems to fear that having an American name could cause the individual to forget their Asian heritage.

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