Blog #3- Frank Bruni precis

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/opinion/sunday/frank-bruni-a-prudent-college-path.html

In his New York Times piece, “A Prudent College Path,” columnist Frank Bruni contends that there is value to choosing to apply to and/or attend an honors college at a public university over a more selective private university. The author develops this idea by first opening with an example, a student who chose to attend a public university’s honors college over one of the eight Ivy League schools that accepted him, then presents the case for this decision; a higher chance of being accepted, lower costs, larger and more diversified student bodies, and more of an egalitarian atmosphere. Bruni’s goal is to bring attention to these honor colleges and present the case for why it may be wise for a high school senior to consider applying to and attending these schools. He uses logos to persuade his audience of high school students with high standardized test scores that it is worthwhile to look into honors colleges at private universities.

Bruni makes great points in his article. I think attending an honors college if you are a student who need to be challenged academically is an incredibly smart choice. We seniors know very well that college is expensive, especially private universities. And to be accepted into Ivy League schools is ridiculously difficult and the competition is stressful. Being in an environment where you are receiving the quality education you deserve as well as being surrounded by a wide range of people who aren’t necessarily looking to knock you down on the way to the top is the best of both worlds. A quote by William Deresiewicz, a former, now disillusioned, Yale faculty member sums up the issues with our fixation on Ivy League schools:

"Our system of elite education manufactures young people who are smart and talented and driven, yes, but also anxious, timid, and lost, with little intellectual curiosity and a stunted sense of purpose: trapped in a bubble of prestige, heading meekly in the same direction, great at what they are doing but with no idea why they're doing it." 

While these public university honors colleges seem like a more realistic, less anxiety ridden college experience, I'd be interested to see data about how graduates of these colleges compare to graduates of Ivy League schools in terms of getting a good job, annual income, etc. Are these schools just as "good" academically as Ivy Leagues? Are the graduates just as fit to succeed in life? While we can't know for sure, I believe it's beneficial for exceptionally smart, perhaps Ivy League bound students to at least consider making the (granted, not easy!) decision to go to an honors college over an Ivy League. 

Blog #4- Mac vs. PC - "Out of the Box"

Apple Inc., in their commercial, “Out of the Box” (2006), claims that a Mac can be used right out of the box while a PC takes an excessive amount of time to set up. The commercial does this by using people to humorously represent a Mac and a PC; the Mac first lists everything he can do immediately after being purchased, then the PC serves as a contrast by describing all the steps he has to take to be ready for use, and finally the Mac jumps out of the box, telling the PC, “let me know when you’re ready!” The ad’s purpose is to show that a Mac, as opposed to a PC, doesn’t require a lengthy set up, in order to convince buyers to purchase a Mac over a PC. The commercial uses pathos, specifically humor and wit, to reel in prospective buyers.

Kristof precis

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/27/opinion/lessons-from-the-murders-of-tv-journalists-in-the-virginia-shooting.html?_r=1

In his August 26th, 2015 New York Times opinion piece, "Lessons from the Virginia Shooting," Nicholas Kristof argues that stronger gun regulations must be implemented in order to bring down the rates of gun related deaths in America. Kristof starts by listing statistics relating to gun violence, such as that American children are fourteen times more likely to die from guns than children in other developed countries, then cites the Virginia shooting as an example of recent gun homicides, and lastly presents solutions for this widespread issue - more detailed background checks, limits on how many guns a person can buy in one month, and more research on how to make guns safer. The author's purpose is to assert that gun violence is a major issue in this country, and present possible ways to reduce the incredibly high number of gun related deaths per year. He writes with an assertive yet rational tone in an attempt to convince the reader that gun control is an issue that must be addressed immediately.


I wholeheartedly agree with the solutions that Kristof presents to this issue. I think it should be much more difficult for just anyone to obtain guns. Careful background checks, for example, seems like an obvious answer, so it's shocking that this is not a requirement everywhere. Banning guns is not realistic, and giving guns to everyone is ridiculous. There has to be a middle ground, and I think the regulations he supports in this article are totally plausible.