Reflection 4.1

This is an incredibly rough draft. I've been playing around with it for a while, and I don't like the actual argument that I'm making (which is not posted on the rough draft). I found a ton of scholarly research that advocates for teen mothers, and I tried incorporating these sources into my paper. I ended up with 4 paragraphs of "preaching" and I absolutely hated the way it turned out. Several hours later I ended up deleting the whole thing. I would have left it in to be workshopped, but despite the feedback I'll receive, I know that I would have deleted it from the final draft anyway. Think of it this way, I saved you guys a lot of pain in not having to read that crap.

So I know that there isn't too much for everyone to read and workshop, but I'm hoping that the in-class workshop will set me on the right track. All comments are welcomed and appreciated!

Essay 4.1: Due Dates Come Quickly. It’s Time to Act Now.

“KYM819 Fair Lawn Communications to the duty crew” were the first words transmit through the pager that was securely fastened to the belt of my cargo pants. I know that cargo pants are not in style, and trust me, I don’t wear them with any regularity. This is just a snapshot of my life that consumes a big part of who I am when I’m not away at college. For the past two years I have been a member of my town’s Ambulance Corps. and I have seen many interesting injuries, and have met some even more interesting characters. But through all of this there is one call in particular that I tend to replay on a loop in my mind, remembering every detail of the call from start to finish. The message transmission continued as I laced up my boots and grabbed my stethoscope off of the cold countertop: “child birth in progress” danced off of the lips of the dispatcher’s mouth and all I could do was give the pager a quizzical glare. Over Winter break this year I had the honor of becoming one of the youngest regular members of the Corps., which means that I can respond to calls with just one other member and assume all medical responsibility. On this day my partner was my good friend Nick, a fantastic EMT who is a year older than I am, and the two of us were about to deliver a baby.

I weaved through side roads to avoid all traffic lights and trains as I responded to our headquarters. Pulling into the parking lot I threw the transmission into park before getting out of the car to meet Nick. The first words he said to me were, “Did you hear what I just heard?” It turns out that Nick was not as excited as I was to deliver a baby. He began to delegate the work and volunteered himself as the official driver for the call. Knowing that I would be the primary provider for the patient, I grabbed an extra set of gloves in preparation of the interesting call ahead. Nick and I arrived on scene and entered the patient’s house with a well-organized jump bag that balanced out our untamed nerves. A baby-faced 17 year old boy answered the door and pointed us in the direction of our patient. To our surprise, the boy who met us at the door turned out to be the baby’s father, and the 16 year old girl sitting in the living room was our patient for the day.

I assessed our patient and attempted to calm her down as tears streamed down her flushed cheeks. Her boyfriend mentioned that she had been in pain for hours as she described the intense pressure building in the lower half of her body. She was well into her contractions, and we had to determine how soon this baby would be delivered. Nick and I called for Paramedics, a standard procedure for emergency child birth, but none were available and we were left on our own. With only the knowledge from EMT school to guide us through, we made do with what we had, and began to plan out the birth.

I remember the rest of the call vividly, and I can retrace the steps I took to deliver a beautiful, healthy baby girl to this young couple. I did everything that was expected of me, as outlined in the EMT textbook I studied vigorously in summer EMT school, and I do not doubt anything I did that day. A shadow of doubt begins to enter my mind when I think about what happened after the baby was delivered and how this young couple got into the position they were in.
On the way to the hospital I handed the baby over to her exhausted mother who looked surprisingly calm considering what she had just been through. She looked down at the baby and sighed before speaking. "What should I name her?" she asked. That's when it really hit me that this girl was incredibly unprepared to be in this position. I wondered if she had thought any of this through, or knew about all of the options available to help her and the baby. In no way was I passing judgment, because I had no right to do so, but my patient had no idea what her next move would be, and I wasn't entirely sure that my 18 year old wisdom would be a very good guide.

Prewriting Essay 4

I honestly didn't do much prewriting for this paper. Telling stories is natural for me, so once I narrowed down my topic I decided to let the creative juices flow and see where that river brought me. I was very hesitant to outline a narrative argument because I would rather let the framework of the story shape where my argument leads, instead of the other way around).

For my narrative argument I am writing about a fascinating emergency call I responded to as a member of my town's Ambulance Corps. The paper is a detailed reflection of how two EMT's (ages 18 and 19) delivered a baby to a 16 year old girl. Thinking about the purpose of the paper/argument, I have to see what I decide to pick. Maybe I'll talk about the importance of support for teen mothers, or how lack of proper sexual education puts teenagers in a difficult position. I'll see where the story leads me...

Reflection 3.2

Another essay completed! Wow, time flies. I'm happy we got a bit of an extension on this paper because I needed that elbow room to make some much-needed corrections. I think Affirmative Action is very appropriate for a Rogerian Argument, but I didn't have a lot of experience with the topic. I can't think of a moment where I've been personally victimized by it, so I had no personal experience to include in my paper. This is the second paper where this has happened to me. I feel that I did a good job remaining neutral and finding common ground. Oddly enough, I almost feel as if the last assignment, my "Amy Chua paper" was more Rogerian than the paper I just completed. I wish I could have submit that essay for this assignment, but alas, what's done cannot be undone.

I had to work diligently to make sure I did not offend anyone by discussing this topic. Like I said, I don't have any personal experience with this topic, i just felt that it would be easier to incorporate Rogerian ideals into my body paragraphs. Finding research had its challenging moments because in my searches, I came across many biases and racist websites that I could not use.

I'm now really looking forward to writing the Narrative Argument, because I can tell a real story and use personal experience to help build my argument. While I know that I have to use outside research to support my claims in the fourth and final paper, arguing on my own (as I have been doing in my first drafts) will prove to be very effective.

Essay 3.2: Finding Balance in Negotiating the Effects of Affirmative Action

Opportunity is a valuable gift, and one that everyone deserves to be given. Our nation was built on the foundation that all men are created equal and deserve the opportunity to experience the rewards of their unyielding effort.   However, upon America’s seemingly even playing field, some would say that there are bumps in the ground that make it difficult for particular individuals to utilize our nation’s vast resources to reach their full potential. Thus, certain policies are put into place to level out all unnecessary hurdles, and to ensure that as many people as possible have access to the same resources and opportunities. One such policy is commonly referred to as “Affirmative Action” and it is supported by the United States Department of Labor. On its website, the Department of Labor states that the purpose of Affirmative Action is “to recruit and advance qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans.” The expectation is that Affirmative Action will rightfully enhance the opportunities available to these underrepresented groups in our nation’s schools and workforce. Many argue that without policies such as Affirmative Action in place, the talents of our country’s brightest and most intelligent individuals will be overlooked and undermined due to racial injustice and prejudice in the workplace. While Affirmative action has been successful in granting opportunities to highly deserving individuals, I am concerned that this policy expands the discriminatory cavity between the facade of shiny teeth lining America's "colorblind" smile.
According to Dan Froomkin, a writer for the Washington Post, “Affirmative action is the nation's most ambitious attempt to redress its long history of racial and sexual discrimination. But these days it seems to incite, rather than ease, the nation's internal divisions (Froomkin par. 1).” One major concern of Affirmative Action is the idea that certain people are being granted preferential treatment based upon ethnicity rather than work ethic or abilities. Non-minorities argue that they are affected by reverse discrimination, and they now lose out on valuable opportunities that were once available to them. The truth is that there are only a limited amount of employment opportunities or openings for college freshmen, so if some people are going to be denied under any circumstances, why should race be a deciding factor at all? Would it not be better for everyone if the best candidates received rewards for their hard work? If this were the case, there would be less tension among various ethnic groups. There would be no speculation about special treatment or unearned accolades. Everyone would achieve greatness through hard work, the way it is meant to be achieved. Please understand that I am not opposed to offering opportunities to people of all ages, religions, genders and ethnicities, but I wonder if a policy like Affirmative Action is necessary to make this happen. When we subdivide ourselves by race or gender, half the time one group will always lose out. If we are looked upon as a group, then everyone's accomplishments can be counted as a win-win. My plea to Americans is to reevaluate our standards of judgment. I hope we can agree that mutual understanding and respect is the most effective way to reward deserving idividuals, as well as to run fair businesses and institutions of higher learning. To suggest that Americans shed all discriminatory feelings and impulses is a hopeful request at best, but that is the only way we can reach an agreement. If the majority and minority put in the effort to better understand each other and appreciate the differences that shape us to be successful, then nobody will feel as if opportunities are being wrongfully stripped away from them.

In contrast, one argument that supports Affirmative Action states that it gives underrepresented groups better access to employment. According to a table produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor, the 2010 unemployment rate for White Americans was 8.7%, while that of African Americans was doubled at 16% (“Labor Force Statistics”). This statistic confirms that there is a clear disadvantage for minorities in America's workplace. While dividing the statistics into demographics provides great detail regarding the people who are unemployed, I fail to understand how the ethnicity of the unemployed is an important statistic. Even if the unemployment rate is balanced, with 12% African American and 12% Whites out of work, 100% of them would be Americans who do not have jobs. As a nation, we are setting ourselves back by focusing on facts like White versus African American unemployment. Policies like Affirmative Action are putting too much emphasis on race, and not enough focus on individual abilities or accomplishments. We cannot wholly succeed as a nation unless the sum of our individual parts is working together. It would be wasteful to put new tires on a car that has a dead engine.  As a country we need to reevaluate our priorities by recognizing the true characteristics that make a person a competitive candidate in the work force. After all, we are all Americans, and we all need jobs. Wouldn't we rather see jobs given to deserving Americans, majority or minority, rather than outsourced to foreign countries? Our main focus should be on the success of Americans, regardless of gender or skin color.

            In addition, while on the topic of race I feel the need to point out that there is no association between skin color and job performance. Back in the day, when racism ran rampant, whites believed themselves to be academically and socially superior to their African American counterparts. Now that we have become more reasonable and understanding, we know that there are no distinguishable differences in brain size or academic abilities. So why is race such an important factor in college acceptances and job offers?  It should not even be a factor. If we truly believe that “All men are created equal,” as stated in our Declaration of Independence, then there is no need for anyone to rely on Affirmative Action to make great accompishments in their field. By no means am I saying that we live in a color-blind society, because it would be insulting to suggest such harmony when racism and discrimination are still so prevalent throughout the world. Racial discrimination is unfortunately a deep-rooted splinter in American history, and it is a daunting task to eliminate such hatred across the world. But while racial discrimination toward minorities does exist, the point I am trying to make is that there is no clear evidence that discrimination contributes to the high unemployment rates in specific ethnic groups. An interesting fact published by the Pew Research Center, a public opinion poll based out of Washington D.C., reports "A 53% majority of African Americans say that blacks who don’t get ahead are mainly responsible for their situation, while just three-in-ten say discrimination is mainly to blame ("Blacks See" page 33)." Even specific minority groups refuse to point fingers at discrimination as a means to their rather unfavorable social standing. So is race really the red tape blocking minorities from the opportunity they seek, or could our problem be ignorance, a more demeaning culprit that plagues our society?

             In conclusion, to ensure the success of our nation's people, both minority and majority alike, we must consider ourselves as one cohesive group that works together to achieve a common goal. The only people holding us back from success are ourselves, and this problem can be easily fixed. We are all in agreement that everyone deserves the opportunity to prove their abilities and experience the rewards of their hard work. By now, I hope it is clear that our innate differences such as skin color or gender have no bearing on who can and cannot succeed in this world. Our common goals of supreme work ethic and commitment to excellence make us all worthy candidates for employment opportunities. It is important to remember that we cannot look at opportunity as a win-lose situation, especially since nobody wants to see their fellow brother fall in the mud. We must work together to achieve mutual understanding of each other's strengths, and choose the best American candidates, minority or majority, to be given life-changing opportunities. Let us all make a conscious effort to put aside characteristics that subdivide us into minorities. In the end, we can only achieve real success by working together to improve life as the majority: hard-working American people.

 Works Cited

“Blacks See Growing Values Gap between Poor and Middle Class” Pew Research Center. 13 Nov. 2007. Web. 15 Apr. 2011.

Froomkin, Dan. “Affirmative Action Under Attack” The Washington Post. Oct. 1998. Web. 28 Mar. 2011

 “Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey.” Bureau of Labor Statistics. The United States Department of Labor. 4 Mar. 2011. Web. 28 Mar. 2011.

Solis, Hilda L. “Hiring.” www.dol.gov. United States Department of Labor. 28 Mar. 2011