Category: P02: Definition/Categorical Argument

Model Definition Essay Available

Help if you need it.

I’ve posted the first draft of my Definition Argument for your benefit.

This post will remain pinned to the top of the blog
until I’m sure you’ve had a chance to see it.

Mine “defines” a term by comparing it to another.

  • I began my research with the belief that polio eradication would be very similar to smallpox eradication based on similarities in the approaches taken by health organizations to immunize entire populations with vaccine.
  • What I learned by reading is that the polio virus, the body’s method of fighting it, and the effectiveness of vaccines against it are fundamentally different than the same factors for smallpox.
  • Therefore, my argument concludes, eradicating polio will be very different than eradicating smallpox, perhaps even impossible. At a minimum, we’ll have to harm a lot of intended beneficiaries in the process, which did not happen in the smallpox campaign.

In other words, polio eradication DOES NOT BELONG to the category: world health campaigns that can be accomplished with just money and effort.

dog-awake

  1. My post is about 1100 words before the References section.
  2. It uses in-text citations WITHOUT parentheses.
    • Please follow this model in your posts as well.
  3. It uses an AP-style References section
    • AP is the new style choice of the Writing Arts Department
    • I made mine for free using BibMe.com
  4. It DOES NOT cite the dictionary or in any way telegraph that its job is to define a term. Instead it makes a persuasive argument (about the difficulty of eradicating polio) that clarifies an aspect of polio: it’s NOT LIKE smallpox.
  5. It’s a first draft, so it will embarrass me until I revise it.
  6. Once I revise it, it will be a second draft, still embarrassing but less so.
  7. Questions? Use the Reply field below this post.

Definition Argument – summergirl1999

Life Delayed by Student Debt

In American society, a college education and degree hold a vast amount of weight. “Successful”, is an adjective most Americans want to describe themselves as, American society says that college is a prime factor to help graduates move in the right direction towards success. A college degree is important to Americans because it can potentially mean determination, larger salaries, and a steady career. Due to the high increase of college tuition, it is making many Americans feel like college is not worth its penny. The drastic number of money that needs to be paid back after graduating is leaving graduates in enormous amounts of debt. Student debt is greatly impacting graduate’s lives.

Student debt is one of the largest amounts of debt that American holds. It is also the most popular, making many people’s lives more challenging. “Fewer know that growing alongside 42 million indebted students is a formidable private industry that has been enriched by those very loans.” (Steele. 2016.) Steele is sarcastically stating the large population of Americans that have student loans. Depending on the university attended and the money granted, the amount of student debt per-person fluctuates. Leaving some graduates in more challenging situations than others. “’I feel I kind of ruined my life by going to college,’ says Jackie Krowen, 32, of Portland, Oregon, a nurse with a student loan balance of $152,000. ‘I can’t plan for an actual future.’” (Steele. 2016.) This woman encountered such a large amount of debt, it is making her hesitant about her future. To take out student loans, students need loan companies. Companies that loan student’s money for their college tuition, but the money must be paid back and with interest. Interest on loans can vary depending the company.

The longer you hold the loan, the more it will cost. Although the five-year plan comes with much higher monthly payments, following the 25-year plan will cost you $17,402 extra in the end. In all cases, the interest on your student loans means you’ll be paying more than what you borrowed to go to school. Even on the shortest payment plan, you’d be forking over $3,704 more than you originally received.” (Insler. 2017.)

Although $3,704 is not as large as the student debt itself, it is still a factor.

The high amount of student debt is delaying society, and affecting American’s personal lives. “More student loan debt means some kids are starting households later and moving from renting to ownership later than their parents did, which ripples throughout the economy—so when you don’t form a household, you delay when would purchase a car, furniture, appliances and utilities.” (Peterson-Withorn. 2014.) Many graduates are postponing or limiting purchases on common expenses and utilities, because they need to save enough to have the monthly payment. A report from “Life Delayed” by the American Student Assistance, did research and surveys on graduates that encounter student debt. “According to the survey, 62 percent of respondents said their student debt posed a hardship on their personal budget when combined with all other household spending.” (Lanza. 2016.) Having a college diploma should come with great honor and relief, for all of the hard work. “While loans are intended to expand college access to a broader population, the nature of risk that they entail also produces the opposite result. Low- and middle-income students worried about the consequences of taking out a loan will be more likely to decide that college attendance is not worth the risk.” (Freedman. 2014.) Along with college, loans were put into place to help students no matter their financial background have the opportunity to attend college.

Graduates that come out of college with a degree are still not guaranteed a job in the field that they studied and not guaranteed a high paying career right away. Graduates that go out in the real world need a job to pay for all of their expenses, beyond what they owe on their student loans. Although students attend college so they can have a higher chance – or even a chance at all at pursuing a career, the career is not always guaranteed. “If we tell our young people that more education leads to higher earnings, we are not telling the whole truth. Higher education will increase the chances of a well-paying job, but there is no guarantee.” (Parker. 2017.) Loan companies usually give the graduate a six-month curtesy period to get themselves ready to pay back their loans. It is not the colleges or the degrees fault for not being able to seek a job, there are just more college graduates than careers. “The number of jobs paying what college graduates expect depends on the needs of employers. That number will not increase because there are more graduates.” (Parker. 2017.) Loan companies do not usually care about the personal or financial situations that graduates may be in when they finish college, companies are mainly worried about the money being paid back to them. A website named “Money Crashers” that was featured on CNN, Forbes, and the Wall Street Journal gives tips and “helpful” advice for graduates that cannot find a job. “Stay positive, reduce your cost of living, move back home, and put yourself on a budget.” (Slide.) Job popularity can have an effect on graduates not being able to find a profession’s. “At a median wage of $83,580 a year, the occupation with the fastest projected job growth, industrial-organizational psychologists, pays well. But, there’s not much demand for this type of psychologist. The field will generate only 900 jobs in 10 years, according to the Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook.” (Weiner. 2014.) Graduates may have degrees in professions that are not so popular anymore which means less jobs.

Attending college is a choice that is given to everyone. Going to college and having a college degree does have its benefits and pros. The rise of college tuition and student debt graduates encounter after college are a couple cons. Student debt is impacting many lives of graduates.

References

“Student Debt—Lives on Hold.” Consumer Reports. June 2016.

https://www.consumerreports.org/student-loan-debt-crisis/lives-on-hold/

 “How Today’s Student Loan Debt Is Failing Future Generations.” Forbes. July 2014.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/chasewithorn/2014/07/30/how-todays-student-loan-debt-is-failing-future-generations/#4d9e5f124b3c

“Student Loans are a Drag on the Economy and Society.” Forbes. February 2014.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshfreedman/2014/02/11/student-loans-are-a-big-drag-on-the-economy-and-society/#7bf123014bc1

 “What Do You Do If You Can’t Find a Job After College.” Money Crashers.

https://www.moneycrashers.com/cant-find-job-after-college/

 “Why Sally can’t get a Good Job with her College Degree.” The Washington Post. September 2014.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2014/09/05/why-sally-cant-get-a-good-job-with-her-college-degree/?utm_term=.8b458336a8a4

Definition Argument – picklerick

Reading books is no different than consuming any other type of media. Many people believe that reading is a hobby to be prouder of than watching television, for example. Why is television any different though? You receive language and picture on a TV, whereas reading a book only gives you the language. This often makes it more difficult to understand concepts from text than it would be from a screen. One may argue that you will learn far more from reading than from television because reading offers infinite knowledge from nonfiction literature. Sure, learning from nonfiction may be more beneficial than watching shows like, “SpongeBob.” But there are countless documentaries and other informational films to watch that will allow to you learn just as much. Another reason why reading is no better than any other form of media is that it does nothing to improve your long-term health. There is a growing problem of adults staying sedentary for too long. A study by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) concluded that an average of 60% of adults’ waking hours are spent sedentary (Matthews). This is detrimental to our health because without an active lifestyle, your whole body slows down. In his manuscript, “Too Much sitting: The Population-Health Science of Sedentary Behavior,” Neville Owens suggests, “Canadians who reported spending the majority of their day sitting had significantly poorer long-term mortality outcomes than did those who reported that they spent less time sitting.” While you may think you are benefiting yourself by sitting down and reading a book all day, it may be a healthier idea to go for a walk or participate in a more active hobby.

 

Works Cited

Owen, N., Healy, G. N., Matthews, C. E., & Dunstan, D. W. (2010). Too Much Sitting. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 38(3), 105-113. doi:10.1097/jes.0b013e3181e373a2
Matthews, C. E., Chen, K. Y., Freedson, P. S., Buchowski, M. S., Beech, B. M., Pate, R. R., & Troiano, R. P. (2008). Amount of Time Spent in Sedentary Behaviors in the United States, 2003-2004. American Journal of Epidemiology, 167(7), 875-881. doi:10.1093/aje/kwm390