Time To Assert American Values Summary

“Rough Justice,” V. “New York Times,” The article “Rough Justice” by Alejandro Reyes and the New York Times editorial “Time to assert American values” analyzes the debate about Michael Fay’s caning case. Michael Fay, a teenager living in Singapore, received a canning for vandalism. The author of the editorial believes this punishment is too harsh, while Reyes believes America has no right to impose its values on another country. In the editorial, the author is more persuasive while in “Rough Justice” there are more rhetorical appeals. In the editorial, the author used rhetorical devices to persuade the audience.

The American criminal justice system, although normally adept, still has its flaws. In Sarah Koenig’s podcast Serial, she examines a case from 1999 in which a teenage boy, Adnan Syed, was charged with murdering his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. The podcast, which brought attention to the flaws within the case presented, caused many listeners to question the validity of the verdict. There has been speculation across a wide variety of sources, and many feel as though Adnan Syed deserves an appeal. However, because there was enough evidence to convict Syed during the original case, there are those who believe the verdict should stand.

While, “Rough Justice” is the article I agree with, there are certain things that are stated that weaken my argument. On the other hand, there are certain statement that strongly support my argument. America feels as though they should have an input on Singapore’s justice system. I feel like America shouldn’t have a say on how Singapore constructs their justice system, especially since the United states has a very high crime rate. As informed in the article “Rough Justice”, “ [The U.S.] does not restrain or punish individuals, forgiving them for whatever they have done.

“The Sentencing Reform Act of 1984” The article, “The Sentencing Reform Act of 1984” (2015), written by Eric Girault, persuades the audience that the enactment of the law did not reduce crime in societies, but was misappropriated, which caused a negative impact on families and their communities. Girault describes this by sharing his personal anecdote on receiving a harsh prison sentence for a non-violent crime as a first time offender. He uses trustworthy resources in order to substantiate his claim. Girault’s intended audience for this piece of writing is the general public, specifically those that lack knowledge of the law and its due process.

Henry and Griggs’ article share points, such as, valuing one’s opinion, freedom, and that America is strong. The article, on cnn.com, starts off by naming the stereotypical events of patriotism. Griggs writes, “We think we know patriotism when we see it. A veteran in uniform, saluting a July

Columnist for The Boston Globe, Jeff Jacoby, in is argumentative article,”Bring back flogging,” questions the American justice system and suggests to bring back flogging. Jacoby’s purpose is to persuade his opponents and inform the reader of the problems with imprisonment and the benefits of flogging. He adopts a respectful tone in order to convey the importance of changing our one-sided justice system. In the eyes of a skeptical reader, Jeff Jacoby is very effective in persuading his argument. The first thing to notice is his title, ”Bring back flogging” that clearly states what he is persuading his readers to feel.

The founding fathers incorporated the appeal to pathos of the Americans by stating: “He (The British) has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.” (US, 1776) The declaration linked the unacceptable behaviors of the British to the American’s daily life, giving the reason that one who destroys our life and interrupt our lifestyles are not to be followed and worshipped. Using the appeal to pathos, the American congress conveyed liberty as the right not to be interrupted and to be respected. The article also utilized anaphora, or repetition in the main body paragraphs that brought more attention to their reasoning.

Set in a fictitious country named Sarkhan in Southeast Asia, The Ugly American tells the tales of foreign diplomats, dignitaries, and humanitarians who attempt to implement or impose U.S. policies and customs onto sovereign nations. The backdrop for these exploits takes place during the time of Communist expansion in the region with the help of Russian and Chinese influence. The book shows how American behavior can positively and negatively influence the perception of its citizens and affect the outcome of American efforts. The authors illustrate the struggles America encountered in combating Communism and the strategies employed by our adversaries to allow it to flourish. The issues described in the book are as relevant today as they were almost 60 years ago when first written.

Rhetorical Analysis Mortimer B. Zuckerman argues that we need to change the way our criminal justice system operates. He explains that there are more prisoners in a cell than the amount it was originally created for. Zuckerman also acknowledges the fact that incarceration rates are extremely high and that the vast majority of prisoners are nonviolent. The author believes that the way nonviolent criminals are dealt with today brings about negative consequences that could easily be avoided (Zuckerman). Zuckerman successfully convinces the reader that reform is needed in the criminal justice system by using several tactics such as eradicating common myths about incarceration, talking about the problem and solution while using logos, and appealing

Famous French historian Alexis de Tocqueville once said, “America is great because she is good. If America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.” (qtd. in Carson 651.) In “Recovering America’s Exceptionalism,” Ben Carson explains how we are losing touch with the values that once made America a great country.

The American Constitution display’s unwritten consequences, such as racial discrimination, sexism and ableism that become the price of chasing the American

In Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy, he writes to illustrate the injustices of the judicial system to its readers. To do so, Stevenson utilizes multiple writing styles that provide variety and helps keep the reader engaged in the topic. Such methods of his include the use of anecdotes from his personal experiences, statistics, and specific facts that apply to cases Stevenson had worked on as well as specific facts that pertain to particular states. The most prominent writing tool that Stevenson included in Just Mercy is the incorporation of anecdotes from cases that he himself had worked on as a nonprofit lawyer defending those who were unrightfully sentenced to die in prison.

Twelve Angry Men is in many ways a love letter to the American legal justice system. We find here eleven men, swayed to conclusions by prejudices, past experience, and short-sightedness, challenged by one man who holds himself and his peers to a higher standard of justice, demanding that this marginalized member of society be given his due process. We see the jurors struggle between the two, seemingly conflicting, purposes of a jury, to punish the guilty and to protect the innocent. It proves, however, that the logic of the American trial-by-jury system does work.

In Darrow’s closing argument he gives his famed “A Plea for Mercy” to the judge. This plea not only acted as a conclusion to his defense, but it also acted as an introduction the eradication of the death penalty. Darrow uses a mix of ethos, pathos, logos, and other rhetorical devices to impose a merciful effect on his audience in hopes to reduce his clients punishment and the use of capital punishment. Darrow gracefully uses all three appeals when referring to the rise of crime after war “I know that it has followed every war; and I know it has influenced these boys so that life was not the same to them as it would have been if the world had not been made red with blood.

Annotated Bibliography Draft Student name : Haider Zafaryab Student number: 2360526 Thesis Statement : Capital Punishment is a very controversial topic around the globe. I believe that it does more harm than good and breeds violence in society. Source 1: Radelet, M. L., & Akers, R. L. (1996).