Why We Dont Complain

Buckley tries to connect his brief anecdote about being uncomfortable on a train to a much bigger political situation, flimsily. He writes of being on a crowded train car with many people, with a temperature of 85 degrees, even though it was freezing outside. He reports, "The conductor had nonchalantly walked down the gauntlet of eighty sweating American freemen" He doesn’t use the phrase “American freemen” accidentally. He may be trying to be slightly humorous, but he is also trying to connect the small, even trivial, to the grander

This essay contrasts and compares the two reading selections “Letter to John Adams” and “Declaration of Sentiments of the Seneca Falls Woman’s Rights Convention”. The authors of these passages had distinctly different writing styles, yet they had a similar agenda behind their writing. Although they had similar agendas there are definite differences in their views, wants, and demands. Each author’s writing style set their work apart, and their tones differentiate from one another. The “Letter to John Adams” and “Declaration of Sentiments of the Seneca Falls Woman’s Rights Convention” are both decidedly similar and distinctly different at the same time.

Lowell believed that America was no longer using morality as its guide, but instead was being guided by poorly concealed self-interest. According to a critic of Lowell’s, “He believed that America had lost sight of the common good. Increasingly divided into high and low, the populace seemed, to his mind, no longer willing to distinguish individual self-interest from civic virtue” (Bell 131). As a result of the strong sentiments the author displays in this poem, the reader might feel repulsed at those who put themselves and what they perceive to be best for their country above

Employing simple anecdotes, William F. Buckley argues in his essay “Why Don’t We Complain”, that as people continue to ignore rudimentary issues, their passivity is transferring into political indifference. Buckley begins with a simple story of how “train temperatures in the dead of the winter… climb up to 85 degrees without complaint” and how “For generations, Americans who were too hot, or too cold, got up and did something about it”. Although there were many passengers on the train, all visibly uncomfortable, no one said a word to the conductor about the issue. Buckley implies that the recent disinclination of Americans to speak up about a problem with a simple solution is only the beginning of a

Throughout once in your life, you may have been confronted with a situation where you accept inconveniences instead of taking action. According to William F. Buckley, American people everywhere have refrained from “trying to rectify irrational vexations”. In Buckley’s essay, “Why Don’t We Complain?” he explains some situations that he was involved in where no one would complain to repair an uncomfortable situation. Throughout the essay, Buckley uses his experiences and strong reasoning to show why he believes that the American people do not complain. Buckley attempts to support that the apathy that Americans would accept inconveniences instead of taking action is the cause of many Americans’

1. Describe the tone Thoreau establishes in paragraph 2. How does it contribute to the rhetorical effect of the paragraph?

The author of this document is Abigail Adams, a white female that is married to John Adams. She lives in a time where women have no form of representation, and they live in the shadow of men. Because of this, Abigail takes up a woman’s traditional role and performs activities such as manufacture clothing for her family, soap making, creating gun/cannon powder for her husband, and other chores for the benefit of her household (Adams, Paragraph 12). Fulfilling this role has shaped her by securing her inferiority to her husband and other males. She as a woman lacks power both socially and politically when it comes to the opposite gender; however, it is just this that has cultivated her attitude towards her government, the male sex, and even her own spouse. By requesting that her husband remember to give rights to women, it shows that she was brave enough to present her opinions even though they were unwelcomed (Adams, Paragraph 9). She is headstrong in the sense that she is willing to rebel if she does not receive the proper representation that she is asking for. Also, by mentioning that the women would rebel, Abigail displays her intelligence because she could foresee the inevitable future if women’s rights were not improved (Adams, Paragraph 9). She sees the world for what it is, unjust. Moreover, her social and political inferiority did not result in ignorance. Based on her vocabulary, writing style, and comprehension/expression of such complex ideas, she reveals that she is

What do you think the author’s thesis, or main argument is, and why? Be sure to put his thesis in your own words.

to argue against the media that caused fear to erupt in the public. To begin his essay, he explains

“…this government never of itself furthered any enterprise…” (Thoreau, 1). Thoreau states his belief that the government never has its people in mind and only takes action when it will benefit the few rather than the majority. In this elaborate rant, Thoreau criticizes the government and the people who fail to make change in the country. Thoreau heavily relies on ethical and logical appeals to convey his clear message. “This is the whole history of ‘My Prisons’” (Thoreau, 10). Although Thoreau talks about how it is unethical for the country to go to war and promote slavery, to get people to sympathize with him, Thoreau summarizes his experience in jail for partaking in civil disobedience and not paying a tax. This anecdote depicted the country in a terrible light due to Thoreau’s description of the hateful jail experience. Although this strategy does emotionally appeal greatly to the audience, the full essay isn’t effective. Thoreau discusses many topics ranging from his personal experiences to flaws in the government, people, and legislature. In the eighteen pages of “Civil Disobedience”, Thoreau does not use transitional phrases when he switches between topics. Rhetorical questions’ abundance distracted the readers and it more than likely made them forget about the central theme. “Now what are they? Men at all? Or small movable forts and magazines, at the service of some unscrupulous man in power?” (Thoreau, 2). Rhetorical questions are used to evoke thought, but the use of some of them when they are not even related to the main message can distract the audience and make them think about something completely different. Thoreau also alluded to different events and people of the time. He also tended to allude to specific excerpts in literature in which he felt were related to what he was discussing. “Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note, as his corse to the rampart we hurried; not a

      In the article “Drug Policy and the Intellectuals,” William J. Bennentt, chides intellectuals who believe drugs should be legalize. Bennett challenges his audience , by attacking intellectuals. However Bennett tries to win over his audience of intellectuals in two ways: by calling upon their talents and by attacking on the arguments of intellectuals who favor legalizing drugs. .He shows an understanding of others’ viewpoints by addressing points of opposition several times during the article. Bennett demonstrates knowledge of the subject by supporting

Living in this day and age, politics surrounds the world we know of. Politics represents the values and beliefs a person holds, dictating every move a person takes. Ingrained into everyday life, it’s no surprise there are millions of writings dedicated to circulate political interests. These columns are used to express opinions and ideas without the constraints of academic writing; therefore, appealing to those living average lives, those who make up the majority of society, and those who can largely influence the political outcome. Thomas Sowell, a popular conservative columnist, has written on a multitude of topics, most of which support a conservative stance on social issues.

The essay’s overall structure is progressive. Fish polishes an idea, then moves to the next. This makes for a narrative-like prose that is clear and easy to follow, considering the complexity of the topic. In his sixth paragraph, Fish gets right to the point when he proposes that identity politics is unreasonable, but not meretricious. He provides an example: voting for a candidate based on their gender; saying, “‘because she is a woman as I am’ is of course a reason, but it is not reason of the relevant kind.” Fish then presents a scenario. A bold statement, followed by a plausible example is a recurring quality in Fish’s paper, posing uniformity and

Some may ask how do we manage? Some may ask what is it like? And then some may ask do we wish that we can switch races? In my opinion, those questions answered every day in the most unnoticed, silent ways. But this isn’t about my opinions or about my beliefs about this society and how they treat our kind. This is about the truth, the truth that everyone is so scared to bring up because they think it’s just going to cause even more problems than where it 's at right now. Well I’m here to say that it shouldn’t be that way. I’m here to say that all the cops who shot down multiple black people, innocent black people at that. And on top of that, those cops end up getting off without getting locked up. There were a total of 1,134 black people

M J Fry’s vivid tone portrays the ironic complaints of the “average American” by presenting the lazy man complaining about a country that is “lazy” even when he is doing nothing to create “a bit more action” himself. He depicts the picture of what we, as Americans, end up doing. We are lazy, and we choose to always criticizing others because we believe that we are better even though we are not. We are constantly thinking and wanting there to be a change, but how can that possibility happen if we don’t get up off our butts and make it possible? The man in the cartoon states that he wants this country to have ‘a bit more action’, but he is doing the exact opposite of what he is saying he wants. He doesn’t get up at all and refuses to be active,