Springfest 3.3

Springfest is one event that most JMU students look forward to every year. It attracts college students from all over the country and is one of the biggest parties on the east coast. Personally, I had heard a lot about this event from my friends that attend JMU before I decided to come here. So, this day was marked on my calendar and even had a countdown going in my mind. I had told a lot of my friends about the springfest weekend and even had a friend from VCU come up to experience this ‘college experience’. We were sure JMU’s reputation as a party school wasn’t going to let us down. Ironically, there was never a lack of a party but too much of it. The whole country knows about how excessive the party was and how the whole thing got out of control. Just a few days after the event, the news went national and was even on the front page of CNN.

The moment my friend arrived from VCU, we all had one thing in mind. It was to get ready for the biggest party of the year. The moment we got there, it was obvious that it lived up to the hype. “…party usually sees between 1,000 and 2,000 people. This year an estimated crowd of 8,000 attended, and many partygoers involved were not James Madison students” (Cavalier Daily). We arrived there around 2 pm and people were already getting unruly. It was obvious that it was not just JMU kids there at the party. The cops were first at the scene making sure none of the students were on the street intoxicated. I was surprised to even see some of the students on the street with a beer in their hand just ignoring the cops. When the cops slowly began telling the students to move away from the streets, most of them paid no attention and kept on raving as if they were inside their private property.

My first reaction to seeing the cops was to get inside one of the houses. We got really lucky because my friend from VCU randomly knew the owner of the house we went into. When I look back at this event, I was shocked to see so many students just ignore the cop’s orders. When we got back out of the house, the number of cops increased and most of them had riot shields to control the crowd. The scene looked like something that happened at Kent State just last year. “An end-of-year college block party spiraled out of control as police fired pellets and used pepper spray to break up hundreds of rioting students who sparked a string of street fires at Kent State University” (Barr). This was the first thing in my mind when I saw what was happening at forest hills that day. If college parties can lead to these kinds of events, it would raise questions about the university’s academic program.

I was kind of ashamed to be a part of all this because this block party was never supposed to be like this. A couple of JMU students also created a group in facebook, raising money for all the damage that occurred that day. It was evident that day what alcohol can do to a person and how it takes control of your body. I am sure the student’s actions were all due to the fact that they were heavily intoxicated. JMU students are smart enough to respect the authorities. Most of the students must have pre-gamed before coming to Springfest because there were limited amounts of alcohol there when we arrived. In a recent study done by the Journal of American College Health, it was shown that two-thirds of the students pre-game before going out (Read). Pre-gaming before parties drastically increases their risk of getting in trouble or even getting arrested.

These kinds of events severely damage JMU’s reputation in a number of ways. JMU is already known as a party school and although this might bring more ‘party animals’ to JMU, it will hurt JMU’s standing when it comes to job opportunities. When employers look at two candidates from JMU and any other college, they will perceive JMU as a party school with no interest in education. I understand the fact that most of the students who got arrested at Springfest were not JMU students, but it does not take away the fact that this was a JMU party. After all, perception is always greater than reality. We had a talk about this in my GCom class and one of the seniors had recently sent his resume to a company. It turns out that he got denied from the job just because of what happened last weekend. He was not even there at Springfest, but the company perceived JMU to be a party school with a bunch of ignorant intoxicated students.

Harrisonburg cops need to be a little stricter when it comes to being drunk in public. I am not against having a little fun and partying on the weekends, but what happened last weekend should never happen at any academic institution. Underage students should not be able to walk around in public intoxicated like that springfest weekend. If they want to party, they should stay inside private property. Hopefully next year the cops would never let this thing get that big because the whole nation perceives JMU to be a party school with no interest in academics.


"Dozens of Kent State Students Arrested After Block Party Spirals Into a Riot." Foxnews. 27 Apr. 2009. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. .

Read, Jennifer. "Before the Party Starts: Risk Factors and Reasons for “Pregaming” in College Students." Journal of American College Health 58.5 (2010). EBSACO. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. .

Riffee, Mark. "Police React to JMU Springfest Violence." The Cavalier Daily. 13 Apr. 2010. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. .

Class Reflection

When I first walked into this class, I had no idea what kinds of writing we would be doing. I was not a very good writer in high school so I was a little nervous taking this class. Looking back now I have learned a lot about writing and how to approach an argument. The three rebuttal, rogerian, and narrative arguments really shed a light on my writing process. The feedbacks and the group workshops helped me understand the flaws in my papers, which I am sure, will make me a better writer. One thing I can take out of this class would be to write a good argument, which does a great job of expressing my views. My whole mentality in these papers was to state my claim and then back it up with evidence and reasoning. I felt as if I did that in all of my papers this semester. I am glad I took this class because this made me a better writer which will help me in the long run.

3.2 Springfest

Springfest is one event that most JMU students look forward to every year. It attracts college students from all over the country and is one of the biggest parties on the east coast. Personally, I had heard a lot about this event from my friends that attend JMU before I decided to come here. So, this day was marked on my calendar and even had a countdown going in my mind. I had told a lot of my friends about the springfest weekend and even had a friend from VCU come up to experience this ‘college experience’. We were sure JMU’s reputation as a party school wasn’t going to let us down. Ironically, there was never a lack of a party but too much of it. The whole country knows about how excessive the party was and how the whole thing got out of control. Just a few days after the event, the news went national and was even on the front page of CNN.

The moment my friend arrived from VCU, we all had one thing in mind. It was to get ready for the biggest party of the year. The moment we got there, it was obvious that it lived up to the hype. “…party usually sees between 1,000 and 2,000 people. This year an estimated crowd of 8,000 attended, and many partygoers involved were not James Madison students” (Cavalier Daily). We arrived there around 2 pm and people were already getting unruly. It was obvious that it was not just JMU kids there at the party. The cops were first at the scene making sure none of the students were on the street intoxicated. I was surprised to even see some of the students on the street with a beer in their hand just ignoring the cops. When the cops slowly began telling the students to move away from the streets, most of them paid no attention and kept on raving as if they were inside their private property.

My first reaction to seeing the cops was to get inside one of the houses. We got really lucky because my friend from VCU randomly knew the owner of the house we went into. When I look back at this event, I was shocked to see so many students just ignore the cop’s orders. When we got back out of the house, the number of cops increased and most of them had riot shields. The scene looked like something that happened at Kent State just last year. “An end-of-year college block party spiraled out of control as police fired pellets and used pepper spray to break up hundreds of rioting students who sparked a string of street fires at Kent State University” (Barr). This was the first thing in my mind when I saw what was happening at forest hills that day.

I was kind of ashamed to be a part of all this because this block party was never supposed to be like this. A couple of JMU students also created a group in facebook, raising money for all the damage that occurred that day. It was evident that day what alcohol can do to a person and how it takes control of your body. I am sure the student’s actions were all due to the fact that they were heavily intoxicated. JMU students are smart enough to respect the authorities. Most of the students must have pre-gamed before coming to Springfest because there were limited amounts of alcohol there when we arrived. In a recent study done by the Journal of American College Health, it was shown that two-thirds of the students pre-game before going out (Read). Pre-gaming before parties drastically increases their risk of getting in trouble or even getting arrested.

These kinds of events severely damage JMU’s reputation in a number of ways. JMU is already known as a party school and although this might bring more ‘party animals’ to JMU, it will hurt JMU’s standing when it comes to job opportunities. When employers look at two candidates from JMU and any other college, they will perceive JMU as a party school with no interest in education. I understand the fact that most of the students who got arrested at Springfest were not JMU students, but it does not take away the fact that this was a JMU party. After all, perception is always greater than reality. We had a talk about this in my GCom class and one of the seniors had recently sent his resume to a company. It turns out that he got denied from the job just because of what happened last weekend. He was not even there at Springfest, but the company perceived JMU to be a party school with a bunch of ignorant intoxicated students.

Harrisonburg cops need to be a little stricter when it comes to being drunk in public. I am not against having a little fun and partying on the weekends, but what happened last weekend should never happen at any academic institution. Underage students should not be able to walk around in public intoxicated like that springfest weekend. If they want to party, they should stay inside private property. Hopefully next year the cops would never let this thing get that big because the whole nation perceives JMU to be a party school with no interest in academics.

Sentence variety exercise

The moment my friend arrived from VCU, we all had one thing in mind.
Medium - compound
It was to get ready for the biggest party of the year.
Short - simple
The moment we got there, it was obvious that it lived up to the hype.
Medium - compound
“…party usually sees between 1,000 and 2,000 people. This year an estimated crowd of 8,000 attended, and many partygoers involved were not James Madison students” (Cavalier Daily). We arrived there around 2 pm and people were already getting unruly.
It was obvious that it was not just JMU kids there at the party.
Medium - simple
The cops were first at the scene making sure none of the students were on the street intoxicated.
Medium - compound
I was surprised to even see some of the students on the street with a beer in their hand just ignoring the cops.
Long - complex
When the cops slowly began telling the students to move away from the streets, most of them paid no attention and kept on raving as if they were inside their private property.
Long - complex

Springfest 3.1

Springfest is one event that most JMU students look forward to every year. It attracts college students from all over the country and is one of the biggest parties on the east coast. Personally, I had heard a lot about this event from my friends that attend JMU before I decided to come here. So, this day was marked on my calendar and even had a countdown going in my mind. I had told a lot of my friends about the springfest weekend and even had a friend from VCU come up to experience this ‘college experience’. We were sure JMU’s reputation as a party school wasn’t going to let us down. Ironically, there was never a lack of a party but too much of it. The whole country knows about how excessive the party was and how the whole thing got out of control. Just a few days after the event, the news went national and was even on the front page of CNN.

The moment my friend arrived from VCU, we all had one thing in mind. It was to get ready for the biggest party of the year. The moment we got there, it was obvious that it lived up to the hype. “…party usually sees between 1,000 and 2,000 people. This year an estimated crowd of 8,000 attended, and many partygoers involved were not James Madison students” (Cavalier Daily). We arrived there around 2 pm and people were already getting unruly. It was obvious that it was not just JMU kids there at the party. The cops were first at the scene making sure none of the students were on the street intoxicated. I was surprised to even see some of the students on the street with a beer in their hand just ignoring the cops. When the cops slowly began telling the students to move away from the streets, most of them paid no attention and kept on raving as if they were inside their private property.

My first reaction to seeing the cops was to get inside one of the houses. We got really lucky because my friend from VCU randomly knew the owner of the house we went into. When I look back at this event, I was shocked to see so many students just ignore the cop’s orders. When we got back out of the house, the number of cops increased and most of them had riot shields. The scene looked like something that happened at Kent State just last year. “An end-of-year college block party spiraled out of control as police fired pellets and used pepper spray to break up hundreds of rioting students who sparked a string of street fires at Kent State University” (Barr). This was the first thing in my mind when I saw what was happening at forest hills that day.

I was kind of ashamed to be a part of all this because this block party was never supposed to be like this. A couple of JMU students also created a group in facebook, raising money for all the damage that occurred that day. It was evident that day what alcohol can do to a person and how it takes control of your body. I am sure the student’s actions were all due to the fact that they were heavily intoxicated. JMU students are smart enough to respect the authorities. Most of the students must have pre-gamed before coming to Springfest because there were limited amounts of alcohol there when we arrived. In a recent study done by the Journal of American College Health, it was shown that two-thirds of the students pre-game before going out (Read). Pre-gaming before parties drastically increases their risk of getting in trouble or even getting arrested.

These kinds of events severely damage JMU’s reputation in a number of ways. JMU is already known as a party school and although this might bring more ‘party animals’ to JMU, it will hurt JMU’s standing when it comes to job opportunities. When employers look at two candidates from JMU and any other college, they will perceive JMU as a party school with no interest in education. I understand the fact that most of the students who got arrested at Springfest were not JMU students, but it does not take away the fact that this was a JMU party. After all, perception is always greater than reality. We had a talk about this in my GCom class and one of the seniors had recently sent his resume to a company. It turns out that he got denied from the job just because of what happened last weekend. He was not even there at Springfest, but the company perceived JMU to be a party school with a bunch of ignorant intoxicated students.

Harrisonburg cops need to be a little stricter when it comes to being drunk in public. I am not against having a little fun and partying on the weekends, but what happened last weekend should never happen at any academic institution. Underage students should not be able to walk around in public intoxicated like that springfest weekend. If they want to party, they should stay inside private property. Hopefully next year the cops would never let this thing get that big because the whole nation perceives JMU to be a party school with no interest in academics.

Reflection 2.3

I feel very comfortable with the final draft of my rogerian argument. The one thing that I really stressed upon this time was research. Research is the only way to making sure that all of my claims are supported. The two scholarly sources I found on the JMU library database really helped me suggest a compromise with the opposing side. I felt as if this essay was a little more difficult than the last one just because we had to be empathetic.

Final Draft (Decriminalizing Marijuana)

Marijuana is known to be the most common illegal drug in the world. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than 100 million Americans have tried Marijuana and 25 million have smoked it in the past year. This fact alone summarizes the importance of this plant and its effect on our everyday society. Marijuana is a mixture of dried leaves, stems, seed, and flowers of the hemp plant called Cannabis Sativa. There are many nicknames for this drug such as weed, pot, and bud. Marijuana was first outlawed in the United States in 1905 in El Paso, Texas. The reason behind this was strictly motivated by racial prejudice against Mexican immigrants. These laws had nothing to do with the actual effects of the marijuana. Cannabis, in the form of hemp was a common plant in the states before this law enacted and was even used for medicine, clothing, and other goods. Although there are no proven health related effects from THC, the psychoactive substance present in marijuana, I can understand the government’s worries about decriminalizing this drug. The drug is perceived to make users very lazy and indolent, although it completely varies from person to person. Another theory is that decriminalizing it will likely lead more people to try marijuana due to the easy access of the drug. Another assumption the government has engraved onto the public is that there are no medicinal advantages to using Marijuana. There are many other reasons why the government is so uptight about decriminalizing this drug, but the only way to truly resolve this problem is by exchanging common beliefs and ideas.

The public’s feelings about marijuana are slowly changing. For years, the public has only known marijuana for its negative properties. With the proposal of many new laws, the public is slowly starting to understand the truth about marijuana. With that being said, I do understand where the anti-marijuana advocates are coming from. Although there are many health experts that say marijuana is harmless to the human body, there are many things we do not know about this plant. Is marijuana addicting and does it have long lasting effects in the brain? These are important questions that must be answered in order to fully decriminalize this drug. There have been some studies that prove that marijuana can adversely affect some users. Some effects that marijuana can have are increased risks of motor vehicle crashes, impaired respiratory function, cardiovascular disease, and psychotic symptoms. According to the study of cannabis use and schizophrenia in Sweden, it found that those who had tried cannabis by age 18 were 2.4 times more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia than those who had not (Hall 13). There is also the theory of how decriminalizing the drug will not solve our drug control problems. Since distribution will still be illegal, the drug wars between dealers will not mitigate. Although this might be true, decriminalizing the drug will save the government huge amounts of money now being spent on the enforcement of such laws.

I believe that marijuana should be decriminalized because it has more advantages than disadvantages. One reason is that it will save the government so much money and time now being spent on the enforcement of such marijuana laws. “On a national level, a recent report by Jon Gettman estimated that national criminal justice expenditures for enforcing marijuana laws is $7.6 billion per year with $3.7 billion being allocated to police, $853 million to the courts, and $3.1 billion to corrections.” (Austin 5). If possession of this plant was not a criminal offense, the amount of work and money being put into enforcement and processing tasks will drastically reduce, saving the government tons of money. Many anti-marijuana advocates believe that decriminalization will result in greater use of the drug. One out of ten US residents use marijuana at least once a year and 47% of all adults have tried marijuana at least once (Duncan). If almost half the country has tried this illegal drug, greater use of this drug should be the least of concerns. Although there are no proven facts that decriminalizing it will reduce the use of this drug, there are also no proven facts that it will result in greater use of the drug.

One of the most controversial claims about marijuana is that although marijuana itself may not cause significant harm, it serves as a “gateway” drug. This means that using marijuana can lead to users abusing newer and stronger drugs. Although many anti-marijuana advocates support this claim, it has not been scientifically validated. “Moreover, the observations and data supporting the gateway hypothesis do not permit a distinction between marijuana as a direct cause of later drug use and a simple association of marijuana's use with later behavior” (Cohen). In conclusion, the philosophy of marijuana being a “gateway” drug is false and unproven.

There is also this theory about how decriminalizing this drug will result in higher crime rates. I can see where the anti-marijuana advocates are coming from on this but this can also work both ways. It is a well known fact that most criminals have tried an illegal drug. Their logic for ‘the drug use will cause crime’ argument is that since there are so many criminals that have tried illegal drugs; they believe that the crimes they committed were due to those illegal drugs. Their argument is like saying water must be the reason for their crimes because all criminals have consumed water in their lifetime. Marijuana should not be related to any kind of committed crimes because it is neither a gateway drug nor one that necessarily propels one to criminal activity. The number of marijuana related arrests has grown significantly in the past decade. “In 1970 there was an estimated 188,682 arrests for the drug – by 2003 the number had increased to 755,000” (De La Mater). Although, it is clear that marijuana arrests have risen in the 30 years, vast majority of these arrests are for possession. These kinds of arrests are just a waste of time and money. Many prisons are slowly letting inmates get out early because prisons are becoming too crowded. Decriminalizing marijuana will drastically reduce all of this, which will save the government billions of dollars.

It is quite evident that decriminalizing marijuana will have an overall positive impact on the country. Hopefully the anti-marijuana advocates will understand and accept this compromise until we learn more about this plant and its side effects. Decriminalization is the first step to the government making billions of dollars, which they could be using for other productive things. I believe now is the best time for decriminalization of marijuana because of the recession this country is already facing. There are also no proven health effects from marijuana, which only makes decriminalization make more sense. Doctors are already giving out medical marijuana cards to help patients with different kinds of diseases. It is time to open our eyes and realize the benefits of decriminalizing marijuana.

Austin, James. "Rethinking the Consequences of Decriminalizing Marijuana." NORML.org. 2 Nov. 2005. Web. 18 Mar. 2010.

Cohen, Peter. "Medical Marijuana: The Conflict Between Scientific Evidence and Political Ideology." Academic Search Complete. EBSCO, 2009. Web. 7 Apr. 2010. .

De La Mater, Benning. "US MA: Use of Marijuana a Hot Topic, With Ballot Question Possible." Media Awareness Project. Jan. 2008. Web. 18 Mar. 2010.

Duncan, Cynthia. "The Need for Change: An Economic Analysis of Marijuana Policy." Wilson Web. Wilson Web, 2009. Web. 18 Mar. 2010.

Hall, Wayne. "The Adverse Health Effects of Cannabis Use: What Are They, and What Are Their Implications for Policy?" Academic Search Complete. EBSCO, Nov. 2009. Web. 3 Apr. 2010. .

My first childhood room was painted blue. The room wasn't very big but it had a very childish aroma. I am sure if i ever go back to that room i will have so many memories of my childhood. The room was mostly a mess, but it was always comfortable for me. This room had two windows and a very good view of the lake.

Narrative pre writing

The last time i cried watching TV was when i watched Lion king when i was little. This movie really makes it easy for their viewers to relate to the story. This was one of the key components that made the movie what it is today.

Second Draft (Decriminalizing marijuana)

Marijuana is known to be the most common illegal drug in the world. More than 100 million Americans have tried Marijuana and 25 million have smoked it in the past year. This fact alone gives you an idea of how common this illegal drug is and its influence on society. Marijuana is a mixture of dried leaves, stems, seed, and flowers of the hemp plant called Cannabis Sativa. There are many nicknames for this drug such as weed, pot, and bud. Marijuana was first outlawed in the United States in 1905 in El Paso, Texas. The reason behind this was strictly motivated by racial prejudice against Mexican immigrants. These laws had nothing to do with the actual effects of the marijuana. Cannabis, in the form of hemp was a common plant in the states before this law enacted and was even used for medicine, clothing, and other goods. Although there are no proven health related effects from THC, the psychoactive substance present in marijuana, I can understand the government’s worries about decriminalizing this drug. The drug is perceived to make users very lazy and indolent, although it completely varies from person to person. Another theory is that decriminalizing it will likely lead more people to try marijuana, especially the curious and the young people. Another assumption the government has engraved onto the public is that there are no medicinal advantages to using Marijuana. There are many other reasons why the government is so uptight about decriminalizing this drug, but the only way to truly resolve this problem is by exchanging common beliefs and ideas.

The public’s feelings about marijuana are slowly changing. For years, the public has only known marijuana for its negative properties. With the proposal of many new laws, the public is slowly starting to understand the truth about marijuana. With that being said, I do understand where the anti-marijuana advocates are coming from. Although there are many health experts that say marijuana is harmless to the human body, there are many things we do not know about this plant. Is marijuana addicting and does it have long lasting effects in the brain? These are important questions that must be answered in order to fully decriminalize this drug. There is also the theory of how decriminalizing the drug will not solve our drug control problems. Since distribution will still be illegal, the drug wars between dealers will not mitigate. Although this might be true, decriminalizing the drug will save the government huge amounts of money now being spent on the enforcement of such laws.

I believe that marijuana should be decriminalized because it has more advantages than disadvantages. One reason is that it will save the government so much money and time now being spent on the enforcement of such marijuana laws. “On a national level, a recent report by Jon Gettman estimated that national criminal justice expenditures for enforcing marijuana laws is $7.6 billion per year with $3.7 billion being allocated to police, $853 million to the courts, and $3.1 billion to corrections.” (Austin). If possession of this plant was not a criminal offense, the amount of work and money being put into enforcement and processing tasks will drastically reduce, saving the government tons of money. Many anti-marijuana advocates believe that decriminalization will result in greater use of the drug. One out of ten US residents use marijuana at least once a year and 47% of all adults have tried marijuana at least once (Duncan). If almost half the country has tried this illegal drug, greater use of this drug should be the least of concerns. Although there are no proven facts that decriminalizing it will reduce the use of this drug, there are also no proven facts that it will result in greater use of the drug.

There is also this theory about how decriminalizing this drug will result in higher crime rates. I can see where the anti-marijuana advocates are coming from on this but this can also work both ways. It is a well known fact that most criminals have tried an illegal drug. Their logic for the drug use will cause crime argument is that since there are so many criminals that have tried illegal drugs; they believe that the crimes they committed were due to those illegal drugs. Their argument is like saying water must be the reason for their crimes because all criminals have consumed water in their lifetime. Marijuana should not be related to any kind of committed crimes because it is neither a gateway drug nor one that necessarily propels one to criminal activity. The number of marijuana related arrests has grown significantly in the past decade. “In 1970 there was an estimated 188,682 arrests for the drug – by 2003 the number had increased to 755,000” (De La Mater). Although, it is clear that marijuana arrests have risen in the 30 years, vast majority of these arrests are for possession. These kinds of arrests are just a waste of time and money. Many prisons are slowly letting inmates get out early because prisons are becoming too crowded. Decriminalizing marijuana will drastically reduce all of this, which will save the government billions of dollars.

It is quite evident that decriminalizing marijuana will have an overall positive impact on the country. Decriminalization is the first step to the government making billions of dollars, which they could be using for other productive things. I believe now is the best time for decriminalization of marijuana because of the recession this country is already facing. There are also no proven health effects from marijuana, which only makes decriminalization make more sense. Doctors are already giving out medical marijuana cards to help patients with different kinds of diseases. It is time to open our eyes and realize the benefits of decriminalizing marijuana.

Austin, James. "Rethinking the Consequences of Decriminalizing Marijuana." NORML.org. 2 Nov. 2005. Web. 18 Mar. 2010.

De La Mater, Benning. "US MA: Use of Marijuana a Hot Topic, With Ballot Question Possible." Media Awareness Project. Jan. 2008. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. .

Duncan, Cynthia. "The Need for Change: An Economic Analysis of Marijuana Policy." Wilson Web. Wilson Web, 2009. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. .

Reflection 2.2

There were a lot of changes in my second draft after all the feedbacks from my first draft. One thing I changed was my empathetic writing towards my opposition’s side. In my second draft, I had more things in common and I really understood where the opposing side was coming from. I also did a lot more research, which helped me make my essay better with stronger evidence. One thing I need to work on my final draft are the paragraph transitions. I need to find better introductory sentences to my paragraphs which helps with the flow of the paper.

Reflection (2.1)

I found this rogerian argument fairly difficult just because i had to be very empathetic when writing this paper. I didn't really know when to be empathetic and when to argue my point. This also took me a fairly long time to write just because it took me a long time to research this topic. I learned a lot from writing this paper because it really made me understand the other side of the story. It was pretty hard trying to gain common ground with the opposing side, but that’s why I believe this paper made me learn a lot about writing. On my second draft, I am definitely going to make sure I have some common ground with the other side because I am pretty sure I wasn’t as empathetic as I needed to be. I also think that this paper wasn’t as long as it needed to be. So I need to research more and support my thesis with evidence. Overall, I believe this paper has the potential to be good, it just needs some work.

First draft (Decriminalizing Marijuana)

Marijuana is known to be the most common illegal drug in the world. More than 100 million Americans have tried Marijuana and 25 million have smoked it in the past year. This fact alone gives you an idea of how much marijuana has influenced society. Marijuana is a mixture of dried leaves, stems, seed, and flowers of the hemp plant called Cannabis Sativa. There are many nicknames for the drug such as weed, pot, and bud. Marijuana was first outlawed in the United States in 1905 in El Paso, Texas. The reason behind this was strictly motivated by racial prejudice against Mexican immigrants. These laws had nothing to do with the actual effects of the marijuana. Cannabis, in the form of hemp was a common plant in the states before this law enacted and was even used for medicine, clothing, and other goods. Although there are no proven health related effects from THC, the psychoactive substance present in marijuana, I can understand the government’s worries about decriminalizing this drug. The drug is perceived to make users very lazy and indolent, although it completely depends on the user. Another theory is that decriminalizing it will likely lead more people to try marijuana, especially the curious and the young people. Another assumption the government has engraved onto the public is that there are no medicinal advantages to using Marijuana. There are many other reasons why the government is so uptight about decriminalizing this drug, but the only way to truly resolve this problem is by exchanging common beliefs and ideas.

The public’s feelings about marijuana are slowly changing. For years, the public has only known marijuana for its negative properties. With the proposal of many new laws, the public is slowly starting to understand the truth about marijuana. With that being said, I do understand where the anti-marijuana advocates are coming from. Although there are many health experts that say marijuana is harmless to the human body, there are many things we do not know about this plant. Is marijuana addicting and has long lasting effects in the brain? These are questions that must be answered in order to fully legalize this drug. There is also the theory of how decriminalizing the drug will not solve our drug control problems. Since distribution will still be illegal, the drug wars between dealers will not mitigate. Although this might be true, decriminalizing the drug will save the government huge amounts of money now being spent on the enforcement of such laws.

I believe that marijuana should be decriminalized because it has more advantages than disadvantages. One reason is that it will save the government so much money and time now being spent on the enforcement of such marijuana laws. “On a national level, a recent report by Jon Gettman estimated that national criminal justice expenditures for enforcing marijuana laws is $7.6 billion per year with $3.7 billion being allocated to police, $853 million to the courts, and $3.1 billion to corrections.” (Austin). If possession of this plant was not a criminal offense, the amount of work and money being put into enforcement and processing tasks will drastically reduce, saving the government tons of money. Many anti-marijuana advocates believe that decriminalization will result in greater use of the drug. One out of ten US residents use marijuana at least once a year and 47% of all adults have tried marijuana at least once (Duncan). If almost half the country has tried this illegal drug, greater use of this drug should be the least of concerns. Although there are no proven facts that decriminalizing it will reduce the use of this drug, there are also no proven facts that it will result in greater use of the drug.

There is also this theory about how decriminalizing this drug will result in higher crime rates. I can see where the anti-marijuana advocates are coming from on this but this can also work both ways. It is a well known fact that most criminals have tried an illegal drug. Their logic for the drug use will cause crime argument is that since there are so many criminals that have tried illegal drugs; they believe that the crimes they committed were due to those illegal drugs. Their argument is like saying water must be the reason for their crimes because all criminals have consumed water in their lifetime. Marijuana should not be related to any kind of committed crimes because it is neither a gateway drug nor one that necessarily propels one to criminal activity. The number of marijuana related arrests has grown significantly in the past decade. “In 1970 there was an estimated 188,682 arrests for the drug – by 2003 the number had increased to 755,000” (De La Mater). Although, it is clear that marijuana arrests have risen in the 30 years, vast majority of these arrests are for possession. These kinds of arrests are just a waste of time and money. Many prisons are slowly letting inmates get out early because prisons are becoming too crowded. Decriminalizing marijuana will drastically reduce all of this, which will save the government billions of dollars.

It is quite evident that decriminalizing marijuana will have an overall positive impact on the country. Decriminalization is the first step to the government making billions of dollars, which they could be using for other productive things. I believe now is the best time for decriminalization of marijuana because of the recession this country is already facing. There are also no proven health effects from marijuana, which only makes decriminalization make more sense. Doctors are already giving out medical marijuana cards to help patients with different kinds of diseases. It is time to open our eyes and realize the benefits of decriminalizing marijuana.

Austin, James. "Rethinking the Consequences of Decriminalizing Marijuana." NORML.org. 2 Nov. 2005. Web. 18 Mar. 2010.

De La Mater, Benning. "US MA: Use of Marijuana a Hot Topic, With Ballot Question Possible." Media Awareness Project. Jan. 2008. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. .

Duncan, Cynthia. "The Need for Change: An Economic Analysis of Marijuana Policy." Wilson Web. Wilson Web, 2009. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. .

Pre writing

My paper is going to focus around the controversial topic of decriminalizing marijuana. Many people are opposed to this because of their lack of information on marijuana. They go about believing the public’s perception of the drug, which should not be even counted as an opinion. I can understand some problems this proposal might cause but there are definitely more advantages than disadvantages when it comes to decriminalizing marijuana.

Reflection 1.3

There was a huge difference between my second draft and my final draft mainly due to all the feedbacks i got from the workshops. I really tried to actually listen to the criticism and fix all the miscues of the essay. One thing that made my paper better from the second draft was the fact that I used an attention grabbing opening sentence. This will really make the readers want to learn more about global warming and how we can go about solving this.

Final Draft (Problems in the Climate Bill)

Dear New York Times Board Editor,

The thought of life vanishing from this earth seems unimaginable, but there are ways humans can stop what they created. Global Warming is a topic that is heavily debated everyday in our society. These greenhouse gases are slowly ruining our planet which asks for drastic solutions. There were some points in the editorial that I agreed with, but the way the editorial suggested we should go about solving this problem seemed unintelligent to me. Last December, representatives from 192 nations gathered in Copenhagen to make a plan that will drastically change the course of global warming. This meeting aimed to reduce carbon emissions in the air created by burning of fossil fuels. The meeting urged the nations to create a plan that will “reduce greenhouse gases by 5.2% from 1990 levels” (Vergano). In The New York Times editorial “The Case for a Climate Bill,” the author talks about the importance of a bill that puts both a cap and a price on carbon emissions. This climate bill is having a hard time passing through Congress because even though it will reduce carbon emissions, there are many side effects to this plan. The bill will hurt both developing and developed countries because it will only harm the recession this world is already facing.

There are many reasons why this bill will not work in this society we live in. Nations have no intention of letting the developed world force them to stop using fossil fuels. Many nations depend on these carbon emitting fuels to create energy and run their country. Restricting these nations from this source of income would greatly affect their economy denying many nations to industrialize and keeping their population in poverty. This is what this bill is asking the world to accept. The editor of “The Case for a Climate Bill” is ignorantly saying “a good program would create more jobs than its cost” (Paragraph 3). This bill will affect every household in the country. Vergano, the senior editor on Global Warming in The New York Times, argues “the costs of creating a carbon "market" to achieve such cuts would be about $175 a year by then for the average household.”(Vergano) He later goes on to say that we are doing all this just to lower the temperature by 2 degrees Celsius in the next couple hundred years. This amount of money every year is not worth it, especially with most of the world still staggering from the worst recession in 40 years.

Developed countries also have no interest in this bill because of the consequences of trying to cut carbon emissions. All the economic models show that to keep the temperature increases of the earth less than 2 degrees Celsius, nations would need to start putting a carbon tax on carbon emissions. William Klesse, chief executive of oil refiner Valero Energy, says the bill will be asking the refiners somewhere “between $30 billion and $110 billion a year” (Helman). This will drastically increase the price of gasoline in this recession filled world. There are many calculations that predict that this is 50 times more expensive than the climate damage this bill seeks to prevent. So, the main reason this bill is not getting much attention is because the price of solving this problem is far more expensive than the damage this bill is trying to prevent.

The main debate focuses on how man can cope with this man-made problem. For many years, environmentalists have been following the same path on solving this situation by urging governments to pass laws that will drastically lower the carbon emissions in the air. We see this same pattern occur again in the meeting at Copenhagen. Policy makers need to realize this and quickly change their plan before it is too late. So, what is next? What can we do to solve this problem more effectively? The burning of fossil fuels creates carbon emissions that are slowly ruining the planet we are living in. So, it should make sense to stop creating energy via burning of fossil fuels. The only way to reduce our fossil fuels without hurting the world’s economy in this recession is to invest in green energy creating technology. Unlike the editors’ theory in “The Case for a Climate Bill” about the bill creating more jobs, the oil refiners companies beg to differ. If this bill passes “Ihne predicts that at least 15 of the current 150 plants, capable of processing roughly 2 million barrels of oil a day, will close, eliminating 5,000 jobs” (Helman). The only way to solve this problem is by investing in technologies that create non carbon based energy.

This new way of going about solving this problem will create more jobs. The increased spending on research and development will create more jobs, which will also help the economy. Some examples of non carbon based energies are nuclear, wind, solar, and geothermal. Although there are many alternatives to creating energy, they are not nearly as effective and productive as burning fossil fuels which unfortunately create carbon emissions. So, our next step should be investing on creating new technologies and ways in which we can create energy without hurting our environment. Instead of putting a tax on carbon emissions, just a small percentage of the global GDP can create breakthroughs needed to stimulate a carbon free future.

The bill that the editor of “The Case for a Climate Bill” is supporting will only hurt the economy and stop nations from industrializing. Policy makers have been arguing and debating about putting a tax on carbon emissions will help nations, yet not one nation is willing to accept this change. The reason for this is because they know that there will be more problems from this than solutions. The only solution to this is by investing in technologies that create carbon free energy. We need to realize that all these meetings of nations, such as that at Copenhagen, are not working. We need to find alternative ways of creating energy without generating global warming.

Helman, Christopher. "Cap-and-Smother." EBSCOhost. Forbes, 30 Nov. 2009. Web. 5 Feb. 2010. .

"The Case for a Climate Bill." Editorial. New York Times [New York] 24 Jan. 2010, New York ed., WK9 sec. NYTimes. 24 Jan. 2010. Web. 5 Feb. 2010. .

Vergano, Dan. "Global warming cuts have a price." EBSCOhost. USA Today, 24 Nov. 2009. Web. 5 Feb. 2010. .

Reflection 1.2

The comments from my first draft really helped me improve my paper. My main goal on writing this second draft was to satisfy all the comments that my group members gave me. My main focus on this draft was to add a well constructed works cited page and making sure that my thesis was clear in the introduction. I listed all of my sources in MLA format which made it easier to comprehend when i cited them in the paper. I really changed the wording of my thesis in my second draft because it was not very clear in the first draft.

Essay 1.2: (Problems to the Climate Bill)

Global Warming is a topic that is heavily debated everyday in our society. These greenhouse gases are slowly ruining our planet which asks for drastic solutions. Last December, representatives from 192 nations gathered in Copenhagen to make a plan that will drastically change the course of global warming. This meeting aimed to reduce carbon emissions in the air created by burning of fossil fuels. The meeting urged the nations to create a plan that will “reduce greenhouse gases by 5.2% from 1990 levels” (Vergano). In The New York Times editorial “The Case for a Climate Bill”, the author talks about the importance of a bill that puts both a cap and a price on carbon emissions. This climate bill is having a hard time passing through Congress because even though it will reduce carbon emissions, there are many side effects to this plan. The editor of “The Case for a Climate Bill” resorts to using President Obama as the only hope for this bill to pass. “They will need help. Mr. Obama is the best person to provide it” (Case for a Climate Bill). President Obama will need to make a case for this bill to be even considered by congress. This bill will hurt both developing and developed countries because it will only harm the recession this world is already facing.

There are many reasons to why this bill will not work in this society we live in. Nations have no intention on letting the developed world force them to stop using fossil fuels. Many nations depend on these carbon emitting fuels to create energy and run their country. Restricting these nations from this source of income would greatly affect their economy denying many nations to industrialize and keeping their population in poverty. This is what this bill is asking the world to accept. The editor of “The Case for a Climate Bill” is ignorantly saying “a good program would create more jobs than its cost”. This bill will affect every household in the country. “In June, the Congressional Budget Office estimated the costs of creating a carbon "market" to achieve such cuts would be about $175 a year by then for the average household.”(Vergano) This amount of money every year is not worth lowering the temperature by 2 degrees Celsius in the next couple hundred years, especially with most of the world still staggering from the worst recession in 40 years.

Developed countries here also have no interest in this bill because of the consequences of trying to cut carbon emissions. All the economic models show that to keep the temperature increases of the earth less than 2 degrees Celsius, nations would need to start putting a carbon tax on carbon emissions. If this bill passes, the bill will be asking the refiners somewhere “between $30 billion and $110 billion a year” (Helman). This will drastically increase the price of gasoline in this recession filled world. There are many calculations that predict that this is 50 times more expensive than the climate damage this bill seeks to prevent. So, the main reason this bill is not getting much attention is because the price of solving this problem is far more expensive than the damage this bill is trying to prevent.

The main debate focuses on how man can cope with this man-made problem. For many years, environmentalists have been following the same path on solving this situation by urging governments to pass laws that will drastically lower the carbon emissions in the air. We see this same pattern occur again in the meeting at Copenhagen. Policy makers need to realize this and quickly change their plan before it is too late. So, what is next? What can we do to solve this problem more effectively? The burning of fossil fuels creates carbon emissions that are slowly ruining the planet we are living in. So, it should make sense to stop creating energy via burning of fossil fuels. The only way to reduce our fossil fuels without hurting the world’s economy in this recession is to invest in green energy creating technology. Unlike the editor’s theory of “The Case for a Climate Bill” about the bill creating more jobs, the oil refiner companies begs to differ. If this bill passes “Ihne predicts that at least 15 of the current 150 plants, capable of processing roughly 2 million barrels of oil a day, will close, eliminating 5,000 jobs” (Helman). The only way to solve this problem is by investing in technologies that create non carbon based energy.

This new way of going about solving this problem will create more jobs. The increased spending on research and development will create more jobs, which will also help the economy. Some examples of non carbon based energies are nuclear, wind, solar, and geothermal. Although there are many alternatives to creating energy, they are not nearly as effective and productive as burning fossil fuels which unfortunately create carbon emissions. So, our next step should be investing on creating new technologies and ways in which we can create energy without hurting our environment. Instead of putting a tax on carbon emissions, just a little percent of the global GDP can create breakthroughs needed to stimulate a carbon free future.

The bill that the editor of “The Case for a Climate Bill” is supporting will only hurt the economy and stop nations from industrializing. Policy makers have been arguing and debating about putting a tax on carbon emissions will help nations, yet not one nation is willing to accept this change. The reason for this is because they know that there will be more problems from this than solutions. The only solution to this is by investing on technologies that creates carbon free energy. We need to realize that all these meetings of nations, such as that at Copenhagen, are not working. We need to find alternative ways of creating energy without generating global warming.

Vergano, Dan. "Global warming cuts have a price." EBSCOhost. USA Today, 24 Nov. 2009. Web. 5 Feb. 2010. .

Helman, Christopher. "Cap-and-Smother." EBSCOhost. Forbes, 30 Nov. 2009. Web. 5 Feb. 2010. .

"The Case for a Climate Bill." Editorial. New York Times [New York] 24 Jan. 2010, New York ed., WK9 sec. NYTimes. 24 Jan. 2010. Web. 5 Feb. 2010. .

Reflection 1.1

The comments that my group members provided me helped me a lot. The feedbacks made me realize all of the flaws in my essay. The most apparent flaw in my essay was the thesis statement in order to let the reader know what I will be addressing. I also need to do a better job of incorporating sources in my essay. A works cited page at the end of the essay will really help out my essay. For my next draft, I will also be doing a better job of using quotations to back up my points. The feedbacks from my group also helped me realize that my transitions from paragraphs were clear. I need to do a better job of that to help my essay flow better. My process has been just trying to do more research on the subject and trying to get more facts to back up my ideas. The main thing I want to accomplish in my next draft is to satisfy all of the feedbacks that my group members left me. I will also be adding a works cited page to help the readers fully understand my usage of sources. Overall, the feedbacks were a great help to me, which will definitely make my essay better.

Essay 1.1: (Problems to the Climate Bill)

Global Warming is a topic that is heavily debated everyday in our society. These greenhouse gases are slowly ruining our planet which asks for drastic solutions. Last December, representatives from 192 nations gathered in Copenhagen to make a plan that will drastically change the course of global warming. This meeting aimed to reduce carbon emissions in the air created by burning of fossil fuels. The meeting urged the nations to create a plan that will reduce greenhouse gases by 5.2% from 1990 levels (source # 1). In The New York Times editorial “The Case for a Climate Bill”, the author talks about the importance of a bill that puts both a cap and a price on carbon emissions. This climate bill is having a hard time passing through Congress because even though it will reduce carbon emissions, there are many side effects to this plan. The editor of “The Case for a Climate Bill” resorts to using President Obama as the only hope for this bill to pass. “They will need help. Mr. Obama is the best person to provide it.” President Obama will need to make a case for this bill to be even considered by congress.

There are many reasons to why this bill will not work in this society we live in. Nations have no intention on letting the developed world force them to stop using fossil fuels. Many nations depend on these carbon emitting fuels to create energy and run their country. Restricting these nations from this source of income would greatly affect their economy denying many nations to industrialize and keeping their population in poverty. This is what this bill is asking the world to accept. The editor of “The Case for a Climate Bill” is ignorantly saying “a good program would create more jobs than its cost”. This bill will affect every household in the country. “In June, the Congressional Budget Office estimated the costs of creating a carbon "market" to achieve such cuts would be about $175 a year by then for the average household.”( source 1) This amount of money every year is not worth lowering the temperature by 2 degrees Celcius in the next couple hundred years, especially with most of the world still staggering from the worst recession in 40 years.

Developed countries here also have no interest in this bill because of the consequences of trying to cut carbon emissions. All the economic models show that to keep the temperature increases of the earth less than 2 degrees Celsius, nations would need to start putting a carbon tax on carbon emissions. If this bill passes, the bill will be asking the refiners somewhere between $30 billion and $110 billion a year (Source 2). This will drastically increase the price of gasoline in this recession filled world. There are many calculations that predict that this is 50 times more expensive than the climate damage this bill seeks to prevent. So, the main reason this bill is not getting much attention is because the price of solving this problem is far more expensive than the damage this bill is trying to prevent.

The main debate focuses on how man can cope with this man-made problem. For many years, environmentalists have been following the same path on solving this situation by urging governments to pass laws that will drastically lower the carbon emissions in the air. We see this same pattern occur again in the meeting at Copenhagen. Policy makers need to realize this and quickly change their plan before it is too late. So, what is next? What can we do to solve this problem more effectively? The burning of fossil fuels creates carbon emissions that are slowly ruining the planet we are living in. So, it should make sense to stop creating energy via burning of fossil fuels. The only way to reduce our fossil fuels without hurting the world’s economy in this recession is to invest in green energy creating technology. Unlike the editor’s theory of “The Case for a Climate Bill” about the bill creating more jobs, the oil refiner companies begs to differ. If this bill passes “Ihne predicts that at least 15 of the current 150 plants, capable of processing roughly 2 million barrels of oil a day, will close, eliminating 5,000 jobs.” (Source 2). The only way to solve this problem is by investing in technologies that create non carbon based energy.

This new way of going about solving this problem will create more jobs. The increased spending on research and development will create more jobs, which will also help the economy. Some examples of non carbon based energies are nuclear, wind, solar, and geothermal. Although there are many alternatives to creating energy, they are not nearly as effective and productive as burning fossil fuels which unfortunately create carbon emissions. So, our next step should be investing on creating new technologies and ways in which we can create energy without hurting our environment. Instead of putting a tax on carbon emissions, just a little percent of the global GDP can create breakthroughs needed to stimulate a carbon free future.

The bill that the editor of “The Case for a Climate Bill” is supporting will only hurt the economy and stop nations from industrializing. Policy makers have been arguing and debating about putting a tax on carbon emissions will help nations, yet not one nation is willing to accept this change. The reason for this is because they know that there will be more problems from this than solutions. The only solution to this is by investing on technologies that creates carbon free energy. We need to realize that all these meetings of nations, such as that at Copenhagen, are not working. We need to find alternative ways of creating energy without generating global warming.

Blog Post # 3

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/opinion/24sun1.html

“The case for a climate bill” was an editorial published in The New York Times on January 23, 2010. The main claim of this editorial is to make people realize the importance of passing this bill. The editor looks at all the angles and eventually concludes that this bill will help the country and the world in the long run. One of the main reasons that he uses is the fact that the bill will produce more job opportunities. The editor supports this by providing different scenarios that must be fulfilled for this to work. He uses an outer reliable source such as “Congressional Budget Office” to back up and support his reason.

The editor also uses the acknowledgment and response rhetorical strategy. He effectively realizes and acknowledges the fact that this bill only has a slight chance of passing through the house and senate. Although he recognizes the opposite’s views, he gives his views to counter argue. The main audience in this editorial would be the people interested in global warming and politicians of the United States. He has to persuade the Senators and the House of Representatives that this bill would work and cure global warming. The occasion of this editorial was to let the public know about the bill that is being passed could effectively hurt or help the economy. Although there are many doubters and nonbelievers, he does his best to provide reasons and evidence to support his claim.

The author also uses Aristototle’s three rhetorical appeals. An example of him using logos would be when he is talking about how the bill “would create more jobs than it cost”. He uses evidence to support this by using ethos. He refers to President Obama and how he could help pass this bill. “President Obama can start to prove the conventional wisdom wrong by making a full-throated case for a climate bill in his State of the Union speech this week.” The last rhetorical appeal, logos, is crucial to help passing this bill. He talks about how limited our time is when it comes to fighting global warming. “The long-term trend in greenhouse gas emissions is up (the decade ending in 2009 was the warmest on record), and the sooner emissions decline, the better.” He appeals to the emotions here to make people realize the importance of this bill and how it can help prevent global warming.

Blog Post # 2

The three publications I looked at were The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Breeze. These three newspapers had many selections of opinions and editorials about the latest issues happening in the world. Most of the editorials in these newspapers focused around politics and controversial issues around the world. The natural disaster that struck Haiti has been a hot topic in all of these publications. The opinions in the editorials all focus around how America is continuing its tradition of helping other nations that are in need. There are also criticisms on the speed of America’s aid. Editorials that involve controversy and debate are the kinds of issues that interest me. The different viewpoints to these issues make it more interesting. Editorials that involve politics seem very uninteresting and boring to me. The issues involving around the economy and the job loss situation do not really interest me because those issues are very repetitive in all of these publications.

One issue I really want to learn more about is global warming and its effect around the world. This subject matter is very controversial because many people have different opinions on its existence. Global warming is slowly ruining the world we are living in and many people are still avoiding this reality. There are many scientific facts that back up and prove that global warming is happening right now and we need to act accordingly before it is too late. Many people don’t worry or even care about this because they do not fully realize the consequences if we don’t act now. They are all caught up in their busy lives to realize what is going on around them. Controversial issues like this really grabs my attention because they are opinionated and at the same time they are very important.

Arthur: A Childhood Reflection

When I was younger, I read many different kinds of children oriented texts. I admired reading and watching all of them but the one that really interested me was Marc Brown’s “Arthur”. The reason I loved this book so much was because it also had a TV series to go along with its book series. Arthur revolves around the lives of Arthur Read, the main character, his friends and family. Arthur is an eight year old aardvark who lives in a fictional town called Elwood City with his parents and his younger sister. The show basically dealt with the lives of young children and the difficulties they face in elementary school. The main reason I enjoyed watching and reading this series was because it related to my daily life as a young kid. The conflicts in the story interrelated with the same problems I was going through when I was in elementary school. The thing in the stories that appealed to me was the innocent character of Arthur and his frank personality. Arthur’s social life involved many different friends with a broad range of personalities. The author did a great job of adding different personalities such as bullies and nerds which gave the show a reality feel to it. I could relate it to my elementary school because I had the same kinds of friends.

As an adult, my perspective on this has changed vastly. When I was younger I only cared about the stories and the humorous personality of the characters but now I have a greater knowledge about what Marc Brown was trying to do with his books. The books have a great educational value and do a great job of trying to teach children about the right and the wrong. It puts an emphasis on the library and why it is important to read books and learn. As an adult, I truly understand why Marc Brown gave the characters a great relationship with their parents and friends. I believe even though I didn’t realize all this when I was a kid, it still gave me a great insight on what was right and what was wrong in society. I would recommend this book to any child who is looking for something fun and educational at the same time. I believe the reason I loved this book so much was because the author did a great job of giving the characters such a personality that all the readers could connect and relate to them.