Essay 2

Submitted By macdaddy099
Words: 1409
Pages: 6
Open Document
Quentin Beverly
Ms. Fleggas
ENG-111 107
3 March 2015
Alex Rodriguez: What A-Rod Cost Him
When I was fourteen years old, I visited North Carolina State University with one of my friends, Ryan Stevens, who studied engineering at NC State. Unfortunately it was the time of exams and instead of being delighted with gardens and statues I was degusted by the sight of overflowed trashcans of Starbucks cups and Redbull cans. Ryan told me that when exams come the campus turns into a drug house. Students are pressured so much to do well on exams that they will do anything to pass. The idea of failing or not preforming well is too imperative. One might say that taking drugs to pass an exam is totally normal because every body does it. However one might say that it wasn’t even your fault for taking drugs because it was so competitive in the first place. Two conflicting perspectives surrounding this idea are found in Will Moller’s “Those who live in glass houses…” and Ian Crouch’s “A-Rod, the Astros, and Austerity.” Moller’s article discusses how judging people of fame for using performance enhancers is hypocritical and erroneous. Crouch’s article focuses on the praise that certain athletes receive while others are left to scraps. While both Moller and Crouch’s generally discuss how athletes are placed on pedestals they differ when it comes to the ideas of how they should be perceived.
Moller’s argument focuses on how athletes are placed on pedestals and are criticized for using performance enhancers while Crouch focuses on how specific athletes are overvalued and trump other players. While it can be inferred from both articles that some athletes are confounded, Moller discusses the topic through a very specific situation, and Crouch discusses the topic through a more general term. In his article, Moller says, “Back in February of 2000, I got to choose between breaking the rules and breaking my grades. I chose the rules, and it wasn't a tough decision. (3)” This phrase shows how Moller sees no difference between using performance-enhancing drugs as a student or athlete. He argues that because society praises athletes and puts the on pedestals we see that there is something very wrong with using steroids. In contrast, Crouch discusses how society overvalues these athletes and that we put them in this predicament in the first place. Crouch asks, “There’s another question to be considered: Should Major League Baseball be letting them do it”? His argument establishes that it is not Alex Rodriguez’s fault that we are paying him twenty-nine million dollars a year.
Crouch’s argument also differs from Moller’s in that it describes how Alex Rodriguez is placed on a pedestal and because of that he is well overpaid. Crouch’s article discusses ideas and points of view from different people, rather than just on himself or the Major League of Baseball. As a result, Crouch forms a more qualitative argument, while Moller specifically discusses his own perspective. This is seen at the beginning of Moller’s article as he begins to talk about his high school career.
The articles address the topic differently because the articles are coming from two different perspectives. Moller’s article is coming from his perspective as a student in boarding school, while Crouch’s article is coming from the perspective of The Houston Astros and Alex Rodriguez. Moller uses examples from his high school days to form his position in the argument. Introducing his argument, he states, “I imagine that the same discussion must have occurred in Alex Rodriguez's subconscious before he made the decision to start taking steroids” (2). This statement provides a solid foundation for his argument. In addition, Moller also states “What it really comes down to is that the reason Alex did steroids is you and me”. This statement provides an incentive that we are also at fault of Alex using steroids. If society didn’t view athletes as higher beings he wouldn’t have felt the pressure to
Show More

Related Documents: Essay 2

Essay 2 Term 2 Rubric

FOUNDATION COURSE 2014-2015 FB2 TERM 2 ACADEMIC ENGLISH ASSESSMENT ESSAY 2 There is a real danger of a house price bubble in London. Discuss. Format 800-1000 words Arial Font 12 Double-spaced Single-sided Cover page References in the essay and at the end of the essay You will be assessed on Use of source material: you should use 3-8 reliable sources, including at least one academic journal article. Cohesion, coherence and organisation Communication and task fulfilment Lexis Grammar 1st Draft Week…

Words 348 - Pages 2

Essay 2

Christian Gonzalez Stevens AP Lang & Comp Essay #2 As the generations pass, the technology advances, creating changes in life style. Communicating is a big change. Richard Louv writes in his essay “Last Child in the Woods”, this world has become purely based on “material” needs. The once known views on the physical world have been pushed aside. Through his essay Louv presents the clear separation now created between nature and people. The diction he uses throughout the first two paragraphs indicate…

Words 377 - Pages 2

Essay 2

Ismaiel Almatrok EN 131E Essay 2 (Final draft) 01/26/2015 Mark Fischer The Importance of Education for a Decent Job We toil in life to provide for ourselves and our family the daily needs of food and medication to survive. Let’s think of our life as two stages, the first stage is the life of decision and the other stage is the life of applying. In the life of decision, there are two important points. The first point is to decide in what college you want to be. It is essential to love it “Because…

Words 1151 - Pages 5

Essay 2

Jaydon Rasmussen Professor Jan Hamer English 1010 October 25, 2012 Essay 2 As most people may know, freshwater is becoming more scarce in this day and age. Aquifer water levels are dropping quickly, the climate around the world is becoming more dry and we are using more water faster than it can be replenished by rainwater. As water becomes more scarce, the cost of water will continue to rise and cause disruption in people's lives and the worlds economy. Mankind has tried to sustain and conserve…

Words 1269 - Pages 6

Essay 2

Essay 2: Explaining Concepts (Ch. 5) – Generation Who? Paper Requirements: 3-4 pages typed MLA Format 1 additional source found using the MSJC Library Databases (EBSCOHOST) Due Dates: Introduction Paragraph - due Wednesday, March 4 no later than 11:59pm via Blackboard assignment link in Week 6 folder Peer Workshop Draft – due Wednesday, March 11 no later than 11:59pm via Blackboard Discussion Board in Week 7 folder (see group assignment and find link) Final draft – due Sunday, March 15 no later…

Words 730 - Pages 3

Essay 2

The Legend of Hercules I had known this moment was coming any day now; I just didn’t know how soon. I like to sleep outside and make sure no pesky little varmints enter my yard, but I was starting to move inside to my heated kennel in the garage. The leaves had begun to fall, and the air was becoming crisper every day. Yes, you guessed it. I am a dog, but I am no ordinary dog. I am Hercules, a 12-year old black lab and seasoned veteran of hunting pheasants. I had reason to believe that the pheasant…

Words 1810 - Pages 8

Essay #2

Destynee Lerma ENGL 1303 Lewis Jaime 9/27/2013 Essay #2 Multicultural education provides student with knowledge about the histories, and cultures of diverse groups. Today teachers gave student from different societies, cultures and many with their own language. Many of these students have English as their second languages. Multicultural classroom promote decision making and more critical thinking. Teachers and other education in universities want to give there…

Words 571 - Pages 3

Essay 2

Nathan Delia ENG 201 – Professor Brevda Essay #2 – 2/8/15 A Difference In Philosophy: Machiavelli and Thoreau When examining the work of The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli and Civil Disobedience by Henry Thoreau, both would agree that lawless actions are necessary in certain situations. However, Machiavelli and Thoreau would not always see eye to eye regarding some of their other principles and philosophies. While Thoreau believes “That government is best which governs least,” (Thoreau, 305) meaning…

Words 1032 - Pages 5

Essay 2

Cobi Brough Microeconomics Essay 2 John Maynard Keynes Widely known English economist, journalist and financier, John Maynard Keynes, is best known for his theories on the causes of prolonged unemployment, referred to as Keynesian economics. After developing the groundbreaking Keynesian economics theory, John Maynard Keynes is regarded as one of the founding fathers of modern day macroeconomics theory. John Maynard Keynes was born on June 5, 1883 in Cambridge to an upper middle class family. Keynes…

Words 716 - Pages 3

Essay 2

Eliot's poetry doesn't express emotion but rather he presents external facts and lets these external facts to express the emotion. Evaluate this statement in relation to the form and feature of The Hollow Men; Journey of the Magi, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. The Modern writer attempts to journey into the subconscious mind but is held back by reality that is the desolation of the war and the chains of religion. The statement that emotion is expressed through external factors is to an extent…

Words 1580 - Pages 7