Arms to Public Places - Essay Example

_________ Letters to the Editor The Denver Post 101-W. Colfax Ave., Suite 600 Denver, CO 80202 Dear Editor: My letter pertains to a June 06, 2009 article by Joanne Ditmer entitled “How Did Guns in Parks Happen?” The article writer had touched on a very sensitive topic which I am sure most citizens in this nation can relate to. Although the jurisprudence on this Second Amendment to the US Constitution is well settled, I still find it appalling and horrifying when people deem it appropriate to bring arms to public places like our national parks and wildlife refuges. It simply does not make sense to be bringing guns to these places other than for showing off perhaps. Having a permit to carry loaded guns to these places is beside the point. Amusement and leisure parks are intended for family bonding time where young children are present. “National parks are rare treasures. They offer havens of solitude and sanctuary. They are not meant to be places for the next shootout at the OK Corral,” Ms. Ditmer had emphasized in her article. It exposes young children to unnecessary danger. I am sure every one of us has a little kid we know, a son, a daughter, a niece or a nephew or even a grandkid who is exposed to this mindless danger. What if an untoward accident will happen and hit one of these innocent children who had come to expect enjoyment there? It would be a real heartbreaker no matter whose kid it is, right? Ms. Ditmer is also accurate and perfectly correct in her assumption that carrying guns will inevitably lead to their use, eventually. It simply defies logic how our Congress can make dangerous situations even worse by being blind and deaf to the opinion of the majority of citizens who oppose guns. This situation can be compared to smoking in public places where there are people who are adversely affected. While people have the right to bear arms (for whatever they want to do with all those guns), our politicians must consider the greater majority who hate guns. There must be designated places where guns are allowed but certainly not in amusement parks where there are children around. People have the right to feel safe too and guns in public places are not a very reassuring sight to anyone. Ms. Ditmer reiterated her strong opposition by stating, “That’s not reassuring to those of us law-abiding citizens who view guns as possible disasters.” Guns can go off accidentally, for example, and hit someone unintentionally. Ms. Ditmer also knows whereof she speaks by citing FBI statistics showing only 1.65 cases per 100,000 as against 462 cases in other places. What more will it take for people to heed this appeal and warning? People of good moral character do not have a need for guns. Buying and owning a gun is an added but unnecessary expense too. Spending for bullets, maintenance and training makes it an expensive habit with no discernible value whatsoever. It simply adds to growing gun-related deaths and injuries to this country which amounts to an estimated $100 billion annually in medical expenses, hospitalizations and lost productivity. People of conscience should act now and not wait before it is too late when something bad had already happened to someone. Sincerely, Date: _________ Name of the Professor (first and last names) Name of the Course: _______ Name of the University Dear Professor ______, I am extremely glad I took this course in which I learned many things about writing effectively. As an honest assessment, I can say that I had made some tremendous improvements in my writing ability but still needs some areas to be improved upon. To begin, now I know that an effective writer needs to catch a reader’s attention right away. This means the opening sentences of whatever is being written should be suited to the targeted or intended audience in terms of relevant content. The topic being discussed should be of some use to the reader either now or in the future so that the reader will be compelled to continue reading on and not get bored. A perfect way to achieve mastery in writing is to write as if you are speaking directly to the reader. This will give the writing a certain style that is engaging and catchy which will make the reader want to read some more on what is being written about. In this regard, I have learned how to use persuasion as one of the writing styles with which to convince a reader of my viewpoint. To do that successfully, I need to use all three factors of argumentation which are pathos (emotions), logos (knowledge) and ethos (character or credibility). Such an approach will be best in influencing other people’s opinions or make them take a desired action, such as an advocacy. The above approach is perfect when writing to a neutral audience, people who may not know both sides of an issue I am writing about. This way, a little explanation will help people appreciate the issues behind a certain matter of public interest. By expounding on a topic, readers will be enlightened and can be swayed to my viewpoint without them realizing it. The tendency is to agree when strong arguments are used and put in a logical manner during the writing process itself. An argumentative approach that works best in convincing people is the so-called Rogerian Approach. This type of exposition presents both sides of a debate, acknowledges the valid points of the other side and then reconciles the two opposing sides to reach a compromise solution. This approach is effective when making appeals to certain issues which can be very emotional such as religion or politics. I also found out my weaknesses and one of them is trying to say too much within a single sentence. It is better to express ideas singly so that it can be better understood and retained in the reader’s mind. Other things which I am not so good at yet are using the wrong tense because I sometimes hurry up writing and not developing more arguments very logically by jumping to several related topics at once. For this aspect, I realized I need to use transition phrases between ideas expressed in a sentence and especially between paragraphs in longer articles. I also realized I tend to be very wordy when trying to emphasize my point by repeating certain words or using synonyms quite often. In other words, there is a lot of fat in my sentences which can be safely cut or deleted without affecting the meaning of my sentences. Sincerely, Read More