In-Class Essay Reflection

I feel very confident about the in-class essay that I completed today. I thought I did a very good job organizing a clear coherent argument that explained why the tax code should be reformed and the rich should be taxed high percentages of their income. I also thought that my writing style was successful, including varied sentence structure, meaningful diction, and of course, sufficient mechanics. One way I believe my essay could have been better is if I spent more time focusing on logic as opposed to emotion. While my basic thesis revolved around logic, I spent a lot of time appealing to emotion. I discussed the plight that the lower-class face everyday attempting to put food on the table. While this component of the fiscal crisis is important, it would have been better to do so in a more formal and logical way. For example, I discussed “the American who cannot provide food for their children or afford medication for their slowly withering parents.” This part of one of my sentences was clearly ridiculous and there is no place for it in an AP essay. Also, I think my discussion of the welfare system could have been much better. I did not have that much information about welfare and I assumed certain things that may not have been correct. One area where I would like to focus is time management. Writing the essay took me forty-three minutes, which is longer than the recommended time. This may seem insignificant because it is only three minutes extra, but the essay on the AP exam would take me longer because I knew the question in advance and I had background knowledge. If the question on the AP exam was something about building bridges in Africa, it would take me longer because I know nothing about the topic. Also, I did not plan for this essay at all in terms of making an outline, which I would want to do on the AP exam, adding even more time. I am not worried because I have a whole year to prepare but I need to figure a way to spend less time actually writing so I have more time to analyze the topic, write an outline, and proofread/revise.

The Legacy of Steve Jobs

Those who know me understand that I am not one to blindly idolize celebrities in the way that many Americans do, and they also understand that I am not the biggest supporter of Capitalism or the wealthy. However, I fully support and appreciate the legacy and example of Steve Jobs- not because he made tons of money or achieved household name status, but because he bettered the lives of so many people through his genius advancements in all types of digital products. It may seem shallow to presume that advanced computers and extremely capable cell phones and music devices have significantly bettered the lives of humans, but when the facts are examined, it is proved irrefutable. Macintosh computers are faster and more competent than any other computer, providing tons of people with unlimited access to information and entertainment. So much knowledge can be attained through the computer. The iPhone, iPod, and iPad allow similar to such information and entertainment but in a more portable way, so that knowledge can be attained in any situation, even one where there is no internet connection. I have no doubt that iPhones have saved lives. Even more importantly, despite Jobs’ incredible success, he was always a classy and respectable man. Walter S. Mossberg, reporter and friend of Jobs, writes about his optimism and open-mindedness:

But I can honestly say that, in my many conversations with him, the dominant tone he struck was optimism and certainty, both for Apple and for the digital revolution as a whole. Even when he was telling me about his struggles to get the music industry to let him sell digital songs, or griping about competitors, at least in my presence, his tone was always marked by patience and a long-term view. This may have been for my benefit, knowing that I was a journalist, but it was striking.

Jobs was a very accessible celebrity, someone who chose to indulge reporters and other interested consumers rather than someone who felt above the average American and kept to himself. His incredible relationship with his wife is common knowledge amongst Americans, and he is simply a down to earth human being. While his example is very hard to follow, because of how successful he was and how unconventionally he reached success (having been the adopted son of two people who never graduated college and having dropped out of college himself), it is definitely one we should strive to follow: always pursuing success and remaining focused on what is important once we do become successful. While the debate over his legacy is understandable, for a large part of his success did involve the quest for wealth, he bettered the lives of tons of people and remained down to earth alongside achieving immeasurable amounts of success, so we should certainly respect and seek to follow his legacy.

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203476804576613732041665792.html