For 4/4 TH

Please complete the outline below before our next class.

Thesis:  Anna Quindlin believes that raising the driving age is the best way to prevent accidents, but I disagree because teens should renew their licenses more often with tests, monitoring devices should be put in teens’ cars, and the penalties for teen drivers should be enforced. 

1.)           Renew their licenses more often with tests

a.  Point 1

b. Point 2

c.  Point 3

2.)         Monitoring devices should be put in teens’ cars

a.  Point 1

b. Point 2

c.  Point 3

3.)         Penalties for teen drivers should be enforced. 

a.  Point 1

b. Point 2

c.   Point 3

Summary

Summary:

       In “Driving to the Funeral,” Anna Quindlin discusses the idea of teenage deaths due to car accidents.  There are more funerals in high schools from car accidents, and car crashes are the number one cause of death for teens.  MADD fights to keep teenagers safe in the car, but more teens have seen their peers speeding than drunk driving, so speed is the problem, not drinking.  Some states have regulations for teen drivers, for example, not more than one teen in the car, time regulations, required driving with family members.  However, these laws are not enforced.  Therefore, teens do not adhere to them.  Studies have shown that raising the driving age even one year decreases these accidents significantly, but parents are reluctant to take away teens’ freedom.  Raising the driving age would save so many lives.

Notes for Anna Quindlin Summary

·      Teenagers are involved in many car accidents

·      There are more funerals in high schools from car accidents

·      Parents are nonchalant about teens and car accidents, until they experience it for themselves

·      Car crashes is the #1 cause of death for 15-20 year olds!

·      Studies show it is better for teens to wait to drive.  One year (17) maybe 2 (18).

·      MADD should focus more on driving age than drunk driving

·      Some states have regulations for teen drivers (not more than one teen in the car, driving with family, time regulations), but these laws are not enforced.  Therefore, teens do not adhere to them.

·      More teens see teens speeding than driving drunk

·      Other countries focus on driving age than drinking age

·      Most parents fight for their teens to have the right to drive out of convenience.  Parents have a false sense of security.

·      Small towns, and areas without mass transit are more likely to allow teens to drive younger.

·      Many states have ideas for restricting driving, but the easiest and most likely to work is to just raise the driving age

In “Driving to the Funeral,” Anna Quindlen discusses the idea of teenage deaths due to car accidents. 

Essay 1

Stephen King discusses the idea that we need to soothe the crazy inside our bodies, but for some people, horror movies do not help.  Horror movies cannot satisfy our crazy minds, because they do not depict our type of crazy.  Horror movies are fictional; they are not based on our lives.  Our lives are more like people who scream on the train, not like killing people, which we see in horror movies.  Horror movies cannot fill some of the emotional void which some people consider crazy.  For example, “crazy cat ladies,” who need to continuously collect cats.  Nothing depicted in the horror movies can help someone with such an every day condition to soothe their urges.  People like the cat ladies, dealing with personal tragedies or mental illnesses, will search for alternative outlets.  No scare, blood, gore, or guts can replace what some other needs to function.

According to Stephen King, we are all crazy, but horror movies have nothing to do with it.  Personal tragedies that take place in our lives, are what actually creates our crazy.  Events such as rape, lack of role models, and loss of people or things of importance in our lives are responsible for our crazy.  Rape victims are affected in many ways after the tragedy occurs.  Personal relationships between family members, loved ones, and others around them, become abnormal. The lack of role models easily affects your sanity.  Everyone needs someone to view as an example, and without that you live your life structure-less.  This may cause you to do crazy things—making you “crazy.”  As King stated, we are all crazy, but in an extent from our past histories.

Actual mental illnesses are not helped by horror movies.  Most scenes in these horror movies are violent and explicit, leaving those affected with actual mental illnesses with different moods and emotions.   Some of these are drug abusers, psychopaths, and bi-polar patients.  Drug abuse cannot be helped by horror movies because of its hold on the user.  Horror movies can make the addict crave because they are seeing it.  Psychopaths are not helped by horror movies, either.  Since the majority of these horror films are violent, psychopaths will be influenced to do what they see, and engage in crazy acts.  As for bi-polar patients, who normally have severe mood swings and episodes of depression, the screaming, running, crying, and seeing others killed is not good for them. Horror movies impact their minds negatively;  therefore, actual mental illness is not helped by horror movies. 

 

For Tuesday 3/19

Please print and bring this reading for class on Tuesday!

Anna Quindlin

Outlines!

I.               We are all crazy, but horror movies have nothing to do with it

A.Horror movies cannot satisfy our crazy minds because they do not depict our crazy: 

                                                              i.      train screaming, other daily crazies

                                                            ii.      (cat ladies),

                                                          iii.      hoarders, OCD.

B. Personal tragedies create our crazy

                                                              i.      Rape

                                                            ii.      Loss of person, or thing

                                                          iii.      Loss of Role Models or lack of them

C. Actual mental illnesses are not helped by horror movies

                                                              i.      Bi-polar diagnosis

                                                            ii.      Drug abuse is not helped by horror movies

                                                          iii.      Seizures

                                                          iv.      Psychopaths are not soothed by watching a horror movie