Reflective Essay 2: Great Experience in ENGLCOM

Great Experience in ENGLCOM

          Through ENGLCOM, I have learned the different types of reading. It encouraged me to read more and analyze the text that I am reading. One of the most important things I learned in this course is how to cite references to avoid plagiarism. Before taking up the course, I did not know how to cite reference and I just copy and paste my research without even understanding it. It was really fun during the days of reading with the class and understanding it all together. It was a great experience to share ideas with the group about the text that we read. After taking this course, I was able to apply critical thinking in reading texts. I can now understand the texts that I read better.

          I also had a great experience in writing. It allowed me to improve on my grammar and vocabulary. I am now more conscious of my grammar in writing. It also helped me on my oral English indirectly. My expectations were met and I feel happy about it and I hope to improve more by the next term. I have learned to connect my ideas for my writing. I have improved my researching skills because of the research needed for writing essays. I am now more interested to read texts. It has been years since I had interest in reading. After writing the essays, I realized that writing is not as boring as what I thought it would be. I learned how to construct stronger thesis statements. The essays I liked the most is the definition essay and the argumentative essay. In these essays, I was really able to express my thoughts and ideas. I was able to concentrate more on these essays. For the argumentative essay, I have researched a lot but it was really difficult and at the same time fun to bring out into words the thoughts I had. For the definition essay, I have answered it purely based on my experiences and it felt good to bring out my thoughts. That is why now I am more interested to write.

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Argumentative Essay: Sex Education in Schools

Sex Education in Schools

          Should sex education be taught in schools? There had been many debates over this. They say that sex education only destroys the morality of people because they think that sex education teaches students about how sexual intercourse is done. Although sex education lowers the morality of people by teaching students how to use condoms and contraceptives, it should be taught in primary school and secondary school because (a) it prevents sexual diseases and teenage pregnancy, (b) it is indeed a need in case of parents’ absence, and (c) it gives children the idea of what is right and what is wrong.

          Others say that having sex education only encourages the students to engage in sexual intercourse and that it leads to sexual diseases and teenage pregnancy. The truth is that sex education does not encourage students to do it. According to Bleakley(2006), in a survey conducted, only about seventeen percent of the respondents answered that sex education does encourage them to do “it” and that the remaining eighty three percent strongly disagreed. Sex education prevents sexual diseases and teenage pregnancy. But how? Students are taught how to use condoms. According to Masland(n.d.), kids are becoming more sexually active at an earlier age. Sixty-six percent of high school students in America have done it by their senior year. These kids are in danger of sexually transmitted diseases. There is also a big possibility for them to become pregnant and that is why sex education should be taught to avoid these things from happening. In sex education, students are also taught of abstinence. They are taught that they should only have sexual intercourse after they get married.

          In case the parents are always away from their children, sex education should be taught to them so that they would learn it from an educated and responsible adult instead of learning it from the media or from their friends (Masland, n.d.). There will always be peers who would badly influence others. I remember my busmates when I was in High School. They are only ages eight to ten but the words that come out of their mouths are foul sex languages. I was really surprised and our bus driver did not even intend to lecture them. When I was their age, I still did not know anything. The generation today just keeps on getting worse. The media and technology played a big role on this. Students can now access any site on the internet that contains adult content or pornographic materials. That is why sex education should be implemented in schools. It is better for children to be informed earlier because they will still know about it when they grow up as they will be more exposed to it through their peers and the media (Cooper, n.d.).

          People say that sex education teaches the students about how sexual intercourse is done but the truth is sex education lets the students know about the consequences and the truth about sex. One may likely suffer emotional or mental depression which may lead to suicide. Students are also informed that it is only for unity and procreation of married couples who are committed to each other. They are also informed that they will know the true purpose of sex when they grow up as adults.

          In conclusion, sex education should be taught in schools because it is better to consider health than beliefs and we should consider reality. Since immorality cannot be eliminated and teenagers cannot be stopped from becoming sexually active, we should implement sex education in schools, as early as primary school. It also the only savior for children whose parents are always away from them and that is why sex education is needed so that they will not lose track of the right path. Through sex education, students will be able to learn the truth about sex and they will be able to refrain and control themselves.

References:

Bleakley, A. (2006). Public Opinion on Sex Education in US Schools. Retrieved           August 23, 2009 from http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/160/11           /1151.pdf

Cooper, M. (n.d.) Sex Education in Schools. Retrieved August 23, 2009 from           http://www.helium.com/items/66294-sex-education-in-schools

Masland, M. (n.d.) Carnal knowledge: The sex ed debate. Retrieved August 23,           2009 from http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3071001/539480.asp

Reflection:

It was hard to decide on what argument I am going to write about for this essay. There are many interesting arguments I have searched. After thinking about it, sex education might be a good topic. Teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases is very rampant in America. Soon, it might also be the same in Philippines because of the power of media. I am pro sex education to be ready for the future of our country. As I have seen in other young students of about age’s eight to twelve, they take sex as nothing special and they think that it is common because of media and other peers who badly influence them. I hope to help in preventing teenage pregnancies and spread of sexually transmitted diseases. This topic is of my great interest. I have researched a lot just to come up with a few ideas that can help prevent consequences of premarital sex.

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Cause & Effect Essay: The Catastrophe of Global Warming

The Catastrophe of Global Warming

          Are you fully aware of what is happening to mother Earth? Open your eyes to the truth about mother Earth. Global warming is a very alarming issue worldwide and yet; we are taking mother Earth for granted. Global warming is the continuous increase in temperature of the Earth caused by greenhouse gases which trap the heat from the sun. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the effects of global warming which are typhoons, melting ice caps and dying coral reefs.

          Today, there have been many cases of strong typhoons in our world. Typhoons are formed because of heat. First, it starts from low pressure area surrounded by high pressure. Second, the air goes up and forms storm clouds. Third, the winds of opposing forces start to go in a spiral motion while going up. Fourth, the energy supply from the spiraling air stops and releases its energy causing strong rain and strong winds. Too much heat just makes the formation of storms faster and bigger. One typhoon is the hurricane Katrina which struck Florida in 2005. The hurricane Katrina was formed in the Atlantic Ocean. It started from small until it gathered water vapor from the Atlantic because of global warming. This is very surprising because Florida is not a tropical country. This kind of typhoon leads to flash floods which destroy not only the properties of people but also their very lives. This is happening because of the continuous global warming.

          Ice caps have also been melting because of global warming. When the ice caps at the North Pole and South Pole melt, the sea level increases. The ice in Greenland continues to decrease and if this goes on, the sea level may raise up to twenty feed worldwide. When that happens, other islands will submerge and people from low lands will be forced to go to higher land. There will be many evacuees and there will be less food for people because of smaller lands. Polar creatures will also lose their habitat because the ice caps which are their land will be gone. Polar bears will be forced to swim until they find land and if they are not able to find one, they will drown and die because they cannot swim forever. Eventually they will go extinct and will only be part of the history. The same goes to other polar creatures.

          Increase in temperature of seawater is also fatal. The coral reefs are greatly affected by the temperature of seawater. An increase of about one degree to two degrees Celsius can kill them. When they die, all fishes will also die. There will be no fish and this has a very big impact on us. There will be no seafood, thus decreasing our source of food. There will also be faster rise of temperature globally because the coral reefs emit an energy which forms clouds when they absorb too much heat from the sun (Gore cited in Bender & Guggenheim, 2006)

          What can we do to avoid these from happening? If only we are really determined to make a change, we can do the things to save mother Earth. We should save energy and continue to participate in Earth Hour where the world saves energy for an hour. We should also participate in talks about our environment, plant trees and stop the burning of trees, garbage and leaves. Let us act now rather than wait for tomorrow and be sorry because it is too late. It is the time to wake up to the inconvenient truth (Gore cited in Bender & Guggenheim, 2006).

Reference:

Bender, L. (Producer), & Guggenheim, D. (Director). (2006). An Inconvenient           Truth [Motion Picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures.

Reflection:

I have decided to write about the catastrophe of global warming because as I see in our environment today, pollution keeps on going up. I hope that by writing this essay, I can get others to help in preserving our environment. I have watched the movie “An Inconvenient Truth” and I suggest that you watch it too. I was really struck by the movie and that encouraged me even more to write about global warming. The movie will wake you up. It can predict the worse things that may happen to our mother Earth if we keep on abusing our mother Earth. It is up to us if we will let mother Earth gradually die or we will make it live longer and be a better world for us. I am looking forward to see a better environment for us people to live in the future.

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Comparison & Contrast Essay: Desktop Computer or Laptop Computer

Desktop Computer or Laptop Computer

          People of today often find difficulty in deciding whether they will purchase a desktop computer or a laptop computer. It may seem that the two are similar but they are totally different. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast the differences of desktop computers and laptop computers in terms of convenience, maintenance, performance and cost.

          As we all know, a desktop computer is hard to move and it is cluttered due to many wires and cables that need to be connected to each other. Speakers, keyboard and mouse for a laptop computer is built-in so it does not contain wires. It is quite annoying to see so many wires and cables in a desktop computer. The laptop computer is also portable. You can move it with you while you travel and it just occupies a small space.

          Performance of a laptop computer and a desktop computer has great differences. The desktop computer is capable of having better components that can handle better graphics. It is suitable for hardcore gaming. All the components of a computer are much better for the desktop computer. On the other hand, a notebook has its limits. Even though it can handle some computer games, it cannot handle hardcore games which are new releases. Its battery is also limited and easily overheats in just a short time unlike the desktop computer which does not overheat easily unless you keep it turned on for a very long time – about three days without turning it off if placed in a well ventilated place or overclocking it (Marlene, 2009).

          Maintenance is a great factor in choosing what type of computer you will go for. A desktop computer is easy to customize. You can easily choose what brand or how powerful each component is. On the other hand, a notebook is always sold as a whole. It is also difficult to upgrade. You will need to use your USB port if you want to upgrade its hard drive and it is annoying to have it outside of your notebook. If a notebook is damaged, you will need to replace it as a whole and you are lucky if it is still under warranty. But if a desktop computer gets damaged, you can just replace the parts of it that have been damaged.

          Another factor in choosing between a laptop and a desktop is its cost. According to Null(2007), a desktop computer’s price is cheaper than a notebook because it can be 25% - 50% more powerful than a notebook given a price. The only downside in purchasing a desktop computer is that it consumes more energy than a notebook because it has many components. The problem in a laptop is that it can be stolen easily. If this happens, you will need to buy another one as a replacement.

          People have different preferences. Others may want a more powerful computer while others go for portability. If you want a more powerful computer then go for a desktop computer. But if you want portability because you need to work while traveling then go for a laptop. For me, I like desktop computers better because I stay at home. But I suggest you go for both if you have the budget.

Reference:

Marlene, G. (2009). What’s best for your home or office. Laptop vs.           Desktop. Retrieved July 22, 2009 from http://www.brighthub.com           /office/home/articles/24545.aspx

Null, C. (2007). Laptop vs. Desktop. Which is Right For You. Retrieved           July 22, 2009 from http://66.196.84.101/blog/null/29230

Reflection:

In writing this essay, I hope to help people decide on whether they will buy a desktop computer or a laptop computer. I do not really like comparing things because people have their preferences. This essay helped me improve my researching skills because in order to compare two things without bias, I needed to know more about these two things. If I am to choose between a laptop computer or a desktop computer, I would prefer desktop computer more because I always stay at home and I do not need to work at school. Both items have their good parts; it’s up to you if you will buy a desktop computer or a laptop computer or probably both.

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