“A New Theology of Celebration”, by Francis S. Collins

F. Collins in his persuasive article is trying to argue that the faith and science can cooperate and happily co-exist. I think the fact that the author tells about his conversion into Christian at 27 years old, makes his argument even stronger because he was able to look at things from two different perspectives. I respect the decision of F. Collins about becoming a convert as I believe that people along with getting older become wiser. Most likely the author’s disbelief in God until 27 was influenced and imposed by his parents, peers or specific literature, but later in life the scientist: “became convinced through reading the logical arguments of C.S. Lewis and the words of the Bible that belief in God was more plausible than atheism” (622). Throughout his entire article F. Collins was trying to make a point that uncovering details about God’s creations with the help of science can become a form of worship.  In conclusion the author calls the readers upon for the belief in cooperation between faith and science and affirms that that it the right way to live. I can’t say that the article “A new theology of celebrations” made a great influence on me, but I definitely enjoyed reading it as I share the same opinion about peaceful coexistence of science and fait as the author does. I happened to be a friendly audience of the article and every thought that I was reading just expressed my own views and beliefs. But for those who do not share the opinion of F. Collins, I think that the argument is very well written and is able to persuade or at least make readers meditate upon the idea of connection between faith and science.

“What Happy Holidays?” by Cathy Young

 “What happy holidays?” is an argumentative article that, I believe, was written by the really professional columnist, Cathy Young. I liked the structure of the article that the author used. She started with the introduction of the issue to the audience, clearly identifying the two opposing viewpoints of the argument concerning Christmas decorations. Later in the text she gave some more detailed reasons and explanations that people from the different sides gave to support their ideas. The author also presented some facts about Christmas decorations in her home town and in some other cities of the United States.  In the middle of the article Cathy Young made it clear for the readers that her attitude towards the displays of religious celebrations and oppression of the citizens who are from different religions was negative. In the two following paragraphs the columnist supported her thesis very expressively and thoughtfully. In the conclusion of her article, Cathy Young doesn’t give a solution to the problem but assumes why this conflict hasn’t been successfully resolved yet.  And I absolutely agree with her assumption and find myself on the same side of the arguments. I believe, Cathy Young’s article makes a very strong and supportive argument. The article was written in a beautiful way, introducing the readers with some background information, clear thesis, proper examples, peoples’ viewpoints and a thoughtful conclusion.

“Pell-Mell”, by Tom Wolfe

I like the structure Tom Wolfe used for his essay. In the introduction paragraph the author briefly tells readers what the essay will be about. He introduces the names of the main characters, describes the conflict that happened between them, the location the conflict took place and further aftermath. So, after reading the first paragraph we already involved in the story and aware of what is going on.

            In the next four paragraphs Tom Wolfe thoroughly describes the events that happened on December 2^nd, 1803, giving a lot of specific details which make readers vividly visualize the scenario of that evening.

            The last paragraphs of the essay discuss the outcomes of the pell-mell that took place in the White House. The author tells about Jefferson’s implementations and how they influenced the status of the United States throughout the history.            

            I enjoyed reading the essay written by Tom Wolfe. It turned out to be very interesting and educational for me. “Pell-Mell” is the essay that demonstrates the connection between ancient incident and up-to-date order of things in the US.

            As far as Jefferson’s behavior that day in the White House is concerned, I believe he acted disrespectful and dishonorable to the guests from Great Britain. Even though he thought all people were equal, he should have been more attentive and caring to the Merrys, because this was not the indicator of Jefferson’s freedom and equality-loving views but the indicator of politeness and good breeding.

"Terrorism and the Media"

Before reading the article “Terrorism and the Media,” by the Council on Foreign Relations I had absolutely opposite opinion about this topic. I honestly, believed there was insignificant link between these two concepts. Evidently the author knows how to make strong argument.

            One of the things that make the essay strong, I believe, is its structure. The author broke down his essay into 10 independent parts, each of which deals with a concrete pressing issue. The essay doesn’t based on the author’s own views and opinions, instead it supported with quotes and ideas of various scholars, journalists and experts. The answers that the author gives to every question are capacious and complete at the same time. They start with a short answer, like yes or no, and after they deepen in details, provide examples and interpret debatable positions of experts.

            In my opinion, the interview structure of the essay, frequent referral to different scholars and author’s brief, precise responds make the essay very strong and meaningful. The essay, I think, can certainly appeal to the unfriendly audience and be able to make the audience look at the topic from different perspective or even change their minds completely.

“The New Girl Order”, By Kay S. Hymowitz

I really enjoyed reading Ms. Hymowitz’s article. I find it to be very convincing and beautifully written. It has a lot of statistical data, personal anecdotes and examples. I believe the author covered everything in her essay on this particular topic. She defined the term SYF (Single Young Females), discussed their preferences and life styles and even tried to predict SYF future outcomes.

While reading the article I was constantly trying to detect Kay S. Hymowitz’s position on this topic. At the beginning I was thinking that she wasn’t happy about how the things were going because she was stressing the fact that the only things young women are interested in today are partying and living single lives producing no children. She describes: “ The lifestyle also means whole new realms of leisure and consumption, often enjoyed with a group of close girlfriends: trendy cafes and bars serving sweetish coffee concoctions and cocktails; fancy boutiques, malls, and emporium hawking cosmetics, handbags, shoes, and a $100-plus buttock-hugging jeans; gyms for toning and male-watching; ski-resorts and beach hotels” (478). But later in the article I found out that the author is actually a feminist who fully approves the current order of things. And I absolutely share this opinion with her. In my opinion it is great that women today have become so much independent from men, well educated and self-confident. Their lives have definitely become better, happier and more interesting than the lives of their mothers and grandmothers.

People’s life span has also significantly extended, so why to hurry into marriages and burden oneself with kids at early age? Moreover if the desire of starting a new family doesn’t die among the women and most of them eventually get married and become perfect mothers for their kids. In addition I believe that women at their thirties become even better wives and mothers due to their maturity and life experience.

“Saplings in the Storm”, by Mary Pipher

Even though it is difficult to argue with Mary Pipher, who is a practicing psychologist, family therapist, cultural anthropologist, and must be a real expert in the field of gender-related issues, there is still something that I don’t agree with.

Yes, it’s true that girls profoundly change with the onset of adolescence but why there is a generalization that all girls loose their selves and the only thing they start to do is just pleasing the people around them?  I believe that puberty can become a great stimulus for some of the girls. I remember in my elementary school there were girls who seemed diffident, intimidated and with a heap of complexes. And in high school nobody could recognize them. These girls have blossomed: all complexes vanished and now they were the most pretty and self-confident people.

So, puberty is a turning point in teenagers’ lives but it is not necessarily a point to the erroneous direction.