Argument

2007 AP English Language and Composition Free-Response Questions

A weekly feature of The New York Times Magazine is a column by Randy called "The Ethicist," in which people raise ethical questions to which Cohen provides answers. The question below is from the column that appeared on April 4, 2003.

At my high school, various clubs and organizations sponsor charity drives, asking students to bring in money, food, and clothing. Some teachers offer bonus points on tests and final averages as incentives to participate. Some parents believe that this sends a morally wrong message, undermining the value of charity as a selfless act. Is the exchange of donations for grades OK? 

The practice of offering incentives for charitable acts is widespread, from school projects to fund drives by organizations such as public television stations, to federal income tax deductions for contributions to charities. In a well-written essay, develop a position on the ethics of offering incentives for charitable acts. Support your position with evidence from your reading, observation, and/or experience.

Selfless charity is one of the few demonstrations of humanity at its best. It is important to remember to help people as we try to fix the root of the problems they face. Charity has the power to change the world, and something with such momentous potential should be taken seriously. However, it seems that often classist and racial tensions make donating uncomfortable, and thus many organizations offer incentives. As encouraging as this can be to some who wouldn't otherwise have considered making donations, incentives for charitable acts are wrong- especially if they foster disillusionment of their participants.
I'm hesitant to reference the Bible for fear of being too didactic, but as something in which many Americans claim to root their values, its messages regarding charitable acts seem appropriately relevant. It is known that Jesus required charity of his followers, but essentially the only direction he gave on how to do so was in a discussion about fasting and almsgiving. Jesus said that when giving alms, not to let your right hand know what your left is doing. Now America is technically a religionless country, but how well does this hold true when we pledge allegiance to "one nation, under God" and donate money imprinted with the words "In God We Trust"?  It would be ironic to do charity seeking an incentive from others when our President in Faith, Jesus Christ, told us not even to recognize one's own acts of service oneself.
In case it wasn't obvious, I attend a Catholic high school. At my school, students are required to complete eighty hours of service by the end of their sophomore year. Something about this requirement rubbed me the wrong way when I was first confronted with it, leaving me with a feeling of immense guilt. Was I a bad person because I was reluctant to do what looked like a mountain of service before me? I've come to learn what made this an uncomfortable task was its inherently computable, impersonal form. For the most part, the school doesn't tackle service projects together, but rather individually. What comes of this is a sense of pressure regarding service, making it a chore. Sometimes it gets competitive, with (you guessed it!) a prize at the end of sophomore year for the student who has completed the most hours.
It's not that charity is really too hard or an awkward experience for people. But rewarding people for what they should be doing anyway alienates the act of charity, painting it as something out of the ordinary. In contrast to the required hours, my high school has one very successful service project with disabled adults at Christmastime. We hold a Christmas party for mentally and physically impaired adults in our auditorium, exchanging gifts and singing. Before the party, students can sign up to take on a Christmas list of a guest and buy them some presents to open at the event. Students are thrilled to participate in this act of charity because it feels normal, obvious. Who wouldn't want to get a Christmas gift? There is no incentive for this project, but students leap to help.
If charity is removed from its meaning, the people it is meant to aid, it creates a dangerously out-of-touch society. Creating incentives for important charity projects does this. Our culture does this without us even recognizing it. When men complain about "the friend zone" when their love is unrequited, they are whining about the disappointment they face when they weren't "rewarded" with a romantic or sexual relationship with a woman whom they have treated nicely. This is only an ordinary example. If members of society can't even handle being kind without some recompense, what does that say about our ability to do charity simply out of the goodness of our hearts?

Rhetorical Analysis of Choice: "Ohio" written by Neil Young

Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.

Gotta get down to it
Soldiers are cutting us down
Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her
And found her dead on the ground
How can you run when you know?

Gotta get down to it
Soldiers are cutting us down
Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her
And found her dead on the ground
How can you run when you know?

Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.

Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young's biting "Ohio" penned by Neil Young represented the outcry of American youth in response to unjust war and corrupt politics. Young wrote this caustic hit immediately after hearing the news of the Kent State massacre in 1970, in which the National Guard opened fire on young Vietnam War protestors, killing four students, none of whom were involved in the demonstration. In his song "Ohio," Young effectively portrays the frustrations and disappointment of counter-culture Americans in their government through his use of imagery, repetition, and defiant diction. 

Young doesn't hesitate to put images into the heads of his listeners by using metaphoric, descriptive language. He describes the National Guard as "tin soldiers," belittling the armed forces in suggesting they are slaves to their orders just as toy soldiers are insentient possessions. When Young states, "This summer I hear the drumming," the listener recalls old-fashioned warfare terminology, such as Civil War era drummers, who tap out commands. In his allusive phrasing, Young indicates that young Americans such as himself feel under attack of their own senseless government, abusing its power in order to toy with its people. 

Unlike many of his songs, Young repeats his one verse and chorus without any variation of the words. The signature line of the song, "Four dead in Ohio," is the obvious example of Young's use of repetition. By rehashing this phrase at the end of the chorus, and through the end of the song, Young shows that this tragedy is something he won't forget, and something he believes others should not forget. By replicating his verse and chorus, Young reinforces the paranoia felt by American youth in regards to authority, especially the government waging a war they oppose. 

Neil Young's recalcitrant diction is something which not only defines him as a songwriter but also the tone of "Ohio." Blunt in his word choice, Young contrasts the insincerity he feels the American government embodies. Using personal pronouns, he makes it clear that this is an issue of "us versus them." "We're finally on our own," he writes, expressing solidarity for the students of Kent State and all those who feel targeted or neglected by the government. Young confrontationally addresses a second audience of "Ohio" when he asks, "What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground?" By including a rhetorical question, Young is not glossing over anything and demands a moral reaction. 
In this cutting song, Young is able to reinforce his feelings of anger and distrust through his rhetorical choices. While his explicit language directly addresses the listener, his use of metaphorical images repeatedly provides underlying messages and tones. Young's rhetoric effectively reflects the resentment and disillusionment of the counter-culture movement in this context. 

I Believe

“I am fourteen years old and the biggest Led Zelpelin fan. I love ALL there albums: Led Zelpellin 1, Led Zelpin 2, Led Zelpilin 3, Houses of the Holy. Fourteen years old. Led Zelpelin,” is an actual YouTube comment by some child in the world who I’d prefer you not to associate me with while reading this essay.

I had yet to become a teenager by the time I was bewitched by Beatlemania alongside my best friend. I meticulously listened to all of the Beatles albums in order, and came out of each near religious experience saying, “This is my favorite album. Ever.” I've been described as incapable of naming all members of One Direction, but confident in my ability to name which Beatle sings which harmony on which song. When my parents surprised me with a life-size cardboard cut out of George Harrison, I was at the point of no return.

Soon my room became a like a giant scrapbook, a true window into my mind (which is usually hosting some sort of radio show). As my passion and appreciation for rock music expanded, I filled the pages of the “scrapbook.” Tickets from Grateful Dead concerts, treasured autographs of my favorite folk rockers, Pink Floyd posters, and vinyl records cluttered my desk and walls.

My dad has probably been the largest enabler of my musical obsession, handing me down his taste and his speakers. As I re-assembled the Paradigms, finally figuring out which wire went where, I felt a sense of accomplishment in that my desire for music had taught me a practical skill. It later brought me to learn to play the guitar. I found it gratifying that my love of music had given me the tools to go even deeper. It wasn’t enough to play Neil Young’s raucous Down By the River out of a mere cell phone speaker; I needed both channels, and possibly a subwoofer. And it wasn't enough just to listen, I needed to strum along. 

I’ve never been the type of fan to over analyze song lyrics. I believe they can and should be interpreted by the individual. I am, however, deeply infatuated by the story behind the song. I found myself not asking, “What does this song mean?” but “Who wrote this song? And why?” By becoming fascinated by the person behind the voice or the solo I so scrupulously listened to, I stumbled upon the ultimate purpose of art and music: to communicate ideas to each other and share in the human experience through expression.

I still haven’t figured out exactly what this realization means in terms of a career path, but I can be certain music will always play an immovable role in my life. I think the universality of music, its capability to bring people together and understand each other, is what appeals to and inspires me most. So long as I foster my love of music, I know I will find a way to contribute to a community what I value and what betters it for the people who comprise it. All the more reason to “just keep truckin’ on.”