ipl-logo

Dr. Sack's Arguments Against The Use Of Prescription Drugs

467 Words2 Pages

Dr. Sack's article initially appears as an argument against the use of prescription drugs in academics, however, his real message is a warning to parents about the ramifications of pushing their children to win and achieve. Throughout the piece, he poses questions challenging the benefits of being competitive and notes the long-term dangers of relying on medications to maintain a competitive edge. I found though that his most powerful statement was this: "The humiliation of losing can leave lasting scars, while the euphoria of victory fades quickly because it is based on a shaky sense of self-worth" (Sack).

Not only did I find the word choice powerful and strangely poetic, but I also felt that the statement itself could stand as a thesis to his argument against the focus on winning. Using a word such as humiliation in place of embarrassment has an emotionally stimulating quality about it. One could picture embarrassment as a short-term feeling that can be laughed about later on, but humiliation is something that sticks negatively with a person for a long time. Likewise, the use of the word euphoria over joy, happiness, or excitement demonstrates how fleeting the sensation associated with winning is. Euphoria brings to mind the high associated with drug use, a short-lived sensation that is dependent on …show more content…

Since a reader of the website is more likely to skim through the content on their lunch hour or while working on other projects it is important for authors to make their material succinct, interesting, and even emotionally charged. Dr. Sack's article is no exception to this as he uses more pathos in his article to keep the reader engaged as opposed to delving deeper into the data on the problem. This would also explain why he chose the words he did on the humiliation and euphoria of

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of Door Bombing Leave A Trail Of Blood By Kevin Sack

    924 Words  | 4 Pages

    He does an exemplary job persuading readers of his viewpoint with tactics that appeal to a wide range of readers. Sack’s article commences with a story

    Read More

  • Summary Of What You Ll Do Next By David Brooks

    1038 Words  | 5 Pages

    At this point in the article, he starts to tell us what data should be used for. He says that data shouldn’t be used to predict human nature, but instead to help people out. He’s using pathos at this point to make the reader believe he’s right. Everyone knows it’s a good thing to help people. It’s a sad thing to see and know people who are struggling, so once he says that it can help people in those positions.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Education Of Dasmine Cathey By Brad Wolverton

    1393 Words  | 6 Pages

    Brad Wolverton’s “The Education of Dasmine Cathey” peers into the life of student-athlete Dasmine Cathey and the academic struggles imposed on him through his environment. Wolverton’s evaluative argument, or an argument that scrutinizes every aspect of a chosen subject, utilizes a variety of rhetorical strategies and techniques such pathetic appeals through the inclusion of photographs and the use of imagery in the various scenes of Dasmine’s life in the article. To understand Wolverton’s argument, it is important to review his credentials—as a former senior writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education, where this article was first published, Wolverton has written dozens of articles critiquing the college athletic system since 2005. Due to

    Read More

  • Arthur Caplan's Argument Essay

    660 Words  | 3 Pages

    For many people, gaining a competitive edge is crucial in one 's success, even if it comes at a cost. In modern professional and amateur sports, the introduction of performance enhancing drugs has dramatically changed the nature of the game. Arthur Caplan, author of A Shot in the Rear: Why Are We Really against Steroids?, presented argumentative reasons from both supporters and objectors of steroid use. While Caplan attempted to use persuasive appeals, the lack of sources used combined with a poor structure severely weakened his argument. In order to enhance his argument, Caplan used persuasive appeals, such as logos and ethos.

    Read More

  • Tryouts Should Be Banned Essay

    564 Words  | 3 Pages

    For many years, people have been debating about whether sports teams for kids should have selective tryouts. Although some parents claim that their child has felt so defeated by an unsuccessful tryout that they don’t want to continue with the sport, this is not always what happens. I believe that exclusive tryouts should be held for children because they are extremely good for their mental health in three ways: tryouts teach kids humility, in that they aren’t always going to be selected, they help kids learn to work harder, and they boost kids’ confidence. The first reason why tryouts should be held is because they teach kids how to be humble, and that they are not always going to do everything as well as they want.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Jessica Statsky's Children Need To Play Not Compete

    921 Words  | 4 Pages

    In “Children Need to Play, Not Compete.” Jessica statsky brought forward a pressing issue of competitive sports that has now become a part of our lives. Statsky claims that these competitive sports have a harmful effect on a child’s mind. The extreme physical pressure is quite damaging as well. The injuries children face can sometimes take forever to heal itself.

    Read More

  • Being An Athlete Vs Being A College Athlete Essay

    306 Words  | 2 Pages

    All good things must come to an end. There will be a day, when an athlete has to stop playing ball. That transition to stop being an athlete, will be the toughest game they play. They must be prepared for the day they have to stop attending the workouts, meetings, and playing the games. Many student-athletes are depressed when they don’t make it to the pros.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of The Education Of Dasmine Cathy

    876 Words  | 4 Pages

    A Rhetorical Analysis of “The Education of Dasmine Cathey” Writer, Brad Wolverton, in his article “The Education of Dasmine Cathey” first appearing in The Chronicle of Higher Education, conveys the journey of a former University of Memphis football player who was poorly educated and how he struggled to be academically eligible. Wolverton’s purpose is to illustrate the widespread of educational shortcomings of NCAA athletes and the complicated ways athletes struggles gets brushed under the proverbial carpet. (Wolverton) In this article Wolverton utilizes a straightforward tone by using pathos to appeal to the readers with Mr. Cathey’s difficult situation also utilizing logos and ethos etc. to help make a presentable argument to which I will be analyzing.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Theodore Roosevelt's The Proper Place For Sports

    109 Words  | 1 Pages

    Theodore Roosevelt in his letter to his son, The Proper Place For Sports(1919), proposes to his son that football in college is dangerous and he should think before he play. He supports his claim by first bringing up the subject, then telling his son of he should make the decision, then telling his son to not let sports get in the way of school, in closing he states general things going on to change the subject. Roosevelt’s purpose is to beget the problems of football in order to make his son realize the consequences of playing and make him rethink. He adopts a sincere tone for his athletic son.

    Read More

  • Grade Inflation Causes And Consequences Essay

    1032 Words  | 5 Pages

    Students are fully aware of the positive and negative consequences of grade inflation whether it is something as simple as a grade curve or as drastic as a student trying to bargain their way into graduation. However, another smaller issue that arises is the “participation trophy.” When doing something, everyone gets an equal amount of victory. When discussing this topic in class, I realized that many of my peers saw participation trophies and inflated grades as one in the same. Both items apparently trigger narcissism and false hope in children.

    Read More

  • Children Need To Play Not Compete, By Jessica Statsky

    990 Words  | 4 Pages

    Concentrating on winning or losing spoils the fun that games hold. In addition, equal chances should be provided to every child to participate. Competitive nature can assist the children in their life later on, but the focus should be on better mental and physical health. (204 words) Response In “Children Need to Play, Not Compete,” the author has described sports as one of the ways that enhance mental and physical heath.

    Read More

  • Grant Penrod Why We Hate The Smart Kids Summary

    1194 Words  | 5 Pages

    I’m going to write more on Grant Penrod article ‘Why We Hate the Smart Kid’s’. I agree with Penrod, he is trying to let us know academics is just as important as the athletes are. For many student’s school is the best time for them. You have some who come to play sports and some who come for the academics. In any high school, you have a lot of different groups or cliques like jocks, stoners, nerds and many more.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Speech: The Benefits Of Competitive Sports

    971 Words  | 4 Pages

    “In the U.S., about 30 million children and teens participate in some form of organized sports, and more than 3.5 million injuries each year” claims Stanford Children’s Health. It’s definitely true that competitive sports can cause all sorts of injuries from big to small. The media teaches people simply that sports leads to horrific injuries and can cause stress, but what the mainstream media hardly discusses are the great benefits of competitive sports. While there may be some negatives to competitive sports, that’s just life, and to add on to that; there are plenty of benefits which are sure to override to media’s facts. Kids should play competitive sports because competitive sports teach children powerful life lessons, contributes to their social and mental stability, and because of the physical gain competitive sports provides.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Fair Play Friesen

    250 Words  | 1 Pages

    Summary: The article “Fair Play” was written by the author Blass Friesen in 2008. Regarding to the article, author used issue “taking performance-enhancement drug” in terms of tell the readers how the wrong ethical decision affect people around us and the spirit of competition. I am going to emphasize on the second paragraph which author offer three reasons on why take performance-enhancement drugs hurt ourselves and others. Response:

    Read More

  • Benefits Of Competition

    1030 Words  | 5 Pages

    They believe competition creates a cycle of losing and feeling bad about oneself, which no child should be forced to handle. For example, Alfie Kohn states that our “competitive society has changed our sense of self-worth”, causing many to believe that victory and success are the same thing. He also says that in “a competitive culture, a child is told that it isn’t enough to be good – he must triumph over others”, creating a society in which winning is the only option. But the drive to win is important. “Experts warn: Don’t try to cut winning out entirely.

    Read More

More about Dr. Sack's Arguments Against The Use Of Prescription Drugs

Open Document