English 1B Reader Response #2 “Grade Inflation: It’s Time to Face the Facts” by Harvey C. Mansfield

In the article “Grade Inflation: It’s Time to Face the Facts,” by Harvey C. Mansfield, Mansfield begins his article with his stance on the issue he is about to argue. He is against grade inflation in schools. He clearly states his detest for the concept and wishes that schools would not give out grades that are higher than the actual grade the student received. The feeling of the article was clear based on the tone he set. Words such as scandal, sick, evil, and dehumanizing are key indicators of his absolute disinterest for grade inflation. His use of words is not as explicit as McLune’s article, “Hip-Hop’s Betrayal of Black Women,” but they tell the reader of his strong opinion.

The evidence for his argument was fairly strait forward and well supported. I agree with most of his supporting evidence. There is no benefit when it comes to grade inflation for the school, faculty, or the students. The school and faculty lower their standards so students can feel better about themselves? Where is the logic in that? The point of schools is to expand the knowledge of students and to challenge them to go beyond their limits.

By lowering standards for students, professors are refusing to put in the effort into teaching. “Thus another evil of grade inflation is the loss of faculty morale that it reveals. It signifies that professors care less about their teaching” (Mansfield 60). If the professors in our class are not going to teach us anything, then who will? Mansfield says that professors are willing to give into grade inflation “because high grades cost professors nothing” (Mansfield 60). It seems possible that some professors are willing to inflate grades as a way to gain popularity among students. If grade inflation is based on popularity and laziness, then students will be less prepared for the future than they should be.

As the world becomes more challenging, students need to be challenged to keep up with the times. The element of competition in a school environment is necessary for the working world. “Grading creates stress. It encourages competition rather than harmony” (Mansfield 60). Working life is a competition. Schools should be focusing on preparation for life outside of school not building students’ self-esteem.

There were parts of this article that bothered me. One of which was his paragraph about the science students. Up until that point, I agreed with everything he said. I understand what he is trying to say, but the way he said it is confusing. Mansfield needs to be clearer about what he is trying to say to the reader. The other part of the article that made me dislike him was towards the end. Mansfield seems to be ranting about his credibility on the subject but at the same time showing how flawed his argument is when it comes to facts and data.

The first third of the article was strong and insightful, but everything fell apart at the end. Even though Mansfield’s conclusion was weak, his insight at the beginning was enough to catch my attention and convince me to agree with him that grade inflation is wrong.

English 1B Reader Response #1: “Aggression: the Impact of Media Violence” by Sissela Bok

In the article “Aggression: the Impact of Media Violence” by Sissela Bok, the issue of whether the media is the cause for the increase in child and adolescent violence today. Bok explains that part of the responsibility belongs to the media, but understand that there are also many other factors that can cause an increase in aggression.

The arguments behind Bok’s mostly bias opinion are strong. She backs her main points with statistics, dates, and credible sources that help her prove her point, but at the same time she allows room for debate. On page 226 in Perspectives on Contemporary Issues, she uses a quote from the American Psychological Association’s Commission on Youth and Violence which shows the reader that she has done her research on the subject and has also found credible sources. The statistics used in this article are over ten years old, but she is still able to prove that suicides, rapes, and homicides have increased dramatically and will continue to increase. Her choice of wording is also specifically chosen to show that her points are still up for debate and that there are other factors that affect the increase in aggression in people.

A few parts of this article that I would have liked to see more of are who her sources are and more of a stance on where her opinion lies. Although Bok does use strong statistics, she does not always list who her sources are. The lack of information on the source leaves the reader questioning how reliable the data and the source are. As well as her sources being unnamed, her stance on the issue is not very clear to the reader. At first, Bok seems to place all the blame on the media. But as the article progresses, her opinion changes to that it’s mostly the media’s fault. By the end of the article, Bok states that there are many factors that play into the increase in aggression and that the media is only one part of a bigger picture. Her lack of a clear stance confuses the reader especially since she starts out with a strong argument and bias towards the issue.