Persuasive Essay

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if smallpox was still prevalent today? Luckily thanks to vaccinations this virus was wiped from the face of the earth, but many more still remain. In order to prevent and eradicate other life threatening viruses, vaccines must be mandatory in all public schools. Many people accuse vaccinations with causing autism in infants; causing the very virus they were created to fight against; as well as having too many toxic chemicals for an infant immune system to handle.

Vaccines are shots that are used to make someone build an immunity to certain viruses and diseases, so that you are more likely never to get that disease. Each vaccine is different and made up of different chemicals, but all vaccines contain traces of the disease it is fighting against so that the body’s immune system is better equipped to ward off specific illnesses.

A great deal of people believe that vaccines can cause autism in infants. This assumption is made because the age a child starts showing symptoms of autism is around one year of age, it just so happens that babies usually get around twenty different vaccines in their first year of life.(California Department of Public Health)  Therefore it is pretty easy to assume that the vaccines are causing it. As of right now no studies have been done to prove that vaccines cause autism, in fact there have been numerous studies showing the opposite one of which conducted by Luke Taylor, Amy Swerdfeger, and Guy Eslick showed no relationship between the two. the idea that vaccines cause autism is like saying that a rooster’s crow causes the sun to rise, just because they are in close proximity to each other does not mean that they are related.  

It is said that you can actually get the disease from the vaccine itself, which is partially true. All vaccines contain dead or weakened cells form the virus it is trying to protect against and only in the few that use weakened cells is there even a tiny chance you will become sick.(The BabyCenter) Vaccines contain these cells so that your boy can create an immunity to them incase you were exposed to a stronger strain of that virus. People who become sick through these vaccines usually only experience mild forms of the sickness that is not life threatening. Because of the chance of getting sick from these vaccines, people with weakened immune systems like individuals battling cancer, will not be given vaccines with living cells.  

Another big reason so many people are against the idea of vaccines, is because of their contents, which contain small amounts of various chemicals. The concern is that these chemicals will add up and cause some problems, that is a reasonable assumption due to the fact that most children receive about thirty different vaccines before kindergarten.(CDC) The chemicals in each vaccine verry with different diseases, but the most common chemicals included are; Aluminum, which is used to get a faster, more effective response as soon as the vaccine is injected; Antibiotics are used in vaccines to kill any bacteria or germs that might have found its way into the vaccine; Egg proteins are used to create live cultures of the diseases used in the vaccine; one chemical most find unsettling is formaldehyde, which is used to kill the active disease so that it is no longer harmful to people when put into the vaccine; Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is used as a stabilizer in order to keep a vaccine from going bad over an extended period of time; another chemical that most find concerning is thimerosal, which is a preservative that contains a minute amount of mercury and is used to prevent the growth of unwanted bacteria. most people are introduced to these chemicals on daily basis, in higher quantities than provided in the vaccines. as an unknown scientist once said "Worrying about too many vaccines is like worrying about a thimble of water getting you wet when you are swimming in an ocean."    

The three main reasons people refuse to get vaccinated have been presented above and have also been discredited; the fear of infants contracting autism from vaccines has no evidence to support itself; the risk of contracting a life threatening disease is only possible for people with immune system problems, such as cancer patients; finally the toxicity of vaccines are so minute there is very little chance of ever becoming sick from it. Vaccines should be mandatory in all public school, because the only way to eradicate life threatening diseases, is to never give them the chance to reproduce in a living host. If everybody were to get vaccinated, diseases such as polio and hepatitis would cease to exist and be come extinct.  

Persuasive Essay Analysis

1)  What is the hook?

He used an anecdote about his impression of a stereotypical Indian person at an ethnic fair and how it was viewed as racially insensitive.  


2) What is the thesis statement?


3) Give examples of the following types of evidence or strategies that the speaker uses:

 A) Expert Testimony
A physiologist at the University of Illinois, Travis Dickson 
Author Sir Francis Bacon 

 B) Facts and Statistics
African Americans and Latinos portrayed as criminals is directly linked to the way people view African Americans and Latinos in real life. 

 C) Comparisons
He compares racial insensitivity to an illness that must be cured. 

 D) Refutation of the opposing side
He argues that people who say that insensitivity goes both ways are attributing to the problem.  

E) Audience interest
He uses comic relief to keep the audience's attention on the serious problem of racial insensitivity. 


4) How does the speaker establish his personal connection with the topic?
He uses his ethnic background as the child of Indian immigrants to create a personal connection to racial insensitivity. 

5) How does the speaker use Ethos, Logos and Pathos in his oration?
Ethos- He uses experts like Travis Dickson to help prove a point and in this case he used his test findings that prove a link between  the way people are perceived on television and how they are seen in real life. 

Logos- He is a credible source due to his background as an Indian American.as well as being raised by Indian immigrants.  

Pathos- He used Humorous stories to make people laugh then used a serious tone to let the audience know that the those types of stories and jokes are what is the problem. 

6) What is the conclusion? 
he says that hopefully people will no longer buy into racial stereotypes and instead see them for what they are. "The next time we see an Asian laundry mat we can take it for what it is, an Asian family who owns a small business in America. 

Start To Persuasive Essay

Have you been told your entire life that milk and other dairy products were good for your bones, as well as help you grow up to be big and strong? What if I told you that this was not true and that it actually has negative impacts? I believe that cow’s milk is not good for any human beings. I will support my opinion by giving a few examples of milk myths, why they are not true, examples of negative impacts, and give better alternatives to milk for key vitamins.

  http://saveourbones.com/osteoporosis-milk-myth/

http://www.asaecenter.org/Resources/ANowDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=18644

The reasons for Hamlet’s apparent delay in seeking revenge for his father.

Hamlet took a great deal of time when it came to getting revenge against his uncle, for killing his father, I will be covering a few reasons why Hamlet was unable to take action. These include his own personal doubts, excuses, physical boundaries, and what I believe caused his lengthy delay.

During the first act of the play Hamlet was told about the presence of a ghost that resembled his father and that it had been seen in the same place, at the time, consistently three days in a row. So of course Hamlet felt the need to go speak with it. After speaking with the ghost he learned that his uncle had killed his father and that his father wants him to get revenge by killing Claudius. Hamlet agreed but he doesn't really know if the ghost is a reliable source or not. so he has to find some proof. Otherwise he would be viewed as a traitor and might go to Hell, if Claudius was not actually guilty of killing the old king. The proof he needs has to be absolute, so he devised a plan to get the information he needed directly from his uncle. Hamlet had a group of traveling actors perform a play for Claudius, that display the events of Hamlet’s father's death, in a similar way that Claudius had carried out his murder. By pouring a lethal amount of poison into the king’s ear.

After witnessing the obvious reenactment of his crimes, he ordered that the play be shut down, then he hurried away. Because of this Hamlet obtained the evidence he needed so that he could continue with the still long process of enacting his revenge.

Although he has the “proof” that he needed to feel confident in killing his uncle, he withdraws from the first opportunity that he gets to murder Claudius. After the play Claudius left and went to pray for forgiveness, for killing his brother and that Hamlet wouldn't kill him. While Claudius was praying all by himself, Hamlet viewed this as the perfect opportunity to avenge his father, but he decided against killing his uncle at that time. Hamlet backed down from this opportunity because he believed that because Claudius was praying, if he were to die at this time he would be forgiven of his sins and go to Heaven. Hamlet thought that that would be too good for an “incestuous king killer,” especially because Hamlets father was not given the opportunity to be absolved of his sins before he was killed and must pay for his sins in the afterlife before he can move on to Heaven. So Hamlet decided to wait for the opportune time to kill Claudius while he is still sinful. He said that this was the reason for him to wait for a better moment, but prior to the play he gave his famous "To be, or not to be" speech, where he pondered what the afterlife would be like. He didn't know it would be a nightmare or a dream and how nobody really knows for sure. Because of this, it might be that Hamlet just was not yet ready to murder his uncle and that is why he walked away. It is strange that Hamlet would think that Claudius would go to Heaven, when earlier that day Hamlet had been talking about how he had no idea what would happen after death.

After leaving his uncle untouched he went to speak with his mother in her room because she was upset with the way he had been acting recently. During their heated discussion Hamlet could hear Polonius from behind the tapestry, so he blindly thrusted his sword through the curtain and killed him. He then asked if it was the king, even though he had just seen Claudius in the other room. It is more likely that he had acquired some pent up rage towards Gertrude and Claudius while talking to his mother, so he took out his frustration on Polonius. He then finished his discussion with his mother and went to hide Polonius's body.

After hearing about Polonius's murder Claudius decided to banish Hamlet to England until he was mentally stable, but mostly for his own protection. This banishment put a considerable delay on Hamlet’s plan for revenge, forcing him to take time to travel. On his way to England Hamlet came across young Fortinbra’s army, which was on it’s way to capture some part of Poland, that apparently wasn't worth the lives used to claim it, the captain of the army said that it wasn't even worth five ducats. This interaction gave Hamlet some much needed motivation, if Fortinbra felt it necessary to sacrifice so many resources on an almost useless piece of land, surely Hamlet could simply kill Claudius and stop waiting for the right moment.

While on the ship to England Hamlet did some snooping late at night and found a letter, written by his uncle for the king of England, that said for him to kill Hamlet as soon as they arrive, so of course he rewrote the letter to state that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern be killed instead and without trial or repentance of their sins, then swapped them out. Later on in the journey the ship was attacked by pirates and during the chaos Hamlet managed to sneak on to the pirate ship. Once discovered they allowed him passage back home, as they were most likely hired pirates that were supposed to rob foreign ships but not necessarily kill people.

After hearing that Hamlet was returning to Denmark, Claudius and Polonius’s son, Laertes, devised a plan to rig a fencing match so that Laertes would have a sharpened sword and Hamlet would have a dull one. If that wasn't enough they also planned to poison his wine glass and the sharpened sword. Hamlet agreed to the challenge because he felt like he had no other option. During the scrap Hamlet’s mother accidentally drank the poisoned wine and both Hamlet and Laertes managed to get struck with the poison blade and were dying. Given that Hamlet only had a few moments left to live he decided it was his last chance so he stabbed Claudius with the sword and forced him to drink what was left of the poisoned wine, which killed him almost instantly.

In the end Hamlet did kill Claudius but only after a great deal of time. First he wanted to be sure that his uncle did in fact kill his father before he did anything. Then Hamlet didn't want to kill Claudius in a way that would allow him to go to heaven, because of this he would have to wait a great deal of time before he would be presented with another opportunity. While Fortinbra helped encourage Hamlet to kill his uncle. I believe that it was because Hamlet knew that he had suffered a fatal wound during the fencing match and he now had nothing to lose in killing Claudius especially because his mother, Ophelia, and his father had all died so he had nothing to live for if he did think he would survive.

   

Act IV Study Questions

Act IV, Scene 1

1. What is Claudius' main fear in the immediate aftermath of Polonius' death?

Claudius was immediately afraid for his well being, because he could have easily been the one to die if he decided to spy.

Act IV, Scene 2

1. What does Hamlet refuse to tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?

Hamlet doesn't tell them where they can find Polonius’s dead body and just tells them that he is with the king and by that he means his father the dead king.

Act IV, Scene 3

1. What image does Hamlet use (ll. 19-29) to warn Claudius he's only king temporarily?

He said that it doesn't matter if you’re a king or a beggar, when you die you are eaten by the same worms. After you die you’re the same as anybody else.

2. Claudius ends the scene by writing a letter: to whom, and what order does it contain?

Claudius wrote a letter that was sent to the king of England to kill Hamlet upon his arrival.

Act IV, Scene 4

1. What's the value of the land Fortinbras' army is marching to capture in Poland (l. 20)? What will the invasion itself cost (l. 25)?

The Captain of the Fortinbra’s army said that he wouldn't pay five ducats for the land, but Fortinbra is paying 20,000 ducats.

2. Hamlet's soliloquy (ll. 32-66) is self-critical; summarize his main fault.

Hamlet’s major fault is his inability to act because he doesn't do what he is supposed to do he is acting like a coward and won’t kill his uncle.  

Act IV, Scene 5

1. Ophelia's songs during her first appearance in this scene deal with love, death and sex. Why? What do they tell us about her at the moment? What might they reveal about Her, Hamlet and Polonius?

2. Why is Laertes a danger to Claudius' throne (ll. 98-103)? (Actually two or three related reasons.)

Because Laertes has a small army that thinks that he should be king.

3. What does Claudius offer as assurance that he had no part in Polonius' death (ll. 190-9)?

He said that Laertes could choose some of his best friends to listen to his plea and decide whether or not he was lying and if he was Laertes can take his crown and become king.

Act IV, Scene 6

1. Horatio receives a letter from Hamlet explaining how he escaped from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. How did he?

Hamlet’s ship was attacked by a pirate ship and during the scrap Hamlet boarded the attacker's ship before both ships separated. The pirates treated him well and promised to return him home.

Act IV, Scene 7

1. What reason does Claudius give Laertes for Hamlet's killing of Polonius (ll. 1-4)?

He said that Hamlet thought it was Claudius but killed Polonius by mistake.

2. What are his two reasons for not charging Hamlet with murder (ll. 9-24)?

Because the people of Denmark love Hamlet and they would be very upset if he were to be charged with murder, also Hamlet’s mother still loves him and doesn't want to see him die.

3. Claudius reveals that Laertes is famous for his skill with the rapier (a fencing weapon) and that Hamlet is envious of this fame.

4. How does Claudius plan to exploit this envy to give Laertes a chance for (publicly) guiltless revenge (ll. 126-38)?

Claudius says that Laertes should challenge Hamlet to a fencing duel, only Hamlet will have a dull sword and Laertes will have a sharpened one, that way he could kill him without rising too much suspicion.

5. How does Laertes refine the plan (ll. 138-147)?

He suggests that the sword’s tip be coated in poison so that Laertes only has to prick Hamlet with the sharpened sword to die.

6. What announcement does Gertrude make to end Act IV?

She announces that Ophelia had fallen into a stream and drowned to death.

Hamlet Act 3 Questions for Study

Hamlet Act 3 Questions for Study

Act 3

Scene 1:

1. What do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern report to Polonius?

They think something is wrong and that he is up to something but Hamlet wont tell then what.

2. How does Claudius react when Polonius says, "…with devotion's visage, And pious action we do sugar o'er/ The devil himself"?

He has an aside where he confesses the guilt he is feel to himself and compares himself to whore who can’t hide behind her make up for the things that they have done.

3. What plan do Polonius, Claudius and Ophelia now put into action?

To spy on hamlet while he is talking to Ophelia.

4. What is the nature of Hamlet's soliloquy, lines 57-91?

Hamlet is trying to decide whether to kill his uncle or to just live with it.

5. What is Hamlet's main argument against suicide?

Hamlet says that There is no coming back from death and that he doesn’t really know what waits for him in the afterlife and doesn’t want to risk it.  

6. Why does Hamlet treat Ophelia as cruelly as he does? What has changed him?

After seeing his father’s ghost he said that he was going to act crazy and he also knows that Polonius is spying on him.

7. What thinly veiled threat to Claudius does Hamlet voice, after he becomes of his hidden presence? (lines 148-150)

“Those that are married already, all but one, shall live.” Hamlet was threatening the king's life and nobody elses.

8. At the end of this scene, what does the King decide to do with Hamlet?

Claudius plans to send Hamlet to England because he is starting to act crazy.

Scene 2:

9. What qualities in Horatio cause Hamlet to enlist his assistance?

Horatio has been Hamlets friend for a long and is not from Elsinore so he is not influenced by Hamlet's uncle and mother, also He knows about the ghost so he is one of the few people that would believe him.

10. What does Hamlet ask Horatio to do?

Hamlet asked Horatio to watch his uncle during the play to see if he looked guilty, so that Hamlet knows whether or not to kill the king.

11. Summarize what happens in the play-within-a-play.

The king, Gonzago is sleeping in a garden and then his nephew pours poison into his ear and then marries the queen.

12. Why, in line 233, does Hamlet refer to the play-within-a-play as "The Mouse-trap"?

Because when the king shows his guilt during the play he would have walked right into Hamlet’s trap.

13. What is the King's reaction to the play?

Claudius freaked out, yelled for the lights to end the play, and left the room.

14. In lines 354-363, to what object does Hamlet compare himself? Why?

He compares himself to a recorder, because Guildenstern can’t play the recorger just like he can’t play Hamlet.

15. As Hamlet goes to his mother at the end of this scene, what does he admonish himself

Hamlet said that he is going to be very rude to his mother but will not kill her because it is his uncle he hates.

Scenes three and four

1) What does Claudius plan to do with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and Hamlet?

He is sending Hamlet to England and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are sent along to keep an eye on Hamlet.  

2) What is Polonius going to do while Hamlet speaks with his mother?

He is going to hide behind the tapestry in the queens chambers in order to listen in on Gertrude and Hamlet’s conversation.

3) List three important things about Claudius’ soliloquy.

a) He knows what he did was wrong and is feeling a tremendous amount of guilt about it.

b) He cannot pray for forgiveness because he does not regret killing the old king and doesn’t want to give up the things that he has gained which are kingship and Gertrude.

c) He wants to pray but he cannot give up what he has gained so he fears that he is going to Hell

4) Why is it odd that Hamlet sees the king praying?

Because Hamlet thinks that Claudius is praying while we know that the king cannot pray because he is not willing to give up what he has gained from his sin.

5) Why doesn’t Hamlet take this opportunity for revenge?

Hamlet believes that is he were to kill Claudius while he was praying he would go to Heaven, but Hamlet doesn’t want that so he decides to wait for a better moment.

Scene IV

1) Describe Polonius’ advice to Gertrude.

He told her that she needs to scold her son and tell him that his pranks are negatively effecting the king and queen.

2) What is the significance of the following quote: “How now, a rat? Dead! For a ducat, dead!

He knew that somebody was spying on him and his mother so he killed Polonius who was hiding behind the tapestry, people who spy on others are often referred to as rats.

3) What is odd about the following quote: A bloody dead; almost as bad, good mother, as kill a king and marry with his brother.

He was saying that she was in on the murder of the old king even though the ghost said that it was Hamlet's uncle.

4) Why might Gertrude say, “What have I done, that thou dar’st wag thy tongue in noise so rude against me.”

She doesn’t understand why Hamlet would accuse her of murdering her husband.

5) What descriptions does Hamlet use to compare his father and his uncle?

King Hamlet: He was a gentleman, Curly hair, forehead of a greek god, very good a comanding people, and very agile.  

Claudius:  He is described as a mildew'd ear of corn.

6) What point does Hamlet make by comparing the men?

He is telling his mother that there is no comparison between his father and uncle and how badly she downgraded. .

7) What is disturbing about the following: Nay, but to live in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed; stewed in corruption; honeying, and making love over the nasty sty.”

Just about everything because he is talking about the relations his mother is having with his uncle and how gross it was because his mother and father used to share that bed. It is also disturbing that he would say these things to his mother’s face.

8) What stops Hamlet’s ranting and raving at Gertrude? What does this figure tell Hamlet?

The ghost of his father appears and tells him to stop frightening his mother because the real person to blame in Claudius.

9) By the end of the act, Hamlet has made many statements about humanity, in general. Explain a few of his points. Do his opinions reflect his madness.

He gave the “To be or not to be” speech where he talked about whether or not to kill his uncle or if suicide was the answer to his problem. He also said that women who wear make up are dishonest and are responsible for driving men mad.   

10) Explain the differences between the ghost in Act I with the ghost in Act III. Why might these differences reflect Hamlet’s insanity?

In Act 1 the ghost was visible and anyone around could see him also he wants to get revenge for his death. In Act 3 the ghost appeared and Hamlet was the only one able to see it also the ghost told Hamlet not to be so rude to his mother and that the person to blame in Claudius. There probably wasn’t a ghost was Hamlets crazy way of easing up on his mother and focus on the real mission on hand.  

Act 2 Answers

1) What is does Polonius tell Reynaldo in the opening of Act II? How does he plan to trap his son?

Polonius told Reynaldo to make up lies about Laertes and see if anybody can confirm whether or not it is true in order to see what he is up to.

2) What does this say about Polonius?

This shows that Polonius is not very trusting with his son and is not confident in his ability to speak with his son about his life in France.  

3) What particularly in Act II scene 1 has disturbed Ophelia?

Hamlet went to her and grabbed her arms which really freaked her out, and she asumes it was because shehad not been talking to him.

4) Why have Rosencrantez and Guildenstern been sent to Denmark?

They were sent by the king and queen to spy on Hamlet and to find out why he was so sad.

5) What does Hamlet ask the players to recite? How does the allusion mimic Hamlet’s position?

Identify the following speaker of the following lines and discuss to whom the lines are being delivered, and what do the lines mean?

6) “No, my lord, but as you did command/ I did repel his letter, and denied his access to me”

Ophelia is the speaker and she is telling her father that she had done as he asked and stayed away from Hamlet.

7) “More matter less art”

The Queen is the speaker and is telling Polonius to get to the point while he is trying them that Hamlet is crazy.

8) “That I, the son of a dear father murdered,/ Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell/ Must like a whore unpack my heart with words,

Hamlet is the speaker and this is one of his soliloquies, where he is saying that he is going to get his revenge by killing his uncle, who murdered his father. Hamlet also compares himself to a whore because he, like a prostitute is providing his services.

9) “Your bait of falsehood take this carp of truth/ And thus do we of wisdom and of reach,/ with windlasses and with assays of bias,/ By directions find directions out.”

Polonius is telling Reynaldo that every lie he tells about Laertes the closer you will be to finding out what he was up to.

10) “For if the sun breeds maggots in a dead dog, being a good kissing carrion-Have you a daughter?”

Hamlet is insulting Polonius by comparing his daughter Ophelia to a dead dog that the sun birthed maggots into, by implying that he (the sun) spoiled Ophelia (the dead dog).

11) List three metaphors (1 direct, 1 implied, 1 extended) from the play.

Direct: Hamlet called Polonius a “fishmonger”.

Implied: Guildenstern and Rosencrantz are compared to prostitutes because they sell themselves to the king to spy on hamlet.

Extended: Hamlet views Denmark as his own personal prison.  

12) What proof does Polonius have that he believe indicates Hamlet’s love for Ophelia?

A letter that Ophelia gave her father that she said was from hamlet that confessed his love to her.

13) Explain the quote, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” How does this relate to Hamlet.

Hamlet is saying there is no such thing as good or bad but only how others perceive it.

14) What is a fishmonger?

A fishmonger is another word for pump.

15.) Who was Jephthan?

Jephthan is a character from the bible who killed his daughter for political gain.