Writing Prompt #1

Due Wed, Sep 11 (This response should be about two paragraphs long.)
After reading "Where does the hate come from?" respond to the reading in two ways...
1.) As a reader:  What is the argument and meaning of the article and what is your opinion in response to it?
2.) As a writer:  Analyze Sheth's writing style, techniques, use of evidence/examples, etc. and describe one element of the writing that you think is well done and one that you think could be better and explain why.

1)

          Professor Falguni A. Sheth, in her article, "Where does the Hate Come From?," addresses karma's wrath that is terrorizing the United States. She argues that as long as the U.S. government condones violence and abuses its power, hatred will manifest in the form of a tragedy such as the Boston Massacre bombing. According to her, the destruction caused by the bombing was an indirect result of the destruction caused by America's corrupt domestic and foreign policies. She believes that some kind of force, as if punishing the wrongdoers, demands retribution for every act of violence or deceit carried out by the U.S. government. Simply put, Professor Sheth argues that "violence begets violence."

           I do not believe that violence causes violence, but rather that people do. For example, if someone hit me, I will not blame violence itself; I will simply blame the person who hit me. Likewise, I do not believe that violence, or the United States government, is to be responsible for the Boston Massacre bombing, but rather the terrorists that set off the explosives. It is sometimes best to perceive straightforwardly, or else it would be too easy to blame the government for everyone's problems. Although some may preach to keep an open mind, I would not keep mine so open as to "let my brains fall out." (Physicist Richard Feynman)

2)

         Professor Falguni A. Sheth, in her article, "Where does the Hate Come From?,"  advocates Martin Luther King Jr.'s quote, "violence begets violence," by addressing a variety of brutal tragedies and then suggesting that they are interconnected with one another. For example, she states that the "pain and grief" that resulted from the Boston Marathon bombings is the same as the "pain and grief" that resulted from U.S.- led drones assaulting Pakistan, Yemen, and Afghanistan in the past. She also states that in less than two days prior to the Boston Marathon bombings, the U.S. government's torturing of GiTMO prisoners was exploited in a personal narrative detailing the horrors caused by the government. She uses this particular tragedy as an example because it occurred in such a short period of time before the bombings. Thus, she implies that if the U.S. attacks other countries it must expect to be attacked as well. Through strong, correlating examples, Professor Sheth maintains her belief in karma and supports her main argument which is that "violence begets violence."

          Although Professor Sheth uses strong examples to support her claim that violence will cause more violence, she does not present any substantial ideas on how to remedy the hatred that plagues the United States. After criticizing the government for its evil deeds, from its bombings on foreign weddings to its email tracking, Professor Sheth does not offer any alternative methods in protecting the nation beyond her preaching to "act justly" and "start afresh." If she offered a suggestion towards specifically remedying even one of the nation's many flaws after denouncing its leaders, her article would sound like more than a mere rant.