Preview

The Right Stuff Might Be the Wrong Stuff After All

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
629 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Right Stuff Might Be the Wrong Stuff After All
"The Right Stuff"- Might Be the Wrong Stuff After All

David Suzuki's essay "The Right Stuff" provides an interesting look at the need for sex education in high schools. Suzuki's main assertion is the sex education needs to be taught in high school because it is not properly covered anywhere else and students will because interested in science class should sex education be taught first. Suzuki argues that impressions formed in high school are ones that last longer than at any other time in life. In addition Suzuki points out that teachers should start their science classes with human sexuality, which will act as a stepping-stone into other science, related topics. Unfortunately Suzuki fails to provide strong arguments to support his thesis. Suzuki enlightens his audience with his own personal narration however it does not allow for his main points to be argued to the best extent. Also he commits a logical fallacy, which in turn takes away from trying to prove the thesis. All in all Suzuki could use some vast improvements on this particular essay.
The majority of this essay was based on Suzuki's personal narration. Although it may be possible to convey a message properly using narration it is not effective when trying to attest a thesis such as this. Suzuki focuses too much on what happened in one small town up north and he forgets that not everyone is the same. In addition he should consider that the students may have been "dead silent and attentive" because of the fact that Suzuki is the first famous person that they have met. Most people tend to be a little bit reserved when meeting someone famous however after a while of talking everyone usually eases up. This would explain why the students engaged in a long discussion with him towards the end. Moreover, Suzuki notes that he was "astounded at the range of topics we covered". It is easy to get off topic during any conversation and Suzuki has probably experience this with any group that he has participate in.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Directional Terms

    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Several incomplete statements are listed below. Correctly complete each statement by choosing the appropriate anatomical term from the key. Record the key letters and/or terms on the correspondingly numbered blanks below:…

    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The tone of the essay is serious and this indicates that Suzuki’s attitude toward this topic is also serious. He wants his readers to think he is trustful and to believe him. He gives a serious tone in the essay because he wants to raise awareness of issues that need to be…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    For my final paper for American Culture class, I will explore the need to teach sex education in school, especially in high school. My paper will discuss both cultural and pedagogical sides of the topic. It is a reflection of the movie "The Education of Shelby Knox", which well illustrates how teen students' life is without having sex education in their school curriculum. Based on the content of the movie and the information I have read from many articles on the topic, I will show more of my understanding on this special aspect, sex education, of American education and culture.…

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    presented, Suzuki begins to tell us what we have done to our country and how we…

    • 953 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    LUT1 Speech Outline

    • 974 Words
    • 4 Pages

    B. Thesis statement: Research suggests that comprehensive sex education programs should be implemented in public schools because they decrease sexual risk behaviors in adolescents as well as the rate of unplanned teen pregnancies.…

    • 974 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Birds and the Bees

    • 1431 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Parents always seem to agree on education being a vital aspect of life. Knowledge of literature, math, and philosophy can help students go far beyond their expectations; however this process starts with awareness at a young age. One topic that is widely neglected in education is sex. Sexual education classes vary tremendously across the nation; while some schools insist on hiding the facts from children, others are much more open with discussion. Abstinence only classes are popular among educators, but statistically they are highly ineffective. As sex becomes a reality for younger aged students, it is necessary for schools to provide suitable sex ed classes to reduce teen pregnancy and STD rates. This has turned into an ethical problem, with educators hiding information from students; they are also sheltering them from reality.…

    • 1431 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sex Education Dbq

    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Sex instruction is critical, however numerous amounts of students complete sex education classes with a mutilated perspective of sexuality and without a decent comprehension of contraception and safe-sex practices. Schools without sex education, leave children confused and often misguided. Students are left to learn through their parents about sex, who could, in turn, be misinformed themselves by never having taken a course in sexual education. Without sexual education classes, little is accomplished leaving a defective and contorted, one-sided point of view of safe sex such as abstinence. The lack of knowledge also can lead to an increase in teen pregnancy, and the spread of sexually transmitted disease, Sexual education should be taught to…

    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Do you remember your first crush? How about the butterflies in your stomach every time they walked by? Wishing they would see you in hallway and maybe say hello. Every adolescent goes through this crucial period in his or her life. That is why middle schools and high schools in California need to teach Comprehensive Sex Education Programs. Comprehensive Sex Education provides complete, accurate, positive and developmentally appropriate information on human sexuality. Many teens are faced with questions about why their body is changing and why they feel as they do. Many parents are afraid to talk to their children about sex and their changing bodies. Leaving teens unaware of the consequences of sex. That is why I propose…

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sex Ed

    • 1110 Words
    • 5 Pages

    When I think of the word “sex” I think of intimacy, privacy, and discretion. For most teenagers sex is just what is popular at the time. They don’t understand that it is not like any other fad. Now that sex has become popular it is the parents’ job to do something to change it. Children are taught how to interact with others and the difference of what is right and wrong by their parents from birth. If parents don’t teach their kids that no amount of popularity is worth the burden of a child at a young age then no one will. In Anna Quindlen’s essay “Sex Ed” she sat with six 16 year old girls at a family planning clinic in New York, the girls knew a lot about sex but were also pregnant. Where were their parents? Schools are wasting their money on sex ed classes. Do you really want a stranger to teach your child about sex anyway? It is important for our children to be educated about sexuality, but it is not the schools’ place to teach it.…

    • 1110 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    With the new outbreaks of sexually transmitted diseases and the fact that sexually active persons are becoming younger, sex has now become a daily topic. Sex scandals in the media and talk such as 'who slept with who at last night's party' are making these daily conversations apparent in high schools, middle schools, and in a lot of cases grade schools. As the saying goes 'monkey see monkey do' one can only assume that this concept will pertain to these easily influenced children. That is why it is imperative that another side of this issue is presented on a regular basis, a side that demonstrates safe sex as well as no sex. Sex is a basic instinct in all-living beings; sex education in public schools should encourage abstinence because it is the only sure way to prevent pregnancy and disease, but not dismiss protective measures for those who become sexually active, because no matter much you emphasize abstinence, there will always be those who choose to participate in sexual activity. It should be the responsibility of our schools to protect them from these dangers because it is imperative that they are aware and make the right decisions.…

    • 1409 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    According to an article from Science Daily, “Sex education is a broad term used to describe education about human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, and other aspects of human sexual behavior.” Sex education is usually instructed at schools in the U.S. – specifically in junior high and during the first two years of high school through health classes. The primary purpose of this topic is to raise awareness of the changes that this group of students go through both physically as well as emotionally. However, allowing sex education to be compulsorily taught in schools has become an extremely controversial topic all across the country. There have been countless amounts of never ending debates and arguments by the American public who are for and against it strongly.…

    • 1727 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Faga Sexual Education

    • 1693 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The article implies that the sexual education curriculum should include lessons on “abstinence, purity, resisting sexual pressure and avoiding high-risk situations” (Fraga, 2011). In my opinion, preaching to students about the importance of abstinence and forcing them to believe that sex before marriage is sinful, is absolutely absurd. We cannot stop children from being curious and wanting to explore because it is a natural human behaviour. Telling our children to simply abstain without giving further information about sex will only increase their curiosity; this is human nature and it is normal behaviour. Therefore, abstinence-only programs are rendered ineffective and even inaccurate because they exclude the discussion of important sex ed topics such as contraceptive methods. As specified by researchers, 80% of the abstinence only curriculum contained false data on the effectiveness of contraceptive methods as well as religious beliefs which were tried to be viewed as scientific facts (Kendall, 2013). Nevertheless, author Brian Fraga claims that “educators also have a responsibility to ensure that teenagers who are choosing to have sex understand the potential consequences of their actions and know how to keep themselves safe”. Although I disagree with his initial statement claiming that abstinence plays a major role in the curriculum, I strongly agree that teachers are responsible for teaching at least the basics of sexual education as it is crucial for children to know about and thus practice safe sex. According to Vaughn, moral norms should be impartial and should apply to everyone equally no matter their religion or beliefs (2). And since education is a prime source of knowledge, it would help children make judicious choices about what is right and what is…

    • 1693 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Cultural Anthropology

    • 1336 Words
    • 6 Pages

    This is a topic that for many years has fueled heated debates both personally and politically. Throughout the years many have made decisions that were later changed by someone else. In my personal opinion, I believe this type of education is just as important as the regular curriculum in every school today. Much attention is placed upon educating adolescents about the prevention of pregnancy, but discussion about pregnancy and what happens after pregnancy is just as crucial in helping teens in the United States make better decisions about sex. When I began reading the information available to write this paper, it was absolutely staggering to see the statistics and read the stories of the youth of the United States.…

    • 1336 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In today’s economic situation and with the cost of medical bills on the rise, it makes since to focus on sex education in the school system. In the United States teen pregnancy rates and STD rates continue to lead the way with the highest numbers in the developed world, more than twice as high as rates in other countries. According to the Guttmacher Institute in the article “Facts on American Teens” Sexual and Reproductive Health” (January 2011), only 13% of teens have ever had vaginal sex by the age of 15, sexual activity is common by the late teen years. Sex education is an outlet for teens to receive information, examine their values and learn relationship skills that will enable them to resist becoming sexually active before they are ready. It also is to prevent unprotected intercourse and to help young people become responsible sexually healthy adults, Guttmacher Institute (School-Based Sexuality Education: The Issues and Challenges, Patricia Donovan). Sex education in public schools will lead young teenagers to healthier sex behavior now and in their later lives.…

    • 1150 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sex education is one of the most important parts of education in an adolescent’s lifetime. Comprehensive sexual education should be taught in schools over abstinence-focused sex education. In abstinence-only education, it is highly stressed that premarital sex will lead to social, physical, and psychological consequences, and that abstinence is the only acceptable way to guarantee a life of moral integrity. A comprehensive curriculum may include topics like consent and power, sexuality and identity, safer sex and contraception, and communication and values. Comprehensive curriculums are controversial because some parents are concerned that the sex education program will go against their personal religions or conservative values. In many religions, sex is frowned upon until marriage. Even though abstinence only education is beneficial in a few cases, comprehensive sexual education should be taught because it could answer many questions the student may have about their changing bodies and state of mind, and…

    • 1048 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays