SWA #3

Jonny Leon

English 102-111

January 23, 2012

SWA #3

The Use of Arguments

            Arguments can be made in many forms, but two of the most useful are essays and pictures. Every society faces some set of moral or practical issues. The issues are sometimes the same throughout generations but many times different issues faces each generation. Two of the most pressing issues of this generation are illegal immigration and the prison system.

            In Figure 2.1 of Writing Arguments, a man is holding a sign that says, “It’s illegal to hire illegals.” Illegal immigration is one of the greatest issues of this generation. These illegal immigrants come to the U.S. for work opportunities that are not available where they are originally from. By no means do these people come to the U.S. to get rich. They come to support their families, and not just immediate family but all of their family. They could be supporting up to twenty people on pay far below minimum wage. These immigrants have become a major element in the work force of the U.S. and there could be close to twenty million of them here at any given time. The man holding the sign makes a valid point. Not only are the illegal immigrants breaking the law but so are any people that hire them. Unemployment is very high in the U.S. and illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from legal citizens. One major problem arises here, the generally population of U.S. citizens are lazy and proud. They would rather be unemployed than be working ten hours a day doing construction or landscaping. They would never work for under minimum wage but these illegal immigrants are satisfied with many making any money at all. Illegal immigration is also related to another problem the U.S. faces right now and that is the failing prison system.

            In Kwame Anthony Appiah’s essay “What Will Future Generations Condemn Us For?”, some of societies biggest moral and social problems are examined. This prison system becomes worse and worse as more and more people are added to it. The problem is becoming worse not getting better at all. A prison has two main functions. The first is to keep people that are dangerous away from the rest of society and punish them for breaking the law and the second is to deter people from breaking the law. The prisons are overcrowded with quite a few people who do not truly belong there. Overcrowding has resulted in reduced sentences for many prisoners. Someone who was given five years in prison might only spend 18 months because the prisons are too full. This no longer deters people from committing crimes. People who truly belong to be in prison are being set free and those who could be innocent are forced to stay in these overcrowded, violent prisons.