For Free?

The first Humanities course of my Junior year, Rhetoric, is about the art of persuasion. In Unit 1, Suppose, we discussed how to use Rhetoric in our speeches and language. We looked into the meaning of "persuasive and effective writing." The purpose of our Action Project is to put these techniques to good use, by creating an effective, attention-grabbing speech about a selected topic. My topic is, "Why should we have to pay to get to and from school?" I have thought about this very frequently and decided to dive deeper into it with this speech. The video below, is of me performing this speech and it was not easy. Along with all the research required to complete my essay, I have learned that this issue may be more of a problem than I even thought before.

For Free? from GCE Student on Vimeo.

Running late for school, but hey, who cares? I’m gonna be late anyway. But man, this old thing? (tosses Ventra) Let me tell you guys something. WHAT IS WRONG WITH CTA, and the government as a whole? Why do STUDENTS have to pay to go to school?? In what universe does this make sense? I wanna be successful like anyone else, but why is it necessary that I, as a child, have to pay? Sure, the government may have its reasons, but why should I have to go through this as a scholar? Instead of focusing on my ACT scores and grades 2015(the things that I've been told since I was even younger that will help me ACHIEVE SUCCESS), I have to scramble to get the necessary currency just to "get to school". WHY SHOULD THIS BE A PROBLEM ON A YOUNG SCHOLAR'S MIND?

I could appeal to you guys logically and tell you all that I spend approximately $294.08 every term or every 4 months just getting to and from school. Or that some CTA conductors aren't even "in the mood" to reduce the fare you have to pay or they give you attitude, when they should be supporting us. But there's a simple way to solve this. Why are we paying in THE FIRST PLACE?

I could cry to you guys about how some days I was stuck trying to find a ride or beg someone with a dollar or two to put me on the train. Or that I couldn't buy my little brother that birthday present that I wanted to get him because saving up is so hard. Or how hard it is for my family to cough up $294 every 4 months just for me to get to school and back home. Not to mention the extra money to put food in my system during my school's off-campus lunch.

However, I could also just say that because I am a student, you have to listen to me. Or...rr that my voice is stronger because of that. Maybe it is, but this doesn't change the fact that this morning I went through a crisis. I had no idea if I had money on my card and I was broke. Walking out of the house, this became a problem because I'm not rich like Bill Gates, I'm broke. This prohibits me from pulling out a couple hundreds and saving the day with my magical money tree’s ability. I bet if you listen closely, you can hear my wallet screeching.

Furthermore, it is almost inevitable that this topic is extremely important. I hope I've inspired others to speak up. Why do us, as students, have to pay to GET TO SCHOOL. We're butterflies trying to flap our wings, but can't because we're caught in a web and the government is the spider. That same spider is the one telling us that if we don't go school, we won't be successful. But that SAME SPIDER makes us pay to get there. Whats wrong with this crazy spider? It's all a bit too much.

But to conclude, why are the adults, we someday look to be as successful as, putting us through unnecessary obstacles that could very well reduce our performance in school? Think on that. I'm DR and I'm out.


References:

"CTA Fare Information." Transit Chicago. CTA, 2013. Web. 22 Sept. 2015.
"Gov. Rauner's Budget Cuts Could Mean CTA Fare Hike; Let the Class War Begin." Chicago Now. 19 Feb. 2015. Web. 19 Sept. 2015.