Operation: Evaluation

In his article “School Cheating as Social Corrosion” Tito Morales identifies cheating as a serious concern to all ages. The title is extremely effective, it is a accurate predictor of the article. The title is interesting in that you could reverse it and not lose the meaning. “Social corrosion” [ leads to] “School Cheating”. The authors choice of “Corrosion” creates a powerful word picture. It conjures up an image of something once cherished rusting away from neglect. When one defines the word Corrosion, as breaking down or eroding of an something, the title becomes even more deliberate. Morales suggests that the morals of our society are being eroded through a variety of mediums. Those would include: cheating becoming acceptable behavior in our youths eyes, teachers being privy to the problem and not acting accordingly, less than exemplary public figures, TV normalizing cheating in many forms, and parents becoming to busy to impart to their children invaluable morals.

Morales utilized an implicit rather than explicit thesis. This was a wise decision on his part. One does not come away with the feeling of having been sermonized. Morales appeals to ones sense of reason, encouraging one to make their own decision as to how dismal the problem is. His use of startling statistics was an effective grabber. The audience are those who would read the Christian Science Monitor, most likely Christians and Christian scientists, who would find normalization of lying,(cheating), a legitimate concern.

The author expresses a concerned tone. “If I were a late- night comedian, I’d joke[ about cheating being so prevalent] but I don’t find moral and ethical lapses of such epidemic proportions particularly funny”. Morales is respectful and thoughtful while he explains why he is so disturbed. He realizes the immense pressure to cheat. Morales is sympathetic toward students of today who have challenging and rigorous scholastic demands,...

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