Tanner Walsh
About Me
I took Composition II as a high school senior at Tulsa Community College. I took this class with Professor Hammett. She was an amazing professor and helped me to write college-level essays, such as an argumentative essay, a literary analysis essay, and a personal reflection essay. After high school, I am going to be majoring in Aerospace Engineering, so this is my last English class I am taking. I am not the greatest writer, but I spent lots of time and effort to make these essays as good as possible.
Featured Essays
Argumentive Essay
Teenage Vaping
Tanner Walsh
English 1302
Professor Hammett
Argumentative Academic Essay
March 6, 2026
Word Count: 1013
Anyone who has ever been in a public school bathroom knows just how much of a problem teenage vaping is. It seems like almost half the school vapes sometimes. While the numbers are not quite this high, they are still concerning. The most recent study states that 5.9% of students reported that they vaped, which is around 1.63 million (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024). This data is only students, and only those who admitted to vaping. Vaping is highly addictive, especially to the not yet developed brains of teenagers. Many efforts have been made to decrease the social epidemic of teenage vaping. There is still a long way to go to solve this issue. These numbers can be decreased by limiting the exposure teens have to vapes and increasing the knowledge of the dangers of vaping.
The social epidemic of teen vaping can be helped by cutting off the access teens have to them and the advertisements they see. Three out of four teens have been subjected to advertisements for e-cigarettes (Backman, 2021). The vape companies target some of their products for youth, such as having fun flavors like bubble gum, glazed donut, or fruity pebbles; the designs are sometimes even marketed for youth: “The FDA delivered warnings to 15 online retailers for selling products resembling youth-appealing animated characters including Spongebob and Super Mario” (Backman, 2021). The age to buy tobacco and nicotine products was changed from 18 to 21 only in December 2019 (NewYork-Presbyterian Health Matters, 2020). Natural High, a journalist website, places some of the responsibility on the parents to limit their child’s exposure by asking questions and talking openly with them (2026). Just a little over 6 years ago, high schoolers could legally buy vapes. The major drop in the percentages of teen vaping came from this law change. Many efforts have been made to limit the amount of ads for vapes directed at the young. The problem is not the television advertisements, but the social media advertisements. The government has already limited the on-air ads, but that is not the media teens consume. Influencers are the ones promoting vapes to teens, whether the teens even realise it or not. This marketing is very powerful and effective because it appears normal and blends into the everyday content, so they do not even realise they are being advertised to sometimes. The social media companies need to regulate these promotions and set rules against them. Just as the government made law changes, it should force social media platforms to make efforts to stop the promotion of e-cigarettes. Parents also need to hold themselves accountable for the example they are setting for their children if they use tobacco or nicotine products. They need to be willing to have tough but loving conversations with their children.
Knowledge of vapes and the dangers that come with them should be increased. A survey from Missouri Medicine shows that 63% of adolescents at that time were unaware JUUL pods had nicotine in them (Jones & Salzman, 2020). There are many common misconceptions about vapes, such as that they only produce water vapor and are not dangerous, but they produce many harmful chemicals that are “detrimental to teens’ developing brains” (Backman, 2021). Beyond just developing issues, they may also contain metallic particles including chromium, cadmium, and lead from the heating coil, which can be harmful to the lungs, brain, and other vital organs” (Backman, 2021). Some of the efforts being made to inform people and help them quit include a quit line from the CDC, self-guided programs from the American Lung Association, and a VR-based program from Yale School of Medicine (Backman, 2021). There are so many wrong assumptions about vapes and the risks. Lots of people believe that they are significantly better than combustible cigarettes. This social epidemic is not talked about enough, often because the consequences are not obvious and often do not show for a while. Schools and parents should make many more efforts to inform teens about the risks.
There are many arguments for the benefits of vapes to society as a whole. While many people have been able to quit smoking cigarettes and only vape to improve their health, the social epidemic is not those who already smoke taking up vaping. The problem is that teens who have never smoked before are taking up vaping that may lead to smoking cigarettes later. With the studies that have been conducted recently, “A typical cigarette might contain 2-50 micrograms of formaldehyde in it. And the scientists found that the e-cigarettes they tested contained anywhere from 0.2 to 6 micrograms of formaldehyde per 15 puffs” (Matters, 2024). Cigarettes also burn at a much higher temperature than vapes, so cigarettes burn many more chemicals at a higher heat than vapes (Matters, 2024). Among the known chemicals cigarettes have, vapes have significantly less, but definitely not none. It is still a very dangerous habit to pick up at a young age. Other surveys also show that many teens who start vaping end up smoking cigarettes as adults. Vapes themselves do not need to be banned; the marketing towards youth needs to be banned. Vapes can be a good thing for some people who are addicted to much more dangerous products. However, when millions of youth are using them on a regular basis, there needs to be some regulations.
Many efforts have already been made to prevent youth from vaping, but it is still a serious social epidemic. Teens are exposed to vapes way too frequently and are not taught enough about the risks and dangers. The accessibility and promotion of vapes need to be controlled. Schools and family doctors need to make an effort to teach teens and parents about the dangers of vapes. Parents also have a duty to educate themselves and their kids about the dangers as well. Solving this issue will require effort from lawmakers, schools, parents, and social media companies so that future generations can make healthier choices and avoid addiction and the harm that comes with tobacco and nicotine.
References
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Backman, I. (2024, November 22). How vaping social media promotion targets teens. Yale School of Medicine.
https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/how-vaping-social-media-promotion-target-teens/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, October 17). E-Cigarette use among youth. Smoking and Tobacco Use; CDC.
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/e-cigarettes/youth.html
Health, S. (2020, October 23). Teen vaping declines while addiction rises. NewYork-Presbyterian.
https://healthmatters.nyp.org/teen-vaping-declines-addiction-rate-rises/
Jones, K., & Salzman, G. A. (2020). The vaping epidemic in adolescents. Missouri Medicine, 117(1), 56–58.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7023954/
Matters, T. (2024). Vaping vs. smoking: What does decades of research tell us? - American Chemical Society. American Chemical Society.
https://www.acs.org/pressroom/tiny-matters/vaping-vs-smoking.html
Natural High. (2021, June 2). Everything you need to know about the risks of vaping. Natural High.
Literary Analysis Essay
Kurt Vonnegut on: “Teenage Vaping”
Tanner Walsh
English 1302
Professor Hammett
Argumentative Academic Essay
April 24, 2026
Word Count: 1016
“Vonnegut was known for chain-smoking 90 cigarettes a day” (Lythgoe). Kurt Vonnegut is a famous absurd fiction author with many best-selling books. He is known for his dry, dark humor, facing hardships, and smoking unfiltered Pall Mall cigarettes. His humor was his way of making light of situations, whether serious or not. He was very blunt and not afraid to say something offensive or hurtful to someone’s face. He lost a lot of family members. His mom, Edith, was addicted to drugs and overdosed while he was serving in WWII. Vonnegut’s sister Alice Adams died of cancer in 1957, right after her husband died in a horrible commuter train crash (Allen). Vapes were not yet created while Vonnegut lived; however, many other highly addictive substances existed. Kurt Vonnegut would agree with most points made in the essay “Teenage Vaping”. He would agree that addiction is a concern, especially for youth, as well as being in support of the efforts to help the youth quit.
Vonnegut has a soft spot for children and would agree that they should be protected from addiction, such as vaping. He had three children of his own, and he adopted his sister’s three children after she and her husband died (Houston). Later, with his second wife, he adopted another daughter, Lily (Lafave). Vonnegut has said, “‘I’ve been smoking Pall Mall unfiltered cigarettes since I was 12 or 14’” (Grossman). He was also a college professor at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop. He was known as a great teacher and made many personal connections with his students. One student wrote an article about their experiences with him. After making a harsh comment on an assignment she turned in, he made sure that it did not hurt her feelings and said something nice (McConnell). He also briefly taught at a school for children with disabilities (Farrell). Vonnegut experienced addiction at a young age and was addicted for the rest of his life. Smoking was not what killed him, but he knew that it should have. He even joked about suing the company because cigarettes were supposed to kill him. He knew the effects cigarettes had on his health, but was too far gone to change. Many teenagers also feel this way, or feel that they are not seriously addicted. He had many children to look after and cared about them and their safety. He would not want them to get trapped in addiction, especially at a young age, as he did. He also truly cared about the well-being of other teens and young adults that he taught as a professor. Teaching students with disabilities takes a lot of care and patience. It also shows that he has a desire to protect the more vulnerable. Being in the position of a teacher, students listened to him and were influenced by his writings and teachings.
Vonnegut would be happy to see so many programs coming out to help teens quit vaping. Throughout his life of smoking, he tried to quit twice. The first time he tried to quit “cold turkey”, and he succeeded for almost a year. However, he gained a lot of weight and reached almost two hundred and fifty pounds. The second time, he got help from a company called Smokenders. It was a six-week program, and it helped him quit, but Vonnegut says, “the only trouble was that I had also gone insane.” People in his life could no longer stand him, and it caused him to stop writing, so he started smoking again (Biblioklept). His mother also struggled with addiction, but her struggle was much more dangerous. She was addicted to sleeping pills and, in 1944, died from an overdose (Allen). Vonnegut himself attempted suicide at one point: “In 1984 Vonnegut attempted suicide with a mix of alcohol and sleeping pills” (Manikowski). Some of the new programs to help people quit vaping are mentioned in the essay “Teenage Vaping”. “Some of the efforts being made to inform people and help them quit include a quit line from the CDC, self-guided programs from the American Lung Association, and a VR-based program from Yale School of Medicine” (Walsh 3). Vonnegut wanted to quit smoking, just like so many youth want to quit vaping. The problem is they are so hopelessly hooked that they cannot quit without help. The new programs are promising, and Vonnegut would support the efforts. The programs are much more advanced and personalized than what would have been in Vonnegut’s time. He would want the youth and other addicted people to be able to accomplish what he could not. His problem was not the quitting exactly, it was the effects it had on him once he stopped. He first gained an unhealthy amount of weight, and the other time it affected his relationships with people and writing. Both he and his mother were depressed and attempted suicide, although only he lived. Many youth who struggle with vaping are depressed and turn to it as an escape. This can be very dangerous, and Vonnegut would not want them to go down the path he did.
Kurt Vonnegut’s life, words, writings, and situations show that he would have opinions about and care for those struggling with the issue of teenage vaping. His lifelong struggle with addiction to cigarettes, beginning at a young age, is an example of the experience he has with addiction and how hard it is to escape. Another example of why he would care is his compassion for young people and his role as a teacher and parent. He would not want youth to fall into the cycle of addiction to vapes, which could lead to more addictions. Vonnegut understood the pain of depression and hard times, having lost his mother to addiction and his sister to an accident, as well as attempting suicied himself. While he often used his humor to cope with these realities, he never denied their seriousness. These reasons prove he would see vaping as an epidemic, as well as seeing modern anti-vaping programs as necessary and progressive steps toward protecting current and future generations.
References
Allen, W. R. (2017). A Brief Biography of Kurt Vonnegut. Kurt Vonnegut Museum And Library.
https://www.vonnegutlibrary.org/biography/
Biblioklept. (2010, November 3). “I Had Made a Bad Trade” — Kurt Vonnegut on Quitting (and Resuming) Smoking. Biblioklept.
https://biblioklept.org/2010/11/02/i-had-made-a-bad-trade-kurt-vonnegut-on-quitting-and-resuming-smoking/
Farrell, S. (2017). Vonnegut’s Life | the Kurt Vonnegut Society. Charleston.edu.
https://blogs.charleston.edu/vonnegut/vonneguts-life/
Grossman, L. (2007, April 12). Kurt Vonnegut, 1922-2007. TIME; nextgen.
https://time.com/archive/6908221/kurt-vonnegut-1922-2007/
Houston, F. (1999, October 8). The Salon Interview: Kurt Vonnegut. Salon.com.
https://www.salon.com/1999/10/08/vonnegut_interview/
Lafave, C. (2021, March 9). Kurt Vonnegut. Encyclopedia of Indianapolis.
https://indyencyclopedia.org/kurt-vonnegut/
Lythgoe, D. (2007, April 15). Vonnegut dealt primarily with absurdity. Deseret News.
https://www.deseret.com/2007/4/15/20012908/vonnegut-dealt-primarily-with-absurdity/
Manikowski, A. (2022, November 11). The Legacy of Kurt Vonnegut. Bibliology.
https://www.biblio.com/blog/2022/11/the-legacy-of-kurt-vonnegut
McConnell, S. (2024, August 26). Kurt Vonnegut at the Writers’ Workshop. The Brooklyn Rail.
Personal Reflection Essay
Reflective Essay
Tanner Walsh
English 1302
Professor Hammett
Reflective Essay
May 8, 2026
Word Count: 567
Composition II with Professor Hammett has been the most constructive and beneficial college class I have taken so far. I took this class in the second semester of my high school Senior year. It was one of five concurrent classes I have taken in high school. My goal was to get most of the general classes that everyone has to take before getting to college, where I can take the classes specific to my major. I am majoring in Aerospace Engineering, so Composition II is the last English class I need to take. I have learned a lot from the challenges of the essays, the instructions and assignments, and the feedback from Professor Hammett.
The two main essays, an argumentative essay and a literary analysis essay, were fairly difficult for me. They were the longest essays I have written so far. I expected the class to be hard and more than I have had to write before. It was not overly challenging that I felt stressed, and that I could not complete the work ever. The struggle is what helped me learn and think critically. I was good at the research and content part of the essays normally, but I struggled to get to the word count for both essays. I had made good points and used evidence to back them up, with the explanation of how they prove the points. I just needed to find more evidence and reasons that the reader should believe the point I was making. I learned a lot from getting through the struggle and creating a good, complete essay.
Another thing that I felt increased my knowledge of writing was the assignments we did throughout the course, as well as the instructions and teachings. I had never used APA format for essays before; I always used MLA, so the instruction papers, websites, and lectures were very helpful. There were plenty of assignments that helped me to build the essay, especially for the first project. The absurd fiction readings and assignments were also very beneficial for understanding absurd fiction and the authors. Everything throughout the course always felt like it was building up to the completed essays, which was very nice and helpful.
The thing I think was the most helpful learning-wise was Professor Hammett’s comments and corrections on the essay feedback. Some of the mistakes I made were APA formatting mistakes, such as missing the title on the header of pages and the way to in-text cite sources. Some of my Point Evidence Explanation (PEE) organization was messed up, and I did not always have a piece of evidence for an explanation. Professor Hammett always had detailed corrections made on the essay doc and a written-out explanation for most of it.
Composition II has taught me a lot in many ways, including the constructive struggles through the essays, the building up of work and learning opportunities for the essays, and the corrections from Professor Hammett. It was definitely the most difficult English class I have had to take, and also the last one. I am glad to have had a good coursework and professor to get me through the class and help me learn. Some of the things that I think improved the most are my structure, research process, analysis of text, critical thinking, and APA formatting. I believe I will take these skills and knowledge to use throughout my life.