Both article number one of the student code of UIUC, “Student Rights and Responsibilities,” and Howard White’s essay, “The Power of ‘Hello’,” have similar claims. They discuss the rights of mankind and argue that no one should ever have any of their right taken away. In White’s essay, he supports the small right of acknowledgement. White claims that “every single person deserves to be acknowledged, however small or simple the greeting” (White). I have some experience with this as well, though not to his extent. I am an avid bike rider, and enjoy riding on the prairie path near my home; while riding, I noticed that some riders would always give me a nod or a slight wave. With this small gesture, they acknowledged me, one who they did not even know, and I appreciated that. Because of this, I also began to nod as I passed. At first it felt weird, as if I was the odd one for saying hello, but eventually I stopped caring about that and just greeted them anyway. After a while of doing this, I began to get nods back from people I meet frequently on the path. Soon I began to have conversations with a few of them, and we are good friends now, riding together frequently. As such, I understand “The Power of ‘Hello’” and can understand why White feels so strongly about this little detail.

On the other end of the spectrum, the student code covers a more general topic. The student code discusses how being a student at UIUC does not take away the rights granted by “the state, the nation, and the world” (UIUC). The rights that are discussed in this article are never completely defined, but are loosely stated as the “rights and responsibilities common to all citizens” (UIUC). The connection between these two articles is very interesting. One looks at the smallest detail, while the other views the topic with a global perspective. The fact that they vary in view yet still make the same argument is what interesting. Both claim that that we as people have rights, but are also the ones responsible to uphold the rights of others as well. Whether they be an undergraduate, graduate, janitor, or CEO, everyone is entitled to their rights as human beings. Both articles acknowledge this, and challenge the reader to be the one that protects the rights of others, no matter how insignificant they may seem.

Work cited

University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. “Article 1—Student Rights and Responsibilities.” Student Code. Web. 01 Dec. 2015.

White, Howard. “The Power of ‘Hello'” NPR, 25 Aug. 2008. Web. 01 Dec. 2015.