How Does Forni Use Rhetorical Strategies In The Thinking Life

“We are part of this universe; we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts, is that the universe is in us.” This quote was stated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, author of Coming to our Senses. Coming to our Senses was published in 2005. The main idea of Coming to our Sense is that our senses are limited and that we need technology to enhance it to better our world. Tyson is effective in delivering the main idea by using rhetorical devices found throughout his essay.

In The Shallows by Nicholas Carr, he asserts that the evolution of information and communication technology (ICTs) is having a detrimental impact on our brains despite the many benefits and advances we have made with it. His main focus is on the internet which he commonly refers to as the “universal medium” (92). Carr presents a very detailed but biased argument in which he views the internet and other technologies as the adversary of critical thinking and progress. To Carr, we are sacrificing our ability to think logically because we are choosing a simpler way to gain knowledge.

    In simple terms, The Flight From Conversation entails the human fight or flight behavior. However, as conversation has begun slipping away from our culture, we’ve failed to fight for it. There is a mentality in society that anything done with a conversation can be done through technology. People have failed to realize the consequences that result from avoiding conversation. We’ve nearly eliminated talking and have replaced it with texting and emailing. We have no realization that texting prevents all feeling that should be involved in that conversation had it been a real conversation. As Turkle states, “ The students had tried to “warm up” their digital messages by using emoticons, typing out the sounds of laughter, and using the forced urgency of TYPING IN ALL CAPS.” (pg. 23). I can personally vouch that this is a very real thing that even I do on a daily basis if not more. People can’t understand that these emotional short cuts and feelings aren’t the same things. On the other hand, they can almost understand the

The printing press and development of writing were another example where people’s way of thought changed. However, Carr makes the statement that writing would go on to “expand human knowledge” and the printing press brought a “myriad of blessings.” Such statements could undermine Carr’s entire essay. He continues to say that the Internet could be such a success as well. However, he then states that the Internet is different from such inventions. Carr notes that what people would lose because of the Internet is much more valuable than what was lost from writing and the printing press. Such a refutation is a major appeal to logos. Additionally, in the beginning of this section, Carr calls himself a possible worrywart. By accepting the possibility that he may be wrong and then going to show how he cannot be wrong greatly appeals to ethos. Finally, he turns back to the use of fear as an appeal of pathos by stating that the Internet could transform humanity into “pancake people.” In effect, this section holds Carr’s entire thesis: to not rely too much on computers and the Internet.

The author and esteemed Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sherry Turkle, in the essay, “The Flight from Conversation,” published in the New York Times on April 22, 2012 addresses the topic of conversation versus connection. It argues that technology is interfering with the ability to communicate. Turkle supports her claim first by using ethos to establish her credibility, second by using logos to provide her logic, and finally pathos to relate and move the reader. Turkle establishes a sentimental tone in order to appeal to her audience’s emotions on the topic. The author’s overall purpose is to persuade her audience to be together and to interact in person so that they will

In this new age of technology, information is becoming more readily available to practically everyone. This revolution has raised one major concern for the students of our generation: that we will not be able to think at all. That this generation will rely so heavily on the ability to access information immediately that we subsequently lose the ability to think for ourselves. This will not happen, however. Although many believe the internet is spoiling our generation, the fact of the matter is that the internet actually enriches our education and aids us in coming up with more educated solutions.

In his article “If Technology Is Making Us Stupid, It’s Not Technology’s Fault,” David Theo Goldberg effectively informs the reader about the effects that computers in the home and school environment could have on the future education of the coming generations. Goldberg achieves this by executing defined organization and adding unique comparisons about the potentially crippling effects technology can have on a society when put into the wrong hands.

The purpose of this analysis is to examine the rhetorical appeals(ethos, etc.) of an argument presented by two different authors who have written about the subject of how technology is affecting our lives. In the article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr, he describes how over the years, using technology has evolved his way of thinking in a negative way. On the other hand, in the article “How technology has changed our parenting lives” by Christine Organ, she promotes the use of technology, for it has improved her as a parent. This paper is to examine the rhetorical appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos found within each of the two articles. While each author had a different viewpoint, their rhetorical appeals show both similarities and differences.

The internet is an excellent place to explore our mind and put our thoughts together; however, it also has a negative effect to our brains, and the more we use it the more it decrease our intelligence. In this essay “Does the Internet Make You Smarter or Dumber?” by Nicholas Carr, he argues about the immoral side of the internet. According to Carr, “When we’re constantly distracted and interrupted, as we tend to be online, our brains are unable to forge the strong and expansive neural connections that give depth and distinctiveness to our thinking” (22). Carr’s pint of view about the internet is that it does not make us smarter in any way; if anything it make us dense and slow. Scientific study have shown that most people who stayed on the internet quit a lot are more likely to damage their brains mentally. According to Carr, the internet is also a place to waste our time. Carr backed up his arguments with studies from scientists, researches and even books. In these essay, Carr’s appeals to logic and understanding is the strongest; whereas his appeals to ethos and his appeals to pathos are finite.

The contrast between technology and humans is talked about in Richard Louv’s article from Last Child in the Woods. He uses great strategies to get his point across to the readers. Louv wants everyone to realize how the times have changed and how important technology has become in our lives. He wants to give us a better understanding of how technology has changed our lives. In this article Louv uses rhetorical strategies to prove to his readers that his points are valid. These strategies are telling stories, using important names, and making jokes.

A library can be a repository of knowledge or a squirrel’s worst nightmare. With this in mind an angle of vision is being created. An angle of vision is not simply written, it is carefully and deliberately constructed through the proper use of five rhetorical strategies. Word Choice, Sentence Structure, Overt Statements, Figurative Language, and Selection and Omission of Details are the strategies used by writers to create the angle of vision. To understand these strategies I have written two paragraphs that are similar in description yet carry vastly different angles of vision.

In the articles “Alone in the Crowd” and “As technology Gets Better, Will Society Get Worse?,” Michael Price and Tim Wu, respectively acknowledge the effects of technological advances. While both Price and Wu use effective rhetorical strategies in their articles, one presents their argument in a more persuasive manner. Wu effectively convinces his audience that as a society we continue to advance technologically, but for the wrong reasons. Price references an interview with Sherry Turkle, to convey his opinion that the social media frenzy consumes our society. Price and Wu both present their point of view, but Wu has more factual information to justify his argument. The appeal to emotion is stronger in Price’s article; however, in this situation Wu’s logos appeal is more rhetorically effective. Beyond Ethos, Pathos, and

Wild is the story of Cheryl Strayed and her solo hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. During this 1,100 mile journey from the Mojave Desert to the Bridge of the Gods in Washington, she comes to terms with her mother’s death, and becomes her own person. Much of the book is devoted to instances that occurred before she began to hike the trail, including the disintegration of her family, her affairs and eventual divorce, and her heroin addiction. She decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail almost immediately after her husband discovers her infidelity and divorces her, despite the fact that they still love each other. She discovers early on that she is unprepared to hike the trail and almost quits, but she meets many people along the way who are willing to teach her and inspire her to keep going. She suffers many injuries, but she continues on, and along the way she makes her peace with her mother’s death and lets go of her anger and grief. Strayed relies heavily on several rhetorical strategies, but most specifically she focuses on chronology,

Since the rise of technology and smart devices, the public has seen controversy over the benefits and drawbacks of internet usage. Nicholas Carr shared his opinions in the article “From The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains.” In the text, he claims that it seems to be “chipping away” his “capacity for concentration and contemplation” (Carr 5). In addition to that, he does not hesitate to state how “some worry they’re becoming chronic scatterbrains” from using the web (Carr 6). His views are painted purple in this piece of writing, as any reader could infer that Carr possesses a slightly bitter tone when it comes to the interwebs. He displays his dislike for the way it is reshaping our brains and mental function, even going

Rhetorical techniques can make or break a paper. The proper use of rhetorical ‘tools’ such as metaphors or the overall structure of the paper allows for the writer to channel the reader’s attention to the argument(s) they’re trying to make/prove. However, when used improperly, the reader interprets the writer to be a non-credible source because the rhetorical techniques he/she is uses are either too obvious or they do not create an easy and focused experience for the reader. Some of the most significant rhetorical techniques are overall structure of the paper, the use of data and statistic in the paper, and the appeal to credibility. In the papers, ‘Why companies fail to respond to climate change’, by Tobias Finke, and ‘How to Unleash Climate