Graham 1 Blakely Graham Professor Alicia Bolton English 101 October 1, 2013 Argument Techniques Make a Difference Arguments

occur all the time. They occur inside of a persons mind, in classrooms, courthouses, workplaces, text books, almost anywhere you can imagine an argument is taking place. Arguments can be made for or against something, to make a point, to persuade, or even to entertain. Argumentative essays require many techniques to make them effective. Such techniques include the use of logos, ethos, pathos, a clear position, and a counterargument. Two argumentative essays that contain such techniques are Two Years Are Better Than Four, by Liz Addison, and Is Google Making Us Stupid?, by Nicholas Carr. Two Years Are Better Than Four is an essay written to argue Rick Perlsteins comment, College as America used to understand it is coming to an end (qtd. in Addison 1). The essay also argues the fact that a two year colleges in America are a great way to give unprivileged or not as academically inclined students a network of affordable future, of accessible hope, and an option to dream (Addison 211). Is Google Making Us Stupid is an essay arguing the position that web search engines are changing the way the human brain thinks. Carr believes, and provides evidence, that web search engines have disabled his ability to concentrate on long articles or books. His reasoning behind this is that the brain simply scans webpages looking for answers. The net, Carr states, is chipping away [his] capacity for concentration and contemplation (Carr 733). Both of these articles provide strong arguments; however, I believe the use of ethos and counterargument in Is Google Making Us Stupid is much more effective than in Two Years Are Better Than Four. Ethos are great techniques for an author to use to connect with a reader. The use of ethos in Two Years Are Better Than Four are very helpful for assisting Addison in getting her point across.

Graham 2 Addison states that, If I were a candidate for office I would campaign from every campus. Not to score political points, but simply to make sure that anyone who is looking to go to college in this country knows where to find one (Addison 2). This quote connects with adults and high school graduates that may not be able to afford a four year college. She shows she cares about how they feel. Addison also discusses the fact that anyone is accepted into a community college. They will not turn somebody down because of their grades in high school or their standardized test scores. They give you a chance for a new start, you will grow up a little bit with your first English class, a bit more with your first biology, physics, *and+ chemistry *classes+ (Addison 2). Addisons use of ethos really help her argument; however, Carr puts them to better use in Is Google Making Us Stupid. To begin with the title itself is an example of an etho. Carr uses the word us in his title, connecting to society as a whole and including everyone in his essay. His article connects with all the writers at his age who used to be accustomed to doing research that once required days in the stacks or periodical rooms of libraries (Carr 732). Carr also uses the fact that the creators of Google, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, assume that we would be better off with an artificial brain, Their easy assumption that wed all be better off if our brains were supplemented, or even replaced, by an artificial intelligence is unsettling. It suggests a belief that intelligence is the output of a mechanical process, a series of secrete steps that can be isolated, measured, and optimized. In Googles world, the world we enter when we go online, theres little place for the fuzziness of contemplation ambiguity is not an opening for insight but a bug to be fised, the human brain is just an outdated computer that needs a faster processor and a bigger hard drive. (Carr 742). Carr uses this in his article to make the reader really think about what the origin of search engines were. This catches the readers emotions by making them mad at the creators of Google, and other search engines, for wanting to take away their humanity. Another great example of an etho in Is Google

Graham 3 Making Us Stupid is the use of the anecdote in the introduction and conclusion about the supercomputer HAL in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. This anecdote serves a metaphor for the Net in that it actually is like the supercomputer HAL, but it wants to take over our brains. This transforms the readers emotions to curious or even angry with search engines. Counterargument is a major factor in an argument. While an author is trying to convince readers that their argument is applicable, you also dont want them to think you are completely against other views. This may turn readers away. Two Years Are Better Than Four contains no counterargument. Addison does not once consider any other view other than her own. Carr does an excellent job of providing a counterargument in Is Google Making Us Stupid. He provides two great examples of assumptions such as his gone wrong. Carr provides an example from inside of Plates Phaedrus, Socrates in that he bemoaned the written word as a substitute for the knowledge they used to carry inside their heads, they would, in the words of one of the dialogues characters, cease to exercise their memory and become forgetful (Carr 742). This is basically stating that Socrates believed writing would cause humans to lose the power of containing information in their heads. Yes, he was right, however, he couldnt foresee the many ways that writing and reading would serve to spread information, spur fresh ideas, and expand human knowledge (Carr 742). Another assumption is one made at the arrival of Gutenbergs printing press. Italian humanist Hieronimo Squarciafico thought the easy availability of books would make men lazy and weaken their minds. Others thought cheaply printed books and broadsheets would take away from the work of scholars and scribes. Carr also includes the fact that New York University professor, Clay Shirky, did not approve of the printing press either. Shirky notes, Most of the arguments made against the printing press were correct, even prescient (qtd. in Carr 743). Carr includes the fact they were wrong in their assumptions, But, again, the doomsayers were unable to imagine the myriad blessings that the printed word would deliver (Carr 743). So, yes, Carr includes a great counterargument. He wants to make it a point that he knows he may not be correct in saying that

Graham 4 the Net is totally bad for our minds, So, yes, you should be skeptical of my skepticism. Perhaps those who dismiss critics of the Internet as Luddites or nostalgists will be proved correct, and from our hyperactive, data-stoked minds will spring a golden age of intellectual discovery and universal wisdom (Carr 743). This use of counterargument in his essay makes it much more comforting for readers who may not believe in his belief that the Net is changing his thinking. They may consider what he has to say because he is not totally against the fact that internet search engines may one day promote amazing things for our society. Two Years Are Better Than Four also contains some fallacies. When Addison is discussing Mr. Perlsteins conclusion the college experience-a rite of passage as it was meant to be-must have come to an end. But he is wrong (Addison 2). This is an example of an ad-hominem fallacy. Addison attacks Mr. Perlsteins character. Who is she to say he is completely wrong? This is a weakness in her argument. Another fallacy in her argument is she assumes that because a person is attending a community college that neither their parents, nor their grandparents went to college. This is a hasty generalization. She does not have any evidence to prove this claim. People may attend community college because that is all they need for their career choice, or because they do not have the money to go to a four year college all four years. This has nothing to do with their parents or grandparents. Both of these papers Two Years Are Better Than Four and Is Google Making Us Stupid contain good arguments. Both have techniques that help them to convince readers they are credible. However, Is Google Making Us Stupid uses these techniques at a higher level than Two Years Are Better Than Four. The article really uses ethos and counterarguments to convince readers the Net is changing the thinking process of the human brain.

Graham 5 Works Cited Carr, Nicholas. Is Google Making Us Stupid? The Norton Field Guide to Writing Readings and Handbook. 3rd ed. Ed. Marilyn Moller. New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 2013. 731-744. Print. Addison, Liz. Two Years Are Better Than Four. They Say I Say with Readings. 2nd ed. Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst. New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 2010. Print.