Greg Power Assignment 1B Rhetorical Reflection Section HA McGough September 18, !

!1" #omment $%B% &hite was born in an age where technolog' was rapi(l' (e)eloping an( the worl( was changing as it ne)er ha( before% *obo(' +new how technolog' woul( continue to (e)elop an( e)er'one ha( their own i(eas has to how it woul( positi)el' or negati)el' impact societ'% &hite reflecte( in his piece ,#omment- that as technolog' change( societ', rea(ing woul( become an e)en more )aluable an( )aunte( s+ill% Although the pre(iction of rea(ing.s obsolescence (i( not come to fruition, &hite.s piece maintains its )alue in to(a'.s worl( because it illustrates how our societ' shoul( cherish rea(ing an( the gathering of +nowle(ge% &hite publishe( ,#omment- in 1/0! in his boo+ The Second Tree From The Corner to a((ress how the worl( was changing an( how technolog' woul( affect the bac+bone of aca(emia1 rea(ing% &hite wrote this piece to e(ucate( members of societ' as if to shoc+ an( scare them into seeing a worl( with minimal literac'% 2hese people woul( be most li+el' to care about the loss of this form of language, so tal+ing (irectl' to them ma(e sense% Rea(ing was )er' important to &hite3 while he wante( rea(ing to maintain its pre)alence, he also wante( to assure that if this was not possible in the upcoming age that those who coul( rea( woul( be re)ere(% Publishe( in a !!/ te4tboo+, it woul( be eas' to write off &hite.s 5!6'ear6ol( essa' as out(ate( worr'ing% 2a+ing this attitu(e woul( cause a rea(er to miss the still )er' )aluable information in the short piece% Most people ta+e rea(ing for grante(3 with a literac' rate nearing // percent throughout much of the worl(, it is tri)ial to tri)iali7e the )alue rea(ing has in our societ'% But it is necessar' to remember how trul' fortunate each an( e)er' literate is an( how much power this s+ill gi)es% &ith this in min(, it is eas' to imagine that if the percentages were in)erse( an( onl' a tin' minorit' of people ha( the abilit' to rea(, the rest of societ' woul( ha)e no choice but to place these people at the top of societ'% 8nown best aroun( the worl( as the author of Charlotte's Web, $%B% &hite pro)e( in his piece ,#omment- that he was a comple4 thin+er an( care( )er' (eepl' about the a()ancement of the human race an( the continue( gathering of +nowle(ge% 2han+full', technolog' has not erase( rea(ing entirel' from our species an( has in fact helpe( to sprea( +nowle(ge to nearl' e)er' corner of the $arth% 9nno)ations an( technolog' ha)e pro)en throughout histor' to separate homo sapiens from the entiret' of the animal +ing(om, so while it is eas' to be fearful of new a()ances, the a()ances of to(a' are the obsolete inefficiencies of tomorrow% &hite (eeme( rea(ing necessar'3 histor' has shown him to be right an( the future will show him right for man' 'ears to come% &or+s #ite( ,$%B% &hite%- Wikipedia. &i+ime(ia :oun(ation, 1 Sep% !1"% &eb% 1; Sep% !1"% &hite, $%B% ,#omment%- Convergences: Themes, Texts, and Images for Composition% $(% Robert Atwan% Boston1 Be(for( < St% Martin.s, !!/% ;!%