Final Amusing

After reading and analyzing both Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman and You Just Don’t Understand, by Deborah Tannen, I have come to conclude that I prefer Tannen’s book over Postman’s. There are a variety of reasons for this particular choice. For one, Tannen’s novel offered a very relatable topic that applies to my everyday life. On the other hand, Postman’s argument was a bit too radical for my taste. Also, Tannen’s novel was very focused and clear. On the contrary, Postman had a tendency to ramble on about irrelevant topics or topics in which he already discussed. This type of behavior gave me an unfocused and confusing reading experience. Deborah Tannen’s You Just Don’t Understand has a very ordered structure. Tannen organizes her book in an alternating point style. All of Tannen’s chapters are filled with sub-chapters. The sub-chapters contain material with a sharper focus on the chapter’s main topic. Throughout the chapters of the book, Tannen first specifies the various issues men and women face in conversation. Next, Tannen provides an example of the issue occurring in the everyday life. Lastly, Tannen offers either a solution or a way to compromise the problem. Additionally, in the start of the book, she begins with broadly focused chapters describing the reasons behind various miscommunications. As the book goes on, Tannen begins writing on more specific issues and solutions, pinpointing the main causes for misunderstandings between genders. Although Neil Postman provides a different structure than Tannen, it still has a very logical order. Postman’s book is broken down into two parts and arranged in a chronological order. Part 1 focuses on the history of the world before the television. Part 2 isolates the specific issues and customs that arise due to the establishment of the television. Each chapter offers various different, but related topics on the effects television has on public discourse. Additionally, Unlike Tannen, who give