Social Critic
Roneel Naidu
11/5/2012
AP Lang Pg 66
1. Putnam’s credibility is established in the biography preceding the article. Putnam is not only a best-selling author, but also a Harvard professor. 2. Comstock is not cited in the selection. Robinson and Godbey are mentioned, in paragraph one: “Time researchers John Robinson and Geoffrey Godbey” Needham is mentioned in paragraph three: “Needham Life Style surveys from 1975 to 1999” Kunstler is mentioned, in paragraph four: “Social critic James Howard Kunstler’s polemic is not far off target.” 3. The additional information adds validity to the argument. All the author’s sources are reliable, so having more facts that are pertinent to the article added more legitimacy. 4. The purpose of footnote fourteen is to keep with the citation trend of the rest of the article. If Putnam had cited all other facts but this one, the validity of this fact could have been doubted. It includes information that seems obvious to readers because an author always needs to be complete with sources. 5. Putnam uses the source to support his claim about the relationship between TV watching and staying at home because he provides additional information about the statistics concerning TV watching being the primary form of entertainment. 6. Citing Kunstler’s view affects Putnam’s argument by showing a more extreme view. This extreme view demonstrates that Putnam is not a one-sided extremist; that he is less opinionated than he may have seemed. 7. Putnam’s notes suggest that his research was based on reliable
11/5/2012
AP Lang Pg 66
1. Putnam’s credibility is established in the biography preceding the article. Putnam is not only a best-selling author, but also a Harvard professor. 2. Comstock is not cited in the selection. Robinson and Godbey are mentioned, in paragraph one: “Time researchers John Robinson and Geoffrey Godbey” Needham is mentioned in paragraph three: “Needham Life Style surveys from 1975 to 1999” Kunstler is mentioned, in paragraph four: “Social critic James Howard Kunstler’s polemic is not far off target.” 3. The additional information adds validity to the argument. All the author’s sources are reliable, so having more facts that are pertinent to the article added more legitimacy. 4. The purpose of footnote fourteen is to keep with the citation trend of the rest of the article. If Putnam had cited all other facts but this one, the validity of this fact could have been doubted. It includes information that seems obvious to readers because an author always needs to be complete with sources. 5. Putnam uses the source to support his claim about the relationship between TV watching and staying at home because he provides additional information about the statistics concerning TV watching being the primary form of entertainment. 6. Citing Kunstler’s view affects Putnam’s argument by showing a more extreme view. This extreme view demonstrates that Putnam is not a one-sided extremist; that he is less opinionated than he may have seemed. 7. Putnam’s notes suggest that his research was based on reliable