Why I Am Not Going Back Rhetorical Analysis
Oanh Nguyen
English 1301.302
V.Hodges
Due date: 02/16/2015
Rhetorical Analysis of “Why I Dumbed My iPhone and Why I’m Not Going Back” by Sam Graham-Felsen.
Sam Graham-Felsen, the author of “Why I Dumped My iPhone And Why I Am Not Going Back”, is trying to convince the reader that besides the advantages of the iPhone, there are many disadvantages that affect the iPhone user’s lives. He uses the rhetorical strategies of logos, ethos and pathos to show the reader his point of view. He states, “The iPhone had certainly made my life easier, but had it made my life better?”
Graham-Felsen uses many kinds of methods to create the logos of the essay. He starts the essay by denouncing the iPhone. His strategy is to let the reader know from the beginning how he feels about the iPhone. This technique makes it clear that he no longer thinks that the iPhone is a positive aspect of his life. He says, “On Black Friday in 2009, I said goodbye to my iPhone”. Plus, from the next paragraph and on, he narrates his story about using iPhone. He goes on to say, “In 2007, I was one of those people who obsessively . . . on the first day it came out.” Through the essay, the author used cause and effect to appeal to the audience. For example, in paragraph 5, when his wife asked him why it was so important to …show more content…
look at the iPhone instead of listening to her story, he had “no good answer”. He also uses the comparison technique to convince the audience, such as, “Before I got my iPhone, rushing to the airport was a Harrowing experience; after, it was actually kind of fun.”, “I had to buy a printer for my boarding passes” instead of getting it “instantly” through the iPhone . . . The author helped the reader to easily follow and understand his views by clearly laying out a sequence of events. From the beginning to the end of the essay, the author shows the audience the good and bad effects of the iPhone. He writes that he, “could check in route to my flight”, “instantly get my boarding pass . . . “. He slowly converts the good effects into bad effects of the iPhone. “Reach for my iPhone” when he “came to a red light”, and instead of “give a presentation about my experiences on The Obama campaign” he talked about the “power of technology”. By gathering evidences from the few first parts of the essay to support the thesis, which is a question placed at paragraph 12, “The iPhone had certainly made my life easier, but had it made my life better?” the author left the answer to the reader.
Graham-Felsen uses his own experience as evidence about what the iPhone caused in his life.
In the other words, the whole essay is based on his personal experiences. He also mentions in the essay that “working on Barack Obama’s digital campaign team” to reinforce the value of his technology knowledge. About midway through the essay he used Henry David Thoreau’s statements to prove more about his point of view. “Men have become tools of their tools”, “I wanted to live deep and suck out . . . rout all that was not life . . . .” This allowed him to earn more credit and establish trust with the reader from his experiences and his point of view. These form the ethos of the
essay. The author uses excited and disappointed emotions throughout the essay to help the audience understand his ideas. This method helps the reader to sympathize with his experiences and feelings. In addition, he uses terms like “imprisoned” to accentuate the feeling that he has from using the iPhone. He stated,” I was beginning to see how imprisoned I was by it.” This gave the reader an inside look into his emotional struggle with the new found technology. By using all of his emotional experiences, the author attempts to make the reader see his point of view.
In conclusion, the author informs the reader the good and bad things about the iPhone with his personal experiences. He also uses Thoreau’s writings to give credibility to his opinions. Graham-Felsen uses excited and disappointed emotions for the pathos as well. The author uses rhetorical strategies of logos, ethos, and pathos to argue his point of view that the iPhone made his life easier, but it did not make his life better.
English 1301.302
V.Hodges
Due date: 02/16/2015
Rhetorical Analysis of “Why I Dumbed My iPhone and Why I’m Not Going Back” by Sam Graham-Felsen.
Sam Graham-Felsen, the author of “Why I Dumped My iPhone And Why I Am Not Going Back”, is trying to convince the reader that besides the advantages of the iPhone, there are many disadvantages that affect the iPhone user’s lives. He uses the rhetorical strategies of logos, ethos and pathos to show the reader his point of view. He states, “The iPhone had certainly made my life easier, but had it made my life better?”
Graham-Felsen uses many kinds of methods to create the logos of the essay. He starts the essay by denouncing the iPhone. His strategy is to let the reader know from the beginning how he feels about the iPhone. This technique makes it clear that he no longer thinks that the iPhone is a positive aspect of his life. He says, “On Black Friday in 2009, I said goodbye to my iPhone”. Plus, from the next paragraph and on, he narrates his story about using iPhone. He goes on to say, “In 2007, I was one of those people who obsessively . . . on the first day it came out.” Through the essay, the author used cause and effect to appeal to the audience. For example, in paragraph 5, when his wife asked him why it was so important to …show more content…
look at the iPhone instead of listening to her story, he had “no good answer”. He also uses the comparison technique to convince the audience, such as, “Before I got my iPhone, rushing to the airport was a Harrowing experience; after, it was actually kind of fun.”, “I had to buy a printer for my boarding passes” instead of getting it “instantly” through the iPhone . . . The author helped the reader to easily follow and understand his views by clearly laying out a sequence of events. From the beginning to the end of the essay, the author shows the audience the good and bad effects of the iPhone. He writes that he, “could check in route to my flight”, “instantly get my boarding pass . . . “. He slowly converts the good effects into bad effects of the iPhone. “Reach for my iPhone” when he “came to a red light”, and instead of “give a presentation about my experiences on The Obama campaign” he talked about the “power of technology”. By gathering evidences from the few first parts of the essay to support the thesis, which is a question placed at paragraph 12, “The iPhone had certainly made my life easier, but had it made my life better?” the author left the answer to the reader.
Graham-Felsen uses his own experience as evidence about what the iPhone caused in his life.
In the other words, the whole essay is based on his personal experiences. He also mentions in the essay that “working on Barack Obama’s digital campaign team” to reinforce the value of his technology knowledge. About midway through the essay he used Henry David Thoreau’s statements to prove more about his point of view. “Men have become tools of their tools”, “I wanted to live deep and suck out . . . rout all that was not life . . . .” This allowed him to earn more credit and establish trust with the reader from his experiences and his point of view. These form the ethos of the
essay. The author uses excited and disappointed emotions throughout the essay to help the audience understand his ideas. This method helps the reader to sympathize with his experiences and feelings. In addition, he uses terms like “imprisoned” to accentuate the feeling that he has from using the iPhone. He stated,” I was beginning to see how imprisoned I was by it.” This gave the reader an inside look into his emotional struggle with the new found technology. By using all of his emotional experiences, the author attempts to make the reader see his point of view.
In conclusion, the author informs the reader the good and bad things about the iPhone with his personal experiences. He also uses Thoreau’s writings to give credibility to his opinions. Graham-Felsen uses excited and disappointed emotions for the pathos as well. The author uses rhetorical strategies of logos, ethos, and pathos to argue his point of view that the iPhone made his life easier, but it did not make his life better.