Do you agree with Nicholas Carr’s assertion that Google (or, really, the internet at large) is making us less intelligent as a population? Does his definition of “intelligence” seem accurate, or do you find it narrow? In your analysis of his argument, feel free to use your own personal experience to bolster your analysis. If the internet has affected the way that we read, communicate, and think, has the result been overall positive, or negative, or perhaps a combination of both?
According to the following instructions, please write a 5-page essay responding to one of the following questions concerning either Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” or Mike Rose’s
“Blue Collar Brilliance.” Your essay should be a focused, clear, and argumentative analysis of
the primary claim of whichever text you choose to respond to. I will expect to see clear summaries of the main point(s) of your chosen text using meaningful paraphrasing and quotation, followed by specific and original analysis of the text’s main claim(s) (in other words, they say —-> I
say). In short, this essay is meant to help you practice articulating the main point of an argumentative essay and responding to that main point with your own opinion on the topic.
Please choose from one of the following prompts when constructing your analysis:
1. Do you agree with Nicholas Carr’s assertion that Google (or, really, the internet at large) is making us less intelligent as a population? Does his definition of “intelligence” seem accurate, or do you find it narrow? In your analysis of his argument, feel free to use your own personal experience to bolster your analysis. If the internet has affected the way that we read, communicate, and think, has the result been overall positive, or negative, or perhaps a combination of both?
2. In “Blue Collar Brilliance,” Mike Rose argues that our culture undervalues the intelligence and important contributions of blue collar workers. Do you agree? Does our society fail to recognize what Rose calls “blue collar brilliance”? Can blue collar skills as valuable (or more valuable) than a conventional education/white collar career path? Why or why not?
Your paper should have a clear introductory paragraph that includes the name of the author/text
you are responding to, as well as a clear, original and persuasive thesis statement. (If you are
feeling stuck, please refer back to the chapter titled “Three Ways to Respond” in They Say, I Say, and
feel free to use the templates provided to formulate your own thesis). As I state above, your paper
should also display clear transitions between body paragraphs, effective and succinct summary, correct usage and citations of quotes, and a solid, focused conclusion paragraph that reviews the essential points of your body paragraphs and answers the questions “So what? Why does this topic matter
on a broad scale?”.
CITATION
