Goldwasser Essay

Making Connections:

I probably spend about two hours reading on a typical day. I read my books for class that I need to study and I try to read a book before I go to sleep.

The kinds of information I look up on the internet is definitions and more in depth details about subjects I do not understand or want to learn more of. Because I have constant access to the internet it is easy for me to find any information I may need at any time.

Goldwasser distinguishes between what you should know and what you could just easily look up when you need it because there are certain subjects that you should just know about such as your history. I think her distinction makes sense because there will always be subjects we won’t know about but there are others that should just be a concept we know.

A Well-Presented Issue:

Goldwasser is telling about the generational divide because our generation is learning things that our parents do not know. Our generation is apart of a cultural phenomenon that they were not apart of at our age. This story reframes the issue because we can teach our parents things too.

The “we” are the adults and the “they” are the teenagers. She is addressing the “we” so she is talking to other adults about how just because teenagers are surrounded by technology that they were not, does not mean that they can’t teach us anything about technology. By addressing other adults and supporting our generation as the new voices of America, she is persuading other adults to look at us in a different light.

A Well-Supported Position:

Two points in the article where Goldwasser uses evidence to support her argument is when she talks about how teenagers read and write for fun because it is apart of their social life and also when the internet stops being presented as a villian will our generations step up to our potential.

Goldwassers supporting evidence in this essay was effective because she still named the negative effects of the internet and what it does to teenagers. She was able to form a counterargument around this because we are the next generation of voices and we have to be seen positively.

An Effective Counterargument:

Goldwasser supported her counterargument to create an effective strategy for readers because she is agreeing that the internet effects teenagers but then is able to argue it by giving statistics that praise teenagers.

With Goldwasser’s use of counterargument, the reader can see both sides of her essay. The benefits of the internets for teenagers are clear but the reader can also see an adult’s point of view on the internet and how it relates to teenagers. By giving both points of views, Goldwasser using her counterargument to benefit an adult and teenage reader.