Nicholas Carr The Atlantic Analysis

Nicholas Carr’s article on The Atlantic is an older informative article written to warn future generations of how easy it is abuse not only the availability of the internet but overuse it as well through his use of ethos, logos, and pathos. Carr begins his article with a scene from a well-known movie in 2001: A Space Odyssey, ending his paragraph with HAL (the computer) saying, “I can feel it. I can feel it.” He then begins his next paragraph with, “I can feel it, too.” This reiteration not only provides an effortless transition into his article, but it also provides us with a connection to people and computers. It goes to show that with todays technological advances, the line between human and computer has diminished a great amount.

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The printing press and advancement of writing are other examples of how people’s way of thought has changed. Nevertheless, he makes a statement that writing would go on to “expand human knowledge” and that the printing press brought a “myriad of blessings.” Statements as such could weaken his entire article. Carr continues to say that the internet could be a success as well. On the other hand, he then states that the internet is unlike from various creations. He then goes on to note that what people would lose from the internet is far greater and more valuable that what was lost from writing and the printing press. Such a contradiction is a major appeal to logos. In addition, in the beginning of this passage, Carr call himself a possible worrywart. By coming to terms with he possibility that he may actually be wrong and then going to show how it is that he cannot be wrong remarkably appeals to ethos. Irrevocably, he turns back to the use of fear as an appeal to pathos by clearly stating that the internet could revamp humanity into “pancake people.” Effectively, this passage holds his entire thesis: to not really solely, or too much on computers or the internet.

Nicholas Carr relies greatly on his use of ethos, pathos, and logos throughout his entire article. His ethos is mostly focused on connecting with the reader as a friend. His logos is primarily compromised of quoting experiments and referencing historical advancements. His pathos is developed through his use of implanting fear into the reader by verbalizing the possible result of overusing the