Rapt Rhetorical Analysis

1464 Words6 Pages

Anderson also interviews the author, Winifred Gallagher, the author of Rapt, a book about the power of attention, who wrote the book while fighting a severe form of breast cancer. She mentions that her diagnosis can be viewed as an internal struggle of focus, due to the gravity of her situation. Anderson mentions that she realized attention was ‘ “not just a latent ability, it was something you could marshal and use as a tool” ’ (3). Anderson consults Gallagher on distraction and suggests that attentional self-control, is the focal point of whether one will invest their time productively or become distracted. I concur with this argument, because a majority of instances where I was unable to finish my assignments or work was when I allowed or continued to be distracted by technology. I felt Anderson’s use of pathos for this source was effective because it creates a sense of empathy for Gallagher and her situation; also, it’s inspiring to see someone with cancer continue to live a productive life. I am sure many readers of the article feel motivated to focus and prevent technological distractions from hindering their success. …show more content…

In the chapter, Growing up Tethered, from Alone Together, Sherry Turkle, focuses on how adolescents of this technological era are tethered and consistently feel the need to want to connect via cellphones and other electronics no matter the risks (430). She continues to discuss how we portray ourselves differently online because online we have time to create, edit, and delete biographical information (437). Turkle mentions the stress and pressure that is associated with creating and shaping one 's online image or identity and that most, if not all online profiles contain some sort of truth bending; Turkel hints that life without these online characters is beneficial or better