The Terrible Teens Rhetorical Analysis

To create a strong argument, creative techniques must be employed in any piece of writing. Two common techniques are methods of development and rhetorical devices. In Elizabeth Kolbert’s writing of “The Terrible Teens”, she effectively proves her argument with the use of these techniques. Specifically, Kolbert uses examples, appeal to authority, and, inside the latter, metaphors to further support the argument. Using these strategies she successfully proves that neurology can help us understand why teens do unwise things, and that we are unsure what to do about it.
Starting with Kolbert’s opening sentence, she introduces a specific example involving 57Bl/6J mice. She says that through experimentation, people know these mice have “a number of

She discusses with two experts, the first being a neurologist named Frances Jensen. Jensen states that the frontal lobes of teens not being “fully wired” is to blame for them doing dangerous things (Jensen 3). The metaphor reinforces Kolbert’s thesis because it shows that studying neurology will allow the world to see inside teenagers’ brains. Kolbert ends Jensen’s piece by saying Jensen “provides no empirical evidence that scare tactics work” (Kolbert 3). Although Kolbert agrees with Jensen, she does point out that even Jensen does not know what to do about teens, strengthening Kolbert’s thesis. The next expert Kolbert introduces is Laurence Steinberg, a professor of psychology at Temple. Steinberg states that the enlarged nucleus accumbens, which he calls the “pleasure center” is at fault (Steinberg 4). Again, an excellent metaphor is used to create a powerful image. The reader can picture this “pleasure center” inside someone’s head. It helps them understand that Steinberg can see inside the brain. Since Steinberg studies the brain and creates this visual, the reader is persuaded that he is accurate, and therefore believes neurology is an effective answer. The expert’s piece is concluded with the idea that we do not know what to do about teens. Steinberg finishes by saying “there is a high probability of something bad happening”, when teens congregate (Steinberg 5). It shows the world is still unsure of what to do