What struck me the most from chapter 13 was the student essay the book used as an example for structuring a causal argument, “Texting: A Boon, Not a Threat, to Language” (Kirszner, 2011, 363). It caught my attention because it deals with a very current and pertinent issue of debate that interests and applies to me personally. In a relatively short essay, the author makes several strong, applicable points to support her argument, and uses clear, concise writing to do so.
In today’s fast-paced world of technological advancement, texting is an excellent topic for an argumentative essay. Skimming through the chapter, this essay caught my eye and made me really curious to see what the author had to say. This was especially so because most literature I have read about texting takes the opposite stance, warning of the dangers of this “downgraded” form of communication. Reading Mialki’s argument for the values of texting and its preservation and expansion of language was exciting for me as someone who loves to text, and I agreed with many of her points.
The specific pieces of evidence Mialki uses are, I think, very convincing. Among the arguments she makes for her case are the time texters spend engaged with language, and the creativity with language demanded by the limitations of texting. She refutes the opposing argument that texting discourages the use of proper English with evidence from a study by Newsweek linking texting and expanded vocabularies. Another, more subtle refutation she gave that I loved was her sentence “Just as most young people know not to talk to their teachers the way they talk to their friends, they know not to write papers the way they write text messages.” That is a key point that I think holds pretty true, but that gets left out most times in debates about the texting issue by people who apparently think young people have little ability to transition appropriate registers for specific tasks.
Beyond just the content of her essay, I was also impressed by her use of writing techniques. In the second paragraph, Mialki employs what we learned about giving a definition in an argument, in this case, to explain what a “text message” is. This technique serves to clarify her message by putting readers, who may not be very familiar with texting, on the same page with her (similar to the effect it had when Dr. Carreiro put the definition of “education” on the board during our in-class discussion about schooling versus education). More importantly, Mialki used short, clear, simple sentences to develop substantial paragraphs throughout the essay. This concise writing had a very positive effect on my emotional response to the essay because it felt quick to read, kept my interest, and did not ‘lose me’ at all. I also think the essay’s being well organized added to how digestible it seemed; the thesis statement is very easy to identify and conveniently located at the very end of the introduction paragraph.
Works Cited
Mialki, Kristina in Kirszner. Practical Argument. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2011. Print.
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