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Pages:
3 pages/≈825 words
Sources:
3 Sources
Style:
APA
Subject:
Literature & Language
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.S.)
Document:
MS Word
Date:
Total cost:
$ 10.8
Topic:

English 101. Critical Review: “Is Google Making Us Stupid”

Essay Instructions:

English 101
ASSIGNMENT TWO: Critical Review Essay
Length: 800 words
Font: Times New Roman [12 pt]
Required sources: 1-2
• Sources must be documented throughout the essay by using MLA “in-text/parenthetical” citations and a “Works Cited” page at the end.
Topic: Critical Review of Nicholas Carr’s  “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Your goal is to read and understand Carr’s argument, examine his overall argument as well as his individual points for their strengths and weaknesses, come to your own conclusion about his essay’s effectiveness, and construct your own argument about his essay. Think of yourself as a book reviewer – you want to summarize Carr’s argument accurately, but you also want to present your own perspective on whether his argument is effective or not. Use secondary sources to support your perspective.
 Summary Instructions
1) Read the whole work, noting key ideas and concepts (either annotating the text itself or keeping your own notes).
2) After your first reading, review the essay to uncover its structure/organization. Why might the author have chosen this particular structure? How does it contribute to the effectiveness of his argument?
3) Brainstorm and/or Free write and determine the reading’s central argument or goal and the main pieces of evidence the author uses to support this argument.
4) Write a preliminary summary of each of these arguments.
 Essay Outline
Paragraph 1. Summary/Thesis
A. Introduce the writer and his essay (Begin your essay with a sentence that states the name of the author, title of article; a line like this: “In his article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” published in the reader Queensborough Reads, Nicholas Carr presents an interesting argument about the internet and its effect on the thinking process.)
B. Present the essay’s main argument and overall purpose.
C. State briefly how the author makes his argument; provide supporting ideas from the essay. Do not insert your personal feelings about the topic. (They say, I say Chap.2)
D. End the introduction paragraph with your thesis. (your thesis should make a specific point about the author’s argument; (your overall evaluation of the writer’s main argument)
E. Explain your thesis briefly
 
Paragraph 2.
A. Topic Sentence – introduce one point Carr uses to support his claim.
B. Provide a quotation from Carr where he explains the point.
C. Explain the quotation in your own words (write restatement of the quotation.)
D. Write at least THREE more sentences where you explain if this is a strong point that actually supports his argument well. (Is the evidence strong? Sufficient? Persuasive? Weak? Biased? Why? What research supports or refutes the writer’s ideas/essay?)
Paragraph 3.
A. Topic Sentence – introduce another point Carr uses to support his claim.
B. Provide a quotation from Carr where he explains the point.
C. Explain the quotation in your own words (write restatement of the quotation.)
D. Write at least THREE more sentences where you explain if this is a strong point that actually supports his argument well. (Is the evidence strong? Sufficient? Persuasive? Weak? Biased? Why? What research supports or refutes the writer’s ideas/essay?)
 
Paragraph 4.
A. Topic Sentence – introduce a third point Carr uses to support his claim.
B. Provide a quotation from Carr where he explains the point.
C. Explain the quotation in your own words (write restatement of the quotation.)
D. Write at least THREE more sentences where you explain if this is a strong point that actually supports his argument well. (Is the evidence strong? Sufficient? Persuasive? Weak? Biased? Why? What research supports or refutes the writer’s ideas/essay?)
 
Paragraph 5. Conclusion  
A. Conclude without summarizing everything you have already said.
B. Restate Carr’s overall goal and your overall judgment of how well he presents her argument
C. Two concluding lines on the internet and its effects on the thinking process.

Essay Sample Content Preview:
Student’s name
Professor’s name
Course
Date
Critical Review: “Is Google Making Us Stupid”
In his article “Is Google Making Us Stupid”, Stephen Carr presents an argument on how the internet transforms the reading, learning, and thinking process of people. He argues that people’s reading and studying habits have deteriorated nowadays compared to the non-internet era. Using various examples, Carr points out how the human brain tends to absorb and internalize various components of our external environment. The author supports his allegations by providing studies that illustrate the influence of the internet on human concentration, information gathering and processing, and the general thinking abilities. He, particularly, suggests that the use of the internet narrows our attention span, hence reducing the ability to think deeply, read widely, and concentrate on a particular task for a long period. According to Carr’s point of view, the use of the internet as a substitute for the traditional methods of learning and getting information has significantly changed the reading, learning, and thinking processes of people. But a change in the way people read, learn, and think today does not necessarily reflect their intellectual potential. A common saying suggests that modern problems require modern solutions. The internet was invented to facilitate information flow but not the learning process. Traditionally, people had different approaches to reading books, hence different levels of understanding. It takes personal effort to identify and read useful materials from the internet.
Carr claims that excessive reliance on the internet as a source of information and knowledge reduces the capacity for concentration and contemplation. He suggests that before the internet, he used to read a wide variety of information from different types of books. His motivation to read huge volumes of content was high. Reading books was enlightening and enjoyable at the same time. However, things changed after he opted for the internet as a convenient method of getting information. The internet provided him with a wide variety of information and he could skip from one article to another without necessarily exhausting their information contained. As a result, he became less interested in books and long-written posts. Instead, he developed the habit of skimming written materials lightly “like a guy on a jet ski” (Carr 2). In other words, the author suggests that the internet has so much to offer to the readers such that people can easily lose focus on what they needed to know. The internet cannot be compared with books in terms of reading and learning. It is more of a library where a student can choose any book to read. The presentation of the book rarely affects how the student reads other books (Anderson 25). It requires the self-discipline to effectively read a whole chapter in a book or an article from the internet without distraction.
Carr’s article suggests that the internet changes our thinking and understanding abilities. He claims that pe...
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