PEA Responses to "Ode to the User-Friendly Pencil" by Cynthia Yeo https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2 Please post your responses in the appropriate column en-us 2018-02-28 17:53:48 UTC 2018-02-28 19:18:53 UTC hello@padlet.com Conflict https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236580830 Bonnie Laing’s “Ode to the User Friendly Pencil” demonstrates a human vs technology conflict in the way that she criticizes the computer (as a writing tool). She states that her “therapist claims that acknowledging the superior partner in a destructive relationship is the first step toward recovery.” In this evidence, Laing uses a variety of words with negative connotations (i.e. destructive, recovery, etc.) The use of the word “recovery” implies that there in an issue that must be resolved. The author also uses hyperbole to exaggerate the negative characteristics of computers.



]]> 2018-02-28 18:28:26 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236580830 https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236581474  The conflict in Bonnie Laing's "Ode to a User Friendly Pencil", is the author vs. technology. For example, the quote “My therapist claims that acknowledging the superior partner in a destructive relationship is the first step towards recovery”. What that means is that the author and technology are the destructive relationship, and the author recognizes that her and technology just don’t click, and she was very negative regarding it. ]]> 2018-02-28 18:29:26 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236581474 https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236581583  Bonnie Laing should have middle class privileges to be able to own a computer as a computer is very expensive to buy. She mentions that it costs $3000 “ even if I couldn’t figure out how spending $3,000 on a piece of molded plastic was going to make me wealthier.” and people in the lower class can barely afford $1000. She is able to use $3000 to be able to buy a computer which is money only someone in at least the middle class can obtain. Someone with a computer should be able to also own a house or else there would be no place to charge it. ]]> 2018-02-28 18:29:36 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236581583 https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236581605 Laing implies that people who own a computer must have socio-economic privilege. This is shown when she says, “To start with the purchase decision, you don’t have to ask for a bank loan to buy a pencil”. Here, she is comparing the price of a pencil to a computer, and by her saying “bank loan”, she is implying that a computer is really expensive. So, in order to buy expensive things, you must have socio-economic privilege.]]> 2018-02-28 18:29:38 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236581605 I feel that this text was created for audience members ages 14 and up. As we get older, we tend to rely on technology so much. In the text, Liang states that a pencil doesn’t need internet to be used, as well as it can be used mostly anywhere. The pencil is extremely reliable and affordable, and I feel that Liang is trying to express that if we rely on technology too much, what will happen when it’s not there? Example: Pencils don’t need charge or internet to work. What will happen when you your computer dies or runs out of charge? What can you do? This is what I feel she’s trying to express in this text. https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236581663 2018-02-28 18:29:44 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236581663 Conflict https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236581668

The conflict is Her hate for different types of technology. She is very biased towards technology by only pointing out the bad features of the computer. She also uses a variety of nasty words to describe the computer.

]]> 2018-02-28 18:29:44 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236581668 Laing uses compare and contrast as the method of development throughout the text since she is comparing two different topics and using multiple arguments. https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236581733 2018-02-28 18:29:49 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236581733 https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236581735 Laing uses comparison and contrast, facts and her opinion. The entire text is mostly written in a compare and contrast text feature, she uses facts and statistics to back up both sides of the argument; and adds her opinion of which side she is on, which she is clearly more towards using a pencil rather than a computer.

]]> 2018-02-28 18:29:50 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236581735 https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236581785 Well, since Bonnie Laing is a writer, we can assume she is well-versed in this field, we can also assume that she would know the best tool to use when writing something, given her experience making us trust her assessment on the issue. We know that she is a writer in this repetitive sentence “I was persuaded to make this investment by well-meaning friends who said the word-processing capacity of a computer would make me a better writer, make me a more productive writer, and make me a richer writer.” So, making it obvious for a reader to know she is a writer makes us more likely to agree with her, in the same category, because we believe that her opinion is reliable.]]> 2018-02-28 18:29:54 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236581785 https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236581825 Personally I do not agree with Bonnie Laing opinion in her text “An Ode to the user-friendly pencil”. Not only does a pencil and paper affect the environment in a bad way by causing pollution but it is also much less organized. By having everything on a “....piece of molded plastic” (Laing, paragraph 2),  it is much more efficient and easy to find everything. Also there is no comparison from a pencil to a computer in whole, a pencil cannot give an answer to any question you have and let you watch netflix and youtube on it. So i do not agree with Bonnie’s opinion on computers.]]> 2018-02-28 18:29:58 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236581825 Laing used expression to tell other persons that pencil is better than technology and she expressed compare and contrast text feature https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236582036 2018-02-28 18:30:16 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236582036 The method of development in the text is compare and contrast because she is stating the differences between a computer and a pencil. https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236582058 2018-02-28 18:30:18 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236582058 Laing uses pathos in the form of humor to persuade and attract her audience. An example would be “Pencils don’t cause eye strain and no one has ever screamed, after four hours of creative endeavour, “The - - - - pencil ate my story!” In this quote the author is using an experience but changing it so that there is humor to make the reader laugh. The reader would know what the blank is in “The - - - - pencil ate my story.” https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236582103 2018-02-28 18:30:21 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236582103 The intended audience for this text in my opinion were the new writers.What I mean by this is that the author wanted to convince writers that they should choose pencils as their writing tool rather than computers. https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236582129 2018-02-28 18:30:23 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236582129 https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236582297 LaIng has the  privilege of ability because she  can use a pencil without trouble. She also has sociolo economic privilege because she has access and can afford a computer. Though she its not impressed by the price she still buys the computer, conformation of this is found in the sentence that states “But I have to admit that option C got to me, even if I couldn’t figure out how spending $3,000 on a piece of molded plastic”. This means she does not understand the worth of the technology but can still afford to buy it.]]> 2018-02-28 18:30:35 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236582297 https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236582318  Laing’s argument doesn’t have enough support to convince the reader that she is right. An example from the text would be “ In fact, pencils are constructed in part from that most Canadian of natural resources — wood. By buying pencils you create employment and prosperity for dozens of people in British Columbia. Well, a few anyway.” In this paragraph the author mentioned an incorrect fact confidently, but in the end she doubted herself. This left me thinking that the rest of her facts/ arguments were incorrect as well and were just her own opinion. ]]> 2018-02-28 18:30:36 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236582318 https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236582505 2018-02-28 18:30:52 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236582505 https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236582723 The majority of Laing’s argument uses pathos to persuade her audience, because she mainly focuses on the positive emotions that come with pencils, and the negative emotions that come with computers. In this passage, “Compared to a computer, a pencil takes up far less space on a desk and it can be utilized in a car, bathroom or a telephone booth without the aid of batteries. You can even use one during an electrical storm. Pencils don’t cause eye strain and no one has ever screamed, after four hours of creative endeavour, “The - - - - pencil ate my story!”, you can clearly see how she tries to persuade you by showing you the negative feelings that come with using computers, like “eye strain”.]]> 2018-02-28 18:31:13 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236582723 https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236582736 In Bonnie Laing’s text “An Ode to the User-Friendly Pencil”, Laing uses pathos to persuade her audience by making them feel good about buying pencils as she lists the positive effects of getting one. For example, when the narrator explains how pencils are made from Canada’s natural resources, she states “By buying pencils you create employment and prosperity for dozens of people in British Columbia” (Laing, 6). This makes the audience feel good about buying pencils as they provide jobs for people but a feeling of guilt if they don’t as they will feel bad for the people that are jobless. ]]> 2018-02-28 18:31:14 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236582736 https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236582963 She uses words that provoke sadness or emotions to convince the audience in general that could be negative which make you want to go against technology. “very few people suffer the nagging doubt that their intelligence is below that of a pencil. No one has ever claimed that a pencil put them out of a job”. This makes you think about the impact technology has made on humans in general and how it could be a bad influence in the future. ]]> 2018-02-28 18:31:35 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236582963 https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236583439 I personally think Laing’s argument wasn’t that strong, because all she used to persuade people was pathos. She had no real trust, or facts to back up what she was saying, and she failed to mention all the great things computers do, that pencils cannot. For example, she says, “No one has ever claimed that a pencil put them out of a job”, so she’s talking about how computers take away jobs for many people. However, she didn’t mention the fact that they also create a variety of new jobs for people, which probably outnumber the ones they take away.]]> 2018-02-28 18:32:21 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236583439 https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236583798 Question 6
Laing uses pathos in the form of humor to persuade and attract her audience. An example would be “Pencils don’t cause eye strain and no one has ever screamed, after four hours of creative endeavour, “The - - - - pencil ate my story!” In this quote the author is using an experience but changing it so that there is humor to make the reader laugh. The reader would know what the blank is in “The - - - - pencil ate my story.”
Laing uses pathos in the form of humor to persuade and attract her audience. An example would be “Pencils don’t cause eye strain and no one has ever screamed, after four hours of creative endeavour, “The - - - - pencil ate my story!” In this quote the author is using an experience but changing it so that there is humor to make the reader laugh. The reader would know what the blank is in “The - - - - pencil ate my story.”]]> 2018-02-28 18:32:50 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236583798 https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236584170  Personally I do not agree with Bonnie Laing opinion in her text “A
n Ode to the user-friendly pencil”. Not only does a pencil and paper affect the environment in a bad way by causing pollution but it is also much less organized. By having everything on a “....piece of molded plastic” (Laing, paragraph 2),  it is much more efficient and easy to find everything. Also there is no comparison from a pencil to a computer in whole, a pencil cannot give an answer to any question you have and let you watch netflix and youtube on it. So i do not agree with Bonnie’s opinion on computers.
 Laing’s argume
  Laing’s argument doesn’t have enough support to convince the reader that she is right. An example from the text would be “ In fact, pencils are constructed in part from that most Canadian of natural resources — wood. By buying pencils you create employment and prosperity for dozens of people in British Columbia. Well, a few anyway.” In this paragraph the author mentioned an incorrect fact confidently, but in the end she doubted herself. This left me thinking that the rest of her facts/ arguments were incorrect as well and were just her own opinion. ]]> 2018-02-28 18:33:26 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236584170 The intended audience for this were different types of writers, I feel the author wanted to express why she thinks that pencils are better than computers. She also wanted to persuade authors/writers into using a pencil rather then a computer. https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236585711 2018-02-28 18:35:32 UTC https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236585711 Conflict https://padlet.com/cynthia_yeo/pa4n57rhh9l2/wish/236617243 The conflict to “ An Ode to the User Friendly Pencil” sounds like it is set in a Human vs technology environment. The narrator, Bonnie Laing, acquires a computer because she was “persuaded to make this investment by well-meaning friends” but ended up not liking the computer, so she states reasons why the computer is superior to the computer. She uses transition words to support her claims on why the pencil is better, like” To start with the purchase decision, you don’t have to ask for a bank loan to buy a pencil.” Or”Operationally, the pencil wins over the computer hands down.”Before she states her points, she transitions.  She also uses negative words to talk down about computers. Like for example:”To date, my association with the computer has not been too successful.” Or:acknowledging the superior partner(technology) in a destructive relationship”. She is arguing about the computer/technology being less superior to a pencil, so she needs to talk poorly about it.

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