Example Of Critical Thinking On Critique Of An Essay

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While standing at a point of time in which virtually every second of one’s life circles around inventions like cell phones and laptops, Cory Doctorow’s article titled “You do like reading off a computer screen” seems to be completely relevant. It starts with a dialog that can be heard quite often whenever the subject of e-books is brought up. Many people express their dissatisfaction at reading a novel off a computer screen, without realizing that they are reading virtually every minute while they are using the computer. The writer makes this sarcasm stand out by himself pointing out his actions in brackets. The brackets bring a constant element of distraction to the article, thus successfully pointing out the interruptions that one faces while reading off a computer screen.
When people say that they do not like to read from a computer screen, they actually mean that they want to keep the habit of novel reading like old times, that is, from hard copy books. It is probably because it invokes the idea of sitting in a comfortable armchair by the fireplace, with a book in hand and a cat in the lap. The author himself mentions that what he reads on the computer is only “pleasure-reading”.
Another interesting point that the article brings forward is that albums have ceased to exist and instead, single songs or sometimes, only a part of them are listened to on the Internet. In other words, we have arrived at an age of shortcuts. No one seems to enjoy the whole thing but rather, small snippets are enough to satisfy the enthusiasm. The author brings humor to the article when he says that “the idea of a 60-minute album is as weird in the Internet era as the idea of sitting through 15 hours of Der Ring des Nibelungen was 20 years ago”.
Not only in the world of songs but we have also brought the ‘shortcut’ element to the world of videos. Small clips from YouTube seem to be the best source of entertainment today. Videos are excessively shared on Facebook also where friends tag each other to make a point. The reason behind the use of shortcuts is that too many distractions exist in the computer world, and one cannot stick to one thing to consume it completely before moving on to the next. Just like the author is pointing out the need to check his e-mails or blog even while typing out this article, every computer user faces these interruptions. There is also no difference between the interruptions offered by a laptop compared to a handheld device, even though it is believed that a hand held device offers less chance to multi-task.
Although the idea is enticing to have a collection of books in your hand to read anytime you are stuck somewhere, it is true that some people still prefer to buy a hard-copy book. Even while ending the article, the author mentions the arrival of more e-mails to be read, thus pointing out the irony of the title. The article employs the routine, everyday language in order to draw the attention of the reader. It has used the element of sarcasm, humor and comparison to maintaining the attention of the reader and simultaneously make a convincing argument.

Reference

Cory Doctorow: You Do Like Reading Off a Computer Screen. (2007, March 13). Retrieved from http://www.locusmag.com/Features/2007/03/cory-doctorow-you-do-like-reading-off.html