In Search of… Something - 300 Word response

In Search of… Something is mainly about how consumerism is invading education and what people think of education in America. I thought it was an interesting because he gave a further understanding of what education is really for. For example, in the sixth and seventh paragraph he tells a story of his life and he tells the outcome, “I wanted an education to get something, not to discover something.” I also liked how he showed how the sales man with an expensive suite is more likely to attract the audience’s attention than a bum on the street doing the same commercial. Actually the audience would listen if they put the bum in fancy attire according to paragraph one, “Put that bum in a Mercedes-Benz and a double-breasted suit and society is all ears.”

He gives the information needed to inform the audience of the situation and he gives many examples that everyone can relate to. Like he makes a simile by saying, “Education is sold like a prescription drug. The symptom is: unhappiness in current lifestyle. The cure: high doses of a college education. The concept of obtaining a degree is the new and improved security blanket.” That relates to most everyone because almost everyone has bought a prescription drug, like antibiotics. He then goes off telling his story about how he learned what is really important in getting an education, which I liked. He uses a story that is very understandable and most audiences can comprehend. He also uses the comparison, “Education is not a genie that grants all wishes, dreams, and desires.” This helps re-catch the reader’s attention so they pay attention to the context of the next paragraph; which is very useful in a paper that needs to have the audience’s full attention. I picked this essay because it relates to my theme and it is very comprehendible to most audiences. Last of all, its missing a call to action.

In Praise of the Humble Comma

Writing Strategies:
Lyer invites the reader to his text in many ways. He adds a question in the intro which causes the reader to focus more on what he is saying. In addition, he uses punctuation, which makes the reader pause frequently; causing him or her to absorb the information in the correct manner. While talking about punctuation, extensively regarding commas, he uses his own punctuation to help the reader develop more of an idea of how punctuation is so important. He also relates punctuation to common objects and feelings in everyday situations.

Exploring Ideas:
Lyer is attempting to show how it’s achievable to broaden or alter one’s outlook on a specific matter by relating punctuation to everyday situations. For example: In the first paragraph, "The gods, they say, give breath, and they take it away. But the same could be said--could it not?--of the humble comma." In his writing he shows that the comma, and other punctuation, is what gives the voice to writing. Before I read In Praise of the Humble Comma, I thought of punctuation of something that just had to be in writing. After, I realized that it is the most important part of writing.