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Essay Sight Test (2010) Emily Nussbaum’s “Net Gain: A Pollyanna-ish View of Online Personals ”

Essay Sight Test (2010) Emily Nussbaum’s “Net Gain: A Pollyanna-ish View of Online Personals ”. Model Student Answers. STRUCTURE AND STRATEGY #1. 1.a) What is the purpose of the argument/persuasion pattern? (1)

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Essay Sight Test (2010) Emily Nussbaum’s “Net Gain: A Pollyanna-ish View of Online Personals ”

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  1. Essay Sight Test (2010)Emily Nussbaum’s “Net Gain: A Pollyanna-ish View of Online Personals” Model Student Answers

  2. STRUCTURE AND STRATEGY #1 1.a) What is the purpose of the argument/persuasion pattern? (1) The purpose of argument/persuasion is to convince the reader to have a certain point of view. As the writer, you use argument/persuasion to try and pull your audience over to your side and persuade them to think a certain way about a topic.

  3. STRUCTURE AND STRATEGY #1 • b) What is the difference between argument and persuasion? (1) Argument uses a logical and factual approach to convince the reader, while persuasion uses emotion (appeals to emotion) to convince. It is a matter of the brain vs. a matter of the heart.

  4. STRUCTURE AND STRATEGY #1 • c) Is this essay an example of argument or persuasion—or both? Support your answer with evidence from the essay. (3) I believe this example is both argument and persuasion. It is argumentative because the author does use logic and evidence to back up her opinion. When she explains, “...judging from anecdotal evidence, much more popular” (257), she uses the evidence that on-line dating is more popular than putting an ad in the paper. She is also very logical in her argument when she says that online ads are “more informative and more frank” (257). She also uses their-side my-side strategy in paragraph 5, a strategy used often in argumentative writing: “Rather than seeing this technical innovation as the death of a romance, or some kind of mechanized nightmare, I wonder if it isn't in fact a change for the better...” (258).

  5. 1. c) continued • There are many examples of persuasive writing as well: “For starters, profiles turn good writing into a turn on...” (258). In this example, the author uses the emotion of being “turned on” by someone’s writing to prove that online dating is appealing. She also injects her essay with a lot of humour to engage the reader emotionally, for example when she writes, “What, it's better to go to the cafe and have an awkward conversation, then be dumped for your double chin?” (259).

  6. STRUCTURE AND STRATEGY #2 2. a) What other organizational pattern does Nussbaum employ? Be specific. (1) Nussbaum also employs the comparison/contrast organizational pattern. She is using contrast in exploring the differences between online ads/dating, and dating in the ‘real world’/other forms of dating such as print personal ads.

  7. STRUCTURE AND STRATEGY #2 2. b) How can you tell? Support your answer with evidence from the essay. (1) “A newsprint personal is terse and permanent, something one whispers to a copy editor...In contrast, a personal ad online is a linked, living creature.” (257 – 258). This quotation shows that this essay also involves contrast because it actually uses the phrase “in contrast” and it is also pointing out the differences between putting an ad in the newspaper and putting one on the internet. [Also: “Online ads, in contrast,...” (257) and “unlike purely print ads...” (258)]

  8. Other Possibility for #2 Another possibility: extended definition—what IS an on-line personal ad? - more informative, more frank, dynamic... Not causal analysis: The causes for using an on-line personal are not explored (lonely? seeking companionship?)--mistaking the benefits for causes Not process analysis: not a step-by-step as to how to set up an on-line personal ad (directional), nor is it explaining how the process occurs (informational)

  9. STRUCTURE AND STRATEGY #3 • 3. Explain,in your own words, Nussbaum’s thesis. (2) Nussbaum believes that online personals are superior to print ads because they are are a newer, much more informative and socially enhancing—not to mention entertaining—method of finding genuine strangers who may be compatible with you.

  10. STRUCTURE AND STRATEGY #4 • 4. What is the tone of this essay? Identify the specific tone, and prove it using 2 different pieces of evidence from the essay. Explain how your evidence creates the tone you have identified. (3) Just from reading the title, the tone of the essay is evident. The word “Pollyanna-ish” means cheerfully optimistic. This almost instantly gives away the tone. The tone did match the title—it was certainly playful and positive. Her playful tone is evident when she cracks jokes like, “Where else can you make a romantic impulse buy at 3 a.m., other than the West Side Highway?” (257) and “What, it’s better to go to the cafe and have an awkward conversation, then be dumped for your double chin?” (259). Nussbaum’s optimism is evident in her diction when she refers to dating online as “progress” (259), and cites the “best part” and “greatest strength” (259) of online dating sites.

  11. CONTENT AND PURPOSE #1 • Identify eight benefits that Nussbaum sees to online ads and online dating as opposed to “the old-style personal ad.” (4) • More informative • More frank • More popular • A satisfying creative experience • Dynamic and changeable • Socially beneficial • “date without dating”; collaborative—interact with friends • Rich in material (pictures, more info) • Randomizing effect gets you out of your usual sphere • More playful rather than business-like

  12. CONTENT AND PURPOSE #2 2. Does Nussbaum think that online dating leads to better relationships? Support your answer with evidence from the essay. (2) Nussbaum doesn’t necessarily think that it will lead to better relationships, stating “the pay off rate for online personals is inevitably low, and the oh-well anecdote rate high.” (para 5, 258)

  13. CONTENT AND PURPOSE #3 • 3. Paragraphs 1 and 4 both conclude with a rhetorical device. • Identify each device, and define each. (2) The rhetorical device used at the end of paragraph 1 is a metaphor. A metaphor is a comparison without using “like” or “as.” It is also personification—giving human characteristics/abilities to objects or animals. The rhetorical device at the end of paragraph 4 is a simile, which is a comparison using “like” or “as.”

  14. CONTENT AND PURPOSE #3 3. b) Decide which device is more effective in supporting Nussbaum’s stance, and explain your choice. Be thoughtful and detailed in your response. (2) I feel the simile had a stronger effect on me, the reader, because it was much easier to understand. The metaphor is rather lengthy and difficult to make complete sense of. The simile describes how an online profile may be taken down or put back up on a website at any time. The word “revved” implies an energetic feeling and one can envision a motorcycle being resurrected and the triumphant look of the one turning the ignition.

  15. CONTENT AND PURPOSE #4 4. a) What is the main idea in paragraph 6, and how does it support Nussbaum’s thesis? (2) Read beyond the first sentence!!!! Nussbaum’s main idea is that online ads and dating positively affect the connection between an individual’s personal dating life, and their friends. This supports Nussbaum’s thesis because it explains that the companionship makes online personal ads more enjoyable and less frightening. Because online personals can be edited, friends can give input and positive feedback to make the experience more enjoyable for the one who is participating in the online dating.

  16. CONTENT AND PURPOSE #4 4. b) Paragraph 6 includes three allusions. Choose one of these allusions and explain how it does a good job of supporting Nussbaum’s main idea in that paragraph. (1) Choose 1 of 3 allusions: Noah’s Ark, Madlibs, Henry Rollins Nussbaum’s allusion to Madlibs does a very good job of supporting her thesis. Madlibs is a fun, interactive game in which friends work together to create a story by filling in blanks. By saying that online ads make dating more like Madlibs, Nussbaum is backing up her thesis by implying that online dating is superior to print ads/traditional dating because it is more collaborative, interactive, and enjoyable.

  17. Evidence of Active Reading /5 See front of room for a student exemplar—5/5! - underlining and highlighting are a start, but not enough! - Summarize main ideas! - Ask questions! - Identify unknown terms! - Make connections—to self, world, other texts!

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