Rhetorical Analysis: The Digital Parent Trap

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In the passionate article, “The Digital Parent Trap” by the renowned Eliana Dockterman, the author convincingly portrays that there are benefits to early exposure to technology and that this viewpoint needs to be more pervasive or else there would be a severe problem with broad consequences. The author effectively and concisely builds the argument by using a variety of persuasive and argumentative rhetorical techniques including but not limited to the usage of ethos, evidence, and pathos.
The author is able to establish herself by citing authoritative sources in paragraph 9, where research is cited from MIT that shows retention rates dramatically increase through the use of technology. By citing such authoritative sources, as MIT is renowned and reputable for their actions, the author is able to establish her viewpoint as credible and right. The author’s quotation of respectable sources leaves the reader with no choice but to see the author’s viewpoint as valid. This furthers her line of argumentation that there are benefits to early exposure to technology. …show more content…

But in [using] … iPads or laptops [the] retention rates skyrockets to 90%.” In using the revealing statistics, the author challenges the traditional rationale on early exposure to technology. The author’s statements erase any doubt from the reader’s mind that the author’s attitude is valid. This also furthers her line of argumentation that the usage of technology early in a person’s life is

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