a) What is the thesis (main idea) of the article? (Hint: it is stated explicitly: that means there is a specific sentence in which the author, Bonnie Laing, states her thesis directly; plainly.) (1 mark)
b) Paraphrase her thesis (i.e., put it in your own words). (1 mark)
Identify, with a direct quotation, the transitional sentence with which Laing moves from the introduction to the body of her argument. (1 mark)
In paragraph 4, Laing says she spends “a lot more time with an old friend, the pencil.” This is an example of anthropomorphism, in which animal or inanimate objects literally acquire human traits. (You have seen that device in Animal Farm whose characters think and speak as human beings do.)
Anthropomorphism is similar to personification, in which animals or inanimate objects figuratively acquire human traits, or represent an abstraction: an idea or feeling given human form or invested with human behaviour. Find two other examples of personification in her essay. (2 marks)
Identify one* literary, poetic, or rhetorical device Laing uses in her final two paragraphs. In your response, provide a specific example (i.e., give the direct quotation in which the device appears).
*There are several options, but you may not re-use an example noted in another question (e.g., neither personification, which you wrote about in your answer for #3, above, nor irony, which is the focus of #7, below). (2 marks)
In the eleventh paragraph, Laing refers to the pencil’s eraser as its “software.” Explain this pun or play on words. (1 mark)
Is the general* tone of this article formal or informal? Provide one direct quotations from the essay to support your choice. (3 marks)
*I say “general” tone because it can be defined more precisely than simply to say formal or informal: for full marks, you must give at least one adjective that further characterizes it.
**We haven’t yet focused on tone, but as a hint: think of the phrase tone of voice: how or when might you describe someone’s tone of voice; what adjectives might you use? On what elements or characteristics of the person’s speech does such a description focus?
Laing uses irony throughout her essay. Identify and explain two examples. Irony is another device we haven’t yet discussed, so you may apply your prior knowledge of its definition. (The literary definition is somewhat more precise than how irony and ironic are used in common speech.) (4 marks)
answer these questions on this
Ode to the User-Friendly Pencil
by Bonnie Laing
Recently I acquired a computer. Or
perhaps I should say it acquired me. My
therapist claims that acknowledging the
superior partner in a destructive relationship
is the first step toward recovery. I should point
out that prior to this acquisition, my idea of
modern technology at its best was frozen
waffles. My mastery of business machines
had advanced only as far as the stapler.
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. I pointed out that Chaucer was a pretty
good writer even though he used a quill, and
Dickens managed to produce 15 novels and
numerous collections of short stories without
so much as a typewriter. 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
moulded plastic was going to make me
wealthier.
To date, my association with the
computer has not been too successful. It has
proven to be very sensitive to everything but
my needs. At the last breakdown (its, not
mine) the service man commented that it
should have been called an Edsel,1 not an
Epson,2 and suggested an exorcist be
consulted. Needless to say, I am not yet in a
position to open a numbered Swiss bank
account.
But they say hardship teaches you who
your friends are. And so, my computer
experience has forced me to spend a lot more
time with an old friend, the pencil. Its directness and simplicity have proven to be
refreshing. In fact, the more I wrestled with
my microchips (whatever they are), the more
convinced I became that the pencil is superior
to the computer. Allow me to cite a few
examples.
To start with the purchase decision,
you don't have to ask for a bank loan to buy a
pencil. Since most pencils are not
manufactured in Japan, you don't feel you're
upsetting the nation's balance of trade by
buying one.
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.
Of course, like most people I rarely buy
a pencil, preferring to pick them up free from
various places of employment, in the
mistaken belief that they are a legitimate
fringe benefit. It's best not to make that
assumption about office computers.
Operationally, the pencil wins over the
computer hands down. You can learn to use
a pencil in less than 10 seconds. Personally,
at the age of 2, I mastered the technology in
3.2 seconds. To be fair, erasing did take a
further 2.4 seconds. I've never had to boot a
pencil, to interface with it or to program it. I
just write with it.
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 ----ing pencil ate my story!”
Pencils are wonderfully single-minded.
They aren't used to open car doors, make the
morning coffee or remind you that your Visa
payment is overdue. They're user-friendly.
(For the uninitiated, see comments on
vocabulary.)
Of course, the technologically addicted
among you will argue that the options of a
pencil are rather limited. But the software of a
pencil is both cheap and simple, consisting of
a small rubber tip located at one end of the
unit. A pencil is capable of producing more
fonts or typefaces than any word processor,
depending on the operator's skill.
Its graphic capability is limited only by
the operator's talent, an element referred to
as the Dürer or Da Vinci Factor. Backup to a
pencil can usually be found in your purse or
pocket. Although a pencil has no memory,
many of us who write badly consider that to
be an advantage.
But it's in the area of maintenance that
the pencil really proves its superiority. Should
a pencil break down, all you have to do to
render it operational again, is buy a small
plastic device enclosing a sharp metal strip, a
purchase that can be made for under a dollar.
A paring knife, a piece of broken glass or
even your teeth can be used in an
emergency. For the more technically
advanced, an electronic pencil sharpener can
be obtained, but I should point out that these
devices don't run on electrical power but by
devouring one-third of the pencil.
You never have to take a pencil to a
service department located on an industrial
site on the outskirts of Moose Factory. Neither
do you have to do without them for two weeks
before discovering that the malfunction is not
covered by the warranty and that the
replacement part is on a boat from Korea.
What finally won me over to the pencil
was its lack of social pretension. For instance,
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. And the pencil has not created a
whole new class of workers who consider
themselves superior to, let's say, crayon
operators. At parties, you meet very few
people who will discuss pencils with a fervour
normally found only at student rallies in
Tehran. Fewer people boast about being
“pencil literate”.
Of course, the pencil is not without its
flaws. It has a nasty habit of hiding when most
needed. If located beside a telephone, it will
break spontaneously if a caller wishes to
leave a message. Those aspiring to be
professional writers should note that editors
are unreasonably prejudiced against
submissions in pencil.
But a pencil won't argue with you if you
wish to write more than 50 lines to the page. It
won't insist on correcting your whimsical use
of grammar, and it won't be obsolete 10
seconds after you mortgage your first-born to
buy one. Just in case you remain
unconvinced, I ask you, can you imagine
chewing on a computer while balancing your
cheque book? And what do computer
operators use to scratch that place in the
middle of the back where they can't reach?
The defence rests.
1 answer
a) What is the thesis (main idea) of the article?
The main idea of Bonnie Laing's article is that despite the convenience of modern technology like computers, the humble pencil remains a superior, user-friendly, and reliable tool for writing.
b) Paraphrase her thesis.
Laing argues that even with the advances in technology, the pencil is a simpler, more effective, and dependable instrument for writing compared to computers.
c) Identify, with a direct quotation, the transitional sentence.
The transitional sentence that Laing uses to move from the introduction to the body of her argument is: “But they say hardship teaches you who your friends are.”
d) Find two other examples of personification in her essay.
"It has proven to be very sensitive to everything but my needs."
"Pencils are wonderfully single-minded."
e) Identify one literary, poetic, or rhetorical device Laing uses in her final two paragraphs.
One rhetorical device Laing uses in her final two paragraphs is rhetorical questioning. An example of this is: "And what do computer operators use to scratch that place in the middle of the back where they can't reach?"
f) Explain the pun or play on words regarding the pencil’s eraser as its “software.”
Laing refers to the pencil’s eraser as its “software” as a pun because it plays on the term "software," which in computing refers to programs that run on a computer, while in this context, it humorously suggests that the eraser (which facilitates corrections) functions similarly, albeit in a much simpler and tangible manner.
g) Is the general tone of this article formal or informal? Provide one direct quotation to support your choice.
The general tone of the article is informal and humorous. A direct quotation that supports this choice is: "To date, my association with the computer has not been too successful," as it establishes a conversational style and relatable reflection.
h) Identify and explain two examples of irony.
Laing mentions, "it should have been called an Edsel, not an Epson," which is ironic because the Edsel is a famously failed car model, suggesting that her computer is similarly disappointing despite being a modern technological product.
She states that “very few people suffer the nagging doubt that their intelligence is below that of a pencil,” which is ironic because it implies that pencils, as simple tools, don’t evoke feelings of inadequacy, whereas complex computers often lead to frustration and self-doubt in users.
1 answer