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
1
Edsel: a name now synonymous with failure; Ford
introduced the Edsel automobile in 1958 and lost
$250,000,000 by the time the make was discontinued in 1960
2
Epson: a manufacturer of computer products
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. 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.)
b) Paraphrase her thesis (i.e., put it in your own words).
2. Identify, with a direct quotation, the transitional sentence with which Laing moves from the
introduction to the body of her argument.
3. 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.
4. 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).
5. In the eleventh paragraph, Laing refers to the pencil’s eraser as its “software.” Explain this pun or
play on words.
6. 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?
7. 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.)
1 answer
Sure! Here are the answers to your questions regarding Bonnie Laing's essay "Ode to the User-Friendly Pencil":
a) The thesis of the article is: "the pencil is superior to the computer."
b) In my own words, the main idea is that compared to a computer, which can be complicated and frustrating, the pencil offers simplicity, ease of use, and practicality, making it a more favorable tool for writing.
Laing transitions into the body of her argument with the sentence: "But they say hardship teaches you who your friends are." This sentence suggests a shift from the author’s initial struggle with technology to appreciating the simplicity and reliability of writing with a pencil.
Two other examples of personification in the essay are:
"Pencils don't cause eye strain and no one has ever screamed, after four hours of creative endeavour, 'The ----ing pencil ate my story!'" This attributes a human-like capability of being capable of "eating" a story to the pencil, which it cannot actually do.
"Pencils are wonderfully single-minded." This suggests that pencils have a focus akin to human behavior, which can be seen as a human trait.
A rhetorical device used in the final two paragraphs is hyperbole. An example is: "Just in case you remain unconvinced, I ask you, can you imagine chewing on a computer while balancing your cheque book?" This exaggerates the absurdity of trying to use a computer in the same way one might use a pencil to emphasize the pencil's practicality.
The pun in referring to the pencil's eraser as its "software" plays on the terminology commonly associated with computers. In computing, software refers to programs and applications, whereas, in this context, it humorously references the eraser as the "software" that allows you to correct mistakes made with the pencil.
The general tone of the article is informal and humorous. A direct quotation that supports this is: "I should point out that prior to this acquisition, my idea of modern technology at its best was frozen waffles." This illustrates a light-hearted, conversational style in which the author doesn't take herself too seriously.
Two examples of irony in the essay are:
The assertion that "my idea of modern technology at its best was frozen waffles." This is ironic because it highlights the author's lack of knowledge about technology while she was persuaded that buying a computer would enhance her writing, reflecting the absurdity of assuming that expensive technology equates to better writing skills.
The comparison made between Chaucer and modern technology when Laing states, "But I have to admit that option C got to me... produce 15 novels... without so much as a typewriter." The irony here is that great literary works were created without modern technology, yet Laing feels pressured to adopt it to succeed, questioning this assumption throughout her essay.
These analyses reflect the complexity of Laing's views on technology versus traditional writing tools while encompassing her humorous perspective.
1 answer