English Discussion

Analyze and discuss Nicholas Carr's "Is Google Making Us Stupid?"

Prompt 1: First, do the following exercise, which is adapted from Ruszkiewicz's A Reader's Guide to College Writing. Write a 1-2 paragraph report that summarizes Nicholas Carr's "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" by using the following techniques recommended by Ruszkiewicz:

• Quote from Carr's article at least twice, being certain to include appropriate signal phrases and verbs of attribution.
• Include an ellipsis mark in at least one of the quotations to shorten it. In other words, quote a lengthy passage and pare it down carefully to make it more pertinent to readers.
• Use brackets to add pertinent information to a quotation. You might add a date, an author's first name, an explanatory phrase, and so on.
• Introduce ideas from Carr's article at least twice, acknowledging the borrowing, but not quoting from the material directly. Be sure that readers realize that you are paraphrasing Carr.

Prompt 2: Now that you have read and summarized Carr's position, respond in 1-2 paragraphs. Use any or all of the following questions as guides to response:

• What did you think of Carr's article, in general? 
• Which of Carr's points strike you as correct, and why?
• Which of Carr's claims do you disagree with, and why?
• What has been your own experience with the Internet and online reading? Do Carr's examples resonate with you? 
• Does Carr make any claims that seem unsupported or untested? If so, how would you test them?
• What aspects of the subject need further exploration?
• What does Carr's article remind you of? Have you encountered any similar texts? Have you had similar conversations with friends or family?