In his 1998 article, “The Liberal Arts in an Age of Info-Glut”, Todd Gitlin advocates for an increase in liberal arts education to give students the opportunity to learn more about humanity and understand society better. Gitlin uses rhetorical questions and repetition to emphasize the points in his argument and uses contrast to highlight the differences of the common concerns of humans. By describing how liberal arts should be taught, he informs the younger generation about what they are missing out on in regards to humanity. Through these strategies Gitlin reveals how liberal arts will help his audience become more educated.
Using repetition, Gitlin emphasizes the need for more exposure to the liberal arts throughout his essay. In paragraph 2, Gitlin begins his discussion on advertising, saying “For simplicity’s sake, assume 16 minutes of commercials per hour on commercial channels –say, 40 distinct commercials per hour.” His repetition of the amount of commercials per hour shows that there are so many advertisements and people have just become used to them. Gitlin continues on the path of repetition by saying “Add sporting events. Add videocassettes. Add billboards along the highway, on street corners, on buses.” By repeating the word …show more content…
In paragraph 4, Gitlin asks his readers, “How shall we find still points in a turning world? How shall we learn to govern ourselves?” By asking these broad questions, he persuades his audience to think of the liberal arts as a solid foundation for understating today's society. Throughout the rest of his article, the author discusses these questions to give his audience an idea of what liberal arts in about. In a world where information is constantly throw around and always changing, humanities will be a solid basis to help interpret what the information
Using repetition, Gitlin emphasizes the need for more exposure to the liberal arts throughout his essay. In paragraph 2, Gitlin begins his discussion on advertising, saying “For simplicity’s sake, assume 16 minutes of commercials per hour on commercial channels –say, 40 distinct commercials per hour.” His repetition of the amount of commercials per hour shows that there are so many advertisements and people have just become used to them. Gitlin continues on the path of repetition by saying “Add sporting events. Add videocassettes. Add billboards along the highway, on street corners, on buses.” By repeating the word …show more content…
In paragraph 4, Gitlin asks his readers, “How shall we find still points in a turning world? How shall we learn to govern ourselves?” By asking these broad questions, he persuades his audience to think of the liberal arts as a solid foundation for understating today's society. Throughout the rest of his article, the author discusses these questions to give his audience an idea of what liberal arts in about. In a world where information is constantly throw around and always changing, humanities will be a solid basis to help interpret what the information