In the essay titled " Small change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted" written by Malcom Gladwell, the author talks in depth about how different the Revolution was in the 1950's and 1960's as opposed to today's Revolution. The Author talks in depth about the dangers of the earlier acts such as sit ins and how they were often met with violence. Gladwell tells great in-depth stories of what took place and what is currently taking place in today's world. In addition, Gladwell also goes on to explain how some of the social media that is being used today does not have to same dangers and how social media ties may be weaker. Social media, while being a great tool, cannot be mistaken with what took place during the Southern Revolution. In today's political and racial climates, many people are using social media as an outlet to spread their ideas and opinions. The revolution in the 50's was much stronger and was spread through close, personal connections[U1] .
The author of this essays creates an emotional appeal by sharing stories from the Revolution. Gladwell shares a specific story about the sit in that happened on February 1st, 1960 where four students attending North Carolina A&T staged a sit in. Gladwell does creates a feel for the environment that those students were in by giving detailed background information on how this took place and offers quotes from the four students giving us a sense of what they were feeling and thinking during the sit in at Woolworth’s. Gladwell is quoted as saying “Greensboro in the early nineteen-sixties was the kind of place where racial insubordination was met with violence.” (Gladwell)[U2] . This quote gives us an idea of the climate in which these students were living when the followed out and planned their sit-ins. This made for quite the scary environment and showed the risk associated with the activities in which they were partaking[U3] .
In looking at the logical appeal in the essay, the author illustrates through examples and facts how things are very different now. The world we live in is completely different than it was in the 1960’s. The internet and social media have made our lives incredibly transparent. People are able to find information about nearly anyone with a few strokes of the keys and a click of a mouse. Gladwell talks about a situation in Moldova in 2009 when there was a large protest against the country’s government and was deemed The Twitter Revolution. Gladwell points out that that the number of twitter users in Moldova is quite low, arguing that how could it possibly be a Revolution? Logically there is a strong argument with what Gladwell is saying. How could one country possibly have started a twitter Revolution with such a low number of twitter accounts? The author also talks specifically about the difference between the powers of action versus to power of the social media tools. There is something to be said for those who started a revolution pre internet[U4] .
The author of this article would appear to be a credible source, thus giving some of his arguments and ethical appeal. Gladwell presents solid facts within the article to go along with some of his opinions. Taking quotes directly from sources give us a sense that he stayed true to the facts. One important issue that Gladwell pointed out is that social media has created “weak ties” (Gladwell) stating[U5] our online networks have given us access to hundreds if not thousands of people. The fact is in real life we would not have that kind of social network as it would be impossible to maintain those kinds of friendship with that high volume number of friends[U6] .
In conclusion, Gladwell did an excellent job of expressing his opinions about social media and the strengths and weaknesses. Gladwell expresses that social media can be a strong tool, however, it is not as strong as the bonds that were created during the 1960’s during the revolution. The biggest issue is that people are not taking the risks they used to and are able to hide behind a computer screen and post whatever they feel like posting with little to no repercussions for their actions[U7] .
WORKS CITED
Works Cited
Gladwell, Malcom. "Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted." 5 (2017): 169-181. Print.
[U1]The introductory paragraph does not contain a clear thesis statement. The writer should have done a brief introduction and included a thesis that states what the aim of the essay. The thesis statement is conspicuous if placed as the last sentence of the introductory paragraph.
[U2]Proper MLA citation should include the page number of the book from which the quote was retrieved.
[U3]This paragraph contains a good discussion about emotional appeal. However, more information the four students about the environment and they relate with each other can provide more insight on the emotional appeal.
[U4]This paragraph has touched on the logical appeal of the essay. However, the information used to back up the claim seem insufficient.
[U5]Include Page number
[U6]The credibility of the essay and a source for other studies has been clearly discussed.
[U7]The conclusion should restate the thesis and summarize the main points discussed in the paper.
Generally, the paper needs to be fixed to include the missing bits, and provide more in-depth information to support the discussion on the rhetorical devices. There are also a few grammar mistakes and word choice. The work cited page should be place on its own page.
