Essay 1 Readings

In my English course, we had a discussion about what we read. We read about six essays which were mainly about how technology is changing, or even more specifically, cyberspace. Most of these essays talked about our ever changing technology in a good manner, although some did not. Our discussion in class helped me better understand what these authors were trying to convey in his or hers text. It added to my own opinions and thoughts when I heard some of the other student’s thoughts on these texts.

After reading Woodcock’s essay, I found that I could understand it quite well. The author made efforts to clearly explain his point. He started by showing what time was to man, and how it was first measured. He then explained how time’s measurement and role changed as our technology understanding increased. In paragraph 1 the author says “Time was seen in a process of natural change, and men were not concerned in its exact measurement.” This leads me to think that men had no use of clocks or the exact measurement of time. In the next few paragraphs, Woodcock explains how time’s measurement improved and got increasingly accurate. He gives us the assertion that, after this improvement, “the clock dictates [people’s] movements and inhibits [their] actions.”

While reading through George Woodcock’s essay, I came across an interesting sentence. It went like this: “the clock turns time from a process of nature into a commodity that can be measured and bought and sold like soap or sultanas.” This rhetorical device catches my attention because it’s unexpected and it places a mental picture in my mind. The rhetorical devices in George Woodcock’s essay make the text more interesting. These rhetorical devices often help the reader to understand what the author is trying to convey in his/hers essay more thoroughly. 

Rhetorical Devices Link: http://www.virtualsalt.com/rhetoric.htm