The Shallows Essay
English B1A
In a 500-word typed, MLA formatted essay, explain the roles of our pre-digital heritage in Carr’s argument in The Shallows.
Though Carr’s book focuses on how we are affected by digital technologies, the internet in particular, most chapters include some discussion of people, objects, technologies, events, and/or ideas that originated before the advent of digital technology, in some cases several centuries or even millennia before (see his examples of written language/the alphabet, the printing press, the map, the clock, etc.).
Write an essay that explains the role that this pre-digital heritage plays in helping Carr advance his arguments about our digital era. Why does he include these examples? What to they support or prove? Explain.
Keep in mind the following essay structure:
Your introduction should contain an opening hook, background information on the author and novel, and a topic statement that answers the following question: How does Carr’s reference to pre-digital technology support his argument about the way the internet is changing our brains?
Your body paragraphs will each focus on a specific pre-digital development/piece of technology and explain the way it supports or furthers Carr’s topic statement. You must include at least one piece of textual evidence from the book in each body paragraph; you should use a mixture of direct quotes, summaries, and paraphrases from the book.
Remember to introduce each quote with a signal phrase and include MLA formatted in-text citations including the page number where the quote appeared in the book, just like we have been practicing. It should look like this:
According to Carr, “Our indulgence in the pleasures of informality and immediacy has led to a narrowing of expressiveness and a loss of eloquence” (108).
Your conclusion should re-state your thesis, summarize your argument, and answer the “so what” question, or explain why this issue (and your stance on it) is significant. It should NOT contain new evidence in support of your thesis. It should be a well-developed paragraph, not an afterthought.
You must include an MLA formatted works cited page with an entry for the book. It should follow this format:
Author’s last name, first name. Title of Book. Publisher, year of publication.