Thomas Janke Newman Rhetoric 101 2 October 2013 An Examination of Freedom: Government Monitoring It would be incorrect to say that

the internet, in all its forms, has not taken our daily lives and restructured them towards an increasingly modern, technology-based platform. Our time is spent searching, editing, blogging, and sharing day in and day out. So much of our lives are dedicated to being plugged in that a large majority of us never consider if what we do is being monitored by our own government. Recently, leakers have gone public with evidence of government programs that have been secretly monitoring millions of our searches that we consider to be private. Michael Scherers The Geeks Who Leak successfully examines a number of these modern technological activists who believe that the public has a right to know what the government is monitoring and what they are doing with that information. Scherer effectively uses multiple relevant cases and up-to-date statistics to show the increasing concern that many feel towards the secrecy of government monitoring. In analysis of the text, it becomes clear that Scherers main tool for the deliverance of his argument is that of logos. He uses logos to present a relevant topic that in some form or another everyone can relate to, and uses logic and support of multiple scandals to present the idea of government monitoring in a negative connotation. In elaboration of Scherers use of logos, he also incorporates a thinly-veiled usage of neutrality while writing. That is to say, he presents the support and writing in a way that is not directly negative towards the topic government monitoring. Instead, Scherer relies on the readers own interpretation of the support to highlight

his position. In this case, Scherer presents each trial with a note of unfairness or unwavering harshness towards the leaker in question on the part of the government. The best example for this would be his inclusion of the trial of Aaron Swartz, a 26-year-old convicted of releasing private volumes of academic articles from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Swartz, who believed that is was wholly wrong for such useful academic tools to be available to only those who could afford them, distributed thousands of volumes of MITs academic volumes for free across the Internet. Swartz was federally indicted, and before he went on trial, killed himself (26). In the usage of Swartzs trial, Scherer effectively appeals to the emotional side of his readers in this example by using pathos. He presents the Swartz trial in a way that paints Swartz as an unfair victim of the immorality of government monitoring and secrecy. This, in turn, helps reinforce Scherers stance against government monitoring without explicitly stating it. In evaluation of Scherers article, one is able to easily interpret the statistics and support to come to a clear conclusion about Scherers stance on the topic of government monitoring and regulation of private files. In this way, then, Scherer is very effective in achieving his purpose of persuading his readers that the governments iron-fisted protection of documents and information is an increasing danger to the freedoms of Americans. By using real world examples and current statistics, Scherer supports his stance and shows the increasing concern felt by American citizens on the topic of government monitoring. His usage of pathos and logos, especially, contribute to his argument. By effectively appealing to the logic and emotional aspects of his readers, Scherer is able to make the reader interpret their own stance on the topic. This tactic connects and draws the reader into the article, as opposed to simply stating facts and presenting them in order to get convey his argument. Overall, Scherer writes with conviction and takes a clear-cut stance on the topic of government monitoring and its role in the modern world. By using writing tactics such

as pathos and logos, Scherer connects the reader to his article and incorporates an element of personal opinion to the text, which appeals to his readers and presents his stance extremely well.

Works Cited Scherer, Michael. "The Geeks Who Leak." Time Magazine 24 June 2013: 22-29. Print.

Purpose (20): Successful (A+ thru B): As stated in the Norton, Your goal in analyzing a text is to lead readers through careful examination [considering the rhetorical situation] of the text to some kind of interpretation or reasoned judgment Genre (20): Successful (A+ thru B): Exhibits a strong understanding of academic discourse Contains a thesis that argues for a particular reading of the article Demonstrates insightful evaluation Design/Layout (20): Successful (A+ thru B): Incorporates MLA formatting correctly A Works Cited page is formatted correctly and appears at the end of the essay Audience (20): Successful (A+ thru B): Uses vocabulary appropriate for a college audience Uses grammar and punctuation appropriate for a college freshman Assumes a level of intelligence and sophistication for the audience Offers an intriguing analysis of the article Stance (20): Successful (A+ thru B): Makes an argument for a specific reading of the article Clearly evaluates the success or failure of the article in achieving its purpose Thesis is supported effectively with examples from the text Includes a consistent tone that presents the authors take on the article