From Inquiry to Academic Writing A Practical Guide, 3rd edition

98 CHAPteR 4 | FRom IdentIFyIng Issues to FoRmIng QuestIons

an aCademIC essay fOR analysIs

The following essay by William Deresiewicz provides an intriguing aca-

demic extension of the homely topic that Anna Quindlen writes about

(p.  89): the need for the young to have solitary, unscheduled time. His

essay illustrates many of the strategies we have discussed thus far: rais-

ing questions, stating a thesis by placing an argument in the stream of a

broader conversation, using evidence to support his claims. As you read

Deresiewicz’s essay, you might use the following questions as a guide:

•   ^ What is Deresiewicz’s thesis? Would you characterize his claim as one

of fact? Value?

•   ^ What types of evidence does he use to support his claim?

•   ^ What do Deresiewicz’s vocabulary and citations indicate about his tar-

get audience?

•   ^ What does Deresiewicz want his readers to do or think about?

W

hat does the contemporary self want? The camera has created a

culture of celebrity; the computer is creating a culture of connec-

tivity. As the two technologies converge — broadband tipping the Web

from text to image, social-networking sites spreading the mesh of inter-

connection ever wider — the two cultures betray a common impulse.

Celebrity and connectivity are both ways of becoming known. This is

what the contemporary self wants. It wants to be recognized, wants to

The End of Solitude

William Deresiewicz taught English at Yale University from 1998 to 2008.

He is now a contributing writer at The Nation and was nominated for a 2009

National Magazine Award for his reviews and criticism. His essay “The

End of Solitude” appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Education in January

2009 and represents one of many debates about literacy that scholars have

waged concerning the benefits and limits of new technologies. Deresiewicz

observes that technology fulfills a human impulse to be known, to be con-

nected with others. Posting on MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook enables us

to be visible and helps validate who we are as individuals. However, he wor-

ries that this instinct to be connected also has an adverse effect: We lose a

sense of solitude and the space he believes we all need to have in order to

understand who we are, what we believe, and what we value. He worries,

too, that a new generation does not see the point of solitude because so

many young people equate solitude with loneliness.

WILLIAm DERESIEWICz

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