Andrew Vaccaro/ERH 102-12/ Hamilton/ 2/9/15

Vaccaro 1

Andrew Vaccaro/ERH 102-12/ Hamilton/ 2/9/15

Untapped Potential: an Uncertain Generation and Rhetorical Blatancy

ERH 101, Section #_1___

Date Due: __2/10/15__

Date Sub.: __2/10/15__

Assignment Name: ____Rhetorical Analysis Final

Help Received: _none___

Andrew Vaccaro

Writer’s signature for “Work for Grade”

With her article, “The Tethered Generation”, published in May 2007, Kathryn Tyler declares a firm opinion on the millennial generation’s attachment to technology, criticizing the development of this new generation and their impact on the workforce; she ultimately devises and elaborates instruction to employers with regards of implementing transition of this young “underdeveloped” crowd. Tyler, a member of generation x, is a freelance writer specializing in human resources and training. This article is blatantly directed toward the audience of Human Resource professionals, thus molding the article and its contents.

Tyler’s article displays definitive structure with distinct pathways guiding her argument/ message to the reader. Her audience is also clearly defined, as she focuses her rhetorical choices towards human resource specialists with instructions regarding the implementation of the millennial generation into the workforce. Kathryn Tyler’s “The Tethered Generation” opens with a short narrative providing an example and parallel to her initial claim: an example of the modern dependency of children on their parents paired with modern technology that allows college students to call home whenever guidance or assistance is needed.Tyler’s places significant emphasize proving a clear, worrisome issue looming over the workforce in the form of the “tethered” generation. Following her initial anecdote, Tyler lays the foundation of her argument as she defines the current issue utilizing specific rhetorical strategies. She explains the millennials’ poor communicative skills resulting from the attachment to social media, computers, and cell phones. Bridging this claim, she discusses scientific evidence proving the continuation of cerebral development even into the early twenties, explaining how millennials struggle to make decisions independently because their brains are “hardwired” to develop around technology. Integrating the parasitic parents into the argument, Tyler introduces the novel concept of the hovering “helicopter” parents who are preventing the millennials from becoming independent and autonomous as they linger well into adulthood. Tyler’s article ultimately focuses on the double-edged sword of technology which enhances communication while simultaneously destroying independence; she finishes with an elaborate plan urging human resource specialists to acquire specific tactics to smoothen the integration of the “tethered” millennials into the workforce.

Tyler’s article provides effectivestructure to appeal to the well-defined audience utilizing a simple, clear, and organized layout. However, the author detracts from her rhetorical effectiveness as the article lacks diversity of evidence; her highly opinionated article diminishes from the credibility of the work, containing blatant assumptions and personal commentary. “The Tethered Generation” presents an interesting and relevant claim regarding the modern issue of clashing generations within the workforce; although the Human Resource specialist’s article lacks its full rhetorical potential, Tyler certainly invokes a strong message towards her target audience.

The author’s thesis is remarkably evident, as Tyler displays no attempt to hide her message to the audience; at the end of her introduction paragraph, the thesis reads: “To prepare for millennials, it’s important to understand how cell phones and computers have changed their brain development, the enormous role their parents play in their lives well into adulthood, and what policies and training programs HR professionals will need to implement to transition these young people into the workforce” (Tyler 469). Upon further analysis and review of the organizational structure of the article, Tyler smartly organizes her points into distinct, well-built subtexts enveloped around this common goal. She drenches “The Tethered Generation” with quotes supporting her cause while the thesis or theme of every distinct section can be acutely discovered imbedded clearly within the text; she repeatedly presents crystal-clear topic sentences followed by relevant sources and supporting commentary. A clear representation of this strategy is presented when she introduces the negative effects of overbearing parents: “While technology has enabled children’s dependency, it has also abetted parental oversight, making it easier for overbearing parents to “hover” well into adulthood. ‘If children are not allowed to make small errors, they don’t learn through experience’, argues Grafman” (Tyler 470). She then smartly follows this argument with a transition to the effects of these “Helicopter” parents in the workforce. Likewise to the previous structure, she begins: “As millennials move into the workforce, their hovering parents do, too. ‘Parents are writing resumes, applying to jobs and even attending interviews’ reports Steven Rothberg” (471). This repeated pattern allows the reader’s message to appear transparent and well-built as each of Tyler’s points contains solid structure.This clear structure is evident in the labeled subtitles; Tyler begins with her introduction and thesis, then identifiesyouths’ apparent lack of human skills in “Millennial Connectivity” followed by “Helicopter Parents”, and eventually connects ideas with “Helicoptering in the Workforce”. The conclusion works well with the text and provides a logical, resolute policy of “Great Expectations” acknowledging the issue of the ensuing problem, but also realizing the great potential and polar argument toward the ultimate advancement of the workforce in future workforce scenarios.

Tyler employs various strategies to address and appeal to her audience. To analyze the rhetorical effectiveness of the article on a desired audience, the audience must be identified. This is evidently defined in the introduction of the article; the article’s purpose is to inform mature human resource employers and experts on an impending issue while simultaneously offering a solution. Tyler does an exceptional job of targeting and appealing to this older generation. She repeatedly emphasizes the older generation’s “superiority” to the technology-tethered generation of millennials. This effective use of emotion rings loudly throughout the article. A prime example of this targeted appeal remains evident when she states: “For those who remember life without cell phones and the Internet, it may be difficult to understand how ingrained technology is in millennials’ lives” (Tyler 469).Although the article appears polluted with personal commentary, it contains uniquely effective forms of persuasion to pull the reader into agreement.

While the article is smartly labeled, the author’s personal opinions and assumptions run deep into the text.From a neutral perspective, the author possesses a definitive purpose but elicits wild generalizations upon the entire millennial generation, ultimately detracting authenticity and credibility as the author’s voice leaks into the article.Tyler is clearly well-versed in the subject and openly expresses her opinions as fact throughout her work; she smartly refrains from speaking in the first person, but with the inclusion of her opinions, she might as well use “I” in every argument. She begins the article with the inclusion that millennials have underdeveloped brains, are hopelessly reliant upon technology, and possess a cloud of over-attached parents; the freelance writer inherently assumes that this particular generation will wreak negative impacts on the workforce as she braces employers for the impending intrusion. For example, she opens her argument with youths’ inferiority: “Older generations that couldn’t wait to proclaim their independence can’t comprehend this generation’s need for parental guidance and influence” (Tyler 469). The choice of small rhetorical choices ultimately guides the reader towards Tyler’s intended purpose; she emphasizes words such as “challenge”, “tethered”, “underdeveloped”, and “lacking” throughout the argument to define the issue, diagnose the symptoms, and highlight the flaws of the millennials to influence a narrow-minded presence upon the audience.Her alliance with the older generations is blatantly portrayed throughout the article; the positive outcomes of a technology-savvy and competitive workforce are never fully recognized, potentially cutting off a younger, more open-minded audience.

To emphasize her personal opinion even further, she compounds uponher blatant assumptions/opinions with a lack of diversity in evidence, resulting in an overwhelming demand upon the reader. Consequently, this flaunt may startle the reader or turns heads because of the evident “push” upon the audience to agree with the premise; she exerts a continuous flow of supportive, repetitive, and predicable citations throughout the reading to display the negative effects of technology on millennials in the workforce.Although “The Tethered Generation” has an apparent success of structure paired with logic, it ultimately contains untapped potential. The lack of diversity in Tyler’s sources and citations is frightfully evident as almost every topic and argument is followed by some statistic or quote providing agreeable evidence.The multitude of citations such as Claire Raines, Jim Taylor, Jordan Grafman, Sherry Turkle, and Stephen Seaward suspiciously emphasize her argument, as if she visited a portion of the library labeled: “Millennials are Terrible”. The credibility is deflated by deeply rooted opinions paired with solid, yet narrow-minded evidence dumped upon the reader.

“The Tethered Generation” is clearly thesis driven, allowing a direct, observable route of connection with the reader. The arguments are sound, relevant, and plausible but ultimately lack diversity in evidence, leaving many assumption in the hands of the narrowly-defined audience. The author’s message is clear-cut in the text, and the supplementary sub-titles effectively smoothen into the thesis; this gives her opinionated article an air of high professional insight.Did Tyler perform the difficult task of delivering a definitive point while providing effective rhetoric towards her desired audience? Although she procured a well-organized, driving argument, she dangerously sacrifices credibility with the inclusion of a persistent, crashing personal tone paired with one-sided evidenceimplying the mood of a distressed elderly man. Nevertheless, “The Tethered Generation” is ultimately an interesting and relevant article, providing insight for the field of Human Resources in the ever-growing workforce; Tyler’s argument achieves an aura of confident professionalism paired with absent rhetorical potential. She discusses the impending issue of the tethered generation while ironically tethering her argument in a narrow dimension.

Works Cited

Tyler, Kathryn. “The Tethered Generation.” Writing Arguments. Ed. John Ramage and John Bean and June Johnson. New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2012. 469-473. Print.