Response Essay to Charles Gordon's When Irony Becomes Cynicism
Understanding modern culture can be very difficult. There are so many parts and variables that make up modern culture, and on top of that, these parts are always changing. In that sense, identifying and analyzing a specific trait in modern culture can be extremely challenging. Pinpointing a trait that is so frequently overused it is often taken for granted. Then being able to explain it so well that people will be able to understand and see this trait as if they had never used, or been a part of it before. This is the case with an essay by Charles Gordon, When Irony Becomes Cynicism. Through his essay, one learns where irony's roots started to grow into today's monster that it is, and how irony is overused in television, radio and conversation. Gordon has skillfully and honestly shown how irony is perceived and used in today's society. He fully shows that people use irony incorrectly, and it is to their disadvantage. Gordon has a particularly negative view on how much irony is used today. The thesis in his essay is not clearly stated, but his implied argument is that the overuse of irony has made society cynical. This negative view comes across to the reader through sentences such as the following, after Gordon has explained
Through clever writing techniques and being sensitive to his wide audience, Gordon is able to create an essay that many different types of readers can understand and identify with. Gordon's argument is made clear right from the beginning. His attempt to attack the problem of the overuse of irony is a modest one. By including himself in the problem, he not only gains the trust of his readers, but also provides a very convincing argument. At times, Gordon's essay becomes wordy. He seems to be the type of writer whom, when wanting to get their point across, becomes very emotionally involved in their work. Gordon uses the word "gooeyness" to show the emotion of a film he is referring to, in comparison to the "I-never-mean-what-I-say smugness of David Letterman." Also found in his essay, are many sentences and parts written as though he was speaking directly to his readers, such as where he writes "... you can get sick of it when that's all there is." This gives the work a more down-to-earth feeling, a feeling that he is speaking with society, instead of speaking at it. Moreover, Gordon even speaks for his readers. Two examples of this are where he writes: "Our attachment to irony..." and "We are paying the price..." Through doing this, Gordon's readers will be less likely
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 862
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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