As technology progresses there is a concern about what can progress with it.
Memories
are one of the few things we take everywhere, Memorabilia is most likely preserved on your
phone, pictures of every happy and sad moment that you have documented. But what about all
those memories you keep in boxes, somewhere safe, hidden away from any harm. For some
people those memories are some of the most important things that they have. Our cell phones
and computers also hold important memories, but how often are they remembered? In Peter
Funt’s Article “Does Anyone Collect Old Emails” he uses stylistic elements such as repetition
and pathos to express his claim that the digital age is making it more difficult to preserve one's
memories.
Funt uses repetition in his last paragraph of the article to emphasize the importance of
tangible memorabilia. He states “Will his mom print out a photo of that unique collection? Will
his degree in geology be memorialized on paper? Will he frame his first contractor's paycheck?”
Funt consistently repeats the phrase “Will he” to ask the readers rhetorical questions about all the
things that are important as tangible objects, but not as digitized ones. Using repetition to get the
readers thinking about all the important memories that could be forgotten in the digital world.
Funt also uses pathos throughout his article. He appeals to the side of the readers that can
relate to these situations. Whether it was having lost memories that were digitized, or
remembering the tangible items they collect. He tells a story in the beginning of the article about
how when his mother passed away his family found all the items she stored away as memories.
Things like report cards, news clippings, post cards and lots of pictures. This story is relatable for
many people if they have lost a family member, or even if they also collect items that symbolize
important moments. Some people also know what it's like to lose the memories they have
collected over the years, when trading up phones you could lose all the pictures you had taken, or
have to delete many for more storage space. Funt appeals to their emotions by relating to them,
and supporting his claim at the same time.
At the end of Peter Funt’s article, he used both repetition and pathos to support his claim
that the digital age is making it more difficult to preserve one's memories. He appeals to the
emotions of readers and gets them thinking, maybe they have lost important memories, or they
got deleted. Whatever the case, as technology progresses there is a greater chance of losing all
those digital memories that are just as important as the tangible ones collected over the years. All
it takes is one click to erase all of your digital memorabilia, so it's important to hold on to the
ones you have.
