...Leonid Fridman wrote an essay titled, “America Needs Its Nerds”, in which he described the derogatory terms and meanings that accompany words such as “nerd” and “geek”. I disagree with Fridman’s view on this topic. Though the terms “nerd” and “geek” may have negative connotations, they are not always meant in a negative manner. Also, Fridman states that nerds and geeks “are ostracized but athletes are idolized” (Fridman 1). I do not always think that statement is true either. For example, in the Greencastle School District, there are many students who value schoolwork, and are not “ostracized” for their dedication to school. There are also students who are dedicated to both sports and academics, which is very respectable. I believe that the...
Words: 582 - Pages: 3
...education. In the passage from “America Needs Its Nerds” by Leonid Fridman, it refers to how students who want to study are academically serious are slowly becoming ashamed for who they truly are and what they are determined to do in the future. In America, those who are pursuing more knowledge are being excluded by society causing them to create poor social skills. Leonid Fridman builds an argument to persuade his audience that “America needs its nerds” by using a dictionary definition to compare and explain the cruelty in our society, explaining how in other countries people who are very intelligent are treated differently than in the U.S and also by using a rhetorical question to make his audience reflect the giving question. Leonid Fridman builds an argument by using a dictionary definition to compare and explain his point. By referring to the dictionary, he is giving a clear background as to why the children who are academically serious are now being ashamed of who they are....
Words: 437 - Pages: 2
...Leonid Fridman, in his essay, “America Needs Its Nerds,” asserts his disgusted feelings towards the incorrect behavior to Americas intellectually curious “nerds” ( Fridman 3). Fridman’s purpose is to inform americans that we should value “nerds and geeks” (Fridman 29), instead of “athletes [being ] idolized” (Fridman 18). He adopts a disgusted and exaggerated tone in order to persuade Americans to change their ways, and shit their values before America falls apart, and for geeks and nerds to accept and stop being ashamed of themselves. Fridman begins his essay by validating the definition of the word “geek” (Fridman 4) from Websters New World Dictionary, and repeating the word throughout his essay. The dictionary defines greek as a “street performer who shocks the public by biting off heads of live chickens” (Fridman 6-7). Not only does Fridman define geek, but he also compares the definition to the way this term is used to call “intellectually curious and academically serious” (Fridman 4-5) Americans. “Nerds” (Fridman 29) and “anti-intellectualism” (Fridman 12) are other repetitive terms throughout Fridman’s essay that are used to establish his point, making his purpose broad. By repeatedly using the derogatory terms in a bitter tone, allows us to see to who he is speaking to, and how his point is emphasized that nerds need to stop being ashamed of themselves. In addition, Fridman ends his argument by placing it into the readers hand asking a rhetorical question towards...
Words: 364 - Pages: 2
...“America Needs Its Nerds” by Leonid Fridman informs readers on his views of how people with intellectual ability are put down in America. Leonid Fridman develops his argument by using Ethos, Logos, and Pathos. Ethos uses credibility to persuade readers. The quote of the definition from “Webster’s New World Dictionary” is a credible source for definitions. Leonid Fridman starts by giving us the real definition of the word “geek” to show Americans have society has totally changed the meaning. He also uses information from Harvard which is a specific school that is...
Words: 318 - Pages: 2
...“American Needs It Nerds” by Leonid Fridman expresses the negative feelings towards the way “nerds” and “geeks” are treated. Leonid writes about the way American society outcasts the people who spend their days studying and being academically advanced. He then expands on the topic of how athletes are idolized and “nerds” are ostracized. He concludes with comparisons to other countries on how they value academic intelligence. In paragraph one, Leonid gives the dictionary definition of the actual word geek, which is: a street performer who noted the head off of live chickens. This statement gives people a clear understanding of how society feels about people who are dedicated to knowledge. Leonid is giving reader insight on why the word should not be used in the way that it is. He talks about the way that children who would rather read...
Words: 420 - Pages: 2
...In “America Needs It’s Nerds” by Leonid fridman uses various persuasive elements in order to convince the audience of his claim that “There is something very wrong with the system of values in a society that only had derogatory terms like nerd and geek for the intellectually curious and academically serious.” The author works with logos, word choice, and calls to action to persuade his readers of his claim. Fridman applies logos by presenting a firm background of the “derogatory” term geek which is often thrown around to described as one who takes on the rigorous pursuit of knowledge. It is written in the text that “A geek according to Webster’s New World Dictionary, is a street performer who shocks the crowds by biting the heads off...
Words: 291 - Pages: 2
...The culture of shaming the intelligent has been prominently present throughout the United States both in reality and in entertainment and, although this proclivity for bullying the “academically serious” has declined in recent years, it is still highly eminent. In the passage from “America Needs Its Nerds,” Leonid Fridman challenges this culture by first, questioning the negative connotation associated with the words nerd and geek and second, embellishing on the fact that these negative connotations are detrimental to the success of the country. Fridman’s first topic of interest is the negative connotation that the words nerd and geek carry. He begins by defining geek as “a street performer who shocks the public by biting off heads of live...
Words: 475 - Pages: 2
...The word 'nerd' can, and does mean different things to diffrent people. When someone is called nerd by their friends it is not considred a big deal, but when a stranger calls another stranger a 'nerd' or a 'geek', it can be seen as agressive. The sole idea of 'America Needs Its Nerds' ny Leonid Fridman is that America does, if fact, need its individuals that would rather stay at home and read a book rather than go out and party, who would rather study than play football, who would rather build upon their academic prowess than their social or physical skills because without kids like these, America; the great, world-class superpower, would be full of sheep who follow the trend of being anti-intellectual who intentionally dumb themselves down to fit in with people who follow the same stupid trends. One of the points that Fridman makes is that people who are a little less socially amble are often called names like 'geek'. A 'geek', Fridman writes, is, according to Websters New World Dictionary, a street performer who shocks the public by biting off heads of live chickens. This fact is especially appaling as Fridman cannot even begin to comtemplate how, and when, America's society reached the point of comparing it's academically advanced individuals to freaks on the street who kill chicken by biting their heads off for others' entertainment. Fridman...
Words: 449 - Pages: 2
...In“ America Needs Its Nerds,” Leonid Fridman argues that the culture needs nerds. His society is very anti-intellectual; they care about whether you have good physical skills and social skills over academic skills. His purpose is to have more intellectual people in America, to encourage those who are, break out of their shell and be proud of who they are. To convey this argument, Fridman uses several devices that encourage his audience to understand the importance of needing more nerds. Fridman incorporates a rhetorical question to develop pathos that also creates an allusion. For example, towards the end of the passage he states, “ How can a country where typical parents are ashamed of their daughter studying mathematics[...] Be expected...
Words: 282 - Pages: 2
...America Needs Nerds In “America Needs Nerds”, Leonid Fridman uses logical appeal, negative imagery, and tone to dispute that people are degrading nerds and there future. First, Fridman uses logical appeal to decipher how nerds are getting labeled in society. “It is telling fact about our language and our culture that someone dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge compared to a freak biting off the head of a chicken.” This example exemplifies this quote by using facts and comparisons to show what society is doing to the “nerds”. Fridman expresses how parents take sports more seriously than an education and future. “Nerds are ostracized while athletes are idolized.” The author entices the reader with logical appeal by...
Words: 384 - Pages: 2
...The following passage from “America Needs its Nerds” written by Leonid Fridman, talks about how it is wrong that people who are serious about their education are being mistreated rather than appreciated for their hard work. Fridman successfully develops this argument by using powerful diction which emphasizes the tone of sarcasm and also using an analogy between the derogatory terms used against these people and the actual definition. First and foremost, the author uses very strong diction such as gerek, to emphasize the unfairness that the students are receiving from their peers, and the reason why is because they like to study a lot. The fact that most people are familiar with this term proves that they have heard it from other...
Words: 372 - Pages: 2
...Dear Emily, In my honest opinion, I believe your rhetorical essay on “America Needs Its Nerds” by Leonid Fridman was fairly decent, overall. Although you had several strong sentence structures and comments, there are a few weaknesses to your essay which I will try to critique, constructively. The first paragraph in your essay had a strong introductory sentence. It also included the purpose of the paragraph, which was mentioned clearly and thoughtfully. However, you need a stronger assertion sentence in the first body paragraph. Also, there are a few instances where your sentence’s ideas were repeated a few times, so try to proofread your essay and merge the sentences together to come up with a better sentence, or simply exclude one of those sentences. You had great commentaries that show your understanding of the rhetorical strategies that you addressed. However, they’ve only explained “why” a strategy was used but not “how” it was used. The second and third paragraphs had strong assertions as well as implicit quotations from the passage. Although your essay does not include 5 paragraphs, I can conclude that you have good understanding about how to find and explain rhetorical strategies used in passages and texts. You had solid assertions, implicit and strong evidence, as well as fairly thorough commentaries. However, you need to work on maintaining the flow of your essay, reconsidering the optimal vocabulary that could be used in certain sentences, and proofreading your...
Words: 258 - Pages: 2
...America the Melting Pot? “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” (“Statue of Liberty National Monument”). Is the United States of America actually living by the words embedded in the Statue of Liberty? The quote on the Statue of Liberty was written by a Jewish immigrant, Emma Lazarus (“Statue of Liberty National Monument”). The quote represents that America is a sanctuary for people in need, and it prides itself on being a melting pot. In the world today refugees are desperately trying to escape from war zones, or poverty in third world countries; yet, many people are against allowing them access to the United States. Twisted words and ideas have led to the fears associated with refugees; however, if the...
Words: 2027 - Pages: 9
