“The sky is falling, the sky is falling on higher education” (Sternberg 197). At least that’s what Doomsayers believe will happen because of “massive open online courses, or for-profit companies, or shadowy entrepreneurs” (197). In “The End is Not Nigh For Colleges” article, Robert Sternberg refutes the arguments and concedes the opposition of the Doomsayers. He states his case by using the rhetorical strategies that appeals to the reader’s logic, emotions, and ability to accept the writer as a fair and credible authority to support his argument. “The End is Not Nigh For Colleges” begins with the argument of how Doomsayers believe that higher education will become very inexpensive because of the “massive open online courses, or for-profit companies, or shadowy entrepreneurs” (197). Resultingly, the company will run out of business. After he states the Doomsayers’ argument, Sternberg discredits it by implying that Doomsayers are flawed in their reasoning due to two false assumptions. In the following paragraphs, Robert Sternberg continues to clarify why the Doomsayers arguments are unsound.
The author concludes his argument with an concession. He states that although decision makers in higher education may believe the sky is falling, this will not cause them to go out of business …show more content…
Throughout the entire text Robert Sternberg uses terms such as “Doomsayers” and “Chicken Little” to appeal to the reader’s humor (197-199). This use of satirical humor is to make the reader laugh and to mock that the argument of the Doomsayers. Sternberg use subjective reporting as well to inspire the reader to empathize his argument. For instance, when the author express that “watches range in prices from a few dollars to over a million” (197) and then states they all tell time; he is provoking the reader to empathize his argument through his own personal anecdotes and/or