Monday, September 8, 2014

Journalism: Homework Reading Response

In a carefully constructed paragraph, evaluate the author's ability to convey his position through the literary and rhetorical techniques he chooses. Please remember to include your name in your post.

24 comments:

Unknown said...

Louis Dion
The author of We Don't Need No Education conveys his position greatly through different literary and rhetorical techniques. First, he uses repitition to help convey his message. He wants the reader to believe that the kids that are "unschooled" get to have freedom to do what they want to do. In the last two paragraphs, the author repeats the words "freedom" and "free" eight times. He wants to put in the reader's mind the thought of freedom for their children so that the reader might think of "unschooling" their children. The author also uses irony to help his cause. In paragraph seven, the author states, "Hey, a father can dream, can't he?" For most parents, the dream for their children is to do well in school and go to a prestine university, but for the author, his dream is to have his kids grow up without ever going to school. The dream for children is ironic in this example, and the author hopes that this irony can help some parents feel the same dream that he has. Lastly, he uses his own experiences to help persuade people to have their children "unschooled." Most of the srticle is the story of the author's two children, Fin and Rye, and the daily lives of his unchooled children. He wants the reader to see the results of some children being unschooled, and the results are that his children are literate and have good social skills. If the reader sees good results from a different idea, they begin to wonder if this technique would work for them, and ultimately some parents might decide to "unschool" their children. In the end, the author uses repetition, irony, and his own experiences to convey his position to the reader.

Unknown said...

Amy Pereira
Ben Hewitt, the author of We Don't Need No Education, was going against popular opinion when he decided to not send his two young children, Fin and Rye, to school. He and his wife decided that the world would be their children's classroom, and there were many ways that Hewitt showed credibility to the "unschooling" method. Hewitt recalled a friend of his that "unschooled" his own children and he was amazed by their natural ability to learn and stated, "they were precocious and self-aware, brimming with confidence and curiosity". This desire and sense of jealousy towards the lives that these kids were living is initially what caused Hewitt to lean towards a similar education for his own children. This also would cause readers to rethink their initial opinion on the idea of not sending children to school. Hewitt spends a lot of time making sure that he emphasizes the idea that his kids are more curious than most children their age. He almost brags about how proud he is of his children for wanting to learn without being forced to. He used irony when he said, "if my wife, Penny, and I get our way, they will never go to school." because most parents would never dream of keeping their kids at home and letting them lead their own lives at such a young age. One could say that it teaches responsibility at a much younger age than most. I think a lot of people will vouch for the credibility of this form of teaching because of this article.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Tony Cerce

In the article, "We Don't Need No Education," author Ben Hewitt conveys his position through literary and rhetorical techniques. To begin, the author uses a form of literature known as repetition. He uses this to get his point across in the article when he states, "This is what I want for my sons: freedom. Not just physical freedom, but intellectual and emotional freedom from the formulaic learning that prevails in our schools. I want for them the freedom to immerse themselves." In this little section, he repeats 'freedom' four times. I think the point he is trying to get across is he wants freedom for his children. Next, he uses a technique that is not so much literary, but more to the point. He uses many statistics that just seem to blow your mind. For example, "More than three million teens leave school annually, a number that makes up about 8% of the nation's 16 to 24 year olds. Drop outs comprise 75% of the state inmates and 59% of those in federal prison." This really says something to me and proves another point. People who are unschooled are still eager to go through the school experience and are unlikely to drop out and be unsuccessful. A more turgid technique is the author wanted to prove something by writing this article. To do this he got the opinions from others who thought like he did. Here's a quote from Peter Gray, "Children are forced to attend school, where they are stripped of their rights. The debate shouldn't be about whether school is prison, because unless you wanted to change the definition of prison, it is. It's like locking a child in a closet." This quote is one that makes me stop and think for a second, and I think that was his goal... to make you think about what you just read and convince you to consider the topic. That's a very good technique so that's why he included it in the article. Finally, Ben Hewitt didn't just use literal and rhetorical techniques to persuade the readers, but he wrote about his passion and showed he was devoted to what he believed in. He says, "I want for them the freedom to be children. And no one can teach them how to do that." I believe that this one quote sums up the whole article and his passion for his children's success. I firmly believe that his passion is his writing was the strongest and most powerful technique he used. To summarize, the author used a variety of techniques and did a very good job conveying his position in this article.

Unknown said...

Laudan Pouremad

The author of the article “We Don’t Need No Education” conveys his position on “unschooling” well through literary techniques. First, he uses sarcasm and irony when he says, “hey, a father can dream cant he?” He, unlike most parents, not only wants his children to learn at home, but that he hopes they will only learn at home, and will never have to attend school. The author also uses statistics well to convey that standardized education is not as helpful to children or even as healthy as unschooling. “Diabetes rates among school-age children are sky-high, and the percentage of 6 to 11-year-olds who qualify as obese has nearly tripled since 1980.” Ben Hewitt conveys his position on unschooling very well through literary and rhetorical techniques.

Meg said...

Meghan McCarney

Ben Hewitt, the author of the article "We Don't Need No Education", uses various literary and rhetorical techniques to convey his position on "unschooling". The first technique is irony. In the article, he expresses his hope that his children never have to attend a traditional school. He says, "Hey, a father can dream, can't he?" This is ironic because most parents dream of their child getting a good education and going to a prestigious college, while he doesn't want that at all. He hopes that this use of irony will encourage others to consider "unschooling" for their own children. The next technique is statistics, which the author uses to prove that going to school is not as beneficial to children as "unschooling" is. One statistic is, "More than three million teens leave school annually, a number that makes up about 8% of the nation's 16 to 24 year olds. Drop outs comprise 75% of the state inmates and 59% of those in federal prison." The author uses this to show that children in traditional schools are often bored and aggravated by the experience, causing them to drop out and then encounter all kinds of problems. Meanwhile, "unschooled" children have control over their own education, which makes them happier and more productive students. The last technique used by the author is persuasion. Throughout the article, he explains how his sons Fin and Rye have both learned to read, write and do math without going to school. He also reports that they both have lots of friends and have impeccable social skills. If other parents see that children can still lead normal lives without attending school, they may be persuaded to try this method for their own children. Ben Hewitt was successful in conveying his position through his use of literary and rhetorical techniques.

Lucas Arruda said...

Lucas Arruda
In the article, "We Don't Need No Education" the author conveys his position greatly through different literary and rhetorical techniques that he used throughout the article.
First off, he uses irony. In paragraph seven the author says,"Hey, a father can dream, can't he?" He uses irony here because his dream is that his kids will never go to school unlike the average parent who wants their child to go to and be successful in school. He makes this ironic so it can help parents understand where he is coming from. Secondly, he uses repetition throughout the article to make the reader understand that the kids that are unschooled get to have freedom to do what ever they want to do. For example he repeats the words freedom and free several times so the reader knows that if they do unschool their child their child will have more freedom. Lastly, he used persuasion by giving the reader personal examples. He explains that even though his children are unschooled they still have friends and social abilities. Also, that his children were able to learn how to do math, read, and write without going to school. This is persuading because if some of the parents knew that their children will still have normal lives without going to school they might try unschooling. Throughout this article the author used many different literary and rhetorical techniques.

Unknown said...

Ben Hewitt, author of “I Don’t Need No Education”, uses many literary and rhetorical devices to strengthen his case that unschooling could be a more beneficial learning alternative. Hewitt uses ethos to convey that unschooling is an ethical alternative to the standard schooling system. As Hewitt asks the audience what is more effective for learning, the typical schooling system where one would listening to a teacher all day, or unshooling where children will have complete freedom to pursue what they want. Hewitt believes it is ethical for a kid to do unschooling because it presents more opportunities to learn life lessons. Hewitt also uses logos as he brings up numerous statistics to sway the audience. Hewitt also uses himself as an example to prove this method works. However, Hewitt’s unschooling may never happen in large numbers as it is too idealistic and only some will be able to perform unshooling with their children. Much like an Utopian society unschooling may be impossible to perform.
-Liam

Anonymous said...

Elise Cracco
Ben Hewitt decided to "unschool" his children Fin and Rye. Personally one of the best literary techniques he used was in paragraph 19 when he describes himself dropping out of high school. This worked to his advantage because it shows how he didn't want his kids going to school because he didn't go all the way through school. However, it also doesn't work to his advantage because he dropped out of school, which means he never got a high school degree. Any sane person could be judging how smart he is therefor judging how smart his decision was to take his children out of school. Another really well used technique was when he said that his kids spend no more that two hours per month studying subjects that are in the common core curriculum. He also says that if his kids were to be in school the older child would have pent around 5,600 hours and the younger child about half that. the author Ben Hewitt was able to successfully convey his position to the audience.

Unknown said...

Jillian Blye
Ben Hewiit, the author of We Don't Need No Education conveys his position of different types of schooling through the particular literary and rhetorical techniques he uses. The authors sons, Fin and Rye have no schooling and are encouraged more on how to teach themselves in the world rather than to sit at a desk and study. In the beginning of the article, repetition is used to show how important it is for his sons to grow by themselves. Freedom and free are repeated throughout to help show the reader that the children are free to do whatever they want, thus having the reader think about their kids and if they would or should do the same with theirs. When speaking about his children being unschooled, he uses irony and sarcasm when saying "A father can dream, cant he?". The author was unschooled himself and believes that if he can do it, why cant anyone else. This gives a persuasive outlook and makes the reader feel more connected with the author. It takes natural skill and ability to train oneself on everything around them. The author also focused on the statistics of non-schooling. The percents on the children being home schooled or the ones that have the freedom to learn when they want or how they want. Most parents dream of sending their children to a school to enhance their intelligence and push them to a career in the future. This is also a form of irony because the author brags about having his children home. Also, on how well behaved and smarter they are than the children in school for the day. " Children are forced to attend school, where they are stripped of their rights. The debate shouldn't be about whether school is prison, because unless you wanted to change the definition of prison, it is. It's like locking a child in a closet". I think the author included this quote into his article because it is a very unique literary device. This quote makes the reader stop and think about how well their children are doing in school and what it must be like for them to sit in a seat all day long. The author uses many different techniques to get his opinion across on what he assumes is better for children. This article will most definitely make any reader stop and think about which technique to use on their children. This article could change the outlook of schooling in the future someday.

Unknown said...

In the article, "We Don't Need No Education" by Ben Hewitt, the author conveys his position clearly by utilizing literary and rhetorical techniques throughout the article. The first literary technique used by Hewitt is irony. He demonstrates this by saying, "Hey, a father can dream, can't he?", when referring to his hope that his children will successfully be "unschooled". This is ironic because many parents nowadays expect their children to attend school from pre-school up until senior year of high school and then hopefully pursue college and major in something that we can build a career off of. Another persuading technique used by Hewitt in the article was the usage of statistics related to "unschooling' and other homeschooling ideas. This makes the reader realize that the concept of "unschooling" is more common than we thought before reading the passage. The author also uses repetition to emphasize the freedom his children have. In the closing paragraphs of the reading the words “freedom” and “free” re used to describe the learning environment he has created for his children, Fin and Rye. While using all these techniques the author clarifies that this learning style only works under certain circumstances and is not ideal for every child. In the article, the author exemplifies his pride in his children’s unschooling by using many rhetorical and literary techniques.
-Brian Holmes

Marisa Amato said...

The author of We Don't Need No Education, Ben Hewitt, made the important decision of not sending his children to school but rather let them learn on their own through the "unschooling" learning method. To convey his beliefs, he used several different literary techniques. For example, the author uses a technique known as repetition. Repetition is commonly used to get a point across. The author writes, "Perhaps the best way to explain it is that all unschooling is homeschooling, but not all homeschooling is unschooling". He is trying to explain what homeschooling and unschooling are by referring back to one another and making the repetitive connections. Again, the author uses repetition to get the point across that he wants his children to be free. He writes, "This is what I want for my sons: freedom. Not just physical freedom, but intellectual and emotional freedom from the formulaic learning that prevails on our schools". The author also makes statistical references in his article to convey his message and convince his readers. He writes, "The first incidence of compulsory schooling came in 1852, when Massachusetts required communities to offer free public education and demanded that every child between the ages of 8 and 14 attend school for at least 12 weeks per year”. This statistical reference subconsciously shows how times have changed. The author f this article is talking about modern day “unschooling” when in 1852, every child between 8 and 14 had to attend school for at least 12 weeks per year. The author of We Don’t Need No Education, Ben Hewitt used rhetorical techniques and statistical references to convince his readers to understand his beliefs. Ben Hewitt successfully conveyed his position to his audience and expressed his strong belief’s of the “unschooling” learning method.

Unknown said...

Tara Kiley
In the article, “We Don’t Need No Education” by Ben Hewitt, the author conveys his position through a multitude of literary and rhetorical techniques. Initially, when you first read the front of the article you think to yourself “Who would ever not want their children to go to school?” Well, Ben Hewitt helps us understand the reasoning to why he chose not to send his two boys, Fin and Rye, to school. He persuades the reader into believing that “unschooling” is a better option, “Dropouts comprise 75 percent of state inmates and 59 percent of those in federal prison.” The author used this statistic to help us see how many teens dropout of school. He explains later on that this is due to boredom and or frustration. If those students had been in the comfort of their own homes and learning at their own pace, they would have had a better chance of sticking to their studies. Additionally, the author uses a more humorous approach when he says, “I generously estimate that my boys spend no more than two hours per month sitting and studying the subjects that are universal to mainstream education. Not two hours per day or even per week. Two hours per month.” This tries to persuade the reader that children can be educated in life skills without sitting in a classroom for six hours a day. By and large, Ben Hewitt did a nice job conveying his position through a multitude of literary and rhetorical techniques.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Morgan Nicholson
"We Don't Need No Education", an article by Ben Hewitt, uses different literary and rhetorical techniques in order to help convey a reader of his position on the topic of "unschooling". One technique Hewitt uses is the use of irony. Fin and Rye, Hewitt's two sons, have never sat in a classroom once for an education. "And if my wife and I get our way, they will never go to school. Hey, a father can dream, can't he?" For most parents, their children going to school is a good thing. Their kids are getting an education, they'll have more free time, the house will be quieter. Hewitt and his wife's hope of never having to send their children to school is quite ironic, when compared to the parents of children who receive normal schooling. This makes the reader intrigued and forces the audience to read more. Another technique used by the author is repetition. Towards the very end of the article, "free" and "freedom" are mentioned multiple times. Using this repetitive theme, Hewitt is able to stress the idea of children having freedom and allowing them to be curious and self-dependent, instead of being cooped up in a classroom for seven hours. He expresses how much he believes in the "unschooling" system, and makes sure the reader knows this. A third technique Hewitt uses is statistical references. Using facts and research, Hewitt is able to make his case on why "unschooling" is a good schooling option for children. His facts back him up, showing parents why "unschooling" is a good option, successfully making his case. "Unschooling" is an option for schooling that many people would be skeptical of, but using literary and rhetorical techniques, Ben Hewitt convinces the reader that his position on the idea of "unschooling" is a good one

Unknown said...

The author, Ben Hewitt uses many literary devices to get his point across on the subject of "unschooling". For example when first referring to his children, he intentionally uses maybe repeatedly, to get his point across.He also frequently uses irony, like when he says "Can't a father dream can he?" when referring to his children never attending school. He also uses metaphors to compare the conventional education system to a prison like system that limits the social, emotional, and educational freedoms of children in it. The author also uses examples of this method prevailing, mentioning a friend who "unschooled" his children and how his children have responded to this method of education. Although the author uses all of these methods to convey his message i believe it is fundamentally wrong. I believe that structure is what build discipline, and discipline build respect for authority and self respect. I'm not saying education should be a rigid, strict institution, but on the other hand kids shouldn't be trusted with the course of their development before they comprehend the impact the choices wil make on their life.

Anonymous said...

Alyssa DiGregorio
In the article, "We Don't Need No Education," the author, Ben Hewitt, uses many different literary and rhetorical techniques to convey his position. Initially, he uses imagery to paint a picture of Fin and Rye's lives. The author shows this when he states,"By 6:30, with the first rays of sun burning through the ground-level fog, the boys are outside." Hewitt shows how peaceful and active a school day is in the world of unschooling. Additionally, the author uses repetition to get his point across. In the last paragraph he continuously uses the word freedom,"This is what I want for my sons: freedom. Not just physical freedom, but intellectual and emotional freedom..." He feels strongly about this and it shows by repeating the word several times in the passage. The author also uses repetition when he writes,"Their gazes shifting between window and clock, window and clock, counting the restless hours..." By saying this he explains a boring day in a regular classroom. Ben Hewitt also uses irony by saying,"Hey, a father can dream, can't he?" The sarcasm is clear. It's also ironic that he grew up in a household of school educators, and he embraces the idea of unschooling. Finally, Hewitt uses statistics to support his opinion. "By now Fin would have spent approximately 5,600 hours in the classroom." In conclusion, Ben Hewitt uses a variety of literary and rhetorical techniques in his article.

Unknown said...

In the article, "We Don't Need No Education" the author, Ben Hewitt uses various types of literary devices and rhetorical techniques to convey his place on the topic of "unschooling" children. First he uses repetition. He frequently repeats words like freedom and free to show that "unschooling" children gives them freedom from a classroom. They are free to learn information and skills on their own without instructions, rules, and regulations. Peter Gray says, "Children are forced to attend school, where they are stripped of most of their rights". Hewitt and Gray fight to convey that "unshooling is a more beneficial way for children to learn. Gray also states that forcing children to attend school, " It's like locking a child in a closet". Hewitt also uses irony frequently in this article. In reference to to his kids Fin and Rye not attending school, he states, " Hey a father can dream, can't he"? this ironic because the majority of parents want their children to attend school and use that education to succeed in the real world. He says that his dream is to not have his kids ever attend school. This is definitely an example of irony. Hewitt also uses events in his real life to plug for the benefits of "unschooling". He says that he would not have been the man he is today without dropping out of school and living the way he wanted to and learning what he wanted to know. Hewitt introduces statistics into the article in hopes that the numbers will help convince the audience that "unschooling" is a better form of education than sending a child through public or private school system. Hewitt uses literary devices and rhetorical techniques like repetition, irony, and personal events to strongly convey why he believes that "unschooling" children is better than them learning in a classroom. His idea, though fought hard, is not realistic because it is almost impossible for a child to dictate his/her life at such a young age.
John Munger

Unknown said...

Max Albert
Ben Hewitt, the author of the article "We Don't Need No Education” is conveying his position of the technique of “unschooling”. While doing this the author uses a plethora of literary and rhetorical techniques. One being when he uses irony in the statement “Hey, A father can dream, can’t he?” when he says this it is directed at his hope that if all goes to plan his children can and will be unschooled. This shows irony in the way that you would rarely hear parents say that they don’t want their children to have any form of traditional schooling. Unlike the majority of parents who want their children to go through all grades and proceed to collage. Hewitt, would rather his children learn from real life experiences. The author uses statistics to persuade the reader that “unschooling” is a good alternative to school, one static was “Dropouts comprise 75 percent of state inmates and 59 percent of those in federal prison.” this statistic shows the odds aren’t always better for kids who did schooling. In unscholing there is no dropping out, there is work. The authors sons fin and rye can’t simply fill out forms and quit unschooling and work at a mc donalds, they choose to continue because it intrigues them. The basis to unschooling is to let the kids do work and learn from it. Hewitt says that when he walked through the path of all the forts he can see the advances through the forts from year to year. This is showing that unschooling is working for his children. This technique can’t be used to everyone, there is a specific kind of hard workers who can do this and not turn out as deadbeats living in their parents basements. In conclusion the author uses irony to convey his strong feelings towards the technique of “unschooling”

Unknown said...

Ben Hewitt, the author of the article, “We Don’t Need No Education”, uses various rhetorical and literary techniques to explain to the reader what “unschooling” means to him. One way Hewitt uses to explain his reasoning is by using irony. While most people want their kids to go to school and get a good education to further them in life, Ben Hewitt and his wife would rather their kids, Fin and Rye, be at home instead of being in a classroom all day. As Hewitt says, “And if my wife and I get our way, they will never go to school. Hey, a father can dream, can’t he?” By stating that Hewitt and his wife want their kids to stay home and not be in school unlike all the other children, he is using a sense of irony which makes the reader to become interested and want to know more about what Ben Hewitt has to say about “unschooling”. Another reasoning Hewitt uses to explain to his readers about his thoughts is repetition. As you read farther into the article, you would notice that the words, “free” as well as, “freedom” are used frequently. They are used often because Hewitt is trying to get across to people that kids shouldn’t be kept in school all day. Instead they should be given the chance to explore the world, become curious, and also self – independent. Hewitt feels very strongly about this “unschooling” system, that he uses repetition so you become more aware of it as well. A third technique he uses to explain his system is statistical references. By using actual facts, as well as backing them up, Hewitt is able to come across to even more people how his system is a better option for children. Ben Hewitt’s system of “unschooling” may come off as unpleasing to some people, by using irony, repetition, and facts, he convinces his readers that his uncommon system is actually a good one.

Unknown said...

In We Don't Need No Education, the author, Ben Hewitt uses literary and rhetorical techniques in order to convey his position on the subject. He often says phrases that are sort of mocking or bragging. For example, he talks about how other little children are getting on the school bus, and continues to repeatedly said the word "maybe" at the beginning of every sentence, but then ends the argument saying how these kids basically don"t go to school, and argues that a dad can dream too, can't he. He just wants everyone to know his opinion on the topic and how certain ways of teaching can be understood differently. Fin and Rye eventually taught themselves to build better forts, and this is very important self reliance taught. This is just one of the few techniques he uses, but he uses this to convey his opinion in a large way. Therefore, the author does a good job in conveying his own opinion, regardless of any other opinions on unschooling.

Unknown said...

Brett Stern
The author, Ben Hewitt conveys his position on "unschooling" by using several literary techniques. Hewitt especially enjoys the use of repetition to convey his message of "unschooling" to his readers. He repeats the word "maybe" several times in the beginning of the article. This is to open the readers mind to the possibility that Fin and Rye may actually turn out the way they are supposed to if they are "unschooled.". Hewitt also enjoys the use of sarcasm in this article. Hewitt uses the phrases like, "hey, a father can dream can't he" using this phrase alone brings a lot of support towards Hewitt. By saying this he is reminding everybody that everyone has rights and parents should be able to school their kids however they see fit. Using sarcasm and repetition, Ben Hewitt effectively gets his "unschooling" point across in the article.

Unknown said...

Cody Aranjo

In the article, "We Don't Need No Education," the author Ben Hewitt uses a series of literary and rhetorical techniques to convey his position on "unschooling." First off, he uses a lot of irony throughout the article. For example, in paragraph seven of the article Ben uses irony when he stated, "If my wife Penny, and I get our way, they will never go to school. Hey a father can dream, can't he?" This shows the literary device of irony, because most parents want their children to attend school everyday and always try their best, in hopes that one day their child will be able to graduate and attend college, so they can go out and get a job after college. However, Ben stated that he and his wife, Penny did not want their children attending school which differs from the usual expectations parents have on schooling. Another form of device used constantly throughout the article is, statistics. Ben Hewitt constantly uses numbers to help prove his case. For example, he stated, "More than three million American teens leave school annually, a number that makes up about 8% of the nations 16-24 year olds. Dropouts comprise 75% of state inmates and 59% of those in federal prison." These examples, all use statistics to prove that "unschooling" isn't all that bad compared to school. Unlike the millions of dropouts who do nothing with their life after leaving school, people who are "unschooled" have the rest of their life to learn and explore the world with no boundaries or teacher telling them what to do or how to act. Which, initially allows them to be whatever they want to be, a doctor, a pilot, a construction worker, a fashion designer, the possibilities are endless for children who are "unschooled." Finally, the last main literary technique used by Ben Hewitt in this article is, repetition. In the second-to-last paragraph, Ben Hewitt uses the word freedom five times. He repeats the word freedom so many times, because he wants people to understand that "unschooling" leads to their child having the complete freedom the school won't let them have. He states, "This is what I want for my sons: freedom. Not just physical freedom, but intellectual and emotional freedom from the formulaic learning that prevails in our schools. I want for them the freedom to immerse themselves in the fields and forests that surround our home, to wander aimlessly or with purpose. I want for them the freedom to develop at whatever pace is etched into their DNA, not the pace dictated by an institution looking to meet the benchmarks that will be in part determine its funding." This quote allows parents to see the positive side of "unschooling," it allows children to do, say, or become whatever they want. It lets them use their imagination in ways they were never aloud to in school. In my opinion, Ben Hewitt did a very good job conveying his message about the benefits of "unschooling" through his use of literary and rhetorical techniques.

Noah Taffah said...

In the article, "We Don't Need no Education", the author, Ben Hewitt, uses many different writing techniques such as sarcasm and rhetorical questions to convey his thoughts on why children are better off not attending school. Hewitt and his wife, unanimously decided that their two sons, Fin and Rye, would not be a part of the "normal" schooling most children go through. The couple believes in only, what they call, "unschooling". Unschooling is a way for children to learn without any actual teachers or lessons, the children are expected to learn all by themselves. During unschooling, the "students" can do whatever they choose, from building forts to playing sports. "Fin and Rye determine how their days will be spent." When you first pick up the article, you may be thinking Ben Hewitt and his wife are crazy, but by the end of the article, you can really understand their side of the debate. This is all due to Ben's fabulous use of the basic writing techniques. When you first begin reading, you realize that more and more Hewitt starts using the word maybe. He repeats this word many times so that the reader becomes engaged in what is happening.This also helps him hint at what the article is actually about. This part of the article is also an example of irony, because Ben is making it sound like his boys are getting ready to go back to school for a new year, but really they aren't going back to school at all. Already, in the fist part of the article, Ben Hewitt shows two ways to keep your reader interested in your article. Another way Hewitt keeps his readers enthralled is, his statistics. When statistics are thrown at people it interests them, because it is cold hard fact that what they thought was wrong. Ben's use of statistics was perfectly constructed. "in a 2007 survey by the National Center for Education Statistics, 83 percent of homeschooling parents said that providing 'religious or moral instruction' was part of their choice." He would insert some stats right at the perfect times. The author mentions that he himself was bored in school and that it caused him to drop out of high school. "I Left public school because I was bored to the point of anger. To the point of numbness. To the point of rebellion." The use of his own experiences brought sort of an emotional side to the article, which also helped Ben Hewitt convey his interesting beliefs. In this article, the author, Ben Hewitt, does an amazing job of conveying his point that "unschooling" is better than "normal" school.