Understanding the adolescent brain is something that many parents and adults struggle with. Adolescents are unpredictable and underdeveloped in the minds of their elders. In Elizabeth Kolbert’s essay “The Terrible Teens,” she has brought the unfathomable interworkings of the teenage brain down to earth. Kolbert incorporates methods of development and rhetorical devices into her writing allowing for the reader to visualize, fully understand the text, and share or conflict with her point of view. Adolescents’ behavior and neurological reactions to situations have been greatly depicted throughout the essay. The arguments of the essay are strong and persuasive because of the rhetorical devices and methods of development used. To begin with, rhetorical devices are essential to Kolbert’s success in bringing the…show more content… One tactic that is used, is appeal to authority. For example, “researchers at Temple University” (Kolbert,1) are cited as a source of facts. Using the name of a university influences the reader to view the information stated as credible and factual. Also, appealing to authority early on in the essay sets the tone. Following that, Kolbert is using comparison and contrast. The behavior of a teen alone is being compared and contrasted to the behavior of a teen within a group of peers. This furthers Kolbert’s overall argument. Kolbert explains how teens’ neurological reaction to the presence of judgmental people their age can affect their ability to make good decisions. Methods of development provide supporter to Kolbert’s essay.
In conclusion, the readers of Kolbert’s “The Terrible teens” are able to understand her argument and develop an opinion of their own based on the information given. The adolescent mind is still very much a roadway without a map, but with the use of rhetorical devices and methods of development throughout the essay, adolescent behavior has become easier to
