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2805 Redefining America QUESTIONS Understanding and Interpreting 1. Why, according to Chris Hayes, did people initially believe %u201cthe Internet was going to save us from the menace of TV%u201d (par. 9)? 2. What does Hayes mean by %u201cour imaginative capabilities allowed us to know strangers%u201d (par. 18)? What is the difference between our understanding of %u201c[t]hose we know who know us%u201d as opposed to %u201cthose we know who don%u2019t know us%u201d? What is the %u201cthird category of person%u201d Hayes introduces in the following paragraph? 3. Why, according to Hayes, do people try to impress strangers %u201cin ever more compulsive ways%u201d (par. 26)? How do such people-pleasing efforts become paradoxically self-defeating? 4. Ultimately, what connection does Hayes draw between %u201cmass fame and mass surveillance%u201d (par. 26)? QUESTIONS Analyzing Language, Style, and Structure 5. Vocabulary in Context. Hayes makes the claim that the mental damage that often results from fame %u201cis the most obviously pernicious part of the expansion of celebrity%u201d (par. 24). How do the connotations of %u201cpernicious%u201d contribute to your understanding of why such pursuits lead %u201cto addiction, alienation, depression, and self-destruction%u201d? 6. Analyze the comparison of online discourse to %u201can endless, aural hall of mirrors%u201d (par. 17). How does this image contribute to Hayes%u2019s claims in paragraphs 16 and 17 and his overall line of reasoning? 7. What does Hayes imply about the historically famous by using the word %u201cexploits%u201d in paragraph 20? How does the connotation of this word convey Hayes%u2019s tone? 8. What forms of evidence does Hayes use most frequently to support his argument in this essay? Which ones do you find most convincing? Explain. QUESTIONS Topics for Composing 9. Analysis. Hayes writes about how the elusive promise of fame is now readily available to us via the internet. Read paragraphs 18%u201324 carefully. Write an essay that analyzes the rhetorical choices Hayes makes to convey his message about the impact of the internet on our personal and societal well-being. 10. Argument. Hayes makes it clear he does not believe the internet encourages deep interpersonal connections. Write an essay that argues your position on whether the internet improves or fragments relationships among humans. 11. Argument. Since the publication of this essay in 2021, do you think people have become more cautious about sharing personal information with strangers, or has the desire for attention and fame led people to take even greater risks? Write a response defending your position, including evidence from your personal observations and from current events. 12. Speaking and Listening. In his essay, Hayes explains how %u201c[t]he Western intellectual tradition spent millennia maintaining a conceptual boundary between public and private%u201d which was torn down %u201c[w]ith the help of a few tech firms%u201d (par. 22). Engage in a class discussion about the boundary between public and private. Where should it be? Where is it? How has the internet blurred that line, and to what effect? QUESTIONS Understanding and Interpreting QUESTIONS Analyzing Language, Style, and Structure QUESTIONS Topics for Composing Copyright %u00a9 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Not for redistribution.