Response to "Residence Halls"

                After reading Kelly McCormick’s “Residence Halls” I can conclude that she in fact makes a very convincing and valid argument.  McCormick compares and contrasts what is expected of an average college dorm room by using claims obtained from the brochure on dorm room living.  I believe that her argument obtains its validity from the real-life stories that are tied in with it. She is constantly injecting personal experiences into her writing which not only makes her argument more believable, but much easier to read.  Furthermore, Kelly did an excellent job picking her topic because dorm rooms are something that the average first-year has to deal with. Because this experience is so common among all college students, it is easy to relate to and verify for ourselves (which should be true in any writing and its’ target audience).

                Although I thought Kelly McCormick wrote a very entertaining and interesting piece, I also believe some improvements can be made. McCormick has a very naturalistic way of writing—a positive thing—but she kept referring back to various elements of text as explained in “What Is Rhetoric” (such as ethos, logos, and pathos). Obviously she had to use these elements of writing in order to make a convincing rhetoric, but it takes away from the writing when they are directly mentioned.

Overall I found Kelly McCormick’s “Residence Halls” an enjoyable read. Despite minor flaws, I believe makes a strong argument due in part because of the topic chosen and the direct comparison of the brochure with personal experiences.