Ravago 1

Ravago, Joseph

January 15th, 2016

McKiddy

Period 1

Coben Response

In the persuasive article, “The Undercover Parent” (March 16th, 2008), Harlan

Coben argues that it is not wrong for parents to install spyware because of how

dangerous the Internet is. He does this through personal anecdotes, tapping into the

reader’s emotions via dangerous situations, and a warning tone. Coben’s purpose is to

convince parents that spyware should be installed on their teen’s computer in order to

limit the dangers presented to teens while on the internet. Coben presents a well

supported article and he is successful at convincing a majority of his intended audience,

parents, because of his personal experiences. Through his use of rhetorical strategies

of ethos, pathos, and logos, Coben proves that spyware is acceptable for parents to

install because of the dangers presented by the Internet.

Coben’s credibility is often shown in the article through the personal experiences.

he presents to the reader. At the beginning of the article Coben provides an anecdote.

This anecdote states, “Friends of mine confessed over dinner that they had put spyware

in their 15-year-old son’s computer so they could monitor all he did online.” (Para. 1).

This anecdote shows how Coben is knowledgeable about spyware and has a personal

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experience to relate to the reader with. We, as readers, know that Coben is not just a

salesman trying to sell us spyware, but that he also has seen the results first hand.

Coben connects with his readers in order to gain their trust and to show that he is a

credible source. Towards the end of the paragraph, Coben states, “Will your teenagers

find other ways of communicating to their friends when they realize you may be

watching? Yes. But text messages and cell phones don’t offer anonymity and danger of

the Internet.” ( Para. 12). This shows how Coben knows that teens will try to get away

from spyware; however, spyware is still worth it because text messaging isn’t as

dangerous as the Internet. Also, this supports Coben as a credible source because this

shows how he did research possible problems and came prepared with answers to

those same problems. Coben also uses several emotional anecdotes to support his

claim.

The emotions that Coben taps into helps support his claim and helps him

connect to his audience. Throughout the article, Coben states several well-known

internet dangers. He presents some of these dangers by stating, “First, we’ve all read

about the young boy unkowningly coversing with a pedofile or a girl who was cyber

bullied to the point where she committed suicide.” (Para. 8). This statement allows

Coben to tap into the readers’ emotions and shows some of the dangers that the

Internet presents. Parents use this anecdote as a cautionary tale and begin to worry

about their child’s well-being. They finally begin to see the true dangers of the Internet

and will take whatever precautions necessary in order to protect their child. They will

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even go as far as to install spyware onto their child’s computer, which is one of Coben’s

unimate goals. Coben also appeals to the reader's emotions when he states, “Trust is

one thing, but surrendering parental responsibility to a machine that allows the entire

world access to your home is border negligence.” (Para.6). Coben uses this statement

to shock parents into near horror. This horror comes from the word negligence.

Negligence has a negative connotation and no parent never wants to be labeled as

negligent. To avoid this label that is so often frowned upon in today’s society, parents

will install spyware to eliminate all dangers that the internet presents. The last method

that Coben uses, and arguably the most effective, is logos.

Logic is something that every piece of literature needs to have. Coben often uses

logic to help convey his claim. Coben starts off with this by addressing

counterarguments. Coben addresses the question of “Am I suggesting eavesdropping

on every conversation? No. With new technology comes new responsibility.” (Para. 11).

This statement shows that Coben has done a fair amount of research and has come

prepared with answers to possible questions. Also, it shows that Coben is not creating

an unreasonable dictatorship in homes, but he is trying to help everyone stay safe.

Coben is logically defended his claim and showing that the downsides of installing

spyware are nothing compared to the major upside presented. Coben also states, “Now

after a fair amount of research, I get it.” (Para. 1). Coben’s statement allows the reader

to find solace in the fact that the author of this piece has done research and is

knowledgeable of the subject that is the main topic of this piece. Coben’s research is

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evident throughout this piece through his addressing of counterarguments and his

examples of the possible dangers presented by the internet. This credibility presented

by his research helped solidify the many dangers of the internet by providing constant

examples of people put in danger because of the internet. Overall, Coben’s credibility is

solidified by all of his examples throughout the piece.

Coben proves that it is alright for parents to put spyware onto their teen’s

computer as long as they notify their teen. He does this through the use of ethos, logos,

and pathos. The arguments presented by Coben can be used by all to become more

aware of the dangers of the internet and learn how to defend against them.