John's Test Prep Blog - Tutoring by John - Serving Berkeley, San Francisco, Alameda & San Jose.

New SAT and ACT Prep Video on the Properties of Zero!

1/26/2019

This should help you prepare for the math sections of the SAT and ACT. Here's the link...

New Video on American Idiom - "Crazy Stupid Words" Part II!

1/24/2019

Here's the link - let me know what you think!

I'm a Top Pro on Thumbtack! That puts me in the top 4%.

1/22/2019

Thanks to all my customers who gave me high ratings!

SAT and ACT Math Video on Transversals - More Than Meets the Eye!

1/20/2019

Find it here!

New Video - How to Study for the SAT and ACT : Second Essay Done in Real Time

1/13/2019

Here's a link to my latest video, the second video in which I answer an SAT essay question "in real time." https://youtu.be/EcxXlxDwqkk

Here's the essay I wrote in the video. NOTE: Don't copy this essay and submit it for a class. As I've noted below, at least one plagiarism-checking site has visited this site, so you'll probably get caught if you do. All right, here's the essay. Let me know what you think of it - all constructive comments are welcome!

In the persuasive essay “The North West London Blues,” writer Zadie Smith uses ethos (authoritative facts and commonly-accepted ideas), pathos (appeals to emotion), and logos (logical argument) to support her point that public libraries are important and should remain open.

The most notable writing technique Ms. Smith uses in her essay is pathos. She details how library supporters have offered to staff the Kensal Rise library, have protested its closing to the point of forming human chains outside libraries in North West London, and have written lengthy editorials in newspapers asking for the libraries to be preserved, mostly to the effect of “Defend our libraries. We like libraries. Can we keep our libraries? We need to talk about libraries.” Smith describes the authors of these editorials as “[p]leading, like children.”

Smith also argues that libraries are some of the very few public spaces left where people can congregate without having to pay money to be in the space, as in the case of a coffee shop where patrons are expected to buy coffee or leave. Smith further argues, explicitly mentioning ethos, pathos, and logos, to explain that human beings are emotional creatures, and it is actually more logical to accept that human beings can be emotional and sentimental, and provide allowances for those facts, rather than just stating that those emotional concerns are at odds with the most “logical” and economically efficient solutions. While she concedes that spending on public health (e.g., the British National Health Service), and lowering classroom sizes are also worthy uses of tax money, she points out that libraries are also important, even though they meet intangible needs (e.g. public exposure to culture and places to socialize), rather than concrete ones (e.g. more hospital beds).

She points out that the best result for businesses in a capitalist society is often at odds with public emotional needs such as libraries, which is why the “sweet real estate deal” mentioned earlier, is not best for society’s needs, even if it would help balance the local council government’s budget. Smith also argues that “If the losses of private companies are to be socialized within already struggling communities the very least we can do is listen to people when they try to tell us where in the hierarchy of their needs things like public space, access to culture, and preservation of environment lie. “But I never use the damn things!” says Mr. Notmytaxes, under the line. Sir, I believe you.” Zadie Smith’s use of humor, the comical name of a library opponent whose main argument is his taxes shouldn’t pay for things he doesn’t use, underscores the frivolity of the anti-library argument. It shows that mere financial concerns are no match for the strong and justified support libraries have in British society. All of this is very emotional and makes the reader much more sympathetic to the cause of leaving libraries open.

Smith also makes judicious use of ethos (i.e., facts, morality, commonly-held common-sense beliefs) to support her argument in favor of the preservation of British public libraries. At the beginning of her essay, she notes libraries are seen as obsolete by “technocrats” who cite the fact that every book in the world can be accessed online, so physical libraries are obsolete, as well as expensive and unnecessary.
However, she counters the “technocrats’” assertion with the fact that libraries remain popular with the public, even though almost all students and other library patrons have computers with which they could access Internet versions of the same books found at the libraries. Smith supports her assertion with a statistic: “British libraries received almost 300 million visits last year.” That statistic, if true, certainly supports the idea that libraries are extremely popular with the taxpayers who use them. Unfortunately, Ms. Smith does not cite to a source for that statistic, but the statistic seems realistic, and can probably be found easily by any reader who wishes to research it on the Internet, or at a library.

Smith also notes the government’s reasons for closing the libraries, namely, their obsolescence and expensiveness to run, are more than overcome by their popularity with the taxpaying public. The author also cites to a “sweet real estate” deal as the reason one local government “council” would like to close a popular library, and also mentions that another library is scheduled to be closed, despite “friends” of that library volunteering to staff it for free.

In the second paragraph, Smith notes the fairly obvious point “All libraries have a different character and setting. Some are primarily for children or primarily for students, or the general public, primarily full of books or microfilms or digitized material or with a café in the basement or a market out front.” This does emphasize that different libraries serve different populations, which utilize them for different purposes, which implicitly makes them better than a general Internet search for books and research material, since the material is organized for the needs of the population that generally uses each particular library.

Smith emphasizes the non-obvious point that “Libraries are not failing ‘because they are libraries.’ Neglected libraries get neglected, and this cycle,in time, provides the excuse to close them. Well-run libraries are filled with people because what a good library offers cannot be easily found elsewhere: an indoor public space in which you do not have to buy anything in order to stay.” Smith’s use of facts, e.g., ethos, helps support her point.

Finally, Smith uses logos in a very simple, persuasive form. She points out that government funds are intended to support taxpayer needs, since after all, they came from taxpayers’ taxes. Emotional needs are needs, so they should be supported, even “irrational” needs, such as libraries. She also points out the logic behind neglected libraries – that libraries that are neglected fall into disuse, which leads to an excuse to close the libraries.

For the reasons stated above, Smith uses ethos, pathos and logos to make a very solid argument in favor of libraries.

New Video in the "American Idiom" Series!

1/8/2019

It's about "crazy" and "stupid" idioms. Here it is!