Toulmin Essay
Kate Boland
EN 102-117
Professor Barton
April 1, 2013
OPTION #4: ZUCKERBERG’S HOODY IS SAVVY, NOT SNOTTY ANALYSIS After walking into a conference room full of business and commentators with a hoody, Mark Zuckerberg opened up yet another door to gain attention. This opportunity gave guys like Benjamin Nugent to proclaim what he thinks is the real reason behind this hooded adventure. He begins by recognizing many of the individuals who are most likely going to disagree with his claim by pointing out the argument. He then begins to proclaim his side of the discussion with a claim stating, “Now that the firestorm has cooled, it’s worth taking a moment to consider the complex significance of the hoodie for someone like Zuckerberg”. To support this claim Nugent uses three grounds throughout the next several paragraphs. These include: “when Zuckerberg wears a hoodie at a high-profile meeting, he’s saying: I am an artist, not a salesman”, “sales, the bottom line, these are not things that define me, the hoodie says”, and “it’s about taking pride in being an artist”. All of these grounds run together to make one point to the audience. He is pointing out that Zuckerberg allows his business to run through the art itself and no outward appearance should change someone’s opinion of it. Nugent goes on to back up these grounds with warrants to provide the audience with some clarity. First he states that “salesmen wear suits”. He backs this evidence up by saying their job is all about appearance, and Zuckerberg wants to clarify that that is not his number one priority. Second Zuckerberg explicitly states that he is “devoted above all to his beautiful creation: Facebook”. Dugent begins to back this warrant up with a specific offer made by Yahoo that Zuckerber turned down for $1 billion exactly for this reason. Third Dugent states that meetings go better when you “forget about yourself entirely, forget about how you look, what you’re wearing, and how people
EN 102-117
Professor Barton
April 1, 2013
OPTION #4: ZUCKERBERG’S HOODY IS SAVVY, NOT SNOTTY ANALYSIS After walking into a conference room full of business and commentators with a hoody, Mark Zuckerberg opened up yet another door to gain attention. This opportunity gave guys like Benjamin Nugent to proclaim what he thinks is the real reason behind this hooded adventure. He begins by recognizing many of the individuals who are most likely going to disagree with his claim by pointing out the argument. He then begins to proclaim his side of the discussion with a claim stating, “Now that the firestorm has cooled, it’s worth taking a moment to consider the complex significance of the hoodie for someone like Zuckerberg”. To support this claim Nugent uses three grounds throughout the next several paragraphs. These include: “when Zuckerberg wears a hoodie at a high-profile meeting, he’s saying: I am an artist, not a salesman”, “sales, the bottom line, these are not things that define me, the hoodie says”, and “it’s about taking pride in being an artist”. All of these grounds run together to make one point to the audience. He is pointing out that Zuckerberg allows his business to run through the art itself and no outward appearance should change someone’s opinion of it. Nugent goes on to back up these grounds with warrants to provide the audience with some clarity. First he states that “salesmen wear suits”. He backs this evidence up by saying their job is all about appearance, and Zuckerberg wants to clarify that that is not his number one priority. Second Zuckerberg explicitly states that he is “devoted above all to his beautiful creation: Facebook”. Dugent begins to back this warrant up with a specific offer made by Yahoo that Zuckerber turned down for $1 billion exactly for this reason. Third Dugent states that meetings go better when you “forget about yourself entirely, forget about how you look, what you’re wearing, and how people
Cited: Martin, Roland. "Only Students Can Truly End Hazing." CNN. Cable News Network, 30 Dec. 2011. Web. 01 Apr. 2013.