TOW #5- Non-fiction Text 1

     David Brook's theory of the baby boomer generation states his belief that people are the product of the generation they are raised in.  Not only are these effects associated with the way one is brought up but also include outside factors such as events in the time period.  In Brook's opinion article, Children of the '70s, major events such as the Vietnam War, the Hippie Movement, and various crime waves are used to support his generalization that this group of people have been shaped, from these happenings, to be a more experienced generation.  Brook uses strategies in his writing such as a comparison between the past and the present and specific facts to appeal to logos.
     Starting off his article, Brook introduces the Upper West Side of Manhattan in its current state; you are able to walk around with "such ease and safety that you could get the impression it was always this way".  He then compares this to the Upper West Side that he remembers from his youth, home to "one of the most dangerous blocks in the city".  Through his comparison, he is able to show the reader both views of the New York City area in order to explain the impact that today's '70s children have made.  This generation of people grew up with things like "crime and divorce" impacting their everyday life which is why Brook believes they represent the opposite image as adults.  He argues that in today's world, the used-to-be children of the '70s are maintaining peace and safety amongst themselves because of the violent experiences they've witnessed in the past.
     Not only does he use personal comparisons of different memories of the area, but he also appeals to logos through his multiple inclusions of statistics and rates.  For example, "by 1990, 5,641 felonies were committed in New York City's 24th Precinct, according to Podhoretz. Last year, only 987 were".  With this statement, Brook is combining his appeal to logos and his comparative strategy to convey the message of change that he has seen resulted from this group of people.  Since the crime rates have gone down so drastically since the '70s children have grown up, Brook draws the conclusion that it is due to the factors of their childhood.
    I think that David Brook has made a very interesting point through his article by tracing the roots of change all the way back to the original time period that caused it.  His idea opened my eyes to look at the bigger, overall picture when I am people analyzing, and also brought me to question what my generation is going to look like in about 30 years.  By looking at the way we are growing up and the things that are effecting us now, I can almost make the prediction that it will be the same things changing the ways we live in the future.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/18/opinion/18brooks.html?_r=0