Roger Rosenblatt's "Why I Don't Compute".

Essay by milokissyfurCollege, UndergraduateA, April 2003

download word file, 3 pages 3.0

According to Roger Rosenblatt, in his article, "Why I Don't Compute", computers are not at all beneficial and can be harmful. He states that it is a slow method for writing, that it isolates people, and that it is not a good source for research. His article is almost completely misguiding besides his one semi good point. There are many different reasons that people find computers beneficial and Rosenblatt seemed not to try to address them. This could be because he does not know much about computers at all.

Rosenblatt argues that a computer is slower than a typewriter and even handwriting. He believes that the "fast and easy" corrections which a computer provides leave a writer with a feeling of loss of their creativeness. I disagree with this point because I do not believe that a creative writer is not going to let a computer stand in the way of their creativeness.

Rosenblatt also argues that when a writer has to make corrections, they have to start all over again from the beginning. I do not see how this makes any sense because if the writer makes the mistake while typing on a computer, then they would make the same mistake when hand writing or typing on a typewriter. Either way, they would eventually realize they made a mistake and have to make the correction. A computer just finds the mistake sooner. In other, words, it is not the computer's fault the writer makes a mistake and if they want to start their work all over from the beginning, then that is their choice.

Rosenblatt insists in his article that a computer isolates its user. A computer does not have the power to isolate anyone. It is actually the person who isolates themselves and that...