Argu180 [shining sep作文组] 8.16

Ajax555UID: 2241288

TOPIC: ARGUMENT180 - The following is a recommendation from the personnel director to the president of Acme Publishing Company.

"Many other companies have recently stated that having their employees take the Easy Read Speed-Reading Course has greatly improved productivity. One graduate of the course was able to read a five-hundred-page report in only two hours; another graduate rose from an assistant manager to vice president of the company in under a year. Obviously, the faster you can read, the more information you can absorb in a single workday. Moreover, Easy Read costs only $500 per employee-a small price to pay when you consider the benefits to Acme. Included in this fee is a three-week seminar in Spruce City and a lifelong subscription to the Easy Read newsletter. Clearly, Acme would benefit greatly by requiring all of our employees to take the Easy Read course."
WORDS: 434          TIME: 0:58:56          DATE: 2006-8-16

In this analysis, the arguer claims that Acme Publishing Company would benefit greatly by requiring all of its employees to take the Easy Read Speed-Reading Course. To substantiate the conclusion, the arguer cites two examples of graduates of the course. In addition, the arguer asserts that considering the benefits that the course can bring to Acme, $500, the cost of having the course is just a small price to pay. The argument seems reasonable, but it is unconvincing for several critical flaws.

First of all, neither of the two examples the arguer cites can prove their achievement attribute to the training of the Easy Read Speed-Reading Course. The arguer do not show how difficult is it to read a five-hundred-page report in only two hours. If a person without the Easy Read training can read a 480 pages report in two hours, it is unnecessary to take the Easy Read. And the second example is also too weak to support the arguer's suggestion. Taking the Easy Read is not the only reason of the promotion of the second graduate. Hard-working, clever, even luck all could be the factors of the promotion. The two examples do not indicate the necessity of taking the Easy Read.

In addition, the arguer states a hasty generalization. "The faster you can read, the more information you can absorb in a single workday." This view is fundamentally untenable. Because reading and absorbing are two different processes, and there is no inherent consequence between them. Fast reading do not guarantee absorbing more information. And the old proverb "Haste makes waste.", tell people fast reading even maybe have some counteractive to absorb information.

Finally, the arguer hints that the cost of taking the Easy Read is very efficient and rational. Unfortunately, the vaguely demonstrating does not support the point strongly. The argument has no statistics to show how much beneifit Acme could get, so it can not be compared with the $500 cost of taking the Easy Read. Whether Acme would get profit or not on this investment is an unsure question. Furthermore, even if it is a correct choice to take the Easy Read, it is no necessary to requiring all of Acme's employees to take the reading course. After all, not everyone needs to improve reading ability, such as pressmen or reporters.

As it stands, the argument is not well reasoned. To make it logically acceptable, the arguer would have to use other typical and strong instance to demonstrate the necessity of taking the Easy Read. Moreover, the arguer would give more detail data to prove this investment is profitable.