The Stand Alone

As a society, we tend to revere technological progress: always looking for the next, great gadget to make our lives easier. We would expect, therefore, that in an essay comparing a pencil and a computer as writing tools, the computer would be the clear winner. However, this is not the case in Bonnie Laing’s “An Ode to the User-Friendly Pencil”. Using situational irony, Laing argues that the pencil is the more useful implement because of its cost, ease of use and maintenance. Laing points out that unlike a computer, “you don’t have to ask for a bank loan to buy a pencil.” In fact, pencils can often be found lying around and acquired at no cost. In addition, you “can learn to use a pencil in less than 10 seconds,” while it can often take weeks or even months to learn just the basics on a computer. Lastly, Laing suggests that pencil malfunctions are far easier to deal with than computer breakdowns. All computer users are familiar with the frustration that comes from a computer crash, but we probably think fondly about the old pencil sharpener. In general, in our technologically crazed society, we might question why someone would choose a pencil over a computer. However, using irony, the author effectively makes her point.