Always Better the Second Time Around

When I first read the article “Mind vs. Machine”, I had just gotten home from a serious dance convention. I showed up to the convention at 8 o’clock am and did not stop moving until 8 o’clock pm. Needless to say I was beyond exhausted, my body broken down, and all I wanted was sleep. However, I had just gotten off the phone with a fellow incoming Michigan Wolverine who convinced me that I had to get my essay in that night because she heard from a friend that they moved the deadline earlier. In a panic I ran to my desk and began furiously typing away. With all of the stress that I felt in getting the essay in on time, I completely overlooked the article and honestly just read it to read it.

Now, six months later, I realize the greatness of this article. Sitting down and re-reading it in a more relaxed manner, I really let myself enjoy it. Christian has a wonderful sense of humor, which makes the article easy to read. In fact, I found the article extremely interesting and spent some time afterwards looking up the different computer programs that the judges thought were real like Eliza and Catherine.

The second time around reading it, I notice how Christian draws in his reader by turning what could very easily be a boring article into an intriguing story. Right off the bat he gives the audience a setting and picture, allowing for a narrative to develop. Slowly he delivers the necessary statistics and information but he does it in a very casual way, like he is threading it in throughout the story. The use of setting and the way he lets the reader into his train of thought make it into a narrative instead of a research paper. The use of dialogue also adds to the story-like aspect of it. He puts the reader in his shoes, allowing for a fresh perspective, taking the audience through the whole process and using his train of thought and analysis to be where he delivers the vital information and background that build this article.