Academic Source Analysis

View Dennis Baron's article here: From Pencils to Pixels

In Dennis Baron's article From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technology, he utilizes a variety academic sources to lay the platform for his thesis about technology. His thesis indicates that technology needs to be more practical for all to use and needs to create new communication possibilities, while imitating old technology. For Baron's essay, The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance by Henry Petroski provides the majority of historical background and information about the pencil. Without this source, Baron would have had a painstakingly difficult task of comparing technology's development to the stages of creation of the pencil. Since the source is so important to his essay, its credibility must be sound.

Henry Petroski's focus in his work about the pencil was the development of the pencil beginning in primitive times when writing was first developed and continued through to the creation of today's pencil. He mentions the pioneers of pencil engineering namely Thoreau, Faber, Gesner and multiple others that etched their names into pencil history. Also discussed in the work was the difficulties that the creators had with developing the perfect pencil and the switch from a thin piece of lead inside the pencil to the discovery and decision to use graphite instead. The right combination and hardness of first lead and then graphite had to be determined to create the perfect pencil that would last while, which used to cost a substantial amount money. As time progressed, new ideas and techniques caused prices of pencils to fall to mere cents. The whole book just reviews the stages of pencil development and the challenges that had to be overcome to create a cheap writing instrument for all of the world to be able to use. 

For Baron, he utilizes this source to show how beginning with the pencil, the world has progressed to creating complex machines such as computers, telephones, and other devices that were once never in the realm of human thought and making them simple enough to be used by anybody. But as with any technological invention, computers had to start with a basic idea of writing and communicating and the pencil was the forefather of people wanting to communicate non-verbally with others. Petroski's work was definitely a primary source of evidence for Baron. Since Petroski's book was so comprehensive, he had to use numerous sources, some more influential than others.

One of Petroski's sources that seems indispensable to his pencil anthology, as his was to Baron's, is On the Economy of Machinery and Manufacture by Charles Babbage. This source discusses how machines made manufacturing easier and the advantages and disadvantages of using them. Babbage also makes a comparison between the way a human works and the way a machine works and if one is more advantageous than the other. He attributes three sources to the usefulness of machines, principally the addition they make to human power, then second the money and time they save and third is their ability to make worthless products into useful ones. In subsequent chapters of his book, he goes on to talk about how reliable machines can be and how much longer they can work than humans, who tire eventually from the strain of moving the instruments. Using machines increase product output and a company's profits increase because less workers are required. Only a few are needed to work the machines, so the owners have to pay less wages. Babbage also discusses how machines are more precise than humans and can make products more accurate and similar to each other. Products can be more cheaply made using machines and they can conduct more processes safely without injuries. All these things enhance the science of manufacturing, allowing a much simpler process of producing goods.

Babbage's book compares to Petroski's by Petroski was discussing the development of the pencil, while Babbage book was more about the development and usefulness of machines. Petroski includes Babbage's source, because pencil eventually made the progression from being constructed by humans, which inflated a pencil's price, to being constructed by machines, which reduced it. Petroski used Babbage's book to show this aspect of development of the pencil. Machines greatly contributed to allowing the pencil to be produced on a mass scale and more available to everyone, just like Baron is trying to prove that technology needs to be for it to be useful.

When Baron used Petroski's book, he relied not just on the credibility of Petroski, but the credibility of Petroski's sources. Baron's article could not be considered academic if these sources were not valid, so this illustrates the importance of choosing sources carefully. These sources had to be relevent to Baron's main point about technology while providing irrefutable evidence, so they would not contradict his thesis and unravel his whole article. Baron successfully chose and used his sources, which is why his argument is strong and allows less room for opposition. He incorporated his sources seamlessly and convinces you of his argument. Convincing the reader, that his thesis is correct is what and academic article should accomplish. Baron's does just that and he can contribute it manly to Petroski's source.

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