Composition

The article “Innocence lost: what did you do before the internet?” by Leah McLaren has a headline which captures the curiosity of the readers. The association between lost innocence and life before the internet sparks interest in several categories of readers. For example, people who have experienced life before the internet might become nostalgic and expect to read about the past, while younger generations might expect an account of a time they have not experienced.

McLaren’s article mainly relies on the contrast between life before the internet and life after it. Throughout the article, she compares past generations (ll. 1-11) with present ones (ll. 59-67) and reflects on the differences between the two. McLaren talks about her father and about her ow...