"Why I Hate Cell Phones"

A phone is a communication device. A cell phone makes the communication more convenient. But in her editorial, Sara Reihani observes that cell phones hurt the ability to communicate and make her feel like she's trapped in a cell.

Here are all the word lists to support the reading of Grade 11 Unit 3's texts from SpringBoard's Common Core ELA series: Media in a Democracy, Daily Me, The Newspaper Is Dying, Facebook Photos Sting, Abolish high school football, Facing Consequences, Time to raise the bar, New Michigan Graduation Requirements, Why I Hate Cell Phones, Editorial Cartoons, Let's Hear It for the Cheerleaders, Girl Moved to Tears, In Depth, but Shallowly, Advice to Youth, The War Prayer, Gambling in Schools, How to Poison the Earth
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. gratification
    the act or an instance of satisfying
    From its origins as the pineapple-sized "car phone" exclusive to power-suited 80's business executives to its current incarnation as camera/computer/life coach, the cell phone has gone from convenient utility to graven idol of instant gratification.
  2. accessibility
    the quality of being at hand when needed
    While constantly reachable has undeniable advantages, call phones deceive us into thinking that this accessibility is an inalienable right rather than a flawed privilege.
  3. shackle
    restrain with or as if with fetters
    I am thus shackled to their whim, subjecting me to their contact when it may not be desired.
  4. insidious
    working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way
    Cell phones are currently dirt cheap to manufacture, but their true cost is insidious and pervasive.
  5. lubricious
    characterized by lust
    Besides the perils of hidden fees and the lubricious allure of text-messaging, one must consider the emotional enslavement that comes with allowing the outside world to contact you almost anywhere.
  6. tranquility
    an untroubled state that is free from disturbances
    Owning a cell phone guarantees that you can and will be interrupted in movie theaters, libraries or scenes of pastoral tranquility, usually for trivial reasons.
  7. efficacy
    capacity or power to produce a desired result
    The most alluring thing about cell phones for the younger generation (i.e. us) is their efficacy as instruments of spontaneity.
  8. insinuate
    introduce or insert in a subtle manner
    We can also cancel plans at the last minute without condemning ourselves to evenings of loneliness--instead, we can just use the opportunity to insinuate ourselves upon everyone else in our electronic phone books.
  9. protean
    taking on different forms
    This protean convenience breeds selfishness by liberating us from any solid idea of obligation.
  10. incentive
    a positive motivational influence
    If I can call someone at any time to obtain or verify information, it lessens my incentive to actually listen to them the first time they tell me something, which is inadvertently disrespectful and powerfully habit-forming.
Created on Sat Nov 15 13:24:29 EST 2014 (updated Sun Nov 16 00:36:31 EST 2014)

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