“Hey, want a beer?” » Many high school and college students are asked this question when they go to parties and face an internal conflict: whether to give in to peer influence and drink or follow the law and say no. Some believe that this law, which criminalizes drinking for those under 21, is somewhat authoritarian, while others believe that lowering the drinking age would prove disastrous. As with any controversial issue, it can be difficult to know who to side with, as there are many evidence-based articles that contradict each other. Fortunately, there is a fairly simple way to overcome this problem: by analyzing who wrote the article, why they wrote it, who it was written for, and the author's limitations in writing it; these elements are collectively called the rhetorical situation. Understanding and applying this idea is essential because it allows you to be able to separate fact from opinion and get a true sense of what the author is saying. This ability is especially important for you, as high school seniors, to ease the transition to college and develop your critical reading skills. The first question to ask when reading an article is the one with the most obvious answer: "Who wrote this?" He is the rhetorician, and he has two parts: the author, the one who sat down to writing the piece and whose name is at the top of the page and others, those who helped the author by adding evidence or support to his argument (Grant-Davie 269). Preparing to enter the wonderful world of academic research papers, it is important to understand who is making the arguments you are referring to in your own work, and you can do this by analyzing rhetoricians A review...... middle of paper ......classroom, critical reading helps avoid the traps set by many arguments to obtain undeserved support Even if I don't know when the legal drinking age is. alcohol will be lowered, if ever, I am sure of one thing: understanding rhetorical situations will help you separate fact from trivialities in any writing or reporting on the subject.Works CitedCloud, John. “Should we lower the drinking age? TIME. Time Inc., June 6, 2008. Web. September 9, 2013. Grant-Davie, Keith. “Rhetorical situations and their constituents”. Rhetoric Review 15.2 (Spring 1997): 266-70. Print.Shields, Wade. “Lowering the drinking age can help promote safer habits.” The Daily Wildcat. The Arizona Daily Wildcat, September 3, 2013. Web. September 9, 2013. Ziskind, Jeremy. “Arguments for and against: “Should the drinking age be lowered from 21 to a younger age?” » ProCon.org. ProCon.org, August 6, 2013. Web. September 9. 2013.