Be specific natalie goldberg summary

EVALUATE YOUR SOURCES 582

ANALYZE YOUR SOURCES 584

DEVELOP A WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY OF YOUR SOURCES 585

TAKE NOTES 587

DOCUMENT YOUR SOURCES 588 MLA In-Text Citations 589 MLA List of Works Cited 590 MLA Manuscript Format 600 APA In-Text Citations 602 APA List of References 603 APA Manuscript Format 608

""II CON II N IS

GLOSSARY OF RHETORICAL AND LINGUISTIC TERMS 610

RHETORICAL CONTENTS 619

INDEX OF AUTHORS AND TITLES 630

...... -,

I READING CRITICALLY

z I{I AI)INt, U~IIICAII Y ---~== GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR R ADING

Critical reading requires, first of all, that you conuutt t 1111\' ,llld effort. Second, it requires that you apply goodwill and energy to understanding and appreciating what you are reading, even if the subject matter docs not immediately appeal to you. Remember, your mission is twofold: You must analyze and comprehend the content of what you are reading; and then you must understand the writer's methods to see firsthand the kinds of choices a writer makes in his or her writing.

To help you grow as a critical reader and to get the most out of what you read, use the following classroom-proven steps:

1. Prepare yourself to read the selection. 2. Read the selection to get an overview of it. 3. Annotate the selection with marginal notes. 4. Summarize the selection in your own words. 5. Analyze the selection to come to an understanding of it. 6. Complete the "Language in Action" activity to discover the far-reaching

connections between the selection and language in the real world.

To demonstrate how these steps can work for you, we've applied them to an essay by the popular nonfiction writer Natalie Goldberg. Like the other selections in Language Awareness, Goldberg'S essay "Be Specific" is accessible and speaks to an important contemporary language issue. She points to the importance of using specific names in speaking and writing, and she demonstrates how we give things their proper dignity and integ- rity when we name them.

I. Prepare Yourself to Read the Selection

Instead of diving into any given selection in Language AJvareness or any other book, there are a few things that you can do that will prepare you to get the most out of what you will read. It's helpful, for example, to get a context tor what you'll read. What's the essay about? What do you know about the writer's background and reputation? Where was the essay first published? Who was the intended audience for the essay? And, finally, how much do you already know about the subject of the reading selec- tion? We encourage you to consider carefully the materials that precede each selection in tills book. Each selection begins with a title, headnote, and journal prompt. From the title you often discover the writer's po~ili()n on an issue or attitude toward the topic. On occasion, the lit Ie can giw l.iue.:s about the intended audience and the writer's purpose in wlilitl~ ill\' pk'n', The headnote contains a biographical note abollt lilt' ,lilthili '111111\\'1'11 h publication information and rhetorical highlighl' ,11111111 1111 ',1" 1111111, 111 addition to information on the person's life.:,HI\I ""tI \1111'1111 1.1 ,1111'"1 lIb or her reputalion :Jnd :wlhol'it), to '.Wile.:()II lilt ~IIIIIIII 1.1 till [III 1\' I'hl'

(,I IINI, 1111MO"I 01 J I (11 '1'( 1111\1\1AI)INt, .\

p"hU~."inll infc)I'lU'lliol1 il~dil,"es when ,t~l~ e.ssay was. pl1b.lishe~ an~ in wh II hllllk III Ilhlf!"IZilleil III'Sl appeared. IhIS I11fon:1aoo,:, 111.nun, ~lve~ 1111 1t1\1~111 ,Ihollt Ihe intended audience. The rhetorical ~ghhghts ~ec Y"III ,It11lit II III 10 one or more aspects of how the selection was wntten. "I""II\', th\' Writill!!oto Discover journal prompt encoura~es you to collect 0111 Ihllll",ht~ .md opinions about the topic or. related Issues before you II11UIII 11\ l' I\',lding,. The journal prompt makes It easy to keep a recor~ of

YUill 11\\ II knowledge or thinking on a topic before vou see what the wnter

h ~llIlIlkr . 10 IIl1dn~t,lIld how these context-building materials can work for

011, l ,11","11)' review the following informational materials that accompany NAill", l :lIldhcrg,'s essay "Be Specific."

Specific::__ -- NAlAtlF GOLDBERG

Title

nlllll ill 1948, author Natalie Goldberg is a teacher of writ- Headnote 11I~,,110 h.l~conducted writing workshops across the coun- In III ;lddirion to her classes and workshops, Goldbe~g h Ill" her love of writing in her books; she has made writ- Inll ,I[,Ollt writing her speciality. Her first and ?cst-kno,,:,n u,k, W,.itiNg Dow» the Bones: Freeing the Wnter Wtthtn, " pllblished in 1986. Goldberg's advice to wOllld~be

WIIIl"'~ i~practical and pithy, on the one hand, and mystical Biographical b informationIII ~PIIIIII,'1in its call to writers to know and ecome ~ore

"111111',ll'd 10 the environment. In short, as one reviewer 011\11 vcd, "Goldberg teaches us not only how to write bet- I I 11111 how 10 live better." Writing Down the Bones was fol- I:'\~Id hy five more books about writing: Wild Mind: Liv~ng till 1\'//1",.',1' life (1990), Thunder and Lightning: Cracktng f '/,,/1 II,,' W,,'itl'r)sC"aft(2000), Old Friendfrom Far Away: II" I'I'/Ir,;,.,. of Writil'tg Memoir (2008) and The True Secret II'm ""~I':Connecti'n;!]Life with Langu,age (2014). Alt~- I" till I, more than a million copies of these books are now 111 I" 1111 (:lIldhl'l'g has also written fiction: the ll~veJ=r= If,II, (11,1)1'), ,111<.1 the autobiography: Long Qutet Htghway: I\'.,A'1I111 lip ill AUIiTicn (1993) and The Great Failure: A II,IIIIII/Im (I MimI" 111Iri My Unlikely Path to Truth (2004).

"III 'l,n ilk" is I:lk.enli'om Goldberg's Writing Down t..he Publication 1 N informationII"", I .11111 1\ I'l'pn:\l'nI.1,ive or the book as a who e. ooce

,It. 1\ .I"~ III whkh Coldbel'g. detnonstmtes her advice to be Rhetorical I . I f I highJight'1"1 till. III ",\' II,ll\)l'Nwht:ne.:verp()s~ibk. W 11(10 ler many

I IIlIph" 1I·~tllI,IIl" hl'\t wilh yllll?

WRITING TO DISCOVER: Suppose bOIllI'IJII(' "'Y' III YUH,"I '"'" 11,11 walked in the woods today." What do you envislOIl?Wilt,. ""WII wlillt pi 111111" you see in your mind's eye. Now suppose someone SCly~,"I wrll~l'r/lll the redwood forest today."Again, write what you see. WIIO('S dlfft.rt'lll about your two descriptions, and why?

From reacting these preliminary materials, what expectations do you have for the selection itself? How does this knowledge equip you to engage the selection before you actually read it? From the title you probably inferred that Goldberg will explain what she means by the command "be specific" and what is to be gained by following this advice. Her purpose clearly is to .give advice to writers. The biog1'aphical note reveals that Goldberg has written a number of books detailing her own experiences with writing as well as giving advice to aspiring writers of all ages, and that she has taught writing courses and conducted writing workshops for many years. This experience gives her the knowledge and authority to write on this topic. The publication information indicates that the subject of Goldberg's essay is an argument in favor of being specific in writing. Because the selection was first published as part of her book Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Withi'ft) Goldberg can anticipate that readers, who we can assume arc looking for writing advice, will be open to her argument. The rhetori- en/ highligMalerts you to be mindful of how Goldberg practices what she's preaching in her own writing and prompts you to consider her examples. Pil),111y, the jIJII1'1II1J /J7'(l1Itpl-a hands-on exercise in specificity-asks you to dn\ Iibc ill WIilil1g the visuals conjured up in your mind by two statements .IIId III tit ,1\\ ~()lldll~i()IlS about :lny differences you note in your responses.

II's Iii1II,Iys ,I J.l,ood pract icc I() lake scvcral rni nutcs before reading a selec- non 10 rdk~,t Oil what YOLI already know about a particular issue and where )'CIII st.iud on il and why. Afrcr reading Goldberg's essay, you can compare your own experiences with being specific-or being unspecific-in writing wilh those of Gold berg.

2. Read the Selection to Get an Overview of It

Always read the selection at least twice, no matter how long it is. The fu'st reading gives you a chance to get acquainted with the essay and to form first impressions. With the fiJ'St reading you want to get an overaJJ sense of what the \vriter is saying, keeping in mind tbe essay's title 311d what you learned about the writer in the head.note. The essay will offer you information, ideas, and arguments-some YOll may have expected; some you .may not have. As you read, you may find YOllrself llll(.'SI ioning or lllodif)rmg your sense of what the writer is sayinp" It{'Nist Ih~' IIrge 10 annotate at this point; instead, concentrate on IIll' UHII\ III, Illl 11t~'111.1in points of what's being said. Now rcad Nat.lli(· (;(lldlllll ... I ~',II

p elfie NA'AIII GOII)l\I RC,

"ullIl 1>1111'tsay "fruit." Tell what kind of fruit-e-vlt is a pornegran- , 11\, Iltiltl4' Ihe dignity of their names. Just as with human beings, it

II,I( III ~,II, "I ley, girl, get in line." That "girl" has a name. (As a mat- til IlL I, II ~ltl'\at least twenty years old, she's a woman, not a "girl" at

II ) 111111.,.', 100, have names. It is much better to say "the geranium in \\111""\\" Ih,1I1 "the flower in the window." "Geranium"-that one

,," ".1\ I"~ II" ,I much more specific picture. It penetrates more deeply 1111 Ilu ht'lltp.lll'SS of that flower, It immed.iately gives us the scene by the ,,,,111\\ n'd petals, green circular leaves, all straining toward sunlight.

1111.11 1l'1I ),C.lI'S ago Idecided Ihad to learn the names of plants and flow- 1111111' environment, I bought a book on them and walked down the tree- ~lhTI'of Boulder, examining Jeaf, bark, and seed, trying to match them

\\ IIIt t11\'11' descriptions and names in the book. Maple, elm, oak, locust. I II III\' "Inl 10 cheat by asking people working in their yards the names Ih\ 1I11\\l'l\ nnd trees growing there. Iwas amazed how few people hadI",,I III lite names of the live beings inhabiting their little plot of land. WI"'II we know the name of something, it brings us closer to the "I II r.ikcs the blur out of our mind; it connects us to the earth. If! llo" II Ihe street and see "dogwood," "forsythia," I feel more friendly

Ih,' environment. r am noticing what is around me ,U1dcan name "",kl'~me more awake,

" \ 1111 I'l',HI Ihe poems of William Carlos Williams, you will see how III, Ill' i: about plants, trees, flowers-chicory, daisy, locust, poplar,

III"" pi imrosc, black-eyed Susan, lilacs-each has its own integrity. 1111 .. 111' ',I\'~,"Write what's in front of your nose." It's good for us to ,\\ \\ h.1I I' ill front of our noses. Not just "daisy," but how the flower

1111111 ~rNlIl we are looking at it-"The dayseye hugging the earth/in I "~I .Tirowncdged.y'green and pointed scales/armor his yellow."* 111111111' II) hone your awarencss: to the name, to the month, to the day,

,11111,111, 10 I he mOl11ent. \\ 11I1.III1S .,Iso says: "No idea, but iJl dungs." Study what is "in front of 5

III II' .',,' " By saying "gcranium" instead of "flower," you are penetrat- " 1111111 dl'l'ply inm the present and being there. The closer we can get I \ 11.11'" III it'OI)I or our nose, the more it can teach us everything. "To

1111 \Vllrld in.1 Grain of Sand, and a heaven in a Wild Flower ... "** III \I IIIIII~~).!.I'(HipS and classes too, it is good to quickly learn the names

11111" IIdlt'l ~roup ml:mbers. It helps to ground you in the group and III llo.l \ 1111 I1I41n'.lIt1:111ive to each 01 her's work.

• \\IIIl.tiII I ,111m WiIILlln" "l),ll'Y," ill '01<'CIIUr(/cd linrlicl' Poems(New York: New III II""~ I'JIM) Itillldlll'ly,', 11111\',1

• \\'1111.1111I\I.I~I ... I hI' 1\1I141111~' til 11111111('IW\' .. Illol"hl:r~'~ nOll'. I

h t~t AIliNed ~III( All Y----~==

Learn the names of everything: birds, cheese, II',H I()I " ,.11''', buildings, A writer is all at once everything-an architect, French look, CHIller -and at the same time, a writer is none of these things.

3.Annotate the Selection with Marginal Notes

Some students find it valuable to capture their first impressions, thoughts, or reactions immediately after they've finished reading a selection. If you keep a reading journal, record your ideas in a paragraph or two. You are now ready for the second reading of the essay, this time with pencil or pen in hand to annotate the text.

As you read the essay a second time, engage it-highlight key pas- sages and make marginal annotations. Your second reading will be quite different from your first, because you already know what tile essay is about, where it is going, and how it gets there. Now YOLican relate the parts of the CS1"'>' more accurately 10 the whole. Usc the second reading to test your lirsl imprvssron» .1gainsl the words on the page, developing and deepening your sense or Ihe writer's argument. Because you already have a general undcrst.inding of the essay's content and structure, you can focus on the writer's purpose and means of achieving it. YOLIcan look for features of organization and style that YOll can learn from and adapt to yom own work.

One question that students frequently ask us is "What should I anno- tate?" When you annotate a text, you should do more than simply under- line or highlight what you mink are me important points to remember. Instead, as you read, write down YOllr thoughts, reactions, and questions in the margins or on a separate piece of paper. Think of your annotations as an opportunity to have a conversation with tile writer of the essay.

Mark what you believe to be the selection's main point when you find it stated directly. Look for the pattern or patterns of development the author uses to explore and support til at point, and record the informa- tion. If you disagree with a statement or conclusion, object in me margin: "No!" If you're not convinced by the writer's claims or evidence, indicate that response: "Why?" or "Who says?" or "Explain." If you are impressed by an argument or turn of phrase, compliment the writer: "Good point." If there are any words mat you do not recognize or that seem to you to be used ill a questionable way, circle mem so that you can look them lip in a dictionary.

Jot down whatever marginal notes come naulrally to you. Most readers combine brief responses written in the margins with their OWIl .\yMem or underlining, circling, highlighting, stars, vertical lines, .IIHI qlll'~1 intI 111.11 Its.

Remember tllat there are no hard-and r"sl 1'1110 lot II 1111 II ,knll'llls you annotate. Choose a method Oranl101.11ioll 1It,II \\11.1.,111'\11111 YOIi and that will make sense to you whclI yllll 1~1lh.1I1 III 1111111" I \'11111' thoughts and reSpOI1Sl'Stlllhc C\S,lV. Witt II .1111101.111111\ 111\1, .11111'1 III

(,I IINC, II" MOS I ou I 01 YOUR RLADING 7

How to Annotate aText

IIIrr .tn' some suggestions of elements you may want to mark to hrlp \,1111 keep a record of your responses as you read:

• Mcmorable statements of important points • Kl'Y terms or concepts • (\'nl ral issues or themes • E:<:lInplcs that support a main point • l )1I1:\l11iliarwords • ()lIesl ions you have about a point or passage • Your responses to a specific point or passage

M,II"'- lip your book as much as you like, or jot down as ~1any k 1 . rk will be helpful Don t let,'nn"l'~ ill your noteboo as you U1I . . d

1I\III,'IIIl~, become burdensome. A word or phrase IS .usually as g?O as nil I"r , Notice how one of our students used marginal annotations to Ifll lwr responses to Goldberg's text.

Ik specific, Don't say "fruit." Tell what kind of 1111 "II i~~ pomegranate." Give things the dignity

III" II u.uncs. Just as with human beings, it is rude to

... " "llry, p.irl, get in line." That "girl" has a name. I _.1 uuucr of 1:1(1, if she's at least twenty years old, 111 " .1 WOIll.l11, not a "girl' at a 1.) Things, too, have names.

I .' th rindow" thanII I_ 111111h hcucr 10 say "the geranJUm 111 e ~ 1111 1111\\1'1' in the window." "Geranium"-that one word

!lll" 11\.1 much more specific picture. It pcnetrates more 1)1 I pi\' 11110 Ihe bl!ingl1l:ss of that flower. It immediately

1/.11" 11\ I Ill' scene by the window-red petals, green III 111.11 1,\1\'1", .111SII';lillillg reward sunlight. Shes practicing

,\hlllil Il'n ye.lrs ~g()1 decided T had to learn ---- whatshe preaches-

thl 11.11111'\III pl.llltSand Ilowers in my environment. I butthatsa 1'"III'.lit .1 hllClk on Ihcm ,Ind walked down the tree-lined LOTofwork .... III II. "I l\ollldl'l" l'x.lIllining lear, lnrk, and seed, trying Idoubt Icould tell

the difference III 111.110Ii Ihl III lip willI their descriplions and names in the betweena maple h",,~ i\l.lpll .1,1111, Il.Ik, 111111\1 I 11\l1.llIy lried 10 ChC;11 hy ,mdonl'/rn.

I ~IIII' 1'1 "1'''' Wlllklllfllllllll'lI Wld~ 1111' 1I111111'~

Iagree-tho my grandma calls her friends "the girlS·-?

IthInk I do pay more attn. when people call me by name.

K It! ADINI j ( Hille. All Y

of the flowers and trees growing Iln'lI. I \1,1" ,1111,1/1'11how

few people had any idea of the names of the III t' ht'III~., inhabiting their little plot ofland.

THES/5 ~-----...... en we know the name of something, it brings us

closer to the groun . It takes the blur Out of our mind; it

connects us to re earth. If! walk down the street and see

( "dogwood," "forsythia," I feci more friendly toward the

1.~ I am noticing wllat is around me and can name it. It makes me more awake.

~f you read the poems ofWiUiam Carlos~

you WLII see how specific he is about plants trees

flowers-chicory, daisy, locust, poplar, QUi;lCe, p~il1lJ'ose,

black-eyed Susan, lilacs-each has its own integrity.

~il~says, "WI'ite what's in front of your nose."

It's good for us to know what is in front of our noses. Not just "daisy," but how the flower is in the season we

are looking at it-"The dayseye hugging the earth/in August ... brownedged,/green and pointed scales/

armor his yellow." Continue to hone your awareness: to

the name, to the month, to the day, and finally to the moment.

Intere5t1ng - wonder If It'!> true. (How could you te5tlt?)

IsWil/lamsa really famou5 poet? LOOK THIS Uf Whydoes ehe keep quoting him?

Ikl/flWI cOllldn't- 1/,ll11e 1/1/ l./ie people In Illy wrlil!1{Jctase, (Wonder if It would I11dkea difference.)

Not sure what she means here. How can a writer be "alrand

___ ""also says: "No idea, but in things." Study whar is "in front of your nose." By saying "geranium" insrcad of "flower," you are penetrating more deeply inro the present and being there. The closer we can get

to what's in front of om nose, the more it can teach us everything. "To see the World in a Grain of Sand, and a heaven in a Wild Flower ... "

In writing groups and classes too, it is good to quickly

team the names of all the other group members. It helps to ground you in tile group and make YOll more attentive ro each other's work.

Learn the names of everything: birds, CIi('l'S!',

tractors, cars, buildings. A wril'Cr is :III ,11 011\ I'

"none"of ~eVCrythillg-al1 architecl, PrCI11.il rook, 1,111111I lillll ,II 1I1L' the5e things?? . .

~ l'lme, n WI'II cr i~1101ll' oj' 1111"1 1111111'

{,I' IN(" III MO'iI OUI 01YOUR"I.ADING 9

4. ummarize the Selection inYour OwnWords

1111 I,Ir\'Iully nnnotaung the selection, you will find it worthwhile """''''II/l' wh.u the writer has said, to see how the main points work Ihll III )',i\'c support to the writer's thesis. An efficient way to do this

III II 1.1kl' ,I vimplc paragraph-by-paragraph outline of what you've read. III I ,I!,Iure Ihe essence of each paragraph in a single sentence. Such an

UIIIIII ul,lhk, you to understand how the essay works, to see what the rill I'M 1"1"1 ieIn is and how he or she has structured the essay and organized

It 111,1111iill' ,I~. ( ClII~Hkl' the following paragraph-by-paragraph outline one of our

1111,IIh m.ulc ,InCr reading Goldberg's essay:

,.,Igr.ph 1: GoLdberg announces her topic and demonstrates the power of names wllh 1111' 11)(,lmpLeofthe geranium.

'."graph 2: She recounts how she went about learning the names of pLants and ""P III hl'l CoLorado neighborhood. '''Igraph 3: She expLains how knowing the names of things makes her feeL 1111111'1tl'd to the world around her.

Pe'lgraph 4: She uses the exampLe of poet William Carlos WilLiams to support her p 1111 "hnut the power of names.

""Iraph 5: She continues with the exampLe of Williams to broaden the discussion whnt it means to "penetrate more deeply" into the world that is "in front of your

" ," "'Igraph 6t She says that knowing the names of peopLe in your writing group or I" ~III'IIII'~community.

' .. Igrllph 7: She advises writers to "learn the names of everything" as a way of I!pllul ·,11once everything" and "at the same time ... none of these things."

Willi ,,'1111 p.rragrnph-by-paragraph outline in hand, you are now ready II tl\ /\ Iill' reading.

,An Iyze the Selection to Come to an Understanding of It

III I II .1I111lj-!,Ihc essay a second time and annotating it, you are ready 111tl\ /1 II, III probe fbI' a deeper understanding of and appreciation for

It 11 1111 11,111', h.ls done. In an:llyzing an essay, you will exan1ine its basic t I' 1111 11111.111,Illy In SCI: Ihe significance of each part and understand how h \ II 1111 11111I1~' ,I nOI her. Om: of the best ways to analyze an essay is to ""II I Ihl~11 ~~'lor qllc~li()n~ questions that reguire you to do some ,11I~tlllllll~l"g ,IImil I the I:SS:lY'S I,,'0l11CI11 and form.

I II II I ~~,IY III l'I1J1/1111~/lr I1JI'IY/'I'/II'I'S is (clilowed by a set of "Thinking 11111 ,II, ,1111'"1 tlH' Rl"I1I1I1f'," qlli·'ti()l1~ ~ill1iI.II·III tlK' (Jill·....~l1~!!.csted here

1,1

I

II

II II I I II

Questions to Help YouAnalyze What You R~ad

1. What is the writer's main point or thesis?

2. To whom is the essay addressed? To a general audience with little or no background knowledge of the subject? To a spe- cialized group familiar with tile topic? To those who are likely to agree or disagree with the argument?

3. What is the writer's purpose in addressing this audience?

4. What is tile writer's attitude toward tile subject of the essay-positive, critical, objective, ironic, hostile?

5. What assumptions, if any, does the writer make about the subject and/or tile audience? Are these assumptions explicit (stated) or implicit (unstated)?

6. What kinds of evidence does the writer use to support his or her thesis-personal experience, expert opinions, statistics? Does the writer supply enough evidence to support his or her position? Is the evidence reliable, specific, and up-to-date?

7. Does the writer address opposing views on the issue?

8. How is the essay organized and developed? Does the writer's strategy of development suit his or her subject and purpose?

9. How effective is the essay? Is the writer convincing about his or her position?

but more specific to the essay. These questions help you analyze both the content of an essay and tile writer's craft. In answering each of these ques- tions, always look for details from the selection itself to support your position.

Having read and reread GoLdberg's essay and studied the student annotations to the text, consider the following set of student answers to the key questions listed above. Are there places where you would have answered the questions differently? Explain.

1. What is the writer's main point or thesis? Goldberg wants to tell her readers why it's important for people, ('SP(lCi,lllywriters, to be specific and to learn the names of everything in thl'il p,1I1 III IIII' world, She states her main point in paragraph 3: "When we know IIII' II 11111III 'IOIIII'lhill", it brings us closer to the ground. It takes the blur 0111nl 1)1111IIIIIiI II Il1l1n"II\ II~10 the earth." In short, being specific in what WI' 1,111I hlllll\ 1I1.r~r II .1'1' thluk, ,Ilid write more clea rly.

t ,I liNt, 1111 Mel"l 0111 Of YOUR KI ADINe. II -~===

III II""'''' " IIII' rssnv 1Ir1r1"i',m:rf? 'Io n qou:ml audience with little or no .,., ~1"''''llIIf kill) IIJ/;'rI!TI' oj tlJl'Sltbject'?To a specialized group familiar II i,II Ih,. ItI/llI'? Iii those who are likely to agne or disagree with the ", ,"",011 i' (1IIdb"'II\ hlll'lIded audience seems to be writers who are looking for advice. In P.,IU,,,ph 4, \hc quotes William Carlos Williams: "Write what's in front of your ""',' III IIoI"I(II.IPI16, Goldberg stresses the importance of knowing classmates' or allllll' ",,'mlll'r': names and how this knowLedge "helps to ground you in the group .lId I""~" VOII more attentive to each other's work." In her finaL paragraph Goldberg • klltlwll.,h,l'\ her audience of writers by emphasizing the writer's duty to learn the IIfI"''' lit "VI'rylhing.

WI"" I' thr writer):,-purpose in addressing this audience? rllllllhrllt", purpose is to give her readers some direct advice about writing and II'" "II,. ~pl'cific," More specifically(!), she advises her readers to give people and lhlllll" IIiIIlW\and to create a specific time context (month, day, moment, etc.) for whnl Ihl'y'II' describing ("Not just 'daisy; but how the flower is in the season we are IlInklllll ,II it , , .").

Whlll /1 IIII' writer's tIt'titude toward the subject of the essay-positive, '''''1/11. IIIljl'rlillc, ironic) hostile? (milthllill I', onthuslastic and extremely positive about the importance of naming Ihll"I", \110 hC'licves that "[w]hen we know the name of something, it brings us 10"'1 In IIll' ground. It takes the blur out of our mind; it connects us to the earth" IlIt1I1hlkl'~ II~more "awake" to the environment; it allows us to "[penetrate] more d,,,,,ty~ 11110what is in front of us and to Learn from it; and it grounds us and IIIRkr', II', more attentive in a group. She's excited to share her own experiences with 1.","111'1 IhI' names of things.

\\ Imllll'l/mljlli{)1'ls, if any, does the writer make about the subject and/ til II,,. IlJldil'Urc? A,'e these assumptions explicit (stated) or implicit 1 "I/I("I,',()( 1,"111111'111makes several key assumptions in this essay: • Iht' 111l1Iassumes that readers will be comfortable with commands, • I h,' tlXllilIplcs of "pomegranate," "geranium," "maple," "elm," "oak," "locust,"

'1IIIIIW{)ud,"clnd "forsythia" assume that readers have a basic knowledge of fruits, ""WI'I", ,'lid lrees- or that they'LLbe motivated enough to Lookthem up.

• Ihi' !I'I"lIloce to the poet William Carlos WiLliamsassumes that the audience will ~IIIIWwhl) IH' is and perhaps be familiar with his poetry - or, again, that they will III' 1lIIIIiv"lrd enough to look him up. GoLdberg's footnotes, however, show that lu' rllII'\ nol assume readers will recognize the poem "Daisy" (4) or "The Auguries III 111I11ICllIlre,"quoLed in paragraph 5,

I I,"trllll'ltl nwnmes thol readers, after learning the names of the plants, flowers, 111"'\, .uul p('ople' III their environment, will have experiences similar to the ones ',III h,I" 11,111:"I ftWIIIl(II(1frlondly low[ll'd Ihe ~nvlronmen1, 1 om noticing what is .1111111111111" 11I1t! (,III 111111111 it. II 11I,lkll', 1111' IIIClI(l,IWflk('" (1),

11 I~IAI>IN(, ( I~III( AI I Y

6. What kinds oj evidence does "be writer 11.11' jll I "'/11/1 , \/'11111/11', 1',\,/11'1'1 opinions, statistics? Does the writer .wpply 1'II1I/~/,1111'1I1t 1/, I IIII/If/jillri his or her position? Is the evidence reliable, sprctjlc, /ll/d 11/1 Iii "tllt'? To support her claim that writers need to be specific, Goldberg uses the examples of "fruit/pomegranate," "girl![name]," and "flower/geranium" in her opening paragraph - hoping that her readers will agree that the specific terms are better than the general ones. She follows these examples with personal experience: She explains how she went about learning the names of plants and flowers in Boulder, Colorado, and shares what she felt as a result. In paragraphs 4 and 5, Goldberg cites the poetry of William Carlos Williams as evidence that specific language creates great poems.

It is difficult to say whether this evidence is enough. Assuming her readers are beginning writers eager to learn, as she seems to have intended, it is probably safe to say that her evidence will be convincing. If a less receptive audience or an audience of nonwriters were reading the essay, though, more evidence or a different kind (maybe examples of how being specific helps in everyday life) might be needed.

7. Does the writer address opposing views on the issue? While Goldberg does not directly address opposing views, she does discuss what happens when writers or speakers are not specific. For example, in paragraph 1 she Stly~ 1t,,,1 c"II'il1gsomeone "girl" instead of calling her by name can be rude, which h ,II In IIIC'I W,lyof silyinq lhat it denies that person her dignity-a pretty serious tI 1111fill. 111 oIiltlilillll, WIIl'1I sho totls us "ow knowing the names of things brings us 1111',"1 III 11111l'IIVi101111111l1t, \hl' ilUplie~ lliat not knowing these names actually makes II~ 1",,1 tll,.,ulIl)lllll'ti hU1l11111' world around us-something no one wants to feel.

8. I law h II},' 1'\lilY 1iI,'lllwi::.rrlnnd rlcpe/oped? Does the writer's strategy of drvrloputru! .IIIil his (11' her subject MI,d purposei Goldberg organizes her essay in a straightforward and logical manner. She introduces her topic with her central directive, "Be specific," and then immediately shows through three examples what happens when a writer is specific. She organizes the examples in the body of her essay-paragraphs 2 through 6-by telling how she learned to be more specific, quoting William Carlos Williams's advice to "Write what's in front of your nose," and advising us that we should learn the names of people in the groups and classes we belong to. Goldberg concludes her essay where she began, by directing us to "Learn the names of everything." In learning the names of everything, she reminds us that "Awriter is all at once everything -an architect, French cook, farmer-and at the same time, a writer is none of these things." Although it seems paradoxical at first, this statement, when you stop to think about it, is very empowering-you're not really an architect or a French cook or a farmer, but, when you write, you get to experience the world the way they do.

9. How effective is the essay? Is the lvfiter cOIlllincillJTnfJII/II III' .• /II' "1'1' position? Goldberg's essay is effective because it serves her PWPtl',t' WIV WI' II ',III' 1,11',,", hl" readers' awareness of the value of names lInd <11'1111111',11,11", why II I' "" 11111'1111,1111

! ,I II~ It, 1111 t 11)'" Ul Jt (II tI)LJI~ 1(1AIIIN(.

, Ulvl' Ihlllll" IIH'II II,'"H'~ ill olil!'1 10 1II1dl'l~till1d OUIworld and to write effectively I III II H"I ,H II II 1l1t'1I1 about boillg specltlc is convincing -after reading the essay,

IItl" 1111 III took .n ,1 flower and not wonder, at least, whether it's a tulip, poppy, ,rUl1i1 111'.1', 1)1 somet fling else, Goldberg offers practical advice on how each of us "11111 1,1111'11 II'.trning the names of lhings, be they the names of the other people III II" ',01 Ihl' names of the plants, trees, and flowers on our campus.

mplete the "Language inAction" Activity to Di~cover h Fa~Reaching Connections between the Selection and "Iuage in the RealWorld

I he "I ,llIgll,lg,C in Action" activities that accompany each selection I '''''/, .111'17/'l'1Il'ssgive you an opportunity to work with real world

.",,,uI,h'k III I.lIIgll,lge issues or concepts discussed in the selections, with ~, I .11'101 uis, ndvcrtiscmcnts, photographs, poems, movie reviews,

I, • ,",I, excerpts, syndicated columns, letters to the editor and I), 'IPoIII'1I 10 be completed either in class or at horne in about fifteen

'111\ nuuutcs , these activities invite you to take a hands-on approach hll \",I',l' k;lrning from the essays and give you a chan~e to del~1- Ill' \'11111 grllwing language aptitude. Consider the following activity "lllIlp,lIlinl Ihe Goldberg essay:

INACTION lI'llllll'\n~l\l' in learning lO be more specific in our writing is to see

h \\ IIlIh \I I' U"':fc)!' people, places, things, and ideas as being positioned "" \\ 1t1'11' 1111 wh.u might be called a "ladder of abstraction," In the 1111\\1111'.111,111, notice how the words progress from more general to

Mor" Grlll'wl General Speciftc More SPecific 01.,,1111\111 1'1,111t Flower Iris, Itll It CM Chevrolet 1958 Chevrolet

Impala

illl' till ",II11pk~,lbove ,ISmodels, try to fill in the missing parts oFthe IIIlII\\llIf" t.llhkr of ,lh~II"Klion:

Morn C.rIJrf(l1 General Speciftc More Speciftc

\\'1111111\ Fountain pen Waterman III 11111111 III fOLlJ]tain pen

!,>,lIIdll'll h Corned beef Reuben s~ndwich

111111 I)t'''t'rl Pic 1111III ,III N,ll,lltO L~l:\lIna Pucblo

1\1AIJIN(, l I\III( AllY----- ---------=.4 ('HAl 1I1I 1\1AI lINC"ANN01AIINC"AND ANALYZING

III ',,,,k"~11III tt lUnd, Man (1999). lJis 1110st recent books r MI /t:Ili'l'.1I11I rtnd Miss WheMlry (2003) and Find- I'VI "/'/"1111',I~IIIIIS: Finding Your Own (2007). In 2011, '1111 , I'"1111,Ill'd /,iji: Upon These Shores: Looking at African Amrll,,"1 l listorv. l lis Colored People: A Memoir (1994) r \olh II, ill ,I wc;nderful prose style his youth growing up III I'll drnout , West Virginia, and his emerging sexual and '''11,11 .rwurcncss. Gates first enrolled at Potomac State Coi- I .,.,,lIlIll,lIn Imnsfcrrcd to Yale, where he studied history. Willi II,,· ,I~sislancc of a.n Andrew W. Mellon Foundation 1,11011',1111' and a Pord Foundation Fellowship, he pursued It," ,11111'11dq!.rccs in English at Clare College at t~e Univer- IIV tIl (',IllIbridge. He has been honored with a MacArthur Iolll1d.llll1n Fellowship, inclusion on Time magazine's "25 Mml lullucutiul Americans" list, a National Humanities M"I.II •. 11111election to the American Academy of Arts and

I III I' III "Wh.\!'s in a Name?," excerpted from a longer

,\I III k puhlishcd in the fall 1989 issue of Dissent maga- 1111. l :,lIl'S tells the story of an early encounter with Ih, I.IIIf-\II,I).!,Cor prejudice. In learning how one of the h\ II.1I1W\" used by white people to define African 111'111 ,III' robs them of their identity, he feels the sting I I,1I1~1" ftr~1h.md. Notice how Gates's use of dialogue h" I1IIIII4'di.KY and poignancy to his narration.

WRITING TO OISCOVER: Reflea on raciaUy charged language ~II '"Ivn /I('ard, For example. has anyone ever used a racial or eth- "Ie ",'"/11" to refer to you? When did you frrst become aware that 1111" 111"1I~ exIsted? How do you feel about being charaaerized or J.,'lIrl/lty y()ur race or ethnicity? If you yourselfhave ever used such '''tllt\. wllllt was your intent in using them? What was the response II' uillr, \/ l ln '1"1 ~IhIli III color lakes up much space in these pages, hili 1111 '1III'Mlon or colo r, especially in this country, oper- .." III Itld, Iii,' 1-\l",l,Vcrquest ions of the self.

-lAMES MLDWIN, 196]

101, 11111, .1.11 ky, 'I'M 1\,lby, K:lffir, shine ... moor, blacka- 11111111.11111 ( l'IW, 'I)()oks, ".qundroon, meriney, red bone, hllh \ 111111\ M.IIlIllI)I, porch l1)onkey, home, hOll1eboy, I" "'1'1 'I" ,11111111k,", ...(!l\V.IIZC, 1..-1'1')', Smokl'Y'" mOllli, "" ~, I 111111)11.111,hi "llwl, ",1.111

1111\ 1 I I 1\. 1'111'1

15

I'llblication information:

Rhetorical highlight: _

Reference book Dictionary Technical high school

Gel capsule

Journal prompt: __

Epigraphs:_

School

Medicine Oral medicine

After filling in the blanks yourself, compare your answers with those of your classmates. Now compare them to those provided by one of our students and discuss the variety of possible answers:

Line 1: Pen Line 2: Lunch food Line 3: Blueberry pie Line 4: Native American Line 5: Book, American. Heritage Dictionary (lIthe English Language Line 6: High school, Essex Junction Technical Education Center Line 7: Tylenol Gel Caps

PRACTICE READING, ANNOTATING, AND ANALYZING

Hcforc )'OU read I he following essay, think about its title, the bio- g,1,Iphic.::\1 .\nd rhetorical j n format ion in the headnote, and the journal prompt. Make some marginal notes of your expectations for the essay, and write 011[ a response to the journal prompt. Then, as you read the essay itself for the first time, try not to stop; take it all in as if in one breath. The second time, however, pause to annotate key points in the text, using the marginal rules we have provided alongside each paragraph. As you read, remember tile nine basic questions we listed earlier on page 10.

What's in a Name? Title: HENRY LOUIS GATES JR.

The preeminent African American scholar of our time, Biographical Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University note; Professor and director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for ----- African and African American Research at Harvard Uui versity. Among his impressive list of public:lliom ,I"~' 1:,:11 ures in Black: Words, Signs and the lrR.nrinl" SI'(f( 11)1'17), The Signifying Monkey: A Theory ()fAJi'l/ 111111'/'111/11 J.IIII ary Criticism (1988), LooseCallI/liS: Nil/I" "II ('lIlflill 11'1111 (1992), TlJe F1ItII1'C IIf IfJl' UIICt' ( 11)97), .11111 1II1II11I1 11"11"

I 1I,Id I()rgoll<.:n ihc incidem Ulillplrlill. 1111111I ",III 1',11',1,I. lrcy Ellis's essay, "Remember My N,IIIH ," III ,I It 11'111 issue of the Village Voicel (June 13, 191'!1J) 111111111"11',III the middle of arl extended italicized list of Ihe II) 11,1111\"\!II" "the a e" ("th "" I " b 'rs C e race Or our peop e clng the Il'I'III' mv parents used in polite or reverential discourse, "jig.lhoo" or "nigger" more commonly used in anger, jest, or pure disgust), it was: "George." Now the events of that very brief exchange return to mind so vividly that Iwonder why I had forgotten it.

My father and I were walking home at dusk from his Para,2,_ second job. He "moonlighted" as a janitor in the evenings for the telephone company. Every day but Saturday, he w?uld come home at 3:30 from his regular job at the paper mill, wash LIp, eat supper, then at 4:30 head downtown to his second job. He used to make jokes frequently about a union official who moonlighted. I never got the joke, but he and his friends tllOllght it was hilarious. AJl I knew was that my family always ate well, that my brother and I had new clothes to wear, and that all of the white people in Piedmont, West Virginia, treated my parents with an odd mixture of resentment and respect that even we understood at the time had something directly to do with a small but certain measure of financial security.

He had left a little early that evening because 1was with Para,3._ him and I had to be in bed early. I could not have been mare than five or six, and we had stopped off at the Cut-Rate Drug Store (where no black person in town but my futJler could sit down to eat, and eat offreal plates with real silverware) so that I could buy some cararllel ice cream, two scoops in a wafer cone, please, which Iwas busy licking when Mr. Wilson walked by.

Mr. Wilson was a very quiet man, whose stony, brood- Para. 4. ing, silent manner seemed designed to scare off any overtures of friendship, even from white people. He was Irish, as was one-third of our village (another third being Italian), tile more affluent among whom sent their children to "Catholic School" across the bridge in Marylarld. He had white straight hair, like l11y Uncle Joe, whom he lUlcarmily resembled, and he carried a black worn metalllU1ch pail, the kind dlat Riley2carried on the television show. My fatller always spoke to him, alld (()I' 1'l',I~()ns that we never did understand, he always sp()k~'1(1III)' I,llher,

l. Village Voice: a natiollallydi~(I'ihlil('dlllllh 11I1\~l'q"II'II"II~IiI'dill Nn, 1',"'kC'il)" 2. A character on the U.S. lci('vi,j, III ~IIII\I 1/", 11/, "Iii I" I', .1l,iI II ,"11.11,I Ihili, ,",'UIIIpopulal'in the 1950s.

I'IIAC II( I 1(1AIJIN( "ANNUIAIIN< .,ANI) ANAl YIINC, 17

11111111\11111 11,1111<':, Daddy." Para. 10-14 kllll\\' IlIV n.unc, boy," Illy father said after a long'I ,.11, .ill lolorcd people George."

I II "It 1111' ensued. It was "one of those things," as III \\ t 1It1.! pili It. Evcn then, that early, I knew when , Ihl 1'11''''llll' or "one of those things," one of those III" 1'11I\hkd ,I glimpsc, through a renr' curtain, at \\ 1111.1111.11II'l' could not affect but that affected us.

\11111.1III ,I P,lIllf'1I11110l11entofsiicnce, and you would I " III 1'.1\t ",1)' to ,I discussion of a black superstar such I I{ 1\ I III l.u kll' Robinson.' 1111.." 1111'11l'II<.:riu a clutch than Jackie Robinson."

111.,\ Ilghl Nobody." I",\11 111',,1111looked Mr. Wilson in the eye. Para.15. __

MI \\'d~tlll:' I hl"lI'd 111)'t:uher say. , " til p.t' " 1111kllig mv I~l' cream cone, and asked my Dad

IIH \\ h\ 1\ lr. Wilson h.id called him "George." " 1 h, kllll\\ your name, Daddy? Why don't you IIr 1111111') Ynllr name isn"t George." Inlllllllli I tried I() think of who Mr. Wilson was I' "I' \\IIIt, Btil we didn't have any Georges arTIong t 1" tiP"" 111 Piedmont; nor were there colored

Ih III~ III lit" neighboring towns and working at the

Para. 5-8

, II" 11111 h,l\ v rc.ul and rercad Gates's essay and annotated dIe text, 11111,!lI""I'IN 10 Ihe six Thinking CriticaUy about the Reading ques- , 1\111,,, Illl' 1 .. lng,uagc in Action activity found below. Then com- 11111111,1111' wilh Ihosc of the other students in class.

HINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT THE READING

III Iii. 1 IlIgI.lpll 10 Ihis e~say, Gates presents two quotations, one by James 11,1'[11 III \VIt,11 dll VOLIdlillk B:lldwin meant when he wrote, "The question ., ",1111, 1'\111"1,,11), in Ihis cOllnLry IAmerica I, operates to hide the graver 'III' IIIIII~ III ~l'Ir"? Ilow does Ihis Sl:11CI11Cnt relate to the tbeme of Gates's

1\ '

111111 11,111, I "11111111'I, (11)21 IW!I)}, 111111'1'11,111 11I'(lI(:s,~i()I1;11ho~cr ,1I'1d $il(-rimc world

1111'111..1 hl,,,~h,111 h,dl pl.l\"1 ill 1111N,lllllIl,tI1".1)',11",

Iii 11.1ADING ('RIIICAL l.Y

2. In his opening paragraph, Gates refers 10 IllI oti", 11"111.1111111in t hc epigraph-a list of bynames used to refer LO Ali·ll.1I11\ I11l. 111.11 I, Ih.1I appeared in an article by Trey Ellis-and states that his reading olt hi, .u riclc triggered a childhood memory for him. How did you first feel after reading Ellis's list of bynames for African Americans? What did you find offensive about these racial slurs? Explain.

3. Later in his opening paragraph Gates reveals that '''the race' or 'our people' [were] the terms my parents used in polite or reverential discourse, 'jigaboo' or 'nigger' more commonly used in anger, jest, or pure disgust." Why does Gates make so much of Mr. Wilson's use of "George" when his own parents used words so much more 'obviously offensive? What do you see as the essen- tial difference between white people using Trey Ellis's list of terms to refer to people of color and African Americans using the same terms to refer to themselves? Explain.

4. Gates describes Mr. Wilson and provides some background information about him in paragraph 4. What do you think is Gates's purpose in providing this information? (Glossary: Description)

5. Explain what happens in paragraph 12. What is "one of those things," as Gates's mother put it? In what ways is "one of those things" really Gates's purpose in telling his story? Wby does Gates say, "I never again looked Mr. Wilson in the eye" (IS)?

6. In paragraphs 5 and 6, Gates uses dialogue to capture the key exchange between his father and Mr. Wilson. What does this dialogue add to h.is nar- ration] (Clossary: Narration) What would have been lost if Gates had simply described the conversation between the two men?

LANGUAGE IN ACTION

Comment on the importance of one's name as revealed in the following Ann Landers column. Ann Landers is the pen name created for advice columnist Ruth Crowley in 1943 and later used by Eppie Lederer for her "Ask Ann Landers" syndicated lifestyle advice column that was featured in newspapers across the country from 1955 to 2002. Though fictional, Ann Landers became an institution and cultural icon for the era.

Refusal to Use Name Is the Ultimate Insult

DEAR ANN LANDERS: Boy, when you're wrong, you're really wrong. Apparently, you have never been the victim of a hostile, nasty, passive- aggressive person who refuses to address you by name. Well, Ihavc.

My husband's mother bas never called mc b)1 Illy name in Ihe 21 years I've been married to her son. NOI' h.l,' sill' Clll'l s.lid "plcosc" or "thank you," unless someonc dse is Wilhill 1ll'"I'iIlH 1I1.'IIIII'C. My husban.d's children by his firsl will' .II"~' 111\ ~.IIII1· 11'.1)1'1'111' 1'('1)(111,. I hey carc about are always rcf'crl'l'd In h\' II,IIIH, 11111IIII' 1'1 ~I (II 11M ,11'1: 1101 called :"1ylhin~.

1\1AI)IN(, AS A Wl\ll bR 19

11 I lIll ,,,II rlunk Ihi~ i, .1 "psychological glitch," as you said in 1 11111 ",11111111, Iry speaking ro someone across the room without hi" IIIV. 111.11 pl·"OIl by 11.11111:.To be nameless and talked at is the 111111"'"1'111 1111\\ 11, .iud I wish YOll had said so.-"Hcy You" in Florida

III All III00UllA: Sorry 1 let you down. Your mother-in-law's III ~II" ,.,11 YOII by name is, 1 am sure, rooted in hostility. Many years II 1'1 W,ll Mcnuingcr said, "The sweetest sound in any language is

Ihl tot '''Ihlill \,11111 own name." It can also be a valuable sales tool. My 1111111' I hll~h.,;,d.nile of Ihe world's best salesmen, said if you want to 1!llk•.• ~.tll• fWIIhe UI$LOl1ler'Sname, lise it when you make your pitch, ~llIllu II 1I11l<"hulf sold. His own record as a salesman proved him right.

I the 1II''.''Ii111-\of Dr. Will Menninger's statement: "The sweetest III uiv 1."I~u.l!-\e is the sound of your own name"?

A ING AS AWRITER

~"I""t'..l1Id \\Tilillg are the two sides of the same coin: Active critical IIlI~ I 1II ... lm III help you become a better writer. By reading we can III 'I Itll\\ other writers have communicated their experiences, ideas,

Illd tn·ltl\~s in their writing. We can study how they have used rhlll~ I II 1m·,," or the essay-thesis, unity, organization, beginnings ",1111.,,',1'.11 '1I'.I.lpI15, transitions, effective sentences, word choice, tone,

f1 111,111\I 1.lIlgll,lgt' to say what they wanted to say. By studying the I 111111'1111",.ind rhetorical strategies of other writers, we learn how we ,1",11\1"1" dn the same. The more we read and write, the more we

,,11111 ,III." WIhers and, ill turn, to write knowing what readers expect. Wh II dlln II II)COlll to read as a writer? Most of us have not been " III 11 .1,1 \\ IIh .1 writer's eye, to ask why we like one piece of writing IItll IIII,lttrl I ikcwisc, most of us do not ask ourselves why one piece

1I11t'- I.. 1111111' believable or convincing than another. When you l~arn Ihl \\11 II .1 \\ Illl·t"S eye, you begin to answer these important questions

, III 1111 (lH III'.", (omc 10 appreciate what is involved in selecting and II 1111'- .1 ~lIhln I .1~ wcll ~s the craftsmanship involved in writing-how 1111I " Ii I I, dl"l ripi ivc details, uscs an LU10btrusive organizational pat- I "1'1" till 1,,',11 ,lnt! lively Iangu::1ge, chooses representative and per-

'I 1\ 1111(111"\, .lI1d cmphasizes important points with sentence variety. ()II 11111 1,'\ 1'1, I'c.,ding. stimulatcs your thinking by providing you

Ih ""1111' II) \\Irill' about. After reading Amy Tan's essay "Mother IIt'"1 ," I il'11'1I Kl'Ilcr's "Thc Day Language Came into My ~ife," or I, "III' \ ''I >I( :01 IIi 11!J, '(0 nn Awareness of Language," you might, for 111('1, ,III III'pirc:d 10 IVl'ill· ab()ul .1 powcrfullanguage experience YOLi

I· " .. . tnIt Itl .111,1Itt IW Ih." ~·xpl'r l·lll.'l" III ITI ro~pl'CI, W;lS a lUI !lIng pOI11 11111 It II

211 "I AI)INl. ( I~III( AI 'Y

On a second level, reading provides you \I lilt IlillIlllI,IIIIIII, Ilk,lS, .md perspectives for developing your own paper, III till" \\ ,I" \'1111 respond to what you read, using material from what you've rc.ul III ,l1ll'N~~ly,l'or exam pie, after reading Richard Lederer's essay on rcgionul l.utgu.igc differences ill America, you might want to elaborate on what he lu~written, drawing. on your own experiences and either agreeing with his examples or gen crating better ones for the area of the country in which you were raised, You could also qualify his argument for the preservation of these language differences or take issue with it, The three mini-debates in Chapter 13, "Current Language Controversies," offer you the opportunity to read extensively about focused topics- "How Does Technology Impact Com rnunication in Relationships}," "How Does Language Work in Advertis ing?, and "Why Do We Lie?" -and to use the information and opinions expressed in these essays as resources for your own thesis-driven paper,

On a third level, active reading can increase your awareness of how others' writing affects YOll, thus making you more sensitive to how your own writing will affect your readers. For example, if you have. been impressed by an author who uses convincing evidence to su.pport each of her claims, you might be more likely to back up your own claims care fully. If you have been impressed by an apt turn of phrase or absorbed by a writer's new idea, you may be less inclined to feed your readers dull, worn out, and trite phrases. More to the point, however, the active read ing that you will be encouraged to do in Language Awareness will help you to recognize and analyze the essential elements of the essay. When you see, for example, how a writer like Susanne K. Langer uses a strong. thesis statement, about how language separates humans from the res I of the animal kingdom, to control the parts of her essay, YOLl can better appreciate the importance of having a clear thesis statement in your writ ing. When YOLl see the way Bharati Mukherjee uses transitions to link key phrases with important ideas so that readers can recognize clearly how the parts of her essay are meant to flow together, you have a better idea or how to achieve such coherence in your own writing. And when YOLI sec the way Donna Woolfolk Cross uses a division and classification organi zational plan to differentiate clearly the various categories of propaganda, YOll see a powerful way in wh.ich you too can organize an essay using rhi,~ method of development.

Finally, another important reason to master the skills of critical read ing is that you will be your own first reader and critic for everything YOII write. How well you are able to scrutinize your own drafts will powerful I)' affect how well you revise them, and revising well is crucial to writ ill~ well. Reading others' writing with a critical eve i~ ;1 usdid ,lilt! importaur practice; the more you read, the 1l1()1'(.'PI',llli,\' Velllwill h,IV\.' in Shjll'lwllillg your skills. The more sensitive )'()1I 1ll'\CIlIlI IIIIIH' ((lIlll'llI ,Illd stvlc dCll sions made by the wri tcrs in J .I"(1111/~/11 1'1'111111"1\, lli( 111111'(' xkll kd \'011 \I ill be at rnaki ng similar tkl"i~it II h III \ 11111n\I II \I til 1111'.