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PREFACE FOR INSTRUCTORS
CONTENTS BY THEME AND DISCIPLINE
HOW (AND WHY) TO USE THIS BOOK
THE SELECTIONS
THE METHODS OF DEVELOPMENT
THE PRACTICAL GUIDANCE
THE WRITERS ON WRITING
PART ONE
ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING
1 CRITICAL READING: Learning from Other Writers
READING ACTIVELY
NANCY MAIRS Disability (annotated essay)
DEVELOPING AN UNDERSTANDING
Checklist for critical reading
ANALYZING WRITTEN WORKS
Questions for analyzing a written work
EXAMINING VISUAL IMAGES
Questions for examining an image
Visual Image: Man Fishing by A Power Plant, photograph By Robin Nelson
2 THE WRITING PROCESS: Discovery and Drafting
ASSESSING THE WRITING SITUATION
DISCOVERING IDEAS
DRAFTING
A STUDENT ESSAY-IN-PROGRESS
3 THE WRITING PROCESS: Reviewing and Revising
*REVIEWING A DRAFT
REVISING IN STAGES
*Questions for peer review and revision
INTEGRATING EVIDENCE
A STUDENT ESSAY-IN-PROGRESS
4 THE WRITING PROCESS: Editing
USING EFFECTIVE LANGUAGE
Questions for editing
CRAFTING CLEAR AND ENGAGING SENTENCES
FIXING COMMON ERRORS
A STUDENT ESSAY-IN-PROGRESS
ROSIE ANAYA Mental Illness on Television (annotated student essay)
PART TWO
THE METHODS
5 NARRATION: Telling a Story
Visual Image: Proposal, drawing by Demetri Martin
THE METHOD
THE PROCESS
Focus on verbs
*How to organize a narrative
Checklist for reviewing and revising a narrative
EMBARRASSMENT
AMY TAN Fish Cheeks
NAOMI SHIHAB NYE Museum
Naomi Shihab Nye on Writing
JONATHAN BETHARDS Code Three (student essay)
MAYA ANGELOU Champion of the World
Maya Angelou on Writing
ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS
6 DESCRIPTION: Writing with Your Senses
*Visual Image: Under the Passaic Falls, photograph by Todd R. Darling
THE METHOD
THE PROCESS
*How to organize a description
Focus on specific and concrete language
Checklist for reviewing and revising a description
*FATHERS
BRAD MANNING Arm Wrestling with My Father (student essay)
Brad Manning on Writing
*SCAACHI KOUL Impatiently Waiting for the Horror of Death
*Scaachi Koul on Writing
*SHONDA RHIMES My Summer of Scooping Ice Cream
N. SCOTT MOMADAY The Way to Rainy Mountain
ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS
7 EXAMPLE: Pointing to Instances
*Visual Image: Costumes to Scare Millennials, cartoon by Sarah Andersen
THE METHOD
THE PROCESS
Focus on sentence variety
*How to organize examples
Checklist for reviewing and revising an example essay
MISPERCEPTIONS
BRENT STAPLES Black Men and Public Space
Brent Staples on Writing
ISSA RAE The Struggle
ANNA QUINDLEN Homeless
Anna Quindlen on Writing
*ZANE RASSLER Looking Back (student essay)
*Zane Rassler on Writing
ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS
8 COMPARISON AND CONTRAST: Setting Things Side by Side
Visual Image: Excerpt from Fun Home, graphic memoir by Alison Bechdel
THE METHOD
THE PROCESS
*How to organize a comparison-and-contrast essay
Checklist for reviewing and revising a comparison-and-contrast essay
Focus on parallelism
*ENDANGERED SPECIES
*JOURDAN IMANI KEITH At Risk
*Jourdan Imani Keith on Writing
*TED CHIANG The Great Silence (short story)
*Visual Images: from The Great Silence, video installation by Allora & Calzadilla
*CAITLIN McDOUGALL So Enid and Dorothy from West Covina Can Hear You (student essay)
*Caitlin McDougall on Writing
DAVID SEDARIS Remembering My Childhood on the Continent of Africa
ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS
9 PROCESS ANALYSIS: Explaining Step by Step
Visual Image: Workers Making Dolls, photograph by Wally McNamee
THE METHOD
THE PROCESS
*How to organize a process analysis
Checklist for reviewing and revising a process analysis
Focus on consistency
WRITING
ANNE LAMOTT Shitty First Drafts
KOJI FRAHM How to Write an A Paper (student essay)
Koji Frahm on Writing
FIROOZEH DUMAS Sweet, Sour, and Resentful
Firoozeh Dumas on Writing
JESSICA MITFORD Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain
ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS
10 DIVISION OR ANALYSIS: Slicing into Parts
Visual Image: Deconstructing Lunch, cartoon by Roz Chast
THE METHOD
THE PROCESS
*How to organize a division or analysis essay
Focus on paragraph coherence
Checklist for reviewing and revising a division or analysis essay
*SPORTS AND LEISURE
*PAUL THEROUX Football Matters
*Paul Theroux on Writing
*ZADIE SMITH Find Your Beach
*Visual Image: Find Your Beach, advertisement by Corona
*Zadie Smith on Writing
Laila Ayad The Capricious Camera (documented student essay)
Visual Image: Mounted Nazi Troops on the Lookout for Likely Polish Children, photograph
ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS
11 CLASSIFICATION: Sorting into Kinds
Visual Image: How the Poor, the Middle Class, and the Rich Spend Their Money, table by National Public Radio
THE METHOD
THE PROCESS
Focus on paragraph development
*How to organize a classification
Checklist for reviewing and revising a classification
*LEO BRAUDY Where Our Monsters Come From
FAILURES TO COMMUNICATE
DEBORAH TANNEN But What Do You Mean?
Deborah Tannen on Writing
WILLIAM LUTZ The World of Doublespeak
William Lutz on Writing
ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS
12 CAUSE AND EFFECT: Asking Why
Visual Image: Wild Weather, bar graph by National Geographic
THE METHOD
THE PROCESS
*How to organize a cause-and-effect analysis
Focus on clarity and conciseness
Checklist for reviewing and revising a cause-and-effect essay
*BEN HEALY Gossip Is Good
*DEREK THOMPSON What Makes Things Cool
*Visual Image: Raymond Loewy, illustration by Mark Weaver, with photographs by Bernard Hoffman, Jack Garofalo, and Sherman Oaks Antique Mall
GLOBALIZATION
CHITRA DIVAKARUNI Live Free and Starve
Chitra Divakaruni on Writing
MARIE JAVDANI Plata o Plomo: Silver or Lead (documented student essay)
Marie Javdani on Writing
ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS
13 DEFINITION: Tracing Boundaries
*Visual Image: This Expedition Called Life, advertisement by Outward Bound
THE METHOD
THE PROCESS
*How to organize a definition
Focus on unity
Checklist for reviewing and revising a definition
PRIVILEGE
TAL FORTGANG Checking My Privilege (student essay)
Tal Fortgang on Writing
ROXANE GAY Peculiar Benefits
Roxane Gay on Writing
AUGUSTEN BURROUGHS How to Identify Love by Knowing What It’s Not
ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS
14 ARGUMENT AND PERSUASION: Stating Opinions and Proposals
Visual Image: Corporate America Flag, image from Adbusters Media Foundation
THE METHOD
Focus on tone
THE PROCESS
*How to organize an argument
Checklist for reviewing and revising argument and persuasion
LINDA CHAVEZ Supporting Family Values (annotated essay)
Linda Chavez on Writing
*IS CAPITAL PUNISHMENT MORALLY DEFENSIBLE?
*DAVID B. MUHLHAUSEN How the Death Penalty Saves Lives
*SEMON FRANK THOMPSON What I Learned from Executing Two Men
*SHOULD COLLEGES OFFER SAFE SPACES FOR STUDENTS?
*DAWN LUNDY MARTIN Weary Oracle
*Dawn Lundy Martin on Writing
*THOMAS CHATTERTON WILLIAMS Blanket Security
*Thomas Chatterton Williams on Writing
*SARAH HEMPHILL What Happened to Free Speech on College Campuses? (documented student essay)
*Sarah Hemphill on Writing
ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS
PART THREE
MIXING THE METHODS
JOAN DIDION Earthquakes (annotated essay)
Joan Didion on Writing
*REBECCA SOLNIT Division Street
*Visual Images: from Division Street, photographs by Robert Gumpert
TRANSCENDENTALISM
HENRY DAVID THOREAU What I Lived For
*Henry David Thoreau on Writing
LUIS ALBERTO URREA Barrio Walden
Luis Alberto Urrea on Writing
E. B. WHITE Once More to the Lake
APPENDIX: RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION
CONDUCTING RESEARCH
Questions for evaluating sources
WRITING WITH SOURCES
SOURCE CITATION USING MLA STYLE
MARGARET LUNDBERG Eating Green (annotated student essay)
SOURCE CITATION USING APA STYLE
ERIC KIM The Brain that Changes (annotated student essay)
GLOSSARY OF USEFUL TERMS
DIRECTORY TO THE WRITERS ON WRITING
INDEX
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