Reading Critically, Writing Well : A Reader and Guide

by Rise B. Axelrod; Charles R. Cooper; Alison M. Warriner

• ISBN13: 9780312414771
• ISBN10: 0312414773
• Edition: 7th
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2005-02-21
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's

Table of Contents

Preface	v
Paired Readings	xxv
CHAPTER 1 Introduction	1	(12)
READING CRITICALLY	2	(4)
Reading for Meaning	2	(3)
Reading like a Writer	5	(1)
WRITING WELL	6	(7)
The Writing Assignments	6	(2)
The Guides to Writing	8	(5)
CHAPTER 2 Autobiography	13	(70)
The Writing Assignment	14	(1)
Writing Situations for Autobiography	14	(1)
Thinking about Your Experience with Autobiography	15	(1)
A GUIDE TO READING AUTOBIOGRAPHY	15	(12)
Annie Dillard, An American Childhood	16	(4)
A celebrated essayist remembers, with strange affection, a childhood prank and its scary consequences.
Reading for Meaning	20	(2)
Reading like a Writer	22	(5)
READINGS	27	(43)
Saira Shah, Longing to Belong	27	(6)
An award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker recounts how events forced her to recognize the naiveté of her fairy-tale vision of her homeland.
Luis J. Rodriguez, Always Running	33	(7)
An ex-gang member and noted author describes a childhood game of night basketball and its deadly aftermath when the police arrive to stop the game.
Mark Edmundson, The Teacher Who Opened My Mind	40	(13)
As a high-school student, this future professor was "low to the ground, despondent, suspicious, asleep in the outer self, barely conscious within" - until he took a philosophy course with Frank Lears.
Amy Wu, A Different Kind of Mother	53	(6)
A Chinese American writer reflects on her mother's traditional ideas about how children, particularly girls, should be raised.
Brad Benioff, Rick (Student Essay)	59	(6)
A freshman composition student looks back at his complex relationship with a demanding, sometimes abusive high-school coach.
Jean Brandt, Calling Home (Student Essay)	65	(5)
A freshman composition student recalls a shoplifting incident during a Christmas holiday outing with her family when she was thirteen.
A GUIDE TO WRITING AUTOBIOGRAPHY	70	(13)
Invention and Research	70	(5)
Drafting	75	(3)
Reading a Draft Critically	78	(1)
Revising	79	(2)
Editing and Proofreading	81	(1)
Reflecting on What You Have Learned	82	(1)
CHAPTER 3 Observation	83	(75)
The Writing Assignment	84	(1)
Writing Situations for Observational Essays	84	(1)
Thinking about Your Experience with Observation	85	(1)
A GUIDE TO READING OBSERVATIONAL ESSAYS	86	(10)
The New Yorker, Soup	86	(3)
A restaurateur-a temperamental master of the art of soup making-is profiled, along with his tiny storefront soup restaurant.
Reading for Meaning	89	(2)
Reading like a Writer	91	(5)
READINGS	96	(50)
John T. Edge, I'm Not Leaving Until I Eat This Thing	96	(8)
Daring himself to eat a food product that makes him queasy, an expert on southern food observes a factory that processes and bottles pig lips.
Virginia Holman, Their First Patient	104	(12)
A novelist and former writer-in-residence at Duke University Medical Center observes the emotional and physical reactions of first-year medical students as they perform their first cadaver dissections.
John McPhee, The New York Pickpocket Academy	116	(8)
A preeminent writer of "the literature of fact" observes pickpockets and their victims at an open-air produce market.
Amanda Coyne, The Long Good-Bye: Mother's Day in Federal Prison	124	(9)
With other members of her family, a writer visits her sister in prison and observes closely the interactions of imprisoned mothers and their visiting children.
Brian Cable, The Last Stop (Student Essay)	133	(7)
A freshman composition student observes the unfamiliar world of a mortuary, ending up in the embalming room, which he leaves only after placing his finger on the firm, cold skin of a dead body.
Brenda Crow, The Dance with Glass (Student Essay)	140	(6)
Observing a local glassblower in his studio, a freshman composition student describes the artistry, creativity, and imagination in an art thousands of years old.
A GUIDE TO WRITING OBSERVATIONAL ESSAYS	146	(12)
Invention and Research	146	(4)
Drafting	150	(3)
Reading a Draft Critically	153	(2)
Revising	155	(1)
Editing and Proofreading	156	(1)
Reflecting on What You Have Learned	157	(1)
CHAPTER 4 Reflection	158	(66)
The Writing Assignment	159	(1)
Writing Situations for Reflective Essays	159	(1)
Thinking about Your Experience with Reflection	160	(1)
A GUIDE TO READING REFLECTIVE ESSAYS	161	(13)
Brent Staples, Black Men and Public Space	161	(4)
A member of the New York Times editorial board notes how his presence on a city street triggers defensive reactions in white passersby and addresses the "alienation that comes of being ever the suspect."
Reading for Meaning	165	(2)
Reading like a Writer	167	(7)
READINGS	174	(38)
Suzanne Winckler, A Savage Life	174	(6)
Reflecting on why she chooses to set aside one day every few years to kill chickens, the author of the Smithsonian Guides to Natural America considers the implications of slaughtering and butchering animals for meat.
Nancy Gibbs, Free the Children	180	(7)
An award-winning journalist ponders the benefits of allowing children the freedom of simply enjoying summer "with no one keeping score."
Barbara Ehrenreich, Are Families Dangerous?	187	(6)
A prominent social critic reflects on Americans' reluctance to face the fact that the family can be the place "where we learn nasty things like hate and rage and shame."
David Brooks, The Merits of Meritocracy	193	(8)
A political and social commentator considers how modern pressure on children to excel in sports, school, and extracurricular activities "builds character" as effectively as hardship did in years past.
Wendy Lee, Peeling Bananas (Student Essay)	201	(6)
A Chinese American high-school student contemplates the positive and negative aspects of growing up as "a hybrid of two cultures."
Katherine Haines, Whose Body Is This? (Student Essay)	207	(5)
A freshman composition student considers society's obsession with the perfect body-especially the perfect female body-and the negative pressures this obsession creates.
A GUIDE TO WRITING REFLECTIVE ESSAYS	212	(12)
Invention and Research	212	(4)
Drafting	216	(3)
Reading a Draft Critically	219	(2)
Revising	221	(1)
Editing and Proofreading	222	(1)
Reflecting on What You Have Learned	222	(2)
CHAPTER 5 Explaining Concepts	224	(102)
The Writing Assignment	225	(1)
Writing Situations for Essays Explaining Concepts	225	(1)
Thinking about Your Experience with Explanatory Writing	226	(1)
A GUIDE TO READING ESSAYS EXPLAINING CONCEPTS	226	(14)
David Quammen, Is Sex Necessary? Virgin Birth and Opportunism in the Garden	227	(4)
A respected science writer explains, with wit and charm, the biological concept of parthenogenesis procreation without sexual intercourse-and reveals that 'parthenogenesis is actually rather common throughout nature."
Reading for Meaning	231	(2)
Reading like a Writer	233	(7)
READINGS	240	(74)
Deborah Tannen, Marked Women	240	(9)
A well-known linguist explains the linguistic concept of marked forms: "Each of the women at the conference had to make decisions about hair, clothing, makeup and accessories, and each decision carried meaning. Every style available to us was marked."
Howard Gardner and Joseph Walters, A Rounded Version: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences	249	(19)
As these educational psychologists explain, the theory of multiple intelligences recognizes the human aptitudes that traditional I.Q. tests fail to measure, such as those in music or movement.
Beth L. Bailey, Dating	268	(12)
A sociologist explains the concept of dating and shows how courtship rituals have changed over the years-to the disadvantage of poor men and strong-minded women.
Daniel T. Gilbert and Timothy D. Wilson, Miswanting: Some Problems in the Forecasting of Future Affective States	280	(20)
Two eminent psychologists introduce the concept of "miswanting" to explain that "unhappiness...has less to do with not getting what we want, and more to do with not wanting what we like."
Linh Kieu Ngo, Cannibalism: It Still Exists (Student Essay)	300	(7)
A freshman composition student explains the anthropological concept of cannibalism, delineating the three functional categories of survival, dietary, and ritual cannibalism.
Lyn Gutierrez, Music Therapy (Student Essay)	307	(7)
A freshman composition student explains the concept of music therapy, an alter-native to traditional healing methods.
A GUIDE TO WRITING ESSAYS EXPLAINING CONCEPTS	314	(12)
Invention and Research	314	(4)
Drafting	318	(3)
Reading a Draft Critically	321	(1)
Revising	322	(2)
Editing and Proofreading	324	(1)
Reflecting on What You Have Learned	324	(2)
CHAPTER 6 Evaluation	326	(75)
The Writing Assignment	328	(1)
Writing Situations for Evaluations	328	(1)
Thinking about Your Experience with Evaluations	329	(1)
A GUIDE TO READING EVALUATIONS	329	(11)
Amitai Etzioni, Working at McDonald's	330	(3)
A respected sociologist argues that after-school jobs at fast-food restaurants like McDonald's are bad for teenagers.
Reading for Meaning	333	(3)
Reading like a Writer	336	(4)
READINGS	340	(46)
Brad Lemley, Stop Driving with Your Feet	340	(10)
A journalist and car buff reviews the prototype of a vehicle that reinvents almost everything about conventional cars.
Leigh Christy, Gehry's Disney Concert Hall	350	(8)
A Los Angeles architect evaluates the city's new Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by Frank Gehry, considering not only its architectural features but also its acoustics and its place in the city fabric.
Ty Burr, King Has Pageantry, Purpose, but It's Not Quite the Greatest Show on Middle-Earth	358	(7)
A reviewer for the Boston Globe offers a positive but slightly disappointed review of Peter Jackson's movie rendition of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
James Berardinelli, Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	365	(7)
A leading online movie reviewer offers an enthusiastic evaluation of Peter Jack-son's movie, calling it "not only the best movie of 2003, but the crowning cinematic achievement of the past several years."
Christine Romano, "Children Need to Play, Not Compete," by Jessica Statsky: An Evaluation (Student Essay)	372	(8)
A first-year college student applies critical-reading skills to another student's essay and comes up with an assertive but carefully balanced evaluation.
Scott Hyder, Poltergeist: It Knows What Scares You (Student Essay)	380	(6)
A first-year college student reviews a classic horror film by the famous producer-director Steven Spielberg, concluding that it succeeds in part because it "surfaces our childhood nightmares."
A GUIDE TO WRITING EVALUATIONS	386	(15)
Invention and Research	386	(5)
Drafting	391	(3)
Reading a Draft Critically	394	(3)
Revising	397	(2)
Editing and Proofreading	399	(1)
Reflecting on What You Have Learned	400	(1)
CHAPTER 7 Speculating about Causes or Effects	401	(91)
The Writing Assignment	402	(1)
Writing Situations for Essays Speculating about Causes or Effects	403	(1)
Thinking about Your Experience with Cause or Effect Writing	403	(1)
A GUIDE TO READING ESSAYS SPECULATING ABOUT CAUSES OR EFFECTS	404	(9)
Stephen King, Why We Crave Horror Movies	404	(3)
America's best-known writer of horror novels and film scripts speculates about why we continue "daring the nightmare" in order to watch horror movies.
Reading for Meaning	407	(2)
Reading like a Writer	409	(4)
READINGS	413	(65)
Natalie Angier, Intolerance of Boyish Behavior	413	(9)
An award-winning science writer for the New York Times explains hormonal differences between boys and girls and speculates about why adults seem increasingly unwilling to tolerate boyish behavior.
Melvin Konner, Why the Reckless Survive	422	(14)
A physician and professor of anthropology examines the seeming irrationality of high-risk human behavior.
Vilayanur S. Ramachandran and Edward M. Hubbard, Hearing Colors, Tasting Shapes	436	(17)
Two neurologists speculate about both the causes and the effects of synesthesia, the blending of perceptions from different senses, which they see as a physically based condition that may have fostered both creativity and language development in humans.
Jonathan Kozol, The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society	453	(10)
Asking whether Americans "possess the character and courage to address a problem which so many nations, poorer than our own, have found it natural to correct," an educational reformer looks at the disturbing consequences of illiteracy.
Sarah West, The Rise in Reported Incidents of Workplace Sexual Harassment (Student Essay)	463	(7)
A first-year college student speculates on the causes of the growing trend of re-ported incidents of sexual harassment.
La Donna Beaty, What Makes a Serial Killer? (Student Essay)	470	(8)
Focusing on the "most feared and hated of criminals," a community college student offers a well-researched argument on why some murderers murder repeatedly.
A GUIDE TO WRITING ESSAYS SPECULATING ABOUT CAUSES OR EFFECTS	478	(14)
Invention and Research	478	(6)
Drafting	484	(2)
Reading a Draft Critically	486	(2)
Revising	488	(2)
Editing and Proofreading	490	(1)
Reflecting on What You Have Learned	491	(1)
CHAPTER 8 Proposal to Solve a Problem	492	(79)
The Writing Assignment	493	(1)
Writing Situations for Proposals	494	(1)
Thinking about Your Experience with Proposals	495	(1)
A GUIDE TO READING PROPOSALS	495	(12)
Robert J. Samuelson, Reforming Schools through a Federal Test for College Aid	496	(4)
Impatient with what he sees as ineffective efforts to reform schools, an influential columnist on economic and social issues proposes to improve schools by requiring all high-school seniors who need a federal grant or loan for college to pass a demanding academic achievement test.
Reading for Meaning	500	(2)
Reading like a Writer	502	(5)
READINGS	507	(51)
Karen Kornbluh, The Parent Trap	507	(8)
A recognized expert on public policy proposes a plan to help American families juggle work and child-care responsibilities more effectively now that both parents in most families work outside the home.
Matthew Miller, A New Deal for Teachers	515	(13)
An award-winning, nationally syndicated columnist proposes a "new deal" - higher teacher salaries in exchange for less job security - to address the problem of attracting talented teachers to inner-city public schools to replace the large number of teachers about to retire.
Mark Hertsgaard, A Global Green Deal	528	(7)
A journalist, after ten years of investigating worldwide environmental problems and solutions, makes a proposal that in his view would not only help conserve resources and reduce pollution, but also create new jobs and improve the economy.
Katherine S. Newman, Dead-End Jobs: A Way Out	535	(10)
A distinguished professor and researcher proposes a practical way to help skilled and motivated inner-city fast-food workers get better, higher-paying jobs.
Patrick O'Malley, More Testing, More Learning (Student Essay)	545	(8)
In a strongly reasoned message to professors on his campus, a first-year college student advocates an increase in testing throughout the academic term.
Shannon Long, Wheelchair Hell: A Look at Campus Accessibility (Student Essay)	553	(5)
A first-year college student confined to a wheelchair proposes a set of specific improvements in wheelchair accessibility on her campus.
A GUIDE TO WRITING PROPOSALS	558	(13)
Invention and Research	558	(5)
Drafting	563	(2)
Reading a Draft Critically	565	(2)
Revising	567	(2)
Editing and Proofreading	569	(1)
Reflecting on What You Have Learned	570	(1)
CHAPTER 9 Position Paper	571	(76)
The Writing Assignment	572	(1)
Writing Situations for Position Papers	572	(1)
Thinking about Your Experience with Position Arguments	573	(1)
A GUIDE TO READING POSITION PAPERS	574	(9)
Richard Estrada, Sticks and Stones and Sports Team Names	574	(2)
A cultural and political columnist takes a decided stance on the matter of renaming teams like the Atlanta Braves, the Cleveland Indians, and the Washington Redskins.
Reading for Meaning	576	(2)
Reading like a Writer	578	(5)
READINGS	583	(51)
Michael Sandel, Bad Bet	583	(7)
A respected professor of government argues that state lotteries undermine civic responsibility and 'peddle false hope."
Stanley Kurtz, Point of No Return	590	(10)
A conservative intellectual argues against same-sex marriage, claiming that it "detaches marriage from the distinctive dynamics of heterosexual sexuality, divorces marriage from its intimate connection to the rearing of children, and opens the way to the replacement of marriage by a series of infinitely flexible contractual agreements."
Jonathan Rauch, Who's More Worthy?	600	(9)
A political journalist and columnist responds to Kurtz, claiming that any marriage, whether heterosexual or homosexual, is about "the commitment to care for another person, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, till death do you part" and that being "prohibited from taking a spouse is not a minor inconvenience. It is a lacerating deprivation."
Randall Kennedy, You Can't Judge a Crook by His Color	609	(10)
An honored and influential law professor insists that racial profiling- relying on a suspect's race as a reason to question, search, or arrest that person - "keeps a pool of accumulated rage filled to the brim."
Brent Knutson, Auto Liberation (Student Essay)	619	(8)
Remove speed limits on our interstate highways, argues a first-year college student inspired by his experience driving on German autobahns.
Jessica Statsky, Children Need to Play, Not Compete (Student Essay)	627	(7)
Documenting the excesses and dangers of competitive sports for children under the age of thirteen, a first-year college student argues for eliminating such programs in favor of programs "emphasizing fitness, cooperation, sportsmanship, and individual performance."
A GUIDE TO WRITING POSITION PAPERS	634	(13)
Invention and Research	634	(4)
Drafting	638	(3)
Reading a Draft Critically	641	(1)
Revising	642	(3)
Editing and Proofreading	645	(1)
Reflecting on What You Have Learned	645	(2)
APPENDIX 1 A Catalog of Critical Reading Strategies	647	(52)
Annotating	648	(1)
Martin Luther King Jr., An Annotated Sample from "Letter from Birmingham Jail"	649	(44)
Previewing	654	(3)
Outlining	657	(3)
Summarizing	660	(1)
Paraphrasing	661	(2)
Synthesizing	663	(1)
Questioning to Understand and Remember	664	(2)
Contextualizing	666	(2)
Reflecting on Challenges to Your Beliefs and Values	668	(1)
Exploring the Significance of Figurative Language	669	(3)
Looking for Patterns of Opposition	672	(3)
Evaluating the Logic of an Argument	675	(4)
Using a Toulmin Analysis	679	(4)
Recognizing Logical Fallacies	683	(7)
Recognizing Emotional Manipulation	690	(1)
Judging the Writer's Credibility	690	(3)
Comparing and Contrasting Related Readings	693	(1)
Lewis H. Van Dusen Jr., Legitimate Pressures and Illegitimate Results	693	(3)
Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen	696	(3)
APPENDIX 2 Strategies for Research and Documentation	699	(62)
Conducting Research	699	(22)
Evaluating Sources Critically	721	(4)
Integrating Sources with Your Own Writing	725	(10)
Acknowledging Sources	735	(26)
Acknowledgments	761	(3)
Index to Methods of Development	764	(4)
Index of Authors, Titles, and Terms	768