Blog Post

 

In her short work in Eschholz et al.’s “Reading Critically,” (Which is ATTACHED FOR YOU)Natalie Goldberg says you should be specific. Describe one of the following in as much detail as you can:

a.) The first day of school

b.) A rainy day

c.) A scary forest

d.) Winning a competition

e.) The best meal you’ve ever had

f.) Sunrise or sunset over a body of water

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’.