Reading Rhetorically Book

Preface xvii

1 Reading to Write: Strategies for College Writing 1

What Do We Mean by "Reading Rhetorically"? 2

The Demands and Pleasures of Academic Reading 3

Reading and Writing as Conversation 5

For Writing and Discussion 7

Reading and Writing as Acts of Composing 8

Reading Rhetorically as a Strategy for Academic Writing 9

The Purposes of the Author Whose Text You Are Reading ten

Your Own Purposes as a Reader/Writer Who Will Use a Text 10

An Illustrated Example: Researching the Promise of Biofuels 11

Questions Rhetorical Readers Ask 15

Typical Reading-Based Writing Assignments Across the Curriculum 15

Writing to Understand Course Content More Fully 16

In-Class Freewriting 16

Reading or Learning Logs 16

Double-Entry Notebooks 17

One-Page Response Papers or Thought Pieces 17

Writing to Report Your Understanding of What a Text Says 18

Writing to Practice the Conventions of a Particular Type of Text 18

Writing to Make Claims About a Text 19

Writing to Extend the Conversation 20

Chapter Summary 21

2 Analyzing Your Reading and Writing Context 23

Analyzing a Text's Original Rhetorical Context 24

Analyzing an Author's Purpose 24

For Writing and Discussion 28

Identifying an Author's Intended Audience 28

Analyzing a Text's Genre 29

For Writing and Discussion 31

Reconstructing Rhetorical Context: An Extended Example 31

Analyzing Your Own Rhetorical Context as Reader/Writer 31

Determining Your Purpose, Audience, and Genre 32

Matching Your Reading Strategies to Your Purpose as Reader/Writer 33

How Expert Readers Use Rhetorical Knowledge to Read Efficiently 34

Using Genre Knowledge to Read Efficiently 34

Using aText's Social/Historical Context to Make Predictions and Ask Questions 36

For Writing and Discussion 37

Chapter Summary 38

Seven Secrets to a Great Nap Sarah Kliff 39

3 Listening to a Text 41

Writing As You Read 42

Preparing to Read 43

Recalling Background Knowledge 43

Using Visual Elements to Plan and Predict 44

For Writing and Discussion 46

Spot Reading 46

Listening As You Read Initially 48

Noting Organizational Signals 49

Marking Unfamiliar Terms and References 49

Identifying Points of Difficulty 50

Annotating 50

Connecting the Visual to the Verbal 51

Visuals That Enhance Verbal Content 52

Visuals That Support Verbal Content 52

Visuals That Extend Verbal Content 54

For Writing and Discussion 55

Listening As You Reread 56

Mapping the Idea Structure 56

Describing What Texts Say and Do 57

For Writing and Discussion 59

Describing What Visuals Do 60

Writing about How Texts Work: Guidelines and two Examples 61

How Summaries Are Used in Academic and Workplace Settings 61

Guidelines for Writing a Summary 62

Using Attributive Tags in Summaries 64

Example Summary of "Seven Secrets to a Great Nap" 64

Guidelines for Writing a Rhetorical Précis 65

Example Précis of "Seven Secrets to a Great Nap" 65

A Brief Writing Project 66

Chapter Summary 66

The Need for Environmental Ethics Anthony Weston 67

4 Questioning a Text 71

What it Means to Question a Text 71

Examining a Writer's Credibility and Appeals to Ethos 73

For Writing and Discussion 71

Examining a Writer's Appeals to Reason or Logos 74

Claims 75

Reasons 75

Evidence 76

Assumptions 77

For Writing and Discussion 77

Examining a Writer's Strategies for Engaging Readers, or Pathos 77

For Writing and Discussion 78

Examining a Writer's Language 78

For Writing and Discussion 79

Examining a Text's Ideology 81

For Writing and Discussion 82

Examining a Text's Use of Visual Elements 82

Visual Elements and Ethical Appeals 83

Visual Elements and Logical Appeals 84

Visual Elements and Audience Appeals 86

Visual Arguments 88

For Writing and Discussion 88

Exploring Your Responses to a Text 90

Before/After Reflections 90

The Believing and Doubting Game 91

Interviewing the Author 92

Writing a Rhetorical Analysis Paper: Guidelines and an Example 93

Guidelines for Writing a Rhetorical Analysis 94

Getting Started 94

Selecting a Focus for Your Analysis 94

Drafting Your Paper 94

An Annotated Rhetorical Analysis of "A Life-Saving Checklist" 95

Chapter Summary 99

"A Lifesaving Checklist" Atul Gawande 99

5 Using Rhetorical Reading to Conduct Research 103

Managing Your Research Process 103

Formulating and Analyzing Questions 105

Applying Information Literacy Skills to Guide Your Research 105

Translating Purpose into a Focused Research Question 106

Analyzing Your Research Question to Plan a Strategy 107

Tips for Planning Your Search for Good Sources 109

Publication Contexts 110

Library Databases and Web Search Engines 111

General Interest and Specialized Periodicals 112

Scholarly Journals 113

Evaluating Potential Sources 113

Questions to Ask About Relevance 114

Questions to Ask About Currency and Scope 114

Questions to Ask About Authors and Experts 115

Questions to Ask About Publishers and Sponsors 116

Chapter Summary 118

6 Making Knowledge: Incorporating Reading into Writing 121

Asserting Your Authority as a Reader and Writer 122

Managing Your Writing Process 123

Strategies for Getting Started 123

Strategies for Generating Ideas 124

Strategies for Writing a First Draft 124

Strategies for Evaluating Your Draft for Revision 125

Strategies for Peer Response and Revision 130

Strategies for Editing and Polishing Your Final Draft 130

Integrating Material from Readings into Your Writing 131

Using Summary 131

Using Paraphrase 133

Using Direct Quotation 136

For Writing and Discussion 138

Avoiding Plagiarism 139

Using Attributive Tags 141

Using Parenthetical Citations 143

Understanding Academic Citation Conventions 144

Chapter Summary 146

Incorporating Reading into Writing: An Example in MLA Format 147

Appendix: Building an MLA Citation 155

Formatting MLA In-Text Citations 155

Placement of MLA In-Text Citations 156

Variations on the Basic MLA in-Text Citation Format 157

Setting Up an MLA Works Cited List 160

The Basics of Setting Up Your List 160

Process Advice 161

Model MLA Citation Formats 162

Books 162

Articles in Periodicals 167

Internet Sources 171

MLA Citation Formats for Other Materials and Media 177

Credits 181

Index 183