The Bedford Reader 2009 Book

Preface for Instructors

Thematic Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

WHY READ? WHY WRITE? WHY NOT PHONE?

USING THE BEDFORD READER

PART ONE

READING, WRITING, AND RESEARCH

1 Critical Reading

READING AN ESSAY

NANCY MAIRS, Disability

THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT VISUAL IMAGES

*Visual Image: A Deployed Soldier and His Daughter, photograph by Erik S. Lesser

2 The Writing Process

ANALYZING THE WRITING SITUATION

DISCOVERING IDEAS

FOCUSING ON THE THESIS AND THE THESIS STATEMENT

DRAFTING

REVISING AND EDITING

COLLABORATION

AN ESSAY-IN-PROGRESS

*ROSIE ANAYA, Mental Illness on Television

3 Academic Writing

RESPONDING TO A TEXT

INTEGRATING SOURCE MATERIAL

WRITING FROM RESEARCH

AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

SOURCE CITATION USING MLA STYLE

SAMPLE RESEARCH PAPER

*ROSIE ANAYA, The Best Kept Secret on Campus

PART TWO

THE METHODS

4 NARRATION: Telling a Story

Visual Image: How Joe’s Body Brought Him Fame Instead of Shame, advertisement for Charles Atlas

THE METHOD

THE PROCESS

NARRATION IN PARAGRAPHS

NARRATION IN PRACTICE: Reporting a car accident

PAIRED SELECTIONS [ANGELOU and TAN]

DIFFERENCE

MAYA ANGELOU, Champion of the World

Maya Angelou on Writing

AMY TAN, Fish Cheeks

Amy Tan on Writing

ANNIE DILLARD, The Chase

Annie Dillard on Writing

*HAROLD TAW, Finding Prosperity by Feeding Monkeys

ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS

5 DESCRIPTION: Writing With Your Senses

Visual Image: Doug and Mizan’s House, East River, photograph by Margaret Morton

THE METHOD

THE PROCESS

DESCRIPTION IN PARAGRAPHS

DESCRIPTION IN PRACTICE: Advertising an apartment for sublet

PAIRED SELECTIONS [MANNING and VOWELL]

FATHERS

BRAD MANNING, Arm Wrestling with My Father

Brad Manning on Writing

SARAH VOWELL, Shooting Dad

Sarah Vowell on Writing

*YIYUN LI, Orange Crush

*Yiyun Li on Writing

*ROBERT BENCHLEY, My Face

*Robert Benchley on Writing

ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS

6 EXAMPLE: Pointing to Instances

*Visual Image: Low-Energy Drinks, cartoon by Glen LeLievre

THE METHOD

THE PROCESS

EXAMPLES IN PARAGRAPHS

EXAMPLES IN PRACTICE: Writing a cover letter for a job application

PAIRED SELECTIONS [ASCHER and QUINDLEN]

HOMELESSNESS

BARBARA LAZEAR ASCHER, On Compassion

Barbara Lazear Ascher on Writing

ANNA QUINDLEN, Homeless

Anna Quindlen on Writing

*ANDREW KORITZ KRULL, Celebrating the Pity of Brotherly Love

*Andrew Koritz Krull on Writing

BRENT STAPLES, Black Men and Public Space

Brent Staples on Writing

ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS

7 COMPARISON AND CONTRAST: Setting Things Side by Side

Visual Images: American Gothic, painting by Grant Wood; Rural Rehabilitation Client, photograph by Ben Shahn

THE METHOD

THE PROCESS

COMPARISON AND CONTRAST IN PARAGRAPHS

COMPARISON AND CONTRAST IN PRACTICE: Creating a campaign poster

PAIRED SELECTIONS [BRITT and BARRY]

PERSONALITIES

SUZANNE BRITT, Neat People vs. Sloppy People

Suzanne Britt on Writing

DAVE BARRY, Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out

Dave Barry on Writing

BRUCE CATTON, Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts

Bruce Catton on Writing

FATEMA MERNISSI, Size 6: The Western Women’s Harem

ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS

8 PROCESS ANALYSIS: Explaining Step by Step

Visual Image: Workers Making Dolls, photograph by Wally McNamee

THE METHOD

THE PROCESS

PROCESS ANALYSIS IN PARAGRAPHS

PROCESS ANALYSIS IN PRACTICE: Explaining a fire-drill procedure

PAIRED SELECTIONS [SAUKKO and EHRLICH]

THE ENVIRONMENT

LINNEA SAUKKO, How to Poison the Earth

Linnea Saukko on Writing

*GRETEL EHRLICH, Chronicles of Ice

*Gretel Ehrlich on Writing

*IAN FRAZIER, How to Operate a Shower Curtain

*Ian Frazier on Writing

JESSICA MITFORD, Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain

Jessica Mitford on Writing

ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS

9 DIVISION OR ANALYSIS: Slicing into Parts

Visual Image: Deconstructing Lunch, cartoon by Roz Chast

THE METHOD

THE PROCESS

DIVISION OR ANALYSIS IN PARAGRAPHS

DIVISION OR ANALYSIS IN PRACTICE: Writing an application essay

PAIRED SELECTIONS [BRADY and BROTT]

WOMEN AND MEN

JUDY BRADY, I Want a Wife

ARMIN A. BROTT, Not All Men are Sly Foxes

*BELLA DePAULO The Myth of Doomed Kids

*Bella DePaulo on Writing

LAILA AYAD, The Capricious Camera

Visual Image: Mounted Nazi Troops on the Lookout for Likely Polish Children, photograph

ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS

10 CLASSIFICATION: Sorting into Kinds

*Visual Image: The More They Learn, the More They Earn, graph from State Farm Bank

THE METHOD

THE PROCESS

CLASSIFICATION IN PARAGRAPHS

CLASSIFICATION IN PRACTICE: Crafting a résumé

RUSSELL BAKER, The Plot Against People

Russell Baker on Writing

DEBORAH TANNEN, But What Do You Mean?

Deborah Tannen on Writing

PAIRED SELECTIONS [ERICSSON and LUTZ]

TELLING LIES

STEPHANIE ERICSSON, The Ways We Lie

Stephanie Ericsson on Writing

WILLIAM LUTZ, The World of Doublespeak

William Lutz on Writing

ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS

11 CAUSE AND EFFECT: Asking Why

Visual Image: Garbage In . . . , cartoon by Mike Thompson

THE METHOD

THE PROCESS

CAUSE AND EFFECT IN PARAGRAPHS

CAUSE AND EFFECT IN PRACTICE: Setting the record straight in a letter to the editor

PAIRED SELECTIONS [DIVAKARUNI and JAVDANI]

GLOBALIZATION

CHITRA DIVAKARUNI, Live Free and Starve

Chitra Divakaruni on Writing

MARIE JAVDANI, Plata o Plomo: Silver or Lead

*Marie Javdani on Writing

*SARAH ADAMS, Be Cool to the Pizza Dude

*CHRIS ANDERSON, The Rise and Fall of the Hit

*Chris Anderson on Writing

ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS

12 DEFINITION: Tracing a Boundary

Visual Image: Need Is a Very Subjective Word, advertisement for the HUMMER H2

THE METHOD

THE PROCESS

DEFINITION IN PARAGRAPHS

DEFINITION IN PRACTICE: Explaining the mission of an organization

PAIRED SELECTIONS [NAYLOR AND LEONG]

HURTFUL WORDS

GLORIA NAYLOR, The Meanings of a Word

Gloria Naylor on Writing

CHRISTINE LEONG, Being a Chink

Christine Leong on Writing

THOMAS SOWELL, Needs

*EMILY DICKINSON, "Hope" is the thing with feathers

*Emily Dickinson on Writing

ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS

13 ARGUMENT AND PERSUASION: Stating Opinions and Proposals

Visual Image: Corporate America Flag, image from Adbusters Media Foundation

THE METHOD

THE PROCESS

ARGUMENT AND PERSUASION IN PARAGRAPHS

ARGUMENT AND PERSUASION IN PRACTICE: Disputing a parking ticket

COLLEEN WENKE, Too Much Pressure

CASEBOOK

SECURITY VS. LIBERTY: Profiling

ADNAN R. KHAN, Close Encounters with US Immigration

LINDA CHAVEZ, Everything Isn’t Racial Profiling

SECURITY VS. LIBERTY: Immigration

*MARK KRIKORIAN, Safety Through Immigration Control

*EDWIDGE DANTICAT, Not Your Homeland

*Edwidge Danticat on Writing

ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS

PART THREE

MIXING THE METHODS

SANDRA CISNEROS, Only Daughter

Sandra Cisneros on Writing

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., I Have a Dream

GEORGE ORWELL, Shooting an Elephant

George Orwell on Writing

EDWARD SAID, Clashing Civilizations?

E. B. WHITE, Once More to the Lake

E. B. White on Writing

USEFUL TERMS

INDEX