For me, this chapter really helped in my readings I’ve been doing for Ethics and Values. We’re doing a few allegories about theories, and being able to make a rhetorical analysis of the different excerpts while reading them, has helped me understand a little more about what I’m reading. Being able to break it down into why they are writing it and who it’s being written for, and trying to decipher the big picture or message being conveyed is easier if you take a step back and look at it from different angles. Taking notes while I read is something I will continue to do also as it helps me remember certain thoughts I had while reading it which I can use later to reflect back on.

I agree with what you said about this chapter helping/ providing more insite for things dicussed and read about in Ethics and Values. I too am in that class and found simmaler points. I also recently took an Anthropology class and found some related points to things discussed in that class as well.

As I was reading I was surprised at how much work reading academically could be. Though I still don’t fully understand how to do all of the techniques presented in this chapter, I do think that once learned they could be very beneficial in my studies both in and out of school. For me the last few of the essays and writing activities would have been more helpful if sample critiques were given along side or following them so I could gain a better understanding of what to look for and how to use it. The steps listed for “Analyzing A Text Rhetorically” page 35 was the most helpful. For me the part of the chapter that analysis E.D. Hirsch Jr.’s “Preface to Cultural Literacy” from pages 33-34 was a good example of this. For reasons similar to what I listed before, I found this section helpful in how it presented the piece of writing and then went through each of the four steps with explanations of how the writing did that. For instance though I could tell by reading that the writing was not intended for the average casual reader, the analysis of how his references to Socrates and others with his word choices helped me to understand why this was the case. I hope to be able to use these techniques and others we will learn to improve my own writing and reading skills in the future.

I liked how in the first part of the chapter they said that good readers don’t only read for content but they try to understand the writer’s purpose. I often find myself memorizing the things I read. I look forward to practicing critical reading along with annotating and seeing how much more I get out of my reading.

Make a comment (or a question) on this post about the reading

Make a comment (or a question) on this post about the reading

I liked how in the first part of the chapter they said that good readers don’t only read for content but they try to understand the writer’s purpose. I often find myself memorizing the things I read. I look forward to practicing critical reading along with annotating and seeing how much more I get out of my reading.

It definitely makes reading more enjoyable. I’ve not really ever been much of a reader but just trying to cram stuff in my head for exams or what not is a lot harder than connecting the dots and actually making sense of the information that is being presented. I’ve found numerous times in this class alone so far that I’ve been able to apply things I picked up in a college success class I took a few semesters back, and as I mentioned just to other reading projects and homework that I’ve been working on this semester. I hope to be able to enjoy reading things that aren’t necessarily there to entertain me alone.

I usually don’t find reading out of a text book very interesting. But I found this chapter be extremely informative and useful to me personally. They had some very good ideas about how to make my reading my “an act of composing.” I never really considered the fact of marking up pages and making notes in the margin part of the writing process. But it is. Doing that helps compose your own thoughts for what you are going to write about. I never really made that connection, and now that I really see it, I am sure I will do it more, and hopefully better.

I like the phrase :”…rhetorical analysis – separating out the parts of an argument to better understand how the argument works as a whole”page 29 I would like to apply a critical reading skill in order to break down parts of my essay of what I am analyzing. The most important is how the author writes instead of what acctualy wrote.

I found the reading assignment informative and enlitning. I agree with Kilei. The one thing I hesitated on is writting in the book because when we go back to sell them to the store, will they buy it back. Anyways I really like the way the book presented ways to be an academic writer and reader, reader and writter. As you can tell grammer is an area of improvement for me.

I liked when they talked about when you read critically or actively you bring your experiences, knowledge, and interests to the text. I feel like we are constantly just trying to get through reading assignments especially when they are lengthy, but when you are reading about how to be a good reader it is hard to ignore the tips and suggestions that are made. I like the list of questions given on pg. 26 because sometimes I don’t know what I should be asking myself or what I should be looking for while I am reading.

I found the reading assignment informative and enlitning. I agree with Kilei. The one thing I hesitated on is writting in the book because when we go back to sell them to the store, will they buy it back. Anyways I really like the way the book presented ways to be an academic writer and reader, reader and writter. As you can tell grammer is an area of improvement for me.

I started writing on sticky notes and posting them in the book at sections that I wanted to know more about, didn’t understand the questions and such.

I’ve been trying to do this style of reading in my other classes and I’m surprised at how much it helps.

It is incredible how reading and writing in an academic setting are linked so tightly. It is also interesting to note that almost all of the writing we will do in our college experience will be based off of what we read. I think writing about what we read can sound easier (just because you are continuing a conversation, not starting one) but in my opinion it’s harder. Critical thinking isn’t easy. I think writing academically involves 90% critical thinking and 10% trying to think of gigantic words that nobody knows.

This Book Wants Me To Write In It I do not think i can do that to a book, maybe a print out but not a book, so i made mental notes. I like what the book teaches but for me the wording that is uses in the text its self losses my attention. After reading it slowly I was able to understand what the writer wanted. That is an improvement for me when reading such things.

As far as marking up my texts, I’ve only underlined and highlighted. It has never crossed my mind to make notes and in a sense start the writing process through reading. This strategy will help me a lot to get through the dreadful first draft.

The big part of this chapter that hit me and I really think gets overlooked by most readers in general is the section on rhetorical analysis. I know that I’ve been guilty in the past of just taking everything at face value, but when I’ve taken the time to look past what was just written on the page and to put myself in the shoes of the author the reading experience becomes much more meaningful. Not to mention my understanding of the text increases. It’s a skill that just needs to become second nature to me to really gain an understanding and appreciation for what I read.

I love being assured that I don’t have to memorize a text, or even to completely understand it. This has been a huge source of stress for me in pretty much ALL of my classes. Now the problem is solved…I just don’t have to do it! I agree with Tim. I also have a difficult time marking up books, but after reading this chapter I can certainly see the value of it.

After reading through the first chapter or two of the textbook, I feel like some things have been better explained to me than in the Allyn and Bacon book I used in English 1010. I think it always helps to read things from different perspectives and point of views because maybe you understand someones writing better than someone elses.

I feel weird saying this but I think I like reading this book. I like the way it is structured. The step by step approach makes me feel that I will become a better writer.

Green and Lidinsky chapter 2

I found that the Writing As A Reader: Composing Rhetorical Analysis section of chapter two has the potential to improve my writing abilities dramatically. Analyzing information in a text as well as the way that the information is presented and then translating that to my writing (especially the way the information is presented) could be an invaluable source of ideas for me in terms of ways of presenting my own material.

I feel weird saying this but I think I like reading this book. I like the way it is structured. The step by step approach makes me feel that I will become a better writer.Green and Lidinsky chapter 2

Couldn’t have said it better myself. Honestly, when I first started reading this book I was reading the words but found myself going back over paragraphs multiple times in order to retain what was being said. After the first, and now second, chapters I am understanding what is being said and finding it very easy to apply the habits they are teaching to not just class but at my job, other classes, and in life. I used to read to get the main idea then, like the authors explain “spit it back out on a test” but now I find myself asking questions and not just memorizing the issues.

I really liked how in the reading it talked about annotating and also how critical it is to bring knowledge and personal experiences to a text… I think by annotating you will be more aware of what your reading, instead of just reading to read.. Also I think the stuff you do read will stick with you longer because you took a mental note of it..

I am not a big reader but I can learn alot from this book. My writting skilss are not as good as they should be so I think this book will help

I admit, I hated Chapter 1 for some reason, but even more strange is that I loved Chapter 2. I really did. It made me view reading in a new way. It made me realize that so many things in life are about people trying to “sell” you on something…even in the world of writing. I just love how this chapter made me less ignorant. That is always a wonderful thing to feel, less ignorant that is.

I feel like I have already gotten so much more out of my reading since I have started annotating. I have gone through my source for our first paper and circled words that I am unsure of the meaning so I can look them up and I have been underlining and it has helped me to retain what I read so much better.