Reader's Journal

Rationale: when you read any kind of literature, you should respond actively to the material. Think about what the text has to say to you in your particular context and situation. Can you sense the writer's purpose, and how does that message apply to you and your life? In our textbook Everyday Use, Roskelly and Jolliffe remark that

"The reader . . . uses experience, reading, or observation to understand . . . characters' actions and to understand what the writer is suggesting. As the writer writes and the reader reads, they negotiate through the rhetorical choices they have made, and they being to anticipate, making decisions about what's happening and what will happen next" (2-3).

While this comment refers to a dramatic passage, the same active involvement should take place when you read nonfiction as well.

As you read various assignments for this class, you will be asked to keep a Reader's Journal to record your responses to the readings. You will not have to do this in writing for every assignment, but you should get in the habit of responding and thinking as you actively read, whether you record your impressions on paper or not.

Directions: use the questions below to get you started on a Reader's Journal, but do not just answer the questions. In addition, jot down your impressions and thoughts about the material. What you write does not have to be in complete sentences, but rather notes in words and phrases.

Everyday Use, pp. 1-5

  1. What do you think of the cartoon on p. 1? What does the situation in the cartoon have to do with you as a writer?

  2. What is the definition of rhetoric on p. 2?

  3. On page 3, why does the term "rhetoric" have some bad connotations?

  4. How is the definition of rhetoric on p. 4 different from the first definition given?

  5. In the activity on pp. 4-5, how are Randall's appeals to his three friends different from each other? Why is each approach he takes different?

 

Everyday Use, pp. 5-8

  1. How does "being skilled in rhetoric" help me as a reader?  as a writer?

  2. What are the three parts of the rhetorical triangle?

  3. On page 7, how does the definition of "persona" relate to my Paper 1 assignment?

  4. Make a chart with three columns labeled "Brandon" "Kim" and "Nate." Jot down some quick notes in response to the questions in the activity on p. 8.

 

Everyday Use, pp. 8-10

  1. How is understanding persona valuable to writers? to readers?

  2. How do writers sometimes use a light or comic tone to convey a serious message? See comments on Deford and Swift.

  3. How does the historical background of the word persona relate to the way modern writers/speakers use persona to be effective communicators?

 

Everyday Use, pp. 11-15

  1. How can you use the different appeals to ask someone for something?

  2. What are the four essential concepts a writer/reader needs to understand in order to develop a subject effectively?

  3. Read the Activity on pp. 13-15 and be prepared to discuss the questions on p. 14.

 

Everyday Use, pp. 15-18

Answer these questions in reference to the literary work you reading in Elements of Literature (see teacher).

  1. How does the context of the piece shape the persona you are analyzing?

  2. What is the persona's intention--what does the persona want the audience to believe or do after reading?

  3. How is the persona's intention revealed--clearly announced at the start or gradually developed throughout to the end?

 

Everyday Use, pp. 18-20

  1. What is genre? List the kinds of literary genres (including nonfiction) you know.

  2. Why do you think American education emphasizes the "five-paragraph essay" in the teaching of writing?

 

Everyday Use, pp. 20-23

  1. What does it mean to be a good citizen? Give your own answer before you read.

  2. Read pp. 20-23. Then analyze the editorial in the activity on pp. 22-23: jot down notes on how the editorial

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    creates a persona,

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    appeals to the audience,

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    addresses the subject matter,

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    reflects  and refers to the context, and

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    establishes the writer's intention.

 

Everyday Use, pp. 23-27

  1. Read pp. 23-24 and do the activity on pp. 24-25 as instructed in class (if we have not already done it).

  2. Read pp. 25-26 and answer the following questions about the college letters.

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    What qualities does each college portray about itself?

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    What does each letter present as priorities in choosing a school?

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    What type of appeal (logos, pathos, or ethos) does each letter predominantly use?