In Katherine Anne Ackley’s book, “Perspectives on Contemporary Issues: Seventh Edition”, chapter one instructed the reader how to read critically. Reading critically is defined as the process of making a rhetorical analysis, or examination, of a piece of work. First, a reader must read a piece of work to understand it, then they must be able to assess, or criticize, it. To do so, the reader should examine the author’s position, and the evidence provided to support that position. They should also be able to discern between logical and illogical pieces of evidence. Reading critically can be used to write summaries, critiques, arguments, synthesis’, and research papers. Ackley provided nine questions for readers to simplify the critical reading
Both authors believe that thinking critically before doing the work will make people successful. Graff states, “…… how to make an argument, weigh different kinds of evidence, move between particulars and generalizations, summarize the views of others, and enter a conversation about ideas” (383). Author tries to proclaim that to be a critical thinker, we should be able to get all the information and need to analyze it very carefully. We should be able to figure out what is right and what is wrong. Doing nothing will not make us critical thinkers, but thinking deeply and figuring out options will make us critical thinkers. In addition to, Gldwell also supports Graff that in order to be a critical thinker, we must be able to find the best promising way to solve the perilous situations. Graff mentions, “But if you think there are still lunch counters out there that need integrating it ought to give you pause” (327). The author tried to suggest that we have to think about every aspect and should try to figure out the best possible solution to a problem. From the text, Gladwell gives an example of four college students who started protesting because they were not allowed to sit at the lunch counter. This can be used as an example of critical thinking, because the four students denied to leave, and decided to start a protest and later on many peoples supported them. If they couldn’t think critically, they wouldn’t have come with the plan or perhaps, they could have just left the lunch counter. Both authors Gladwell and Graff believe we have to analyze things carefully to be a critical
Abigail Adams: A Revolutionary American Woman. Abigail Adams married a man destined to be a major leader of the American Revolution and the second President of the United States. Although she married and raised men that became such significant figures during their time, she herself played an important role in the American society. The events that happened in her life, starting from childhood and ending in her adult years, led her to be a revolutionary woman. Three main reasons behind her becoming such a strong, independent woman was the fact that she married a man who had an important role in politics, growing up with no education, and raising a family basically by herself.
Colombo introduces his section on critical thinking by asking a question “Why do instructors mean when they tell to think critically?” (2). His point is that we should no just focus on the surface meaning. He uses the example of the cover of our Rereading America textbook. He says that the average student from the United States may just believe that the book only applies to the United States. When a student from anny other country in the Western Hemisphere might complain that the title reflects a discriminatory view of what it maens to be an American. Since America contains all the countries of North, South, and Central America. He goes on to explain that most think they want us to ask questions rather than just relay the text back through memorization. That kind of thinking is nearly useless in the real world. What job is there that all you do is relay data back? There are almost none of these
Cokie Roberts’ Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation examines women's role in the establishment and development of the United States of America. Throughout the book, Roberts attempts to prove that women have natural characteristics in which they use to their advantage to build a foundation for the future of all women. She examines the lives of some of the most important women in U.S. history, such as Abigail Smith Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, Sarah Livingston Jay, Martha Washington and Mary White Morris. Roberts researched all of the women who “had the ears of the Founding Fathers,”. She believes that since these women lived in such a strange and wonderful time period that they must have strange and wonderful stories to tell. The book
“As a profoundly deaf woman, my experiences have shown me that the impossible is indeed possible.”- Heather Whitestone. It was this attitude that led Heather Whitestone to be crowned Miss America, despite her deafness. Whitestone has inspired and gained the respect of not only the deaf community, but also the hearing community. Her loss of hearing has not stopped her from achieving her goals and dreams.
According to Katherine, “A creative person has to create. It doesn’t really matter what they create. If such a dance wanted to go out and build the cactus gardens where he could, in Mexico, let him do that, but something that is creative has to go on. (Katherine, Dunham, Dancing a life, 2002)”. It has been said that an idol is someone whom everyone looks up to because of the great things they accomplished throughout their life span. Acknowledged as an African American dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, civil activist and writer. Katherine Dunham, not only normally known for the generous acts of kindness but also for the huge impact she had in incorporating different dance styles and creating them into her very own ballet pieces. An influential woman who supported African American culture and believed there shouldn’t be any divisions between people. Not completely another mother of modern dance but a women who greatly influenced modern dance to enhance it in many ways. Katherine is and was famous for her anthropology movement in the world of dance, her creativity and dedication.
“Making a Difference” by June Callwood is an expository essay created to inspire the reader to make a change in the world around them, and to stand up for what they believe in. By just doing simple, positive things, people can make a huge impact on their lives and the lives of people around them. June Callwood, author of “Making a Difference”, changes the way many people see the world by describing scientific research and telling the stories of people who performed small, random acts of kindness that made a huge difference in people’s attitudes and the community around them.
Almost everyone’s heard of her, there have been numerous books written about her, several thousand letters accounted for that she wrote. She was also the wife of the second president and the mother to the sixth American president, who was this woman? She was Abigail Adams. Abigail Adams life didn’t acquire meaning solely from knowing and being around these two great men however, Adams was eminently worth knowing as an individual herself. Throughout the ages, women have always been involved in war but Abigail Adams brought a new concept to women and war with her involvement in the early colonial years and the American Revolution. Abigail Adams did many things in her lifetime but the questions I will be attempting to answer is how exactly did she impact the Revolutionary War and change the social roles of women in such a male dominated society.
Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Routledge, 2006. 135-167. Print.
“The Ethics of Close Reading: Close Encounters” is an article written by Jane Gallop for the 2000 Journal of Curriculum. It discusses the topic of close reading itself, the social impact of the concept, the ethical aspect of reading, and the various ways close reading can be applied to daily life. The term “close reading” is used in the article more than fifty-one times, and defined on twelve separate occasions, generally being defined as, “looking at what is actually on the page, reading the text itself, rather than some idea “behind the text.” It means noticing things in the writing, things in the writing that stand out” (Gallop p.7).
“Critical literacy demands that the reader deliberately assume a stance that takes other view points into account”
According to the University of Leicester, critical writing is defined as: the clear and confident refusal to accept the conclusions of other writers without evaluating the arguments and evidence that they provide, the clear presentation of own evidence and argument, leading to your own conclusion, and the recognition of the limitations in your own evidence, argument, and conclusion. Basically all this is used to say that when writing and thinking critically the reader has to “think against the grain,” and challenge the idea that the author is trying to push in their piece of writing. Typical critical thinking is then formatted into essays or strictly academic methods of communication, however with advances in technology and the introduction of other popular methods of communication, there are now other unconventional places where examples of critical writing may be seen. With the introduction and heavy use of the internet, the world was able to share information, words, and ideas so easily that the way people communicated in a split second manner pushed people to use short hand. As this trend picked up popularity and more people began using slang
Incorporating a critical literacy perspective into the foreign language classroom may seem daunting at first, but it is not impossible. As Barbara Comber argues, curriculum that focuses on “critical social action and textual production is often reserved for adult or workplace domains" (453), however, incorporating this perspective into the classroom can help “connect them with community members about matters of immediate significance" (453). The practices of critical literacy can allow the students to think outside the box, develop both as individuals and collectively, “claim value in their experiences and critique mainstream ideals that marginalize them and their families" (Jones 60).
Whilst critical literacy skills are absolutely necessary in a holistic approach to learning in the 21st Century (MCEETYA, 2008), and considering the current global shift in seemingly focusing on the betterment of the immediate society rather than a global society, it would seem more prudent to encourage students into critically assessing the text presented to them. However, as this shift also suggests, a rapid progression for a more united, global society, and by extension a more intense modification of literacy education, and the education establishment itself, may require much more time, discretion and subtlety than a drastic shift of the traditional model (Bolstad et al., 2012). A more socially and politically charged approach to literacy learning may also deter from the practical skills and mere enjoyment of students learning literacy. The whole language model allows for students to choose subjects and ideas that interest them (Rose, 2016), without purposefully pushing the agenda of critical thinking. As it is a set of beliefs rather than a set method of teaching, there is also no specific way to apply the whole language model to a classroom debated (Seely Flint et al., 2014), thus critical analysis of text may still be touched on. For example, a lesson may entail reading an illustrated storybook, and students may be asked to write or say what they had gleaned from the story and how the images helped with the narration of the story. The lesson allows for an analysis of the story and a deeper reflection of the author’s intention without eliminating an appreciation of the story. As understanding language is central to the learning and development of students (ACARA, n.d.), the ability to enjoy learning literacy so as to engage and entice students’ interest in English is paramount in a 21st
Parker, Robert Dale. Critical Theory: A Reader for Literary and Cultural Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012 . Print.