read and answer

Read pages 101- 105, “The Maker’s Eye: Revising Your Own Manuscripts” by Donald Murray in Readings for Writers.

Answer the following questions with thoughtful complete answers (1 point each) and submit these online.  You may enter them directly or upload a Word document.

1.  Who do you think the audience is for this essay? (“Everyone” is not a valid answer. Be specific.)  Why do you think this?  What is his purpose in writing this short essay?  What is he trying to persuade his readers?  

2.  Choose a sentence or section that was particularly interesting for you (copy the sentence and/or tell what page and paragraph it appears).  Discuss why it was interesting for you and reflect on how it connects to you or your writing.

3.  What has your experience with revising been in the past?  How does this article support what you already do or add to your thoughts about revising?  (OR if it doesn’t do these things, discuss that).

Read pages 122-127, “Aria: Memory of a Bilingual Childhood” by Richard Rodriguez in Readings for Writers (stop when you reach the number 2 on page 127).

This section that you are reading is only the first part of a longer essay discussing Bilingual Education in the U.S. (If you don’t know what this is, google it). Richard Rodriguez is providing the reader with the context for his own experiences with being a Spanish speaker in a dominant English-speaking country.

Answer these questions:

1.  How would you summarize his relationship to Spanish and his relationship to English.  In other words, how does he relate to or feel about Spanish?  English?

2.  Think about your own experiences with your native language and with English.  How would you describe your feelings about each of these languages?  What do they mean or represent for you?

3. Why might it be helpful for readers to know what Rodriguez’s personal context is before reading about his arguments about Bilingual Education?  Why might it be helpful for students in a 111G class to think about their cultural, educational, personal, linguistic context at the beginning of the semester?