Clear Writing: Readings in Expository Prose

452 Pages·2006·1.74 MB·English

by  Marjorie Mather, Brett McLenithan

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Clear Writing
Theorizing English-Canadian Postcolonialism
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ii Historical Background
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Clear Writing
Readings in Expository Prose
edited by
Marjorie Mather and Brett McLenithan
broadview press
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©2007 Broadview Press
All rights reserved.The use of any part of this publication reproduced,transmitted in any form
or by any means,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,or otherwise,or stored in a
retrieval system,without prior written consent of the publisher — or in the case of photo-
copying,a licence from ACCESS COPYRIGHT(Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency),
One Yonge Street,Suite 1900,Toronto,Ontario M5E 1E5 — is an infringement of the copy-
right law.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Clear writing :readings in expository prose / edited by Marjorie Mather and Brett
McLenithan.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13:978-1-55111-824-6
ISBN-10:1-55111-824-6
1.College readers. 2.Exposition (Rhetoric). 3.English language (Rhetoric).
I.Mather,Marjorie. II.McLenithan,Brett
PE1122.C54 2006 808′.0427 C2006-905151-8
Broadview Press is an independent,international publishing house,incorporated in 1985.
Broadview believes in shared ownership,both with its employees and with the general pub-
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Contents
Index—Rhetorical Modes / ix
Preface / xvii
Personal Experiences
E.B. White (cid:127) Once More to the Lake / 1
James Baldwin (cid:127) Notes of a Native Son / 7
Annie Dillard (cid:127) Terwilliger Bunts One / 15
Lucy Grealy (cid:127) Pony Party / 21
David Sedaris (cid:127) Old Faithful / 29
Temple Grandin (cid:127) My Story / 36
Global Media
Samuel Johnson (cid:127) On Advertising / 41
Naomi Klein (cid:127) The Swoosh / 44
Douglas Coupland (cid:127) Cigs / 57
Nancy Franklin (cid:127) Model Citizens / 59
Malcolm Gladwell (cid:127) Brain Candy / 63
Nature and the Environment
Virginia Woolf (cid:127) The Death of the Moth / 68
Edward Hoagland (cid:127) The Courage of Turtles / 71
Barry Lopez (cid:127) The Passing Wisdom of Birds / 77
Peter Singer (cid:127) Speciesism / 87
Don Gayton (cid:127) A Cautionary Tale / 98
Social Issues
Jonathan Swift (cid:127) A Modest Proposal / 103
W.E.B. Du Bois (cid:127) A Mild Suggestion / 111
Richard Rodriguez (cid:127) Profession / 114
Gloria Steinem (cid:127) Supremacy Crimes / 122
Robert Murray (cid:127) It’s Not Like Falling Asleep / 126
Barbara Ehrenreich (cid:127) Maid to Order / 130
Laura Robinson (cid:127) Women’s Volleyball / 147
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vi Contents
Law and Politics
Michel de Montaigne (cid:127) Of a Monstrous Child / 150
Henry David Thoreau (cid:127) Civil Disobedience / 152
Abraham Lincoln (cid:127) The Gettysburg Address / 170
Ralph Waldo Emerson (cid:127) Politics / 172
Winston Churchill (cid:127) Wars Are Not Won by Evacuations / 174
Martin Luther King, Jr. (cid:127) Letter from Birmingham Jail / 176
Gwynne Dyer (cid:127) How People Power Topples the Tyrant / 190
History
John Jay Chapman (cid:127) Coatesville / 195
Martha Gellhorn (cid:127) The Bomber Boys / 199
Hannah Arendt (cid:127) Deportations from Western Europe—Denmark / 204
Robert Darnton (cid:127) Workers Revolt: The Great Cat Massacre of the Rue
Saint-Séverin / 210
Philip Gourevitch (cid:127) We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be
Killed with Our Families / 233
Joan Didion (cid:127) History Lesson / 240
Jonathan Vance (cid:127) The Soldier as Novelist / 243
Science and Technology
Stephen Jay Gould (cid:127) Entropic Homogeneity Isn’t Why No One Hits .400
Any More / 258
Jay Ingram (cid:127) This Chapter is a Yawner / 273
Witold Rybczynski (cid:127) One Good Turn / 278
Eric Schlosser (cid:127) Why the Fries Taste Good / 283
Meenakshi Wadhwa (cid:127) In Her Own Words / 293
Human Nature
William Hazlitt (cid:127) On the Pleasure of Hating / 301
George Eliot (cid:127) Only Temper / 303
Mark Twain (cid:127) Corn-Pone Opinions / 306
Stanley Milgram (cid:127) Behavioral Study of Obedience / 311
Nicholson Baker (cid:127) Changes of Mind / 321
Richard Wrangham (cid:127) Killer Species / 326
Languages and Culture
Ernest Hemingway (cid:127) Pamplona in July / 332
George Orwell (cid:127) Shooting an Elephant / 341
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vii Contents
N. Scott Momaday (cid:127) The Way to Rainy Mountain / 348
Ngugi wa Thiong’o (cid:127) Decolonising the Mind / 354
Perri Klass (cid:127) Learning the Language / 363
Amy Tan (cid:127) Mother Tongue / 367
Literature and Other Arts
Gilbert Highet (cid:127) The Gettysburg Address / 373
Lawrence Weschler (cid:127) Comedy of Values / 379
Maya Lin (cid:127) Vietnam Veterans Memorial / 385
Douglas Coupland (cid:127) Group of Seven / 396
Susan Sontag (cid:127) Looking at War / 398
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (cid:127) Phillis Wheatley on Trial / 405
Sources / 417
Glossary of Terms / 421
Index—Author and Title / 431
vii
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Index
Rhetorical Modes
Cause and Effect
Hannah Arendt (cid:127) Deportations from Western Europe—Denmark / 204
Douglas Coupland (cid:127) Cigs / 57
Robert Darnton (cid:127) Workers Revolt: The Great Cat Massacre of the Rue
Saint-Séverin / 210
Gwynne Dyer (cid:127) How People Power Topples the Tyrant / 190
Barbara Ehrenreich (cid:127) Maid to Order / 130
Don Gayton (cid:127) A Cautionary Tale / 98
Malcolm Gladwell (cid:127) Brain Candy / 63
Stephen Jay Gould (cid:127) Entropic Homogeneity Isn’t Why No One Hits .400
Any More / 258
Temple Grandin (cid:127) My Story / 36
Martin Luther King, Jr. (cid:127) Letter from Birmingham Jail / 176
Perri Klass (cid:127) Learning the Language / 363
Stanley Milgram (cid:127) Behavioral Study of Obedience / 311
George Orwell (cid:127) Shooting an Elephant / 341
Witold Rybczynski (cid:127) One Good Turn / 278
Eric Schlosser (cid:127) Why the Fries Taste Good / 283
Susan Sontag (cid:127) Looking at War / 398
Gloria Steinem (cid:127) Supremacy Crimes / 122
Ngugi wa Thiong’o (cid:127) Decolonising the Mind / 354
Meenakshi Wadhwa (cid:127) In Her Own Words / 293
Richard Wrangham (cid:127) Killer Species / 326
Comparison and Contrast
Hannah Arendt (cid:127) Deportations from Western Europe—
Denmark / 204
Douglas Coupland (cid:127) Cigs / 57
Robert Darnton (cid:127) Workers Revolt: The Great Cat Massacre of the Rue
Saint-Séverin / 210
Joan Didion (cid:127) History Lesson / 240
Gwynne Dyer (cid:127) How People Power Topples the Tyrant / 190
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (cid:127) Phillis Wheatley on Trial / 405
Don Gayton (cid:127) A Cautionary Tale / 98
Malcolm Gladwell (cid:127) Brain Candy / 63
Stephen Jay Gould (cid:127) Entropic Homogeneity Isn’t Why No One Hits .400
Any More / 258
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x Index – Rhetorical Modes
Edward Hoagland (cid:127) The Courage of Turtles / 71
Martin Luther King, Jr. (cid:127) Letter from Birmingham Jail / 176
Barry Lopez (cid:127) The Passing Wisdom of Birds / 77
Stanley Milgram (cid:127) Behavioral Study of Obedience / 311
N. Scott Momaday (cid:127) The Way to Rainy Mountain / 348
Michel de Montaigne (cid:127) Of a Monstrous Child / 150
Robert Murray (cid:127) It’s Not Like Falling Asleep / 126
Laura Robinson (cid:127) Women’s Volleyball / 147
Witold Rybczynski (cid:127) One Good Turn / 278
David Sedaris (cid:127) Old Faithful / 29
Peter Singer (cid:127) Speciesism / 87
Amy Tan (cid:127) Mother Tongue / 367
Ngugi wa Thiong’o (cid:127) Decolonising the Mind / 354
Jonathan Vance (cid:127) The Soldier as Novelist / 243
Richard Wrangham (cid:127) Killer Species / 326
Definition
Nicholson Baker (cid:127) Changes of Mind / 321
George Eliot (cid:127) Only Temper / 303
Ralph Waldo Emerson (cid:127) Politics / 172
Edward Hoagland (cid:127) The Courage of Turtles / 71
Jay Ingram (cid:127) This Chapter is a Yawner / 273
Perri Klass (cid:127) Learning the Language / 363
Peter Singer (cid:127) Speciesism / 87
Amy Tan (cid:127) Mother Tongue / 367
Mark Twain (cid:127) Corn-Pone Opinions / 306
Description
Nicholson Baker (cid:127) Changes of Mind / 321
James Baldwin (cid:127) Notes of a Native Son / 7
Douglas Coupland (cid:127) Cigs / 57
Robert Darnton (cid:127) Workers Revolt: The Great Cat Massacre of the Rue
Saint-Séverin / 210
Joan Didion (cid:127) History Lesson / 240
Annie Dillard (cid:127) Terwilliger Bunts One / 15
Barbara Ehrenreich (cid:127) Maid to Order / 130
George Eliot (cid:127) Only Temper / 303
Nancy Franklin (cid:127) Model Citizens / 59
Martha Gellhorn (cid:127) The Bomber Boys / 199
Philip Gourevitch (cid:127) We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be
Killed with Our Families / 233