Synopsis:
This thematic reader for freshman composition contextualizes the important personal, professional, and civic choices students face in college and beyond. An opening chapter discusses the fundamental connection between critical reading and writing. The five core units each begin with three "Context" essays, providing philosophical and historical background. Three groups of "Controversies" readings then focus on a particular issue pertaining to the unit's general topic.
Review:
1. Critical Reading "Placebos," Sissela Bok; "The Hippocratic Oath," Hippocrates; "The Use of Force," William Carlos Williams; The Doctor and the Doll (image), Norman Rockwell 2. From Reading to Writing 3. The Promise of Education A Way In: "Theme for English B," Langston Hughes Contexts: "A Plan for Public Education in Virginia," Thomas Jefferson; Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka, Earl Warren; "What's Supposed to Be Going on Here?" Wayne Booth Controversies: Should We Be Able to Choose Our Schools? "Choice is a Panacea," John E. Chubb and Terry M. Moe; "Rebuilding the Schoolhouse" (interview with Jonathan Kozol), Vicki Kemper; "In Defense of Public Education," Herbert Kohl How Can We Educate a Diverse Population? "The Politics of Remediation," Mike Rose; "The Promise of Multicultural Change," bell hooks; "The Real Aim of Cultural Diversity," Linda Chavez; "The English Lesson," Nicholas Mohr Can Computers Help American Education Fulfill Its Promise? "Of Luddites, Learning, and Life," Neil Postman; "Hard Fun," Nicholas Negroponte; "Perseus Unbound," Sven Birkerts 4. Earning Our Daily Bread A Way In: Southern Comfort, "Do What You Love" (advertisement) Contexts: "What Ever Happened to the Old Protestant Ethic?" Perry Pascarella; "A Life at Hard Labor," Juliet Schor; "Zen and Japanese Economic Performance," Arunoday Saha Controversies: Is the Work Ethic Dead or Is It Killing Us? "Less Is More," Barbara Brandt; "The Joy of Work," Wendell Berry; "No Time for God or Family," Benjamin Hunnicutt; "It's Better Than Watching Oprah," Gary Burtless Should People Be Made to Work? "Only Work Works," Mickey Kaus; "Why the New Welfare Reform Won't Work," Neil Gilbert; "Welfare," Rita Henley Jensen, Will There Be a Job for Me? "Greatly Reduced Expectations," Robert L. Sulivan; "Jobs: Skills Before Credentials," Robert Reich; "Mod Jobs," Eric Zicklin; "The Flipside of Flippin' Burgers," McDonald's (advertisement) 5. Truth and Lying A Way In: "The Uses of Fiction," Naomi Shihab Nye Contexts: "How Princes Should Honor Their Word," Niccolo Macchiavelli; "To Do the Right Things," Harriet Goldhor Lerner; "Women and Honor: Some Notes on Lying," Adrienne Rich; "Economics," Elizabeth Seydel Morgan Controversies: Can We Find the Truth on TV? "The Bribed Soul," Leslie Savan; "A Brutally Honest Beer," Pig's Eye Pilsner (advertisement); "Will We Ever Run out of Trees?" Georgia-Pacific (advertisement); "Every Masterpiece Has Its Tools" (advertisement), Chroma Slim; "Reenactments and Docudramas, or No News Is Still News," Neil Postman and Steve Powers; "Prime Time," Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Does Everybody Cheat? "I Have Deceived My Friends," Charles van Doren; "Quisling Show," Hans Morgenthau; "The Extremes of Honor," Pope Brock; "This Pen for Hire," Abigail Witherspoon When the Truth Has Consequences: When Should You Keep a Secret? "My Life in the Military Closet," Jose Zuniga; "To Tell the Truth," Letty Cottin Pogrebin; "Passing," Shirlee Taylor Haizlip; "By Love Betrayed," Judith Ortiz Cofer 6. Responsibility A Way In: "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," Ursula K. LeGuin Contexts: "The Land Ethic," Aldo Leopold; "Man's Rights," Ayn Rand; "Defending Smokers' Rights" (advertisement), National Smokers' Alliance; "If the Child Is Safe," Marian Wright Edelman Controversies: What Is My Responsibility in an Intimate Relationship? "To His Coy Mistress," Andrew Marvell; "Sex, Economy, Freedom, and Community," Wendell Berry; "When You're Ready to Fall," Timberline (advertisement); "Rape and Modern Sex War," Camille Paglia; "Winking at Abusive Sexual Behavior Isn't the Answer," Helen Cordes; "Rejection Is Abuse" (cartoon ), Jules Feiffer What Is My Responsibility within the Family? "Family Values," Ruth Ansha Ayisi; "Why I'm Not Pro-Family," Ellen Willis; "What Do Grown Children Owe Their Parents?" Jane English How Much Should We Take, How Much Can the Earth Give? "Asking How Much Is Enough," Alan Durning; "More People, More Pollution," Betsy Carpenter; "The Environmental Movement: A Skeptical View," Virginia Postrel 7. The Pursuit of Happiness: What Is the Good Life? A Way In: "The Story of the Good Brahmin," Voltaire Contexts: "Happiness Is the Greatest Good," Aristotle; (The Sermon on the Mount) Luke 6:17-37; "What Is Hedonism?" Rem B. Edwards; "We Are Hedonists" (advertisement), Nike; "A First Glance," Erich Fromm; "Happiness," E.A. Burtt Controversies: What Is the American Dream? "Confessions of an Urban Outlaw," Caverly Stringer; "I Have a Dream," Martin Luther King, Jr.; "The New American Dreamers," Ruth Sidel; "The Lesson," Toni Cade Bambara How Is Happiness Discovered? "The Simple Life," David E. Shi; "The Rewards of Living a Solitary Life," May Sarton; "Pursuit of Happiness," Dympna Ugwu-Oji; "Dereliction of Duty" (cartoon), Edward Sorel Does the Good Life Require Religion? "My Confession," Leo Tolstoy; "Song of Myself," Walt Whitman; "Why I Am Not a Christian," Bertrand Russell; "Care of the Soul," Thomas Moore
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