Heritage: African American Readings for Writers (2nd Edition) - Softcover

Jarrett, Joyce M.; Mbalia, Doreatha D.; Lee, Margaret G.

9780130141224: Heritage: African American Readings for Writers (2nd Edition)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0130141224 ISBN 13: 9780130141224

Publisher: Pearson, 2002

Unique in its perspective and range, this anthology uses diverse essays, short stories, poems and plays by and about African Americans to stimulate critical reading, thinking, discussion, and writing. It first provides a comprehensive process-oriented writing guide, and then offers a diverse collection of readings that provide models and reflect the rich heritage of African American culture. Over 100 essays, short stories, poems, and plays by and/or about African Americans feature works by Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and Arthur Ashe—as well as lesser known but equally talented writers. An exploration of eighteen themes throughout the book includes slavery, African American women, male-female relationships, politics, freedom/equality, arts and media, education, folklore, and interracial relationships among others. For anyone interested in writings by and about African Americans—and interested in writing their own interpretation of what they read.

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From the Back Cover:

The first edition of HERITAGE: AFRICAN AMERICAN READINGS FOR WRITING was praised as a great resource for students who come to college with a limited knowledge of the African-American experience. Instructors and students appreciated the diversity of writers in the first edition, which showed that African-American writers and African-American people have a lot in common.

Most important, however, is HERITAGE has become a proven text that prods students to think and write with confidence.

Features of HERITAGE, Second Edition include:

Over 20 new readings, including works from Queen Latifah, Gloria Naylor, Alice Walker, W.E.B. DuBois; and Maya Angelou.
A process-oriented approach to writing highlighted by early chapters on planning, writing, and revising and editing.
A combination of essays, fiction, poems, and student essays in each chapter.
A section of longer and more challenging supplementary readings at the end of the text.
A brief biographical sketch of the author introducing each reading.

Heritage remains a collection of fiction, poetry, drama, and nonfiction by and about African Americans, a writing text, designed to appeal to writers who are interested in African American culture and the extent to which it touches every facet of American society. This second edition further emphasizes that African American culture is not monolithic; we have chosen in this edition a wide range of subjects that reflect this cultural diversity. We believe that thought-provoking writing is often the result of an inspired beginning; therefore, we have again selected readings for their use as models, but more importantly, for their potential to touch the soul of the reader.

However, we provide students with more than inviting selections. This edition continues the goal of the first edition by being an excellent writing guide, while integrating reading and writing throughout the text. This edition includes a broader range of engaging selections, each followed by probing questions and stimulating writing assignments. We strive to illustrate the beauty and power of the canon and believe in the importance of motivating students, through their written discourse, to discover the in individual, yet universal significance of the literature.

Heritage continues to focus on the quality of writing rather than just form. It is designed to help students write more substantively, not by presenting superficial topics, but by allowing students to use interesting, provocative, and diverse readings as springboards for exploring meaningful issues and for developing their own voice. This new edition of Heritage reflects our belief that writing is a means through which students discover more about themselves and the world. This collection of readings has been chosen with writers and readers in mind, with consideration given to interest level, vocabulary, length, readability, as well as to intrinsic literary value.

ORGANIZATION AND NEW FEATURES

Part I: Understanding the Writing Process

Heritage is divided into two parts. Part I, "Understanding the Writing Process," continues to focus on the stages of writing. An overview of writing and a writing inventory are designed to help students to understand writing and their own writing habits and preferences. Writing as a process is illustrated in various stages from paragraph to essay. Chapters 1 through 3, the writing chapters, have been revised to make explanations more comprehensive, precise, and clear, and to put greater emphasis on the writing process. In this regard, more attention has been given to pre-writing and organizational strategies (Chapter 1); tips for composing on the computer and selecting a title (Chapter 2); and a broader view of revising and editing (Chapter 3).

New Chapter: Writing About Literature

New to this edition is Chapter 4, "Writing About Literature," designed to provide an introduction to literary analysis. This chapter includes observations and discussions on aspects of literary analysis, followed by sample first and final drafts of a literary essay. A checklist for reading and writing about literature provides guidelines and strategies with emphasis on the writing process. This chapter complements the list of Literary and Writing Terms in the back of the text.

The Readings

In Part II, Chapters 5 through 22 consist of the actual readings, presented under eighteen different themes representing diverse aspects of African American history, culture, life, and thought. Over thirty new readings have been added to this part, including essays, articles, short stories, and poetry, selected to appeal to various reading and writing interests. These readings consist of both professional and student work. Consideration continues to be given to gender, generational, and philosophical diversity. Each reading is introduced with a biographical sketch of the author and definitions of potentially difficult terms. At the end of the selection, the reader will find discussion questions and suggested writing assignments, designed to stimulate critical thinking and writing. Discussion questions and writing assignments for many of the readings retained from the first edition have been revised for this purpose. At the end of Part II, is Chapter 23, "Supplemental Readings," which offers more in-depth and challenging selections. Four new readings can be found in this chapter.

Literary and Writing Terms List

At the end of the text, the list of Literary and Writing Terms remains from the first edition. The Suggested Bibliography and the Video List to Supplement Readings, both from the first edition, have been expanded to include additional and more recent sources that can be used to complement and supplement reading selections. New to this edition is a Glossary of Grammatical Terms to complement Chapter 3, "Revising and Editing."

Online Instructor's Manual

An Online Instructor's Manual, which contains answers to discussion questions, is available on-line at www.prenhall.com/english . Contact your local Prentice Hall representative or call (800) 526-0485 for a user name and password to the site.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We wish to thank the following individuals: Craig Campanella, Prentice Hall English editor; Jill Dougan, permissions editor; Alison Gnerre and Frances Russello, production editors; and Brenda Hunter, production manager at' Publications Development Company, for their guidance and encouragement throughout the revision of this text; Valerie Sweeney Prince for her contribution to Chapter 4; our students, with whom we worked and through whom we were inspired for permitting us to use their compositions; and the following reviewers for their sound advice: Robin Benny, Chicago State University; Lee McKnight, Stillman College; Alosi J. M. Moloi, California State University-Long Beach; Linda Ballard, Norwalk Community Technical College; Jennifer Blackman, San Jose State University.

Margaret Giles Lee
Joyce M. Jarrett
Doreatha Drummond Mbalia

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