Getting the Information You Really Need

Have you ever felt like your reading a chapter out of one of your text books and you can not seem to remember it. Do you feel as though you can read a chapter out of a book and not grasp the concept of what you just read. I have this problem all the time which leads to low scores on tests and not knowing the material. By reading the chapter on how to analyze text I have a couple of pointers that could help you. Instead of reading a whole chapter as a whole read the man points as smaller chapters within a chapter. Try to understand what each point is trying to make. To help out in doing this, in the margins write the main points of each paragraph within those main points. This helps out with getting the true meaning of what the author is trying to explain to you. When finished with the chapter put all of your notes together and you have your very own summary of the chapter. I hope this helps you out cause it sure helped me out on becoming a better reader.
Another point this chapter touched on was how to read an argument. When you first read an argument, however against it you are, try to agree with what the author is saying. Yes I know sometimes this is hard and can be tough but it will help on seeing their side. After you fully understand their side try to go against it. By doing both of these things you will have understanding to both sides of the argument. Which in time will make you a better reader.
Justin Rhoades

Analyzing Material

After reading a ton of pages in a chapter that seems to never end on analyzing, I have come to a conclusion. Not only do we have to understand what were reading but who the writer is writing to. Here is an example, say Men's Health wrote and article about football and how the season was full of historical events. Running backs and quarter backs were making huge leaps in yards and breaking records through out the season. This same article probably wouldn't have the same pull if it was in one of the many women magazines. When a text is written not only is it written for a purpose but for an audience. Who is the audience one might ask, it is the person most likely to be inclined to pick up that Men's Magaizne with the football article. A typical woman is not going to walk by and think to herself "O I wonder whats going on in the football realm?" That is the whole point of audience. Not only does a person have to understand what is written but who the article is intended for. Who is the writer trying to communicate to and argue a point to.
History, being what I majored in a majority of the readings caught my attention. Through reading these stories and articles I found one that stood out of most of them. The comparison to Abraham Lincolns Gettysburg address and 9/11 speeches. It shows how the past meets the future in a since. In a time of uncertainty and tragedy our countries speakers have given us the since of hope and ability to move forward. Through the dedications on through the address you get the scenes of moving forward but still remembering.

Transformation of a Paragraph

Though never really viewed editing a paragraph this way before, I do now. I view editing a paragraph in like performing a surgery. You look at it as a whole and then try to pick it a part for the benefit of a paper. Does the whole paragraph work to present a point and if it does not what can you do to fix it? By taking the sentences out of the paragraph that do not help argue your point, should be taken out. The words in those sentences should come together to form a strong sentence. If they do not then they need to be revised. All of the components need to work for it to be a strong paragraph like a body.

Turning Your Paper into Gold

There are many ways one can turn a paper into gold. By this I do not mean literally the element gold but by the means of a good paper. There are two steps I take and the book clarifies really well. First it is the assessment of the writer. Just by reading the paper out load for clarity is one of the ways to making your paper better. Not only do I personally do this but I also look for the meaning behind my works. Because one talks about clarity in a verbal since does not mean that is all that can be clarified. The whole point of the story or paper should be clarified. Can someone get what your trying to present is a good question to ask?
The second thing is to on how you revise your paper. Whether it be simply adding more to the subject or by trying to grab your audience in. Just by understanding who your audience is can help in the revision of your paper. Another thing to add in is dialogue to a narrative paper it allows the audience to be in on the conversation. Which in the end will allow your audience to connect. By using these methods on can make your paper into GOLD.

Mind Relieveing Techniques

Although, at times coming up with a starting sentence can be a major feat for a writer, There are a few ways to help with this problem. These techniques can help one to begin or even figure out what is most important to talk about. If the writer is having trouble with figuring the main details, the " meat and potatoes" of the topic, the same technique employed in how to start can be use in the same way. Writers can use looping, outlining,webbing, researching, or even just writing can in fact help one start. I personally use the webbing technique do to the visual aspects of it. I can see the whole picture of the subject whether it is the major aspects or the lesser ones. It allows you to connect the dots so to speak and see what features branch of to form new ones. Even though this works for me many other people use other processes.
For example a person with a less photogenic mind might us the random writing or the looping. In both of these processes the writer will eventually figure out what the most important thing to write about is. Whether it's the writing of random thoughts to figure out what matters more to you or the processing the draft out to figure what is important. However, both take time but are very affective for writers. All of the processes in there own circumstances work with flying colors.
-Justin Rhoades-

The Basic Elements In A New Light

Through reading the chapters 1-5 of The Norton Field Guide to Writing, I gained a new perspective on the basic elements. Although throughout my schooling years these elements, so to speak, have been drilled in to my head, I now see them in a more illuminated way. The shear simplicity of the elements opens up new levels they hold. Use audience for example, we all assume when we are writing the assumption is we know the audience. In reality we usually do whether it be a teacher, classmate, or family member; right now I am writing for my English teacher. Although no one stops to think, would anyone out side your class understand what we are writing? A similar question, would we understand in the same context a note left for a mother like the article in the book? The answer is maybe but more then like will not. That is what made these chapters so interesting is the reality behind the basic elements. They apply in many more ways then anyone realizes.
- Justin Rhoades -