1. Critical Thinking
You will need a piece of paper for today’s critical thinking exercise. Today, you will need to write an explanation for the answer. You will only receive credit if your explanation is written clearly enough for me to understand! You will have 4 minutes complete the activity. No Talking!

2. The Situation
Three men go to spend the night at a hotel. They pay for a $30 dollar room, each giving $10 for their share. When they go to their room, however, the manager realizes that the room is on sale for $25, and gives $5 to the bagboy to return to the men. The bagboy goes to give back the five dollars, and when he does, the men take it, but give the bagboy $2 as a tip, thereby keeping one dollar each for themselves. However, one of the men is disturbed, remarking, "Hey, we each spent 9 dollars just now, since we got one back, which means $27 total, right? Plus the $2 we gave the bagboy, that's only $29! Where's the extra dollar?" 

3. Answer
Well, this is mostly a problem dealing with common sense, and it is easy to get fouled up. The basic idea to its solution is that you should not be adding $27+$2 to get $30!  The men are in debt; they have paid thirty dollars. Then they get five back, so that they have paid $25. When they tip the bagboy $2, they are then in debt $27, and the bagboy HAS two of those dollars. So, it is $27 - $2 = $25, which it should be. The hotel ends up with $25, the bagboy with $2, each man having paid $9, as they should have.

4. Today’s Goals
I can begin to express how diction affects the meaning of sentences.
I can write an accurate, objective summary of a text.

5. Week 2 – Vocabulary
Remember, you’re responsible for studying vocabulary each week. You might want to make flashcards to help you study.
Last week’s most commonly missed words were:
Vindicated – freed from blame
Incontrovertible – not able to be denied or disputed
Objectivity – treating facts without influence from personal feelings or prejudices
Vocabulary Quiz #2 on Thursday – all words from week 1 and 2 are fair game.

6. Today’s Goals
I can begin to express how diction affects the meaning of sentences.

7. Voice Lessons - Diction
Consider:
An aged man is but a paltry thing
A tattered coat upon a stick…
- W.B. Yeats, “Sailing to Byzantium”
Discuss:
What picture is created by the use of the word tattered?
By understanding the connotations of the word tattered, what do we understand about the persona’s attitude toward an aged man?
Apply:
List three adjectives that can be used to describe a pair of shoes. Each adjective should connote a different feeling about shoes. Discuss your list with a partner. Share one of the best adjectives with the class. Choose one of the best words and then write a brief paragraph about another unlikely noun this adjective might describe. Why do you think it describes both the shoe and your other chosen noun so well?

8. Today’s Goals
I can write an accurate, objective summary of a text.

9. Major Premises in this Class
Diction – Words Matter. Good writers are very thoughtful when choosing words.
All nonfiction texts are part of a broader conversation.

10. Let’s explore this idea as we continue to practice summarizing.
We practice summarizing because it’s critical that we understand what a text says before we can begin to look beneath the surface at these clues into how a text works.
Read Mayor Winnecke’s “Giving Thanks for Evansville’s Many Blessings” text. Write a summary using the skills we’ve worked on so far.

11. A Checklist for Evaluating Summaries
"Good summaries must be fair, balanced, accurate, and complete. This checklist of questions will help you evaluate drafts of a summary.- Is the summary economical and precise?
Is the summary neutral in its representation of the original author's ideas, omitting the writer's own opinions?
Does the summary reflect the proportionate coverage given various points in the original text?
Are the original author's ideas expressed in the summary writer's own words?
Does the summary use attributive tags (such as 'Weston argues') to remind readers whose ideas are being presented?
Does the summary quote sparingly (usually only key ideas or phrases that cannot be said precisely except in the original author's own words)?
Will the summary stand alone as a unified and coherent piece of writing?
Is the original source cited so that readers can locate it?“
Do you:
Indicate the main ideas of the text. 
Use direct quotations of key words, phrases, or sentences.
Include author tags – could stand alone as its own text. 
Avoid summarizing specific examples or data unless they help illustrate the thesis or main idea of the text.
Report the main ideas as objectively as possible. . . Do not include your reactions; save them for your
response.

12. Summarizing – What does the text say?
Read Mayor Winnecke’s “Giving Thanks for Evansville’s Many Blessings” text. Write a summary using the skills we’ve worked on so far.
Meet with your 4 o’clock appointment. You will have 8 minutes to closely examine one partner’s summary, then you will switch and have another 8 minutes to examine the other partner’s summary. Use the checklist for evaluating summaries we used yesterday to help you. Move through the checklist one item at a time. Be extremely critical, but in a constructive way.

13. Today’s Goals
I can write an accurate, objective summary of a text.

14. Individual Check – Summary
Now that you’ve tried summarizing on your own and you’ve received additional feedback from your peers, let’s try to write a really well constructed summary on your own. Remember everything you’ve learned so far and all of the feedback you’ve received the last two classes. Try to make this as close to the “perfect” summary as possible.
The task: Read Jon Webb’s “E is for ‘everyone pay attention’,” which is a response to Mayor Winnecke’s “Giving Thanks for Evansville’s Many Blessings.” Then write a summary.

15. Major Premises in this Class
Diction – Words Matter. Good writers are very thoughtful when choosing words.
All nonfiction texts are part of a broader conversation.
Can you identify the conversation that has been taking place?
Why might it be important to know what the conversation is?

16. Stasis Theory
Stasis is the fixed point upon which an argument hinges. In his book The Shape of Reason: Argumentative Writing in College, author John Gage explains “the stasis of any argument is the specific point on which the controversy rests – the point on which one person says ‘yes’ but another person says ‘no’ or ‘I’m not sure’.” If we can’t settle on a point of disagreement, we can’t engage in argumentation because we’re either talking on cross-purposes or talking to ourselves. Example: A group wants to discuss why capital punishment is morally wrong, but an individual jumps into the conversation and begins to evaluate the financial costs of capital punishment. These people are not in stasis – they are not part of the same conversation. To engage an audience, we need to achieve stasis.

17. This once again takes us back to stasis…
Specifically, let’s go back to rule 2 that all texts are part of a broader conversation.
Let’s examine stasis one more time but with Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers this time. Let’s once again assume he’s part of a broader conversation and we want to be a part of that conversation.
Let’s begin the way you likely would have before this class: jump right in - do you agree or disagree with Gladwell? Why?
Why might this response to Gladwell be foolish? Maybe even get us laughed at?
Is Gladwell talking about mere success for you and me? What’s he talking about?
What is the question driving the conversation he is having?
Stasis – How do the Outliers of society achieve such great success?

18. Major Premises in this Class
Diction – Words Matter. Good writers are very thoughtful when choosing words.
All nonfiction texts are part of a broader conversation.
Good writers use any means possible to improve their argument – this is called rhetoric.
So hopefully, you see that the theory of stasis ties into our 2nd and 3rd premise:
If we are claiming that good writers use any means possible to improve their argument, is it possible that people purposely use deceitful methods to shift the narrative in their favor? We must be clear on the argument at hand.
When we get to argument, we can’t argue if we’re not sure what the conversation is.
As we begin to analyze the rhetoric writers use, we must understand the conversation to effectively evaluate an author’s rhetoric.

19. Discussion: The Shallows Summaries
What problems are you coming across?
How do you determine the main idea when there seems to be multiple ideas?
Where can you look for hints about the main ideas?
What are some of the qualities of a well-structured argument?

20. Homework Read pages 1-6 in the Language of Composition book.
Complete the Voices Lesson if not completed.
DUE Today - Write a one page journal (about words) as if you were having a discussion with Malcolm Gladwell about the main argument of his book. Explain to him why you agree or disagree with him. One catch – you must use at least five of this week’s vocabulary words and you may only use the verbs be, being, been, is, am, are, was, were, have, has, or had two times.
DUE THURSDAY – Read chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6 of The Shallows and write a summary for each chapter.
DUE NEXT WEDNESDAY – Read chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10 of The Shallows and write a summary for each chapter.

21. Today’s Goals
I can use the See-Think-Wonder routine to slow down and pay attention to details in a text where meaning may not always be obvious.

22. Major Premises in this Class
Diction – Words Matter. Good writers are very thoughtful when choosing words.
All nonfiction texts are part of a broader conversation.

23. Rule 3 - Good writers utilize any means possible to improve their argument This is called rhetoric!!
Things to Think About
How many of you always thought writers just sit down and write?
How many of you knew there were tools used by good writers and knowing those rules could open up an entirely new understanding of a text?
How many of you are willing to take the time to see what’s beneath the surface?
We will have to learn what the tools and trick are.
We will have to learn how and why authors use these tools.
We will want to begin using these tools ourselves as we aim to become better writers.
But first we’ve got to cross a threshold – we must learn to pay attention.

24. Learning to Pay Attention
Consider how many times you’ve heard a song on the radio and didn’t really love it.
But, after hearing it 5-10 times on the radio, you’re tapping your foot and starting to hum along.
Then, another 5-10 listens and you’re singing along to every word, you’re thinking about what the song means, and you love everything about it.
The most difficult issues in our city, state, country, and world aren’t likely to be solved without deep thought and much consideration. Are you willing to pay attention to the conversation taking place? Let’s find out!

25. See – Think – Wonder Routine
We will use this routine often.
Begin by SEEing what is literally in front of you first – harder than it sounds.
Begin to THINK about what you see and how the things you see fit together.
WONDER and question what all of these things might mean.
Check to see if the meaning works with what you are seeing.
Draw some conclusions.

26. Learning to Pay Attention
Together, we’re going to look closely at a painting for a full ten minutes. Although our task today is not really to determine the meaning of the painting, I want you to pretend that for the next ten minutes, we are looking at this painting with the goal of trying to discover the meaning of the painting.
However, to do this, your immediate task is to SEE every little detail you can see during the allotted time – at this phase, don’t bother thinking about the why.
Raise your hand when you notice a detail, and I will record how long it took you to notice it. We’ll work as a class, so shout it out (one at a time) so I can record what we’ve seen.

27. The Temptation of St. Anthony

28. One thing we know for sure:
“Just because something is available instantly to vision does not mean that it is available instantly to consciousness.” There is Power in Patience – Jennifer Roberts teaches an entire class at Harvard titled – Power in Patience: Teaching Students the Value of Deceleration and Immersive Attention. She has a PhD from Yale, has taught at Harvard for over 30 years and has taught classes on the Power of Patience to US Presidents, foreign world leaders, and some of the top FBI, CIA, military, and civilian minds in the country.

29. So how does this relate to close reading in a rhetoric and argument class?
Just because you read it, doesn’t mean you fully understand it or even touched the surface of the meaning. If you want to join the conversation or even have a seat at the table, it will require some patience to understand what conversation is being had AND what people are saying about the topic at hand. Listening to a text and postponing judgment requires much more brain muscle (and good manners) than simply responding to the first thing that comes to mind. Thinking of a text as a conversation, we’re not just waiting our turn to respond, we’re engaging in reading as discovery, searching for the questions other writers are asking. We must comprehend a text before we critique it. If we jump into a conversation and contradict what’s being said before we fully understand it, we often look foolish; therefore, if a text is merely a part of a conversation, it will be wise to try to grasp what’s being said before we respond.