From Inquiry to Academic Writing A Practical Guide, 3rd edition

32 CHAPTER 2 | FRom REAding As A WRiTER To WRiTing As A REAdER

Notice how the student underlines information that helps her under-

stand the argument the authors make.

1. She numbers the three key factors (racist attitudes, private behaviors,
   and institutional practices) that influenced the formation of ghettos in
   the United States.


2. She identifies the situation that motivates the authors’ analysis: the
   extent to which “the spatial isolation of black Americans” still exists
   despite laws and court decisions designed to end residential segregation.


3. She makes connections to her own experience and to another book
   she has read.
   By understanding the authors’ arguments and making these connec-
   tions, the student begins the writing process. She also sets the stage for her
   own research, for examining the authors’ claim that residential segrega-
   tion still exists.

Reading as a WRiteR:

Analyzing a Text Rhetorically, p. Reading

When you study how writers influence readers through language, you are

analyzing the rhetoric (available means of persuasion) of what you read.

When you identify a writer’s purpose for responding to a situation by com-

posing an essay that puts forth claims meant to sway a particular audi-

ence, you are performing a rhetorical analysis. Such an analysis entails

identifying the features of an argument to better understand how the

argument works to persuade a reader. We discuss each of these elements

•   ^ how the writer sees the situation that calls for a response in writing,

•   ^ the writer’s purpose for writing,

•   ^ intended audience,

•   ^ kinds of claims, and

•   ^ types of evidence,

as we analyze the following preface from E.  D. Hirsch’s book Cultural

Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know (1987). Formerly a professor

of English, Hirsch has long been interested in educational reform. That

interest developed from his (and others’) perception that today’s students

do not know as much as students did in the past. Although Hirsch wrote

the book more than twenty years ago, many observers still believe that the

contemporary problems of illiteracy and poverty can be traced to a lack of

cultural literacy.

Read the preface. You may want to mark it with your own questions

and responses, and then consider them in light of our analysis (following

the preface) of Hirsch’s rhetorical situation, purpose, claims, and audience.

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