CJUS 702Activity RubricCriteriaLevels of AchievementCo

CJUS 702
Activity Rubric
Criteria
Levels of Achievement
Content
(70%)
Advanced
92-100%
Proficient
84-91%
Developing
1-83%
Not present
Total
Question Content
18.5 to 20 points:
· Major points are stated clearly and are supported by valid
evidence and logical reasoning.
· Objective, reasoned analysis is employed.
· An authoritative and persuasive voice is used.
· Resonates Christian world view supporting your themes
throughout your writing.
· Four fully developed pages of content excluding the title-page,
abstract, and reference page (s).
· Use of 2 peer-reviewed scholarly references along with course
materials/texts.
16.75 to 18.25 points:
· Most major points are stated clearly and supported by valid
evidence and logical reasoning, but some points may require
clarification or greater support.
· Some improvements to objective tone/perspective may be
required.

· Further interpretation and/or support for Christian world view
needed.
· Less than 4 fully developed pages of content excluding the
title-page, abstract, and reference page (s).
· Use of 1 peer-reviewed scholarly references along with course
materials/texts.
1 to 16.5 points:
· Major points require significant clarification and scholarly or
Christian world view support.
· Significant improvements to objective tone/perspective are
required.
· Less than 3 fully developed pages of content excluding the
title-page, abstract, and reference page (s).
· No external peer-reviewed scholarly references other than
course materials/texts.
0 points
Not present
Opposing Viewpoints
18.5 to 20 points:
Opposing viewpoints are sufficiently acknowledged and
critically evaluated.
16.75 to 18.25 points:
Opposing viewpoints are acknowledged but may require greater
evaluation.
1 to 16.5 points:
Opposing viewpoints are not adequately acknowledged and/or
addressed.
0 points
Not present
Conclusion
11.5 to 12.5 points:
The conclusion logically derives from the paper’s ideas.
10.5 to 11.25 points:
The conclusion does not fully derive from the paper’s ideas.

1 to 10.25 points:
Conclusion does not derive logically from the paper’s main
ideas.
0 points
Not present
Structure (30%)
Advanced
92-100%
Proficient
84-91%
Developing
1-83%
Not present
Total
Grammar, Spelling, & Format
13.75 to 15 points:
Minimal to no errors in grammar or spelling. Formatted in
current APA format.
Minor errors in spelling and grammar. Minor adjustments
needed in APA format.
1 to 12.25 points:
Numerous errors in spelling or grammar. Not formatted in
current APA format.
0 points
Not present
Page Length
7 to 7.5 points:
Required page length of 4 pages is met. This does not include
title-page, abstract, nor reference page(s).
Required page length was not met or exceeded required page
length of 1 page. This does not include title-page, abstract, nor
reference page(s).

1 to 6 points:
Page length may be significantly shorter or longer than the
requirement by 2 or more pages.
0 points
Not present
Professor Comments:
Total:
/75
Zainab Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: Hi,
Zainab! The rubric that breaks down your grade on this
assignment is at the end of the draft. If you have any questions
about your grade that my comments don’t address, please don’t
hesitate to schedule a virtual conference session with me.
Great MLA style—just add your last name and the page number
in the header.
Note: I highlighted some typos and isolated editing issues.
ENG 201
Assignment 1, Draft 2
02/08/21
The Plot Against America”Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann
Podufaly: Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly:
Italicize book titles when using MLA style.
To readers interested in theology and politics, this is an
evaluation of an alternative history book that addresses a
conflict between one religion and politics.Comment by Bauer,
Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: This is a great starting point but be a
little more specific—this could encompass pre-teens interested
the topics as well as experts in a relevant field and many groups
in between.
“The Plot against America” is a narrative by Philip Roth. This

book is a counterfactual masterpiece of history. This is a “what-
if story” where Charles Lindbergh, Nazi sympathizer Nazis, was
elected as the United States president. As a result of his
election, there was prevalent persecution of Jews in the United
States. This book is a fiction novel with overarching drama. In
this novel, the author visualizes the national and international
crisis that would befall people through intimate specifics. In the
book, the author put himself and his childhood family into a
fictional world war II America. He has mythologized his
childhood. Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: When
was this book published? Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann
Podufaly: Capitalize Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann
Podufaly: Good introduction to the book in this paragraph but
aim for a stronger “hook” in your opening lines and a clear
thesis at the end of the paragraph to better set up the
evaluations in the body paragraphs.
As the story begins, we see little Philip roaming in the Jewish
street of Newark and discovering his beloved father's humble
status. His father is an ordinary man who is beleaguered by the
tides of powerful social forces and anti-Semitism taking shape
in this country. The story is creatively narrated by a seven-year-
old. The story begins with the horror of the 1940 election for
American Jews. Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly:
You have great information in this paragraph, but the paragraph
doesn’t flow as well as it could. It’s unclear why the sentences
are ordered as they are (why certain ideas are placed in the
order that they are). Consider moving sentences around within
the paragraph or to new paragraphs and/or better showing the
relationship between ideas.
In this particular election, Franklin Roosevelt loses the
presidential elections to Lindbergh in a landslide. This converts
the isolationist anti-Semitic aviation hero into one of the most
influential leaders in the whole world. This fuels fear and anger
in the American Jewish community and many other people.
Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: This paragraph is
short, and much of the information in it relates to what you said

in the previous paragraph. Consider combining this paragraph
with the previous one.
According to Lindbergh, his political ambition was “my
intention is running for the presidency to preserve American
democracy by preventing America from taking part in another
world war” (pg 30). After his inauguration, the newly elected
president signed an agreement with Hitler to solidify peace
between the United States and Germany. Many Americans had a
reason to smile as there would never be another young man
from the United States who would go to fight and die in the
war. Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: Rework to
avoid a mixed construction (when you combine or put together
incompatible grammatical forms)—this happens frequently with
quotations. If the quotation is woven into the grammar of the
sentence, the quotation should be abbreviated to flow with
clause or phrase setting it up. In this case, the quotation should
start with what his political ambition was (so omit the “my
intention is running for the presidency” part—it’s unnecessary
and incompatible with “his political ambition was”). Comment
by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: When using MLA style, you
do not need to include “Pg” in the parenthetical citations, just
the page number (and the author’s last name if it’s unclear
which source you’re working with; in this case, though, it’s
clear which source you’re quoting)
Although the author has obscured the boundaries of history and
fiction in this novel's plot, it is clear that the novel is revolving
around the family of the author and the “perpetual Fear’ that
their Jewish community faced in the light of the new
administration. “Fear presides over these memories, a perpetual
fear” (pg. 1). This critically shows the effects of fear that
seemed to be taking hold of the author’s family, especially the
father. The narrator’s father, Herman, seems to curse the
political headlines of the day vehemently. Comment by Bauer,
Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: Keep an eye out for floating
quotations. Review the link below about spotting, avoiding, and
fixing floating quotations and check for this issue in the rest of

your essay. https://sites.clarkson.edu/cuwrite/wp-
content/uploads/sites/19/2019/06/quotations-1.pdf
His emotional outburst stems from Lindbergh's election and the
blacklisting of his family to the capital of the nation because he
was a Jew and his employer's participation in homestead 42.
Homestead 42 was a program funded by the government, which
would see him, and his family being sent to Kentucky so that
they could work and live together with the other Jewish people
from his company that was being transferred to that particular
area. This did not however; seem to go well with them.
Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: No comma is
needed here. Review comma rules via the link below and check
for missing, misplaced, and unnecessary commas in the rest of
your essay.
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/punctuation/commas
/extended_rules_for_commas.html
According to the letter written to Mr. Roth, it indicated a
transfer from his current location together with his family. “in
compliance with a request from homestead 42, Office of
American Adoption, US department of the interior, our company
is offering a relocation opportunity to senior employees like
yourself, deemed qualified for inclusion in the OAA’s bold new
nationwide initiative” (pg. 204).
Together with their neighbors, who are Jews, Roth's family are
forced to deal with the war directed to them. This program
seems to divide the Jewish community internally, deliberating if
they will support the program. Some of them seem to be
supporting the measures while on the other hand, others do not
seem to be supporting the procedures, and they find themselves
continuously waiting for the shoe of other to fall. They are
fearful, and they expect that they have the right of being so.
Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: You do a great job
explaining what happens in the novel and how/why fear is a
prevalent mood and theme so far. However, so far, your essay
sounds much more informative than evaluative—like you’re
explaining the book’s plot and themes rather than

assessing/judging the book’s value or worth via an analysis of
its strengths and/or weaknesses.
In another case, a disturbing scene is seen when Roth's family is
away from their primarily Jewish neighborhood. On their trip
to the nation's capital, they face many things that depict fear
and paranoia. In every place that they went to, they were seen
as Jews by other people. Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann
Podufaly: Use present-tense verbs when describing what
happens in a text (in MLA style, at least). You’ve been using
present-tense verbs but switch to past-tense here.
The family faces humiliation in the hotel. They find their bags
downstairs, and upon inquiring why this had happened, the
manager said to them, “Folks, I have to apologize. I had to pack
these up for you. Our afternoon clerk made a mistake.” (pg. 67).
Things started becoming challenging for the family, for being a
Jewish family faces a rough time. After the hotel turned them
away, the manager claims that they will not charge them for the
missing soap in the room they were staying. Comment by Bauer,
Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: I know what you mean here, but the
phrasing is a little awkward. Can you express this another way?
“We will not charge you for what use you all made of the room
today or for the bar of soap that is missing” (pg. 68). This
sounded as if the manager meant that not charging them the
soap was enough to compensate for the anti-Semitism and the
humiliation that they faced in the hotel. This particular incident
in this hotel shows the growing public hatred for the family and
the Jews as a whole.Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann
Podufaly: Combine this paragraph with the previous paragraph.
Looking at these cases, it is clear that the theme of fear is one
of the topics that the author has dramatically looked at. Fear can
be described as a feeling of apprehension and agitation caused
by the eminence of danger. This emotion is articulated in-depth
all through this work of fiction. By reading the first paragraph,
one cannot imagine the kind of horrifying events that can lead
to a person having such kind of fear. Comment by Bauer,
Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: Depending on your audience (how

expert/educated they are), I’m not sure you need to define or
describe what fear means.
“Fear presides over these memories, a perpetual fear. Of course,
no childhood is without its terrors, yet I wonder if I would have
been a less frightened boy if Lindbergh hadn't been president or
if I hadn't been the offspring of Jews." (Roth pg1). Lindberg
utilized the slogan “Vote for Lindberg or Vote for War,” which
aimed to deter people from voting for Roosevelt, who might
lead the people of America into the Second World War.
Instilling fear further to the electorates, he went further to claim
that “most important groups who have been pressing this
country toward war [are] the Jewish people and the Jewish race”
(Roth pg. 12).
According to the author, fear presides over these memories.
Through the author's political and historical, and imaginary
historical events, the author can create a powerful sense of fear,
paranoia, and anger that permeates the entire novel. This is
mostly done through the rich use of imaginary, political and
historical events covered in this book. The emotion covered in
this novel affect the characters, but the fear and the anger that
resonates through the text easily translates to the contemporary
reader. This transcends and transforms the readers’ concepts of
history and fiction manifested in this narrative. Comment by
Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: This is the first paragraph that
seems somewhat evaluative, though I do want to see you delve
into this evaluation more. How does this fear and anger that
transforms readers’ concepts of history relate to your overall
evaluation of the book? Is this a good thing? Does it make the
book more powerful? More interesting? More enlightening and
insightful? Make it clearer how this motif informs your overall
evaluation of the novel and whether it’s a strength or a
weakness of the work.
Although this book is fictional, Lindberg's fear-mongering
method in trying to avoid war can be compared to the modern
American leaders. The latter use fears in generating support for
the war. The leaders manipulate fear in supporting the two

lengthened military quarrels of the Vietnam and Iraq wars.
Lindbergh was using the Jewish population in America as the
scapegoat of arousing fear of entering into the Second World
War. His followers believed that the Jews were very dangerous
because of their large ownership and influence. Those who
voted for him believed that Jews were a significant threat in the
pro-war movement.
Washington represented the American history as represented in
the stamp collection. “Washington was not on the stamps
anymore” (p43). It is especially interesting how Washington dc
as the location for s much American political history becomes
the physical site of conflict. The transformation of Washington
into Hitler represents the historical trauma caused by
totalitarian regimes as the past is repressed ad revised, purposed
at fitting the organizing dogma of the ruling government. The
novel has used stamp collection to suggest that the only way an
ideal America can be obtained is dedication.Comment by Bauer,
Elizabeth Ann Podufaly:
In conclusion, as the author states in the first line, “fear
presides over these memories, a perpetual fear,” the book
depicts of very dark fear that is old enough and resides amongst
the people. This is mostly seen as we can see the Roth family
watching in alarm as the events keeps changing out of their
control. Although they consider relocating to Canada, they
decide to stay and hope for the best.Comment by Bauer,
Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: Unnecessary language—your readers
will know this is the conclusion given that this is the last
paragraph. Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: I
recommend a different last line. I also recommend emphasizing
your evaluation of the book in your conclusion and the reasons
for this evaluation/opinion.
See my note after your works cited page.
Work CcitedComment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: The

works cited entry looks great.
Roth, Philip. The Plot Against America: A Novel. Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt, 2004. Retrieved from:
https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=J2h8mDeDU5
UC&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=the+plot+against+america+by+philip
+Roth+&ots=zYfTrTnFFW&sig=4-
7RnMrBbGFMV1zlcKkTkeAM5IA&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q
=the%20plot%20against%20america%20by%20philip%20Roth&
f=false
I love this novel, Zainab; it’s one of the first Roth books I read,
and it is still one of my favorites! You do a great job conveying
what the book is about and providing examples from the book to
show how it develops and explores (both in content and
tone/style) ideas of fear and persecution. Throughout your
essay, you also do a good job explaining some general effects of
this exploration of fear and some parallels to current politics.
However, it sounds more like you’re writing to analyze and
explain (and, in doing so, supporting a claim of fact about how
the novel explores politics, fear, etc.) rather than writing to
evaluate. Certainly, writing to evaluate does involve analysis,
but the analysis should pertain to the evaluation: analyzing
aspects of the book to emphasize the book’s strengths and/or
weaknesses and support your overall evaluation or assessment
of the novel. I don’t think you need to scrap this essay and start
over—the book’s motifs of fear and trauma and the relevance of
the book’s message today are both great evaluative cri teria
(aspects of the book to analyze)—but you should focus more on
sharing and supporting your evaluation of the book. You can do
this both by including a thesis (taking the form of a value
claim) in your introduction and, in the body paragraphs, by
focusing more on explaining how and why these aspects of the
book are strengths and/or weaknesses and, in turn, how they
support your overall evaluation of the book that you share in
your thesis.
Thesis: Your thesis should clearly assert your overall

assessment of the book based on your evaluative criteria (or
based on the specific aspects of the book you’re looking at in
the body paragraphs). So, your thesis should take the form of a
value claim + reasons. (If you’re not sure what I mean by
“value claim,” check out the Issues and Claims resource on the
Course Materials page on Blackboard.) Here’s the a really basic
example of how the thesis might look:
This book is [your opinion/evaluation of the book] because
[identify the reasons you have this opinion/evaluation—outline
the main strengths and/or weaknesses that you examine in the
body paragraphs]
This will give your essay more direction and unity, and it will
help you better set up the body paragraphs that follow.
Body paragraphs: In your body paragraphs, focus on examining
the book’s strengths and/or weaknesses to support your thesis.
For example, if your overall evaluation of the book is that it is a
powerful exploration of an alternate history and worth reading,
think about what aspects of the book make it so powerful and
worth reading. (This could very well be the motifs and parallels
you currently discuss.) These aspects of the book are what I
mean by “evaluative criteria”—the strengths and/or weaknesses
informing your evaluation.
In the body of your essay, then, provide examples of these
evaluative criteria, explain their effect on you/readers, and then
discuss why you think they are strengths or weaknesses—or
how they support your assessment of the novel. So, if you had
the sample assessment above (the book is a powerful
exploration of an alternate history and worth reading) and the
reasons for your assessment are the book’s presentation of the
fear motif and the plot’s parallels to current politics, you would
explain why the fear motif and why these parallels make the
book so powerful and worth reading.
I strongly recommend revising your essay so that you can
address this approach/purpose issue. If you revise your essay,
address this issue first and then attend to my other comments
and do another round of proofreading. I also encourage you to

review the assignment sheet/rubric. I comment on the issues
that catch my eye, but there might be other issues to address or
ways to make your draft stronger; reviewing the assignment
sheet might help you identify other ways to improve your essay.
If you have questions about the rubric or my feedback, please
let me know.
Responsiveness 12.5/20%
Purpose/Thesis8/20%
Organization/Unity16.5/20%
Support/Development14/20%
Presentation 17.5/20%
Raw Score: 68.5% = 137/200
Deductions: Peer review draft more than 20% too short, -10
(excellent peer review feedback, though!)
Score: 127/200
Zainab Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: Hi,
Zainab! The rubric that breaks down your grade on this
assignment is at the end of the draft. If you have any questions
about your grade that my comments don’t address, please don’t
hesitate to schedule a virtual conference session with me.
Great MLA style—just add your last name and the page number
in the header.
Note: I highlighted some typos and isolated editing issues.
ENG 201
Assignment 1, Draft 2
02/08/21
The Plot Against America”Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann
Podufaly: Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly:
Italicize book titles when using MLA style.
To readers interested in theology and politics, this is an
evaluation of an alternative history book that addresses a
conflict between one religion and politics.Comment by Bauer,

Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: This is a great starting point but be a
little more specific—this could encompass pre-teens interested
the topics as well as experts in a relevant field and many groups
in between.
“The Plot against America” is a narrative by Philip Roth. This
book is a counterfactual masterpiece of history. This is a “what-
if story” where Charles Lindbergh, Nazi sympathizer Nazis, was
elected as the United States president. As a result of his
election, there was prevalent persecution of Jews in the United
States. This book is a fiction novel with overarching drama. In
this novel, the author visualizes the national and international
crisis that would befall people through intimate specifics. In the
book, the author put himself and his childhood family into a
fictional world war II America. He has mythologized his
childhood. Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: When
was this book published? Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann
Podufaly: Capitalize Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann
Podufaly: Good introduction to the book in this paragraph but
aim for a stronger “hook” in your opening lines and a clear
thesis at the end of the paragraph to better set up the
evaluations in the body paragraphs.
As the story begins, we see little Philip roaming in the Jewish
street of Newark and discovering his beloved father's humble
status. His father is an ordinary man who is beleaguered by the
tides of powerful social forces and anti-Semitism taking shape
in this country. The story is creatively narrated by a seven-year-
old. The story begins with the horror of the 1940 election for
American Jews. Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly:
You have great information in this paragraph, but the paragraph
doesn’t flow as well as it could. It’s unclear why the sentences
are ordered as they are (why certain ideas are placed in the
order that they are). Consider moving sentences around within
the paragraph or to new paragraphs and/or better showing the
relationship between ideas.
In this particular election, Franklin Roosevelt loses the
presidential elections to Lindbergh in a landslide. This converts

the isolationist anti-Semitic aviation hero into one of the most
influential leaders in the whole world. This fuels fear and anger
in the American Jewish community and many other people.
Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: This paragraph is
short, and much of the information in it relates to what you said
in the previous paragraph. Consider combining this paragraph
with the previous one.
According to Lindbergh, his political ambition was “my
intention is running for the presidency to preserve American
democracy by preventing America from taking part in another
world war” (pg 30). After his inauguration, the newly elected
president signed an agreement with Hitler to solidify peace
between the United States and Germany. Many Americans had a
reason to smile as there would never be another young man
from the United States who would go to fight and die in the
war. Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: Rework to
avoid a mixed construction (when you combine or put together
incompatible grammatical forms)—this happens frequently with
quotations. If the quotation is woven into the grammar of the
sentence, the quotation should be abbreviated to flow with
clause or phrase setting it up. In this case, the quotation should
start with what his political ambition was (so omit the “my
intention is running for the presidency” part—it’s unnecessary
and incompatible with “his political ambition was”). Comment
by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: When using MLA style, you
do not need to include “Pg” in the parenthetical citations, just
the page number (and the author’s last name if it’s unclear
which source you’re working with; in this case, though, it’s
clear which source you’re quoting)
Although the author has obscured the boundaries of history and
fiction in this novel's plot, it is clear that the novel is revolving
around the family of the author and the “perpetual Fear’ that
their Jewish community faced in the light of the new
administration. “Fear presides over these memories, a perpetual
fear” (pg. 1). This critically shows the effects of fear that
seemed to be taking hold of the author’s family, especially the

father. The narrator’s father, Herman, seems to curse the
political headlines of the day vehemently. Comment by Bauer,
Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: Keep an eye out for floating
quotations. Review the link below about spotting, avoiding, and
fixing floating quotations and check for this issue in the rest of
your essay. https://sites.clarkson.edu/cuwrite/wp-
content/uploads/sites/19/2019/06/quotations-1.pdf
His emotional outburst stems from Lindbergh's election and the
blacklisting of his family to the capital of the nation because he
was a Jew and his employer's participation in homestead 42.
Homestead 42 was a program funded by the government, which
would see him, and his family being sent to Kentucky so that
they could work and live together with the other Jewish people
from his company that was being transferred to that particular
area. This did not however; seem to go well with them.
Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: No comma is
needed here. Review comma rules via the link below and check
for missing, misplaced, and unnecessary commas in the rest of
your essay.
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/punctuation/commas
/extended_rules_for_commas.html
According to the letter written to Mr. Roth, it indicated a
transfer from his current location together with his family. “in
compliance with a request from homestead 42, Office of
American Adoption, US department of the interior, our company
is offering a relocation opportunity to senior employees like
yourself, deemed qualified for inclusion in the OAA’s bold new
nationwide initiative” (pg. 204).
Together with their neighbors, who are Jews, Roth's family are
forced to deal with the war directed to them. This program
seems to divide the Jewish community internally, deliberating if
they will support the program. Some of them seem to be
supporting the measures while on the other hand, others do not
seem to be supporting the procedures, and they find themselves
continuously waiting for the shoe of other to fall. They are
fearful, and they expect that they have the right of being so.

Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: You do a great job
explaining what happens in the novel and how/why fear is a
prevalent mood and theme so far. However, so far, your essay
sounds much more informative than evaluative—like you’re
explaining the book’s plot and themes rather than
assessing/judging the book’s value or worth via an analysis of
its strengths and/or weaknesses.
In another case, a disturbing scene is seen when Roth's family is
away from their primarily Jewish neighborhood. On their trip
to the nation's capital, they face many things that depict fear
and paranoia. In every place that they went to, they were seen
as Jews by other people. Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann
Podufaly: Use present-tense verbs when describing what
happens in a text (in MLA style, at least). You’ve been using
present-tense verbs but switch to past-tense here.
The family faces humiliation in the hotel. They find their bags
downstairs, and upon inquiring why this had happened, the
manager said to them, “Folks, I have to apologize. I had to pack
these up for you. Our afternoon clerk made a mistake.” (pg. 67).
Things started becoming challenging for the family, for being a
Jewish family faces a rough time. After the hotel turned them
away, the manager claims that they will not charge them for the
missing soap in the room they were staying. Comment by Bauer,
Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: I know what you mean here, but the
phrasing is a little awkward. Can you express this another way?
“We will not charge you for what use you all made of the room
today or for the bar of soap that is missing” (pg. 68). This
sounded as if the manager meant that not charging them the
soap was enough to compensate for the anti-Semitism and the
humiliation that they faced in the hotel. This particular incident
in this hotel shows the growing public hatred for the family and
the Jews as a whole.Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann
Podufaly: Combine this paragraph with the previous paragraph.
Looking at these cases, it is clear that the theme of fear is one
of the topics that the author has dramatically looked at. Fear can
be described as a feeling of apprehension and agitation caused

by the eminence of danger. This emotion is articulated in-depth
all through this work of fiction. By reading the first paragraph,
one cannot imagine the kind of horrifying events that can lead
to a person having such kind of fear. Comment by Bauer,
Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: Depending on your audience (how
expert/educated they are), I’m not sure you need to define or
describe what fear means.
“Fear presides over these memories, a perpetual fear. Of course,
no childhood is without its terrors, yet I wonder if I would have
been a less frightened boy if Lindbergh hadn't been president or
if I hadn't been the offspring of Jews." (Roth pg1). Lindberg
utilized the slogan “Vote for Lindberg or Vote for War,” which
aimed to deter people from voting for Roosevelt, who might
lead the people of America into the Second World War.
Instilling fear further to the electorates, he went further to claim
that “most important groups who have been pressing this
country toward war [are] the Jewish people and the Jewish race”
(Roth pg. 12).
According to the author, fear presides over these memories.
Through the author's political and historical, and imaginary
historical events, the author can create a powerful sense of fear,
paranoia, and anger that permeates the entire novel. This is
mostly done through the rich use of imaginary, political and
historical events covered in this book. The emotion covered in
this novel affect the characters, but the fear and the anger that
resonates through the text easily translates to the contemporary
reader. This transcends and transforms the readers’ concepts of
history and fiction manifested in this narrative. Comment by
Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: This is the first paragraph that
seems somewhat evaluative, though I do want to see you delve
into this evaluation more. How does this fear and anger that
transforms readers’ concepts of history relate to your overall
evaluation of the book? Is this a good thing? Does it make the
book more powerful? More interesting? More enlightening and
insightful? Make it clearer how this motif informs your overall
evaluation of the novel and whether it’s a strength or a

weakness of the work.
Although this book is fictional, Lindberg's fear-mongering
method in trying to avoid war can be compared to the modern
American leaders. The latter use fears in generating support for
the war. The leaders manipulate fear in supporting the two
lengthened military quarrels of the Vietnam and Iraq wars.
Lindbergh was using the Jewish population in America as the
scapegoat of arousing fear of entering into the Second World
War. His followers believed that the Jews were very dangerous
because of their large ownership and influence. Those who
voted for him believed that Jews were a significant threat in the
pro-war movement.
Washington represented the American history as represented in
the stamp collection. “Washington was not on the stamps
anymore” (p43). It is especially interesting how Washington dc
as the location for s much American political history becomes
the physical site of conflict. The transformation of Washington
into Hitler represents the historical trauma caused by
totalitarian regimes as the past is repressed ad revised, purposed
at fitting the organizing dogma of the ruling government. The
novel has used stamp collection to suggest that the only way an
ideal America can be obtained is dedication.Comment by Bauer,
Elizabeth Ann Podufaly:
In conclusion, as the author states in the first line, “fear
presides over these memories, a perpetual fear,” the book
depicts of very dark fear that is old enough and resides amongst
the people. This is mostly seen as we can see the Roth family
watching in alarm as the events keeps changing out of their
control. Although they consider relocating to Canada, they
decide to stay and hope for the best.Comment by Bauer,
Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: Unnecessary language—your readers
will know this is the conclusion given that this is the last
paragraph. Comment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: I
recommend a different last line. I also recommend emphasizing
your evaluation of the book in your conclusion and the reasons
for this evaluation/opinion.

See my note after your works cited page.
Work CcitedComment by Bauer, Elizabeth Ann Podufaly: The
works cited entry looks great.
Roth, Philip. The Plot Against America: A Novel. Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt, 2004. Retrieved from:
https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=J2h8mDeDU5
UC&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=the+plot+against+america+by+philip
+Roth+&ots=zYfTrTnFFW&sig=4-
7RnMrBbGFMV1zlcKkTkeAM5IA&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q
=the%20plot%20against%20america%20by%20philip%20Roth&
f=false
I love this novel, Zainab; it’s one of the first Roth books I read,
and it is still one of my favorites! You do a great job conveying
what the book is about and providing examples from the book to
show how it develops and explores (both in content and
tone/style) ideas of fear and persecution. Throughout your
essay, you also do a good job explaining some general effects of
this exploration of fear and some parallels to current politics.
However, it sounds more like you’re writing to analyze and
explain (and, in doing so, supporting a claim of fact about how
the novel explores politics, fear, etc.) rather than writing to
evaluate. Certainly, writing to evaluate does involve analysis,
but the analysis should pertain to the evaluation: analyzing
aspects of the book to emphasize the book’s strengths and/or
weaknesses and support your overall evaluation or assessment
of the novel. I don’t think you need to scrap this essay and start
over—the book’s motifs of fear and trauma and the relevance of
the book’s message today are both great evaluative criteria
(aspects of the book to analyze)—but you should focus more on
sharing and supporting your evaluation of the book. You can do
this both by including a thesis (taking the form of a value
claim) in your introduction and, in the body paragraphs, by

focusing more on explaining how and why these aspects of the
book are strengths and/or weaknesses and, in turn, how they
support your overall evaluation of the book that you share in
your thesis.
Thesis: Your thesis should clearly assert your overall
assessment of the book based on your evaluative criteria (or
based on the specific aspects of the book you’re looking at in
the body paragraphs). So, your thesis should take the form of a
value claim + reasons. (If you’re not sure what I mean by
“value claim,” check out the Issues and Claims resource on the
Course Materials page on Blackboard.) Here’s the a really basic
example of how the thesis might look:
This book is [your opinion/evaluation of the book] because
[identify the reasons you have this opinion/evaluation—outline
the main strengths and/or weaknesses that you examine in the
body paragraphs]
This will give your essay more direction and unity, and it will
help you better set up the body paragraphs that follow.
Body paragraphs: In your body paragraphs, focus on examining
the book’s strengths and/or weaknesses to support your thesis.
For example, if your overall evaluation of the book is that it is a
powerful exploration of an alternate history and worth reading,
think about what aspects of the book make it so powerful and
worth reading. (This could very well be the motifs and parallels
you currently discuss.) These aspects of the book are what I
mean by “evaluative criteria”—the strengths and/or weaknesses
informing your evaluation.
In the body of your essay, then, provide examples of these
evaluative criteria, explain their effect on you/readers, and then
discuss why you think they are strengths or weaknesses—or
how they support your assessment of the novel. So, if you had
the sample assessment above (the book is a powerful
exploration of an alternate history and worth reading) and the
reasons for your assessment are the book’s presentation of the
fear motif and the plot’s parallels to current politics, you would
explain why the fear motif and why these parallels make the

book so powerful and worth reading.
I strongly recommend revising your essay so that you can
address this approach/purpose issue. If you revise your essay,
address this issue first and then attend to my other comments
and do another round of proofreading. I also encourage you to
review the assignment sheet/rubric. I comment on the issues
that catch my eye, but there might be other issues to address or
ways to make your draft stronger; reviewing the assignment
sheet might help you identify other ways to improve your essay.
If you have questions about the rubric or my feedback, please
let me know.
Responsiveness 12.5/20%
Purpose/Thesis8/20%
Organization/Unity16.5/20%
Support/Development14/20%
Presentation 17.5/20%
Raw Score: 68.5% = 137/200
Deductions: Peer review draft more than 20% too short, -10
(excellent peer review feedback, though!)
Score: 127/200
antonio: ¿Cuántos idiomas hablas?
Silvia: Hablo dos, español y francés. ¿Y tú?
antonio: Solo hablo español, pero mi loro habla
antonio: ¿Cuántos idiomas hablas?
Silvia: Hablo dos, español y francés. ¿Y tú?
antonio: Solo hablo español, pero mi loro habla

Where to find help in The McGraw-Hill Guide:
In the table of contents for Chapters 3 and 5–12,
identify the chapter that corresponds to your writ-
ing assignment.
To set your writing goals, consider the guidelines
that appear in the Setting Your Goals section of
each chapter.
Chapters 3 and 5–12 are organized around four
general writing goals:
1. To demonstrate rhetorical knowledge
2. To practice critical thinking, reading, and
writing
3. To work through writing processes
4. To follow conventions
Successful writers adapt these goals to the par-
ticular needs of their situation. In Chapters 3 and
5–12, you will find clear guidance on how to think
about the four goals and how to achieve them in
relation to your specific assignment.
Chapters 3 and 5–12 all conclude with a guided

self-assessment that will help you gauge how
effectively your writing meets your goals.
All chapters include these helpful icons pointing
out coverage of knowledge transfer and using
digital technologies.
Table of Contents for Assignment Chapters:
3 Writing to Understand and Synthesize Texts
• Setting Your Goals• Rhetorical Knowledge• Critical Thinking
• Writing Processes• Conventions• Assessing Your Goals
5 Writing to Share Experiences• Setting Your Goals• Rhetorical
Knowledge• Critical Thinking
6 Writing to Explore• Setting Your Goals• Rhetorical
7 Writing to Inform• Setting Your Goals• Rhetorical
8 Writing to Analyze• Setting Your Goals• Rhetorical
9 Writing to Convince• Setting Your Goals• Rhetorical
10 Writing to Evaluate• Setting Your Goals• Rhetorical

11 Writing to Explain Causes and Effects• Setting Your Goals•
Rhetorical Knowledge• Critical Thinking
12 Writing to Solve Problems• Setting Your Goals• Rhetorical
roe18081_fm_i-xlii.indd 1 7/10/2016 7:14 PM
THE McGraw-Hill
GUIDE
This page intentionally left blank
THE McGraw-Hill
GUIDEMcGraw-Hill
THE
Writing for College, Writing for Life
FOURTH EDITION
Duane Roen
Arizona State University
Gregory R. Glau

Northern Arizona University
Barry M. Maid
Arizona State University
THE MCGRAW-HILL GUIDE: WRITING FOR COLLEGE,
WRITING FOR LIFE, FOURTH EDITION
Published by McGraw-Hill Education, 2 Penn Plaza, New York,
NY 10121. Copyright © 2018 by McGraw-
Hill Education. All rights reserved. Previous editions © 2013,
2011, and 2009. No part of this publication may
be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or
stored in a database or retrieval system, without
the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education, including,
but not limited to, in any network or other
electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance
learning.
Some ancillaries, including electronic and print components,
may not be available to customers outside the
United States.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DOC 21 20 19 18 17
ISBN 978-0-07-811808-1
MHID 0-07-811808-5
Chief Product Officer, SVP Products & Markets:
G. Scott Virkler
Vice President, General Manager, Products &
Markets: Michael Ryan

Vice President, Content Design & Delivery: Betsy
Whalen
Managing Director: David Patterson
Editorial Director: Kelly Villella
Executive Brand Manager: Claire Brantley
Director, Product Development: Meghan Campbell
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Marketing Manager: Marisa Cavanaugh
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Cover Image: Peter Kotoff/Shutterstock.com; Apirak
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Compositor: Lumina Datamatics, Inc.
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All credits appearing on page or at the end of the book are
considered to be an extension of the copyright page.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Roen, Duane H., author. | Glau, Gregory R., author. |
Maid, Barry M., author.
Title: The McGraw-Hill guide: writing for college, writing for
life /
Duane Roen, Gregory R. Glau, Barry M. Maid.
Other titles: Writing for college, writing for life
Description: Fourth edition. | New York, NY: McGraw-Hill

Education,
2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016025429 | ISBN 9780078118081 (alk.
paper)
0078118085 (alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: English language--Rhetoric.
Classification: LCC PE1408 .R643 2018 | DDC 808/.0420711—
dc23 LC record available at
https://lccn.loc.gov/2016025429
The Internet addresses listed in the text were accurate at the
time of publication. The inclusion of a website does
not indicate an endorsement by the authors or McGraw-Hill
Education, and McGraw-Hill Education does not
guarantee the accuracy of the information presented at these
sites.
mheducation.com/highered
v
Brief Contents
Preface xxvii
PART ONE Getting Started 1
1 Writing Goals and Objectives for College and for Life 1
2 Reading Critically for College and for Life 14
3 Writing to Understand and Synthesize Texts 30
4 Writing to Discover and to Learn 62

PART TWO Using What You Have Learned to Share
Information 74
5 Writing to Share Experiences 74
6 Writing to Explore 112
7 Writing to Inform 154
8 Writing to Analyze 198
PART THREE Using What You Have Learned to Write
Arguments 235
9 Writing to Convince 235
10 Writing to Evaluate 278
11 Writing to Explain Causes and Effects 320
12 Writing to Solve Problems 366
vi Brief Contents
PART FOUR Strategies for Effective Communication 419
13 Using Strategies That Guide Readers 419
14 Using Strategies for Argument 446
15 Using Strategies for Collaboration 471
16 Making Effective Oral Presentations 477
PART FIVE Technologies for Effective Communication 485
17 Choosing a Medium, Genre, and Technology for Your
Communication 485
18 Communicating with Design and Visuals 497

PART SIX Using Research for Informed Communication 522
19 Finding and Evaluating Information 522
20 Synthesizing and Documenting Sources 547
CONNECT COMPOSITION
21 Writing about Visual Texts
22 Writing about Creative Works
Appendix A Constructing a Writing Portfolio 599
Appendix B Writing Effective Essay Examinations 607
Appendix C Standard Document Forms 616
Index 632
vii
Contents
Preface xxvii
PART ONE Getting Started 1
1 Writing Goals and Objectives for College
and for Life 1
Writing in the Four Areas of Your Life 2
Writing as a College Student 2
Writing as a Professional 2
Writing as a Citizen 2
Writing as a Family Member or Friend 3

Writing in the Four Areas in This Course 3
Learning Goals in This Course 4
Rhetorical Knowledge 4
Rhetorical Analysis 8
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing 8
Writing Processes 9
Knowledge of Conventions 9
Using Digital Technologies 10
Becoming a Self-Reflective Writer 11
Strategies for Success 13
2 Reading Critically for College and for Life 14
Why Read Critically? Integrating Sources into Your Own
Writing 15
Using Pre-reading Strategies 16
Reading Actively 16
Annotating Effectively 17
Reading Visuals 17
Reading Web Sites 19
“When I think
about setting
my goals, I
think about
my audience,
my purpose,
the rhetorical

situation, my
voice and
tone, and the
context,
medium, and
genre.”
viii Contents
Using Post-reading Strategies 22
Starting Your Writer’s/Research Journal 23
Writing Effective Summaries 23
Synthesizing Information in Readings 25
Using Your Reading in Your Writing 26
Constructing a Rhetorical Analysis 26
3 Writing to Understand and Synthesize Texts 30
SETTING YOUR GOALS 31
Writing to Understand and Synthesize Texts 32
Writing: Assignment Options 32
Qualities of Effective Writing to Understand
and Synthesize Texts 35

Reading to Learn about Understanding and
Synthesizing Texts 36
PAUL FAIN, THE NEW BACHELOR’S PAYOFF (Editorial) 36
LIBBY NELSON, THE “NOT EVERYONE SHOULD GO TO
COLLEGE” ARGUMENT
IS CLASSIST AND WRONG (Editorial) 40
OCCUPATIONAL OUTLOOK QUARTERLY, NEW SCHOOL
YEAR, OLD STORY:
EDUCATION PAYS (Editorial) 43
TRACY ECKENDORFF, CRITICAL RESPONSE TO “THE
NEW BACHELOR’S
PAYOFF” BY PAUL FAIN (Critical Response) 45
Writing Processes 48
Invention: Getting Started 48 • Organizing Your Ideas and
Details 51 • Constructing a Complete Draft 51
• Revising 54
Editing 56 • Genres, Documentation, and Format 56
A Writer Achieves Her Goal:
Tracy Eckendorff’s Synthesis 57
TRACY ECKENDORFF, JUST GO (TO COLLEGE)!
(Synthesis) 57

Self-Assessment: Reflecting on Your Goals 60
Eckendorff’s Initial
Thoughts/Questions
50
Tracy Eckendorff’s First
Draft 52
Student Comments on
Eckendorff’s First Draft
54
Responding to Readers’
Comments 55
Contents ix
4 Writing to Discover and to Learn 62
Using Invention Strategies to Discover Ideas 63
Listing 63
Freewriting 63
Questioning 63
Answering the Questions Who? What? Where? When? Why?
and How? 63
Brainstorming 64
Clustering 64
Keeping Notebooks and Journals 64

Double-Entry Notebook 64
Field Notebook 66
Rewriting Your Class Notes 67
Minute Paper 68
Muddiest Point 69
Preconception Check 69
Paraphrasing 69
Organizing and Synthesizing Information 70
Invented Interview/Unsent Letter 70
Using Charts and Visuals to Discover and to Learn 71
Clustering and Concept Mapping 71
Process Flowchart 72
Studying for Exams 72
Test Questions 72
Mnemonic Play 73
PART TWO Using What You Have Learned to Share
Information 74
5 Writing to Share Experiences 74
SETTING YOUR GOALS 75
Writing to Share Experiences 76
Scenarios for Writing: Assignment Options 77
Qualities of Effective Writing about Experiences 80

x Contents
Jessica Hemauer’s
Listing 97
Jessica Hemauer’s
Organization 98
Parts of Complete Draft
99
Excerpts from Jessica
Hemauer’s First Draft
100
Student Comments on
Jessica Hemauer’s
Draft 101
Comments 103
Reading to Learn about Writing That Shares Experiences 81
JOHN DEVORE, LIFE IN CHAINS: FINDING HOME AT
TACO BELL
(Memoir) 82
FERNADO PÉREZ, WHO AM I (WHAT’S MY NAME)?
(Literacy Narrative) 89

Invention: Getting Started 95 • Organizing Your Ideas
and Details 97 • Constructing a Complete Draft 98
• Revising 102
A Writer Achieves Her Goal: Jessica Hemauer’s
Final Draft 104
JESSICA HEMAUER, FARM GIRL (Memoir) 104
6 Writing to Explore 112
SETTING YOUR GOALS FOR EXPLORATORY WRITING 113
Writing to Explore in Your College Classes 115 • Writing to
Explore for Life 115
Learning the Qualities of Effective Exploratory Writing 120
Reading, Inquiry, and Research: Learning from Texts That
Explore 121
DAPHNE STRASSMANN, THE PERILS OF PERFECT
MEMORY: THE NEW PAST,

ACCORDING TO SOCIAL MEDIA (Exploratory Essay) 122
MURIAL MACDONALD, 1 BILLION IMPRESSIONS: THE
DIGITAL CLIMATE
MARCH (Profile of an Event) 126
KIVA WEB SITE (Profile) 130
Invention: Getting Started 133 • Exploring Your Ideas
with Research 135 • Organizing Your Ideas and Details 137
• Constructing a Complete Draft 138 • Revising 143
Contents xi
Elle Caminante’s
Freewriting and
Clustering 134
Elle Caminante’s
Research 136
Elle Caminante’s First
Draft: Starving Artists
140
Student Comments on
Caminante’s First Draft
143

Comments 145
A Writer Achieves Her Goal: Elle Caminante’s Final
Draft 147
ELLE CAMINANTE, STARVING ARTISTS: MYTH OR
REALITY?
(Exploratory Essay) 147
7 Writing to Inform 154
SETTING YOUR GOALS FOR INFORMATIVE WRITING 156
Writing to Inform in Your College Classes 158 • Writing to
Inform for Life 158
Learning the Qualities of Effective Informative Writing 163
Inform 164
CAROL EZZELL, CLOCKING CULTURES (Article) 165

NIMH, AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (Article) 169
CRAIG BROADBENT, (Annotated Bibliography) 174
Invention: Getting Started 176 • Exploring Your Ideas with
Research 177 • Organizing Your Information and Research 181
A Writer Achieves His Goal: Craig Broadbent’s
Final Draft 190
CRAIG BROADBENT, WATCH FOR THE BLUE BARRELS
(Informative Essay) 191
Craig Broadbent’s
Brainstorming 177
Craig Broadbent’s
Research 178
Craig Broadbent’s
Review of His
Research 179
Craig Broadbent’s
Organization 182

Craig Broadbent’s First
Draft 186
Student Comments on
Craig Broadbent’s
Draft 186
Comments 187
xii Contents
8 Writing to Analyze 198
SETTING YOUR GOALS FOR ANALYTICAL WRITING 200
Writing to Analyze in Your College Classes 202 • Writing to
Analyze for Life 202
Learning the Qualities of Effective Analytical Writing 207
Reading, Inquiry, and Research: Learning from Texts
That Analyze 208
NATALIE KITROEFF, THE SMARTEST PEOPLE ARE
OPTING OUT OF LAW

SCHOOL (Opinion Piece) 209
KERRY MAGRO, WHY OUR AUTISM COMMUNITY LOVES
SHELDON COOPER
(Analysis) 212
Research 216 • Organizing Your Information 219
A Writer Achieves Her Goal: Sarah Washington’s
Final Draft 228
SARAH WASHINGTON, CAMPUS PARKING: LOVE IT OR
LEAVE IT (Analytical Essay) 228
Sarah Washington’s
Interviewing 216
Research 217
Sarah Washington’s First
Draft 223
Student Comments on

First Draft 225
Comments 226
Contents xiii
PART THREE Using What You Have Learned to Write
Arguments 235
9 Writing to Convince 235
SETTING YOUR GOALS FOR PERSUASIVE WRITING 236
Writing to Convince in Your College Classes 238 • Writing to
Convince for Life 238
Learning the Qualities of Effective Persuasive Writing 242
Reading, Inquiry, and Research: Learning from
Texts That Persuade 244
MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN, STILL HUNGRY IN
AMERICA
(Opinion Piece) 245

FEED ME I’M YOURS (Advertisement) 250
GLORIA MCMILLAN, DEEP IN THE HEART OF PLUTO
(Editorial) 252
Research 257 • Organizing Your Information 260
A Writer Achieves His Goal: Zack Peach’s Final Draft 270
ZACK PEACH, ASPERGER’S SYNDROME, AUTISM,
AND YOU (Student Essay) 271
10 Writing to Evaluate 278
SETTING YOUR GOALS FOR AN EVALUATION 280
Writing to Evaluate in Your College Classes 282 • Writing to
Evaluate for Life 282
Zack Peach’s Answers to
the Reporter’s

Questions 256
Zack Peach’s Freewriting
256
Student Example: An
Excerpt from Zack
Peach’s Research 258
Zack Peach’s First Draft
265
Student Comments on
Peach’s First Draft 266
Notes on Zack Peach’s
First Draft, from a
Conference with His
Instructor 268
Comments 269
xiv Contents
Learning the Qualities of Effective Evaluative Writing 286
Reading, Inquiry, and Research: Learning from Texts
That Evaluate 288

DENNIS BARON, DON’T MAKE ENGLISH OFFICIAL, BAN
IT INSTEAD
(Opinion Piece) 289
STEVE MACFARLANE, JURASSIC WORLD (Review) 293
MARY BETH GRIGGS, THIS IS HOW JURASSIC WORLD’S
VELOCIRAPTORS
SHOULD HAVE LOOKED (Review) 295
Invention: Getting Started 297 • Exploring Your
Ideas with Research 300 • Organizing Your
Evaluation 302 • Constructing a Complete
Draft 303 • Revising 310
A Writer Achieves Her Goal: Annlee Lawrence’s Final
Draft 313
ANNLEE LAWRENCE, WHO HAS THE HEALTHIER
BURGER?
(Evaluative Essay) 313
11 Writing to Explain Causes and Effects 320
SETTING YOUR GOALS FOR CAUSAL ANALYSIS 322

Writing about Causes and Effects in Your College Classes 324
Writing about Causes and Effects for Life 324
Learning the Qualities of Effective Writing about Causes and
Effects 328
Explain
Cause-and-Effect Relationships 330
Annlee Lawrence’s
Clustering 298
Annlee Lawrence’s
Criteria 300
Annlee Lawrence’s
Research Strategy 302
Annlee Lawrence’s First
Draft 308
Student Comments on
Annlee Lawrence’s
First Draft 310
Comments 311

Contents xv
Hanna Lake’s Research
and Brainstorming 343
Hanna Lake’s Freewriting:
A Letter to Her
Grandfather 344
An Excerpt from Hanna
Lake’s Early Draft 352
Student Comments on
Hanna Lake’s Early
Draft 354
Comments 355
JUAN WILLIAMS, THE RULING THAT CHANGED
AMERICA
(Cause-and-Effect Essay) 331
NEAL GABLER, HOW URBAN MYTHS MYTHS REVEAL
SOCIETY’S FEARS
(Cause-and-Effect Essay) 336
APRILYUS, ANTI-SMOKING POSTER (Cause-and-Effect-
Poster) 341

Research 345 • Organizing Your Cause-and-Effect
Paper 348 • Constructing a Complete
A Writer Achieves Her Goal: Hanna Lake’s Final Draft 357
HANNA LAKE, BROTHERS, BRETHREN, AND KIN: THE
ROLE OF FAMILY IN THE LIVES OF HARRIET JACOBS
AND BLACK HAWK (Academic Essay) 358
12 Writing to Solve Problems 366
SETTING YOUR GOALS FOR A PROPOSAL 368
Writing to Solve Problems in Your College Classes 370 •
Writing to
Solve Problems for Life 370
Learning the Qualities of Effective Proposals 375

Propose
Solution
s 376
REBECCA VALLAS & MELISSA BOTEACH, THE TOP 10
SOLUTIONS TO CUT
POVERTY AND GROW THE MIDDLE CLASS (Proposal
Essay) 377
SAGA BRIGGS, INTELLECTUAL HUMILITY: WHAT
HAPPENS WHEN YOU LOVE TO LEARN—FROM OTHERS
(Opinion Piece) 383
AMY BASKIN AND HEATHER FAWCETT, REQUEST FOR A
WORK SCHEDULE CHANGE (Memo) 390

xvi Contents
Research 394 • Organizing Your
Information 396 • Constructing a Complete
A Writer Achieves Her Goal: Susan DeMedeiros’
Final Draft 409
SUSAN DEMEDEIROS, STAYING AHEAD OF SKIMMING
SCAMS (Proposal Essay) 409

PART FOUR Strategies for Effective Communication 419
13 Using Strategies That Guide Readers 419
Announcing a Thesis or Controlling Idea 420
Writing Paragraphs 421
Placement of Topic Sentences 422
Moving to a New Paragraph 423
Opening Paragraphs 423
Concluding Paragraphs 424
Using Cohesive Devices 425
Using Connective Words and Phrases 425
Using Word Repetition 427
Using Pronoun Reference 427
Using Transitional Sentences and Paragraphs 428
Using Headings 428
Writing Narratives 429
Narrating Single Events or a Series of Events 429
Narrating Processes 432
Writing Descriptions 433
Naming in Description 433

A Sensory Approach to Description 434
A Spatial Approach to Description 435
Writing Definitions 436
Kinds of Definitions 436
Writing Classifications 438
Susan DeMedeiros’s
Freewriting 393
Notes on Her Research
395
Susan DeMedeiros
Considers Her
Research and Focuses
Her Ideas 396
Susan DeMedeiros’s First
Draft 400
Student Comments on

First Draft 406
Comments 407
Contents xvii
Writing about Comparisons and Contrasts 439
Approaches to Comparison and Contrast 439
Using Outlines and Maps to Organize Your Writing 442
Scratch Outlines 442
Formal Outlines 442
Tree Diagrams 445
14 Using Strategies for Argument 446
Argument and Persuasion 447
Rhetorical Appeals 447
Logical Appeals 447
Ethical Appeals 448

Emotional Appeals 448
The Rhetorical Triangle: Considering the Appeals Together 449
Three Approaches to Argument 449
Classical Strategies for Arguing 450
Parts of a Classical Argument 451
ELIZABETH BRAKE, PHILOSOPHERS ON THE SUPREME
COURT’S GAY
MARRIAGE RULING 454
US BUREAU OF EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL
AFFAIRS, WHY
STUDY OVERSEAS 458
DANIEL H. COHEN, FOR ARGUMENT’S SAKE 463
Some Common Flaws in Arguments 466
15 Using Strategies for Collaboration 471
Working with Peers on Your Single-Authored Projects 472
Strategies for Working with Peers on Your Projects 472
Using Digital Technologies for Peer Review 472

Working with Peers on Multiple-Authored Projects 473
Strategies for Working with Peers Effectively 473
Using Digital Technologies to Facilitate Multiple-Authored
Projects 476
16 Making Effective Oral Presentations 477
Developing Your Presentation 478
Establishing a Clear Structure 478
Considering Your Audience 481
Eliminating the Fear of Speaking in Public 482
Other Tips for Making Effective Oral Presentations 483
Online Presentations 484
“When I think
about
achieving my
goals, I think
about

invention
strategies to
use, where I
can find good
ideas,
whether I will
need to
conduct
research, how
I should
organize my
ideas, how
my peers can
help me
improve my
writing, and
which writing

conventions I
need to check
in my
writing.”
xviii Contents
PART FIVE Technologies for Effective Communication 485
17 Choosing a Medium, Genre, and Technology for
Your Communication 485
Communication Technologies 486
Publishing Your Work 487
Selecting a Genre and a Medium 487
Deciding on a Genre for Your Work 488
Deciding Whether to Use Print, Electronic, or Oral Media 488

Considering Design 490
Considering Digital Technologies 490
E-mail 490
Threaded Discussions 491
Synchronous Chat 491
Blogs 491
Wikis 492
Word-Processing Software 492
Peer-Review Applications 493
Graphics Software 494
Desktop Publishing Software 494
Presentation Software 495
Technologies for Constructing Web Pages 496
18 Communicating with Design and Visuals 497
Principles of Document Design 498
Proximity 498
Contrast 498
Alignment 500
Repetition (or Consistency) 501
Designing New Media 505

Common Kinds of Visual Texts 506
Tables 506
Bar and Line Graphs 506
Charts 509
Photographs 511
Drawings 513
Diagrams 514
Maps 515
Cartoons 517
Contents xix
Using Visuals Rhetorically 518
Considering Your Audience 518
Considering Your Purpose 518
Using Visuals Responsibly 519
Permissions 519
Distortions 519
PART SIX Using Research for Informed Communication 522

19 Finding and Evaluating Information 522
Conducting Effective Library and Web-Based Research: An
Example 523
Library Research 523
Research on the Web 526
Selecting Sources 528
Books 528
Academic Journals 529
Newspapers 529
Popular Magazines 529
Trade or Commercial Magazines 530
Public Affairs Magazines 530
Specialty Magazines 530
The Internet 531
Evaluating Your Sources: Asking the Reporter’s Questions 534
Who Is the Author? 534
What Is the Text About? What Is the Quality of the
Information? 535
When Was the Text Published or the Web Site Last Updated?
536
Why Was This Information Published? 537

Where Was the Item Published? 538
How Accurate Is the Information in This Source? 540
Field Research 541
Working with Human Participants 542
Informed Consent 542
Observations 542
Interviews 543
Surveys 545
“When I think
about
assessing my
goals, I think
about
whether I
attained the
outcomes I
hoped for and
how my

audience
responded to
my writing.”
xx Contents
20 Synthesizing and Documenting Sources 547
An Overview of Documentation 548
Plagiarism 549
Inadequate or Incorrect Citations 549
Patchwriting 549
Anti-plagiarism Software 549
Quotations 550
Ellipses 551
Brackets 552
Paraphrases 552
Summaries 554

Syntheses 554
MLA Documentation Style 556
MLA Style: In-Text Citation 556
MLA Style: Constructing a List of Works Cited 558
MLA Style: Sample Student Paper 572
APA Documentation Style 579
APA Style: In-Text Citation 579
APA Style: Constructing a References List 581
APA Style: Sample Student Paper 593
21 Writing about Visual Texts
SETTING YOUR GOALS
Rhetorical Knowledge
Writing about Visual Texts
Writing Assignment Options
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing

Qualities of Effective Writing to Analyze Visuals
Reading to Learn about Analyzing Visual Texts
Contents xxi
Ben Evans’ Topic Choice
and Brainstorming
Ben Evans’ First Draft
Student Comments on
Ben Evans’ First Draft
Comments
ELIZABETH MURPHY, REFLECTIONS ON THE GEM OF
THE MALL

(Visual Analysis)
MARY PROENZA, ONE-WAY TICKET: JACOB
LAWRENCE’S MIGRATION
SERIES (Visual Analysis)
Writing Processes
Invention: Getting Started • Organizing Your Ideas
and Details • Constructing a Complete Draft
• Revising
Knowledge of Conventions
Editing • Genres, Documentation, and Format
A Writer Achieves His Goal: Ben Evans’ Visual
Analysis
BEN EVANS, THE “DIRTY BOMB” (Student Essay)
Self-Assessment: Reflecting on Your Goals
22 Writing about Creative Works

SETTING YOUR GOALS
Rhetorical Knowledge
Writing about Creative Works
Writing Effectively about a Creative Work
Writing Responsibly about a Creative Work
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing
Writing to Learn about Literary Works
JEWELL PARKER RHODES, DOUGLASS’ WOMEN (Excerpt
from a Novel)
LAURA TOHE, SOMETIMES SHE DREAMS (Poem)
Writing Processes
Selecting a Creative Work to Write About • Recording
Your Initial Responses • Finding a Feature to Analyze
• Organizing Your Ideas • Integrating Visuals When Writing
about Creative Works • Constructing a Full Draft • Revising
Knowledge of Conventions

Editing • Genres, Documentation, and Format
xxii Contents
A Writer Achieves Her Goal: Frances Walker’s
Final Draft
FRANCES WALKER, “SOMETIMES SHE DREAMS” POETRY
ANALYSIS
(Student Essay)
Self-Assessment: Reflecting on Your Goals
Appendix A Constructing a Writing Portfolio 599
Appendix B Writing Effective Essay Examinations 607
Appendix C Standard Document Forms 616

Index 632
Frances Walker’s
Invention Work
Frances Walker’s
Organization
Frances Walker’s First
Draft
Student Comments on
Frances Walker’s First
Draft
Comments
To our students and colleagues, who offered us inspiration for
this project. To Elizabeth
Murphy, who guided our journey.

D. R., G. G., and B. M.
To Maureen Roen, an accomplished writer, and to Harley Roen,
a lifelong supporter.
D. R.
For Courtney, with all my love. Thanks for sharing your life
with me.
G. G.
For Rachel and Seth, the most supportive son and daughter.
B. M.
xxiv
Duane Roen is Professor of English at Arizona State University,
where he serves as Dean of the College of Integrative Sciences
and Arts, Dean of University College, Vice Provost, and
Coordinator for the Project for Writing and Recording Family
History. At
ASU he has also served as Head of Interdisciplinary Studies;

Head of Humanities and Arts; Director of Composition; Co-
Director of
the graduate program in Rhetoric, Composition, and Linguistics;
Director of the Center for Learning and Teaching Excellence;
and
President of the Academic Senate. At Syracuse University he
served as Director of the Writing Program. At the University of
Arizona,
he was Founding Director of the graduate program in Rhetoric,
Composition, and the Teaching of English, as well as Director
of
Graduate Studies in the Department of English. He has served
as Secretary of the Conference on College Composition and
Commu-
nication and President of the Council of Writing Program
Administrators.
Duane has written extensively about writing across the
curriculum; writing curricula, pedagogy, and assessment;
writing program administration; writing family history; and
collaboration, among other topics. In addition to more than
280 articles, chapters, and conference papers, Duane has
published the following books: Composing Our Lives in
Rhetoric
and Composition: Stories about the Growth of a Discipline

(with Theresa Enos and Stuart Brown); The Writer’s Toolbox
(with Stuart Brown and Bob Mittan); A Sense of Audience in
Written Discourse (with Gesa Kirsch); Becoming Expert:
Writing and Learning across the Disciplines (with Stuart Br own
and Bob Mittan); Richness in Writing: Empowering ESL
Students (with Donna Johnson); Strategies for Teaching First-
Year Composition (with Lauren Yena, Susan K. Miller,
Veronica Pantoja, and Eric Waggoner); Views from the Center:
The CCCC Chairs’ Addresses, 1977–2005; The WPA Out-
comes Statement: A Decade Later (with Nicholas Behm, Greg
Glau, Deborah Holdstein, and Edward White); and The
McGraw-Hill Guide: Writing for College, Writing for Life (with
Greg Glau and Barry Maid), now in its fourth edition. He
is currently co-authoring a composition handbook (with Michael
Day), co-editing a collection of essays on the Framework
for Success in Postsecondary Writing (with Nicholas Behm and
Sherry Rankins-Robertson), and co-editing a collection of
essays on cognition in writing (with Patricia Portanova and
Michael Rifenburg).
Gregory R. Glau was Director of the University Writing
Program at Northern Arizona University from 2008 to 2015,
and at Arizona State University from 2000 to 2008. Greg
received his MA in Rhetoric and Composition from Northern
Arizona University, and his PhD in Rhetoric, Composition, and

the Teaching of English from the University of Arizona.
With Linda Adler-Kassner of University of California–Santa
Barbara, Greg is co-editor of the Bedford Bibliography for
Teachers of Basic Writing (2001; 2nd ed., 2005); third edition
2010 (co-edited with Chitralekha Duttagupta of Utah Valley
University). Greg also is co-author of Scenarios for Writing
(Mayfield/McGraw-Hill, 2001). Greg has published in the
Journal of Basic Writing, WPA: Writing Program
Administration, Rhetoric Review, English Journal, The Writing
Instruc-
tor, IDEAS Plus, and Arizona English Bulletin. Greg regularly
presents at CCCC and has presented at WPA, MLA,
RMMLA, the Western States Composition Conference, NCTE,
and others. He (with Duane Roen and Barry Maid) is past
Managing Editor of WPA: Writing Program Administration.
Barry M. Maid is Professor of Technical Communication at
Arizona State University, where he led the development of
the program in Technical Communication. He has spent most of
his career in writing program administration. Before coming
to ASU, he taught at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock,
where, among other duties, he directed the Writing Center
and the First Year Composition Program, chaired the
Department of English, and helped create the Department of
Rhetoric

and Writing. He has written or co-authored chapters for more
than twenty books, and some of his writing-across-the-curric-
ulum work has recently been published (with several co-
authors) in a nursing journal. Barry has co-authored articles on
information literacy for library journals, and he is also the
editor of Information Literacy: Research and Collaboration
across Disciplines (with Barbara D’Angelo, Sandra Jamieson,
and Janice Walker). His professional interests remain in writ-
ing in digital environments, writing program administration
(especially program assessment), and partnerships between
academic programs and industry. Barry enjoys long road trips
and continues to visit the national parks of the West.
About the Authors
xxv
It is an exciting time in higher education,
especially in rhetoric and composition, where
many innovations have defined the field in
recent years. In light of current research, the-

ory, and practice in the field, The McGraw-Hill
Guide embodies these advances in ways that
enrich the learning experiences of students.
Elements that run throughout the Guide
include:
• Teaching for transfer, to help students
understand how their writing in composi-
tion classes will help them in their other
college or university classes and in other
parts of life
• Thorough coverage of genre, with exam-
ples and illustrations
• A focus on rhetorical purpose—using writ-
ing to get things done in the world
• Assignments that encourage students to
use 21st-century digital technologies for
crafting multimodal projects
• Flexible assignments that encourage stu-
dents to focus on writing in any realm of
life—academic, professional, civic, or per-

sonal
• Updated citation conventions used in the
MLA Handbook, 8th edition
• Up-to-date sample student projects with
examples from their invention work
through peer review to finished academic
essays
• Questions and guidance that help students
to respond thoughtfully to peers’ work—
and to reflect critically on their own.
The national consensus among educators is that
students succeed best when they are guided by
outcomes and approach their assignments from
a goals-based perspective. This is true for a wide
range of faculty, whether full or part time, new
or experienced: knowing and working with spe-
cific goals and objectives helps students to
achieve those goals. We have structured The
McGraw-Hill Guide to help students set goals for
their writing, use effective composing strategies
to achieve those goals, and assess their progress

toward achieving them.
The student writing goals in The McGraw-
Hill Guide are drawn from the learning out-
comes established by the Council of Writing
Program Administrators (CWPA) because we
know how important they have been in shaping
discussions about writing curricula. These
learning outcomes demonstrate the value of the
full range of knowledge sets and skills that writ-
ers need to develop, which include rhetorical
knowledge; critical thinking, reading and com-
posing; processes; and knowledge of
conventions.
The current version of the CWPA Outcomes
Statement for First-Year Composition—Version
3.0—emphasizes that digital tools are integral to
a wide range of composing activities. As a result,
they appear throughout the statement and
throughout The McGraw-Hill Guide. When
Duane was president of the Council of Writing
Programs Administrators, he charged a task
force to consider the role of digital technologies
and visual tools in writing. The stellar work of

that task force is reflected in the current version
of the CWPA Outcomes Statement.
A Letter to Teachers
from the Authors
xxvi
In addition to the newly revised CWPA out-
comes that form our pedagogical framework,
The McGraw-Hill Guide also includes the Mod-
ern Language Association’s updated guidelines,
whose new approach accommodates the evolv-
ing needs of research and documentation prac-
tices around a growing list of digital sources.
Just as Aristotle argued in The Rhetoric that
writers should use “the available means of per-
suasion,” we argue that 21st-century writers
should use the full range of tools available to
them, especially digital tools. Throughout the

book we introduce students to the digital tech-
nologies that will help them in their research
and writing, and we include digital technology
icons alongside our instruction to emphasize
these tools.
Learning is a lifelong journey that begins
early—often in a classroom—and continues and
changes throughout an individual’s academic,
professional, civic, and personal life. The
McGraw-Hill Guide prioritizes the transfer of
knowledge and skills that students can use in
settings other than first-year composition. We
have added transfer icons throughout the chap-
ters to draw students’ attention to the ways that
they can use writers’ tools in other courses, as
well as in their professional, civic, and personal
endeavors.
We have enjoyed writing The McGraw-Hill
Guide because it reflects our own experiences in
the classroom, our research, and our many con-
versations with colleagues in the field. We hope
that you enjoy using The McGraw-Hill Guide with

your students as they strive to become the most
effective writers possible. If there is anything that
we can do to assist you, please let us know.
Sincerely,
Duane Roen
Gregory R. Glau
Barry M. Maid
xxvii
How does The McGraw-Hill Guide help student
writers succeed in their writing-intensive courses?
With The McGraw-Hill Guide, students apply a goals-oriented
approach to their writing assign-
ments using proven techniques related to student success. With
The Guide students will understand
the underlying principles on which their writing is assessed—by
assessing it themselves—and will
develop the strategies needed to support their writing
development long after they have completed

college.
First, the Guide helps students set goals for each
writing assignment.
With The McGraw-Hill Guide, instructors can help students
understand and set their writing goals
using the assignment chapters in Parts Two and Three (Chapters
5–12). By following the unique
instruction of The Guide, students will:
• Consider their writing goals
• Consider their writing contexts
• Transfer their writing skills
Consider their writing goals.
Students will learn to apply a goals-oriented approach to any
writing situation, making effective
choices by asking three questions:
• How do I set my goals?
• How do I achieve my goals?
• How do I assess my goals?
112

Writing to Explore 6
CHAPTER
So
ur
ce
: N
A
SA
SET How do I set my goals?
Setting Your Goals (p. 113)
ACHIEVE How do I achieve my goals?
Rhetorical Knowledge: Understanding the rhetorical
situation for your project (p. 115)
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing: Thinking
critically about this type of writing (p. 120)
Writing Processes: Establishing a process for

composing your project (p. 133)
Knowledge of Conventions: Polishing your work (p. 146)
ASSESS How do I assess my goals?
Self-Assessment: Refl ecting on Your Goals (p. 152)
In addition to exploring what
you already know, exploratory
writing gives you the chance to
ask questions and to consider
what else you would like to
f ind out.
In any exploration, whether
in college or in the professional,
civic, and personal areas of your
life, you investigate a particular
subject closely. You will often
need to explore an idea or a
concept—or a decision you
need to make—in detail, from
various perspectives, before you
can really see and understand
the overall situation.

remote parts of the universe,
and today’s space explorers are
often not astronauts but
robots—like the Mars Rover.
Although we commonly
associate exploration with
physical travel, there are many
other kinds of explorations.
Indeed, some of the most
valuable explorations are those
that take place in your own
mind. Often, through the act of
writing, you can discover new
ideas or new perspectives.
Playwright Edward Albee
once noted, “I write to f ind out
what I’m talking about.”
When you hear the word
exploration, you may envision
astronauts or explorers of ear-
lier centuries, people who phys-

ically ventured to previously
uncharted territory. When astro-
nauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin
E. “Buzz” Aldrin went to the
moon in 1969, they were look-
ing for answers to questions
that humans have asked for
thousands of years: What is the
moon like? What is it composed
of? What does Earth look like
from the moon? More recently,
the Hubble Space Telescope
has enabled explorers to view
Set, Achieve, Assess. Assignment
chapters begin with outlines that show
students how that chapter will help them to
set, achieve, and assess their writing goals.
xxviii

Writing contexts. Each assignment
chapter opens with specific writing
contexts for the student to consider.
In this example, students are
presented with examples of
analytical writing in professional,
civic, and personal contexts.
202 PART 2 | Using What You Have Learned to Share
Information ■ Chapter 8 | Writing to Analyze
RHETORICAL KNOWLEDGE
An analysis is often an opportunity to help your readers
understand a familiar
topic in a new way. Whatever your topic, you will need to
consider why you want
them to gain this understanding. You will also need to decide
what medium and
genre will help you get your analysis across to your audience.
Writing to Analyze in Your College Classes
Although academic disciplines vary widely, all of them require
the use of analy-
sis, because when you analyze something, you will come to

understand it more
completely. In your college career, you may be asked to
construct written analy-
ses in many of your classes:
• In a chemistry class, you might be asked to break down an
unknown
compound to find what elements are present and write a lab
report on
your findings.
• In a literature class, you might be asked to analyze how an
author devel-
ops the hero of a novel to be a sympathetic character.
• In an American history class, you may analyze what political
circum-
stances led to the ratification of an amendment to the U.S.
Constitution.
Performing an analysis usually requires you to make close
observations or conduct
research so that you will have a command of your subject.
Writing an analysis
forces you to put your understanding of that subject into your

own words.
The “Ways of Writing” feature presents different genres that
can be used
when writing to analyze in your college classes.
Writing to Analyze for Life
In the professional, civic, and personal areas of your life, you
also will construct
analyses of various ideas, products, and situations.
The kind of analytical writing you do in your professional life
will depend
on your career, yet the odds are that at some point you will be
asked to do an
analysis and write a report on your findings. For example, an
attorney analyzes
legal rulings, the strengths and weaknesses of a client’s case,
and the arguments
presented in court. A physician analyzes her patient’s symptoms
as she attempts
to diagnose the illness and prescribe a cure.
Often the first impulse in civic life is emotional. You may

become angry when the
city council decides to demolish an old building, or you might
enthusiastically support
a local developer’s plan to buy unused farmland. Your voice
will be taken much more
seriously by decision makers, however, if you engage in a
balanced, in-depth analysis.
Interestingly, in our personal lives, we often tend to analyze
events or con-
versations after they have happened. You may have had a
conversation with a
close friend that left both of you feeling unhappy. After the
encounter, you replay
Consider their writing contexts.
Recognizing that writing is a lifelong journey, The Guide gives
students and instructors the option—
and the flexibility—of responding to writing scenarios based on
academic, professional, civic, and
personal contexts. Because The Guide focuses on all facets of a
writer’s life, it serves as a natural
vehicle to help students as they learn to think of themselves as
writers in academic, professional,

civic, and personal situations.
The Setting Your Goals feature, located near the beginning of
Chapters 3 and 5–12, introduces the
foundational concepts that will guide students’ writing—
rhetorical knowledge, critical thinking,
writing processes, and knowledge of conventions. Based on the
CWPA outcomes, these goals
encourage students to establish a framework for their writing
assignments grounded in sound rhe-
torical principles.
236
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing (pp. 242–254)
• Learning/inquiry: Writing to persuade helps you learn the
important arguments on
all sides of an issue, so such writing deepens your
understanding.
• Responsibility: As you prepare to write persuasively, you
will naturally begin to think

critically about your position on the subject you are writing
about, forcing you to
examine your initial ideas, based on what you learn through
your research. Persuasive
writing, then, is a way of learning and growing, not just of
presenting information.
• Reading and research: You will usually need to conduct
interviews and online and
library research to gather evidence to support the claims you are
making in your
persuasive writing.
Setting Your Goals for Persuasive Writing
Rhetorical Knowledge (pp. 238–242)
• Audience: When you write to convince your readers, your
success depends on how
accurately you have analyzed your audience: their knowledge of

and attitudes toward
your topic.
• Purpose: A convincing text is meant to persuade readers to
accept your point of view,
but it can also include an element of action—what you want
readers to do once you’ve
convinced them.
• Rhetorical situation: Think about all of the factors that a �
ect where you stand in rela-
tion to your subject—you (the writer), your readers (the
audience), the topic (the issue
you are writing about), your purpose (what you wish to
accomplish), and the exigency
(what is compelling you to write your persuasive essay).
• Voice and tone: When you write to persuade, you are trying
to persuade readers to

think or act in a certain way. The tone you use will infl uence
how they react to your
writing, so you should consider carefully how you want to
sound to your readers. If
your tone is subdued and natural, will that convince your
readers? What if you come
across as loud and shrill?
• Context, medium, and genre: Decide on the most e� ective
medium and genre to
present your persuasive essay to the audience you want to reach.
Often, you can use
photographs, tables, charts, and graphs as well as words to
provide evidence that sup-
ports your position.
237

Knowledge of Conventions (pp. 269–275)
• Editing: Citing sources correctly adds authority to your
persuasive writing. The
round-robin activity on page 270 will help you edit your work
to correct problems
with your in-text citations and your works-cited or references
list.
• Genres for persuasive writing: Possible genres include
academic essays, editorials,
position papers, letters to the editor, newspaper and magazine
essays—even e-mails or
letters you might send to friends or family members to persuade
them about a prob-
lem or issue.
• Documentation: You will probably need to rely on sources
outside of your experience,

and if you are writing an academic essay, you will be required
to cite them using the
appropriate documentation style.
Writing Processes (pp. 255–269)
• Invention: Use various invention activities, such as
questioning or freewriting, to help
you consider the arguments that you might use to support your
persuasive essay or
the opposing arguments you need to accommodate or refute.
• Organizing your ideas and details: Most often, you will
state the main point—your
thesis—clearly at the start of your persuasive essay and then
present the evidence
supporting that point. Other methods of organization are useful,
however, depending
on your audience and context.

• Revising: Read your work with a critical eye to make
certain that it fulfi lls the assign-
ment and displays the qualities of e� ective persuasive writing.
• Working with peers: Listen to your classmates as they tell
you how much you have
persuaded them, and why. They will give you useful advice on
how to make your
essay more persuasive and, therefore, more e� ective.
Each Setting Your Goals table
relates to a type of writing. In
this example, Setting Your
Goals is framed specifically for
persuasive writing.
xxix

Transfer their writing skills.
The McGraw-Hill Guide reinforces the premise that the
knowledge learned and skills acquired in
first-year composition classes equip students to compose not
only in this and other courses but
throughout their lives. The McGraw-Hill Guide incorporates
research about transfer—the ability to
carry over knowledge learned in one context and successfully
apply that knowledge in another
context—with its emphasis on reflective practice. Customizable
assessment rubrics are available
online in Connect Composition for each assignment, giving
instructors the ability to show students
how writing in different contexts can have an impact on their
goals.
In each chapter a range of exercises asks students to reflect on
their writing and on their percep-
tions of themselves as writers. Students will find many
instances in which they are asked to con-
sider how the writing they compose for the writing course might
help them in other college classes.
Instruction around transfer and activities that call upon

students’ metacognitive skills are tagged
with this transfer icon.
Second, the Guide helps students achieve their goals.
After presenting the qualities of effective writing related to a
particular purpose, each assignment
chapter (3 and 5–12) then illustrates the steps of the writing
process with clear examples of a student
writer adapting to a specific writing situation. Designed to
emphasize their goals as writers, each
assignment chapter helps students to:
• Emphasize critical thinking and synthesize information
• Develop strategies for success
• Choose the appropriate genre
• Practice meeting writing goals
Emphasize critical thinking and synthesize information.
Chapter 3 introduces students to the importance of developing
strong academic reading skills,
which includes the ability to synthesize the ideas of others from
diverse sources, and relates this as
a critical pathway to achieving most writing goals. Every

assignment chapter (chapters 5–12) then
follows up on this concept in context with a section called
“Synthesizing and Integrating Sources
into Your Draft.”
Develop strategies for success.
Based on the eight “habits of mind” that appear in the
Framework for Success in Postsecondary
Writing, developed by the CWPA, the National Council of
Teachers of English (NCTE), and the
National Writing Project and identified by the CWPA as
“essential for success in college writing,”
Strategies for Success boxes offer students tips on how to
develop their curiosity, openness,
engagement, self-reflection, flexibility, creativity, persistence,
and responsibility.
xxx
116 PART 2 | Using What You Have Learned to Share

Information ■ Chapter 6 | Writing to Explore
People working for the good of a community often deal with
best options —
solutions to problems for which there may not be a single
perfect result but rather
many possible outcomes. Therefore, those involved in civic
life can find explor-
atory writing especially useful.
Your personal life offers many opportunities for exploratory
writing. You may
respond regularly to e-mails or notes from friends, family
members, and class-
mates in which you explore the possibilities for a group gift for
someone import-
ant to all of you, propose convenient times for getting together,
or consider a new
wireless carrier. You may keep a journal, where you can explore
your thoughts,
ideas, responses, and feelings privately.
The “Ways of Writing” feature (page 117) presents different
genres that can
be used when writing to explore.

Scenarios for Writing | Assignment Options
Your instructor may ask you to complete one of the following
assignments that
call for exploratory writing. Each assignment is in the form of a
scenario, a brief
story that provides some context for writing. The scenario gives
you a sense of
who your audience is and what you need to accomplish with
your writing.
Starting on page 133, you will fi nd guidelines for completing
whatever assign-
ment option you choose. Additional scenarios for college and
life may be found
online.
Writing for College
SCENARIO 1 An Academic Paper Exploring a Career
For this scenario, assume you are taking a career and life
planning class—a class
devoted to helping college students decide what discipline they
might like to

major in. This class gives you the opportunity to explore diff
erent career paths,
to learn what the educational requirements are for various
majors, and to fi nd
out what job opportunities will be available and what salaries
and other forms of
compensation diff erent jobs might off er.
The ultimate form of writing to explore
might be a personal or professional online
journal, or blog. A blog (a shortening of
“Web log ”) can be a fun place to explore
issues and events of the day while devel-
oping your voice, style, and expressive self.
As you explore your topic and begin con-
ducting research, use a blog to organize
and to keep track of your research. Take
a look at one writer’s blog on her travels
at www.dr-randsdell.com/travel-muse-blog .
Ransdell’s travels also help inform her
books—as you will see when you read a
bit of her blog.
USING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES Writing a Blog

For more on blogs,
see Chapter 17 .
Writing for Life
SCENARIO 3 Civic Writing: A Profi le of a Local Agency
What local nonprofi t agencies exist in your area? What do you
know about how
they function? What do you know about the work that they do in
your community?
Do you interact with any local, county, state, or federal
agencies or departments?
What experiences (good or bad) have you had with such
entities? Select one local
nonprofi t or government agency or organization in which you
are interested and
about which you would like to learn more. The agency or
organization may be your
city or county government, your local school system, or a
nonprofi t organization
such as the United Way.
Writing Assignment: Investigate the nonprofi t or government

agency or
organization you have chosen. Explore what it does, where and
how it func-
tions, where its funding comes from, who works for it, and how
its functions
relate to other aspects of your community. Then construct a
paper in which
you explain your exploration of the agency or organization.
Include at least
three illustrations that helped you understand the organization
(charts or
tables that show statistical data, photographs of its buildings or
offi ce areas,
etc.). In your paper, explain what features of these illustrations
helped you
better understand the organization. Because this is not an
informative paper,
your focus should be on the exploratory process you used to
learn about
your subject.
Rhetorical Considerations for Exploratory Writing
Audience: Although your instructor is one audience for this
paper, you

are also part of your audience—this assignment is designed to
help you
think through some possible educational and career choices, to
explore
an interest, or to explore some of your personal beliefs. Your
classmates
are also your audience, because some of them may also be
consider-
ing these issues and ideas. They will learn from your research
and per-
haps ask questions and think of ideas they had not yet
considered. What
might other students in your writing class, or in one of your
other classes,
learn from your research and exploration? Who else might be
part of your
audience?
Purpose: Your purpose is to explore the various aspects of
your topic in
enough detail and depth to lead you to a greater understanding
of it and
what you believe about it.
Voice, tone, and point of view: As you explore your topic,

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