Chapter 3 & 14 Reading Response

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My reading response to chapter 3 and 14 from The Bedford Guide for College Writers by X. J. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Marcia F. Muth.

Chapter 3: Critical Thinking Processes

Personal Reaction:
As I read this chapter, I began to realize more and more that writing an argumentative paper is very similar to creating a marketing strategy. When a company is deciding how to market their product, they must determine who might be interested in their product and how they should explain the benefits of using their product to best appeal to that particular audience. When writing an argument, you must approach it in a similar way, but also think critically about why you have the opinions and beliefs you do, making sure to convey to the reader why you think the way you think and why your opinion is valid. I personally found it very interesting that techniques for writing an argument are so similar to marketing techniques. Both of these involve strategy and psychology. I may want to learn more about psychology and marketing, so the information in this chapter may apply to those things.

One thing that really stood out to me was when the author mentioned that an argument for college requires much more evidence and explanation than an argument or debate with your friends, because your friends already know you and your way of thinking. Unlike your friends, a college audience requires that you explain your point of view and make sure to use sufficient evidence, while using an appropriate strategy to present your argument. In other words, in college, you need to think critically and be strategic when writing an argumentative paper. While I was impressed with this chapter, I was also a bit overwhelmed with all the ways of presenting an argument. So many decisions!

Professional Reaction:
There is a lot of valuable information in this chapter, which I took quite a few notes of. Although I had previously learned some of the concepts and strategies described in this chapter, I did learn some new things. Two things I learned about was deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning. The pattern of deductive reasoning is starting with a broad generalization and then using particulars to support the broader point, while the pattern of inductive reasoning is starting with the particulars first and then concluding with the broad generalization. This is something I never really knew about before, and I think it will be helpful to know about these two patterns in the future. Also, as mentioned above, this chapter lists a lot of strategies, techniques, and concepts that can apply to marketing. In the next few weeks, I will be forming an Elevator Pitch, which is a short argumentative/persuasive essay, which will be used to "sell my brand." So, most of the contents of this chapter will be helpful to refer to when I'm deciding how to create my pitch.

Image by Hayley Leach

Chapter 14: Responding to Visual Representations 

Personal Reaction:

This chapter is all about how to dissect and analyze the elements of imagery. I've always been interested in ads and photography and graphic images. I enjoy taking pictures. A few years ago, I took this photo on the right. At first, I took it simply to capture the red flowers amidst all the green leaves. But now, after I read this chapter, I realized that I chose to capture it because it reminded me of the concept of uniqueness and not being afraid to stand out and show ones true self. Pretty deep, right? I chose this photo to share with you because I think it best describes what chapter 14 is about. Images can be interpreted literally or abstractly, or both. They can be used to capture the world or evoke a particular emotion. All you need is to learn how to recognize and respond to the elements of images, which is what this entire chapter is about.

Professional Reaction:

I think the most important and helpful points in this chapter are:

• See the big picture by identifying the context, purpose, audience, prominent element, and focal point
• Observe the characteristics of an image by identifying the cast of characters, the story or plot, and the design, arrangement, and relationship of elements in the image.
• Interpret the meaning of an image by identifying the general feeling or mood of the image, the sociological, political, economic, or cultural attitudes, the language, the signs and symbols, and the theme of the image.

These points will help me to be able to analyze and create images better when I am assigned to do so for a school project, but they will also help me to think about visuals differently in my personal life as well.

Written by Hayley Leach (aka Woman #1)