For the Darwin reading assignment, choose one of the two selections listed on the syllabus and answer the following questions. You are, of course, still responsible for reading the other selection. Prose Study Guide Summarize the author's main argument or assertion in a single sentence. Then, identify 3-5 of the author's most important sub-points. Identify some of the author's rhetorical strategies. Put another way, how does the author go about persuading you to accept his or her position or theory? How does the author establish credibility? Appeal to emotions? Appeal to logic? Arrange ideas to maximize impact? What role, if any, do diction (word choice), imagery, symbol, and metaphor play? (Note: You do not need to answer all of these "elaborative" questions) Which aspects of the argument do you find most convincing? Least? Why? Think about what you already know (whether from this class or others) about the historical, literary, and cultural context in which this essay was written. With whom (specific individuals or groups) might the author have been in dialogue? Which aspects of these essays would probably have seemed most provocative or even controversial at the time it was written? How does the essay speak to readers today? Is it still relevant? What about it might still be provocative or controversial? What might no longer be provocative or controversial?       Contact the English Department at: 570-348-6219. E-mail: English@marywood.edu.

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Last update April 16, 2004
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