TFY - Chapter 1-4, Summaries and Exercises

Chapter One Assignment

Early Saturday morning I awaken with a slight headache, not sure if it was from the long drudging week I had just endured or could it have been my late night escapade with tequila and orange juice. To the best of my knowledge I had retired for the night around 2:30 am and stupidly awaken around 8:00a.m. My English assignments had been on my mind all week and as each day passed, I was getting further and further away from my scheduled assignments. That worried me. In fact, that might have something to do with my slight headache. As I lay in bed typing away on my computer, I can feel the headache disappearing. Or could that be because I went downstairs, ate a few prunes, popped a Motrin and drank a small glass of orange juice? I think it could be a combination of things. I choose to believe it is because I am finally doing what I needed to do last week, get caught up on my English assignment.

My husband decided two or three days ago that because of my early risings for work and late night return from school, that I need to relax and stay in bed most of the day on Saturday. He got out of bed, went downstairs and started on breakfast while I went to the trunk of my car and retrieved my English book, determined to complete several exercises while I “Chill in Bed.” My husband refused to let me in the kitchen so I asked him to choose any vegetable or fruit and give it to me so I can do my assignment upstairs. He turned around and low and behold the first thing his eyes gazed upon was an onion. He grabbed it and said “Here, now get out of the kitchen”. Immediately, I thought, why did I involve him in my assignment and how difficult it’s gonna be working with a stupid onion. I held the onion in my hand, stared at it and noticed some of the skin was coming off. I then decided to grab a bowl and paper towel so that I won’t have a mess. I then ran upstairs worried about the task at hand with the dreaded onion.

As I lay here typing I think of our other Critical Reading textbooks. Distractions are discussed and I now have several going on trying to sway me from my assignment. The sounds of the football game can easily be drowned out, I know that is a necessity in order for my husband to complete breakfast. The smell of the bacon is a bit much. Then here comes my husband running upstairs force feeding me a slice of bacon with gloved hands. Never had that done before. Next his cell phone rings with the sounds of the old fashioned ring tone we all grew up hearing before any other rings were introduce, which today I hate so much. I didn’t look to see who was calling. Now this distraction cannot be ignored, him standing at the bottom of the stairs loudly calling my name saying come down, breakfast is ready. I must obey and finish later. When I return, I promise to start talking about the dreaded onion, I’ve avoided it long enough.

After ten minutes of filling my gut with grits, bacon, eggs and pancakes, my vision is clear. I see a medium to large size beautiful onion with very few flaws. The crisp golden honey colored skin surrounds and protects the inner onion. The almost perfect rounded onion is very firm and solid. It looks the size of a softball and bears the weight of a canned vegetable. A few pieces of the skin have fallen off into the paper towel. I picked up a piece and brought it closer so that I can better examine it. It feels as thin as paper. There are a few tears in the small piece I am examining. The reddish golden color is at the base and blends upward into a lighter vanilla/banana color near the top. There are golden distinguishable vertical lines also starting at the base and thinning out further along the top. They have a veins and arteries appearance. I wonder what role they play in the development of the onion. The texture is smooth and slick. The outside has a dull appearance whereas the inside is shinier. While holding the onion in my hands, I can see many layers of this protective skin covering the flesh. Judging by looking at the bulb or tip, my guess would be about four or five thin layers. The first layer is already split on two sides, ready for peeling. At the base of the onion, it reminds me of the inside of a sunflower. It looks like a dried flower with short wooded stems popping out of the center. From the base you can see where the lighter colorations are. It appears as though the juice of the onion has bleached the beautiful golden color and you can visibly see a ring around the entire base. This indeed is a beautiful onion. I would say it is as close to perfection as any onion could possibly be. The only fault I see is a small bruise near the base that could only be seen if you really studied it as I have done. Slightly beneath that are small tiny dark circles with the appearance of a ringworm. It is beneath the first layer and I am certain by the time you get to the core there will be no trace. Near the base lies a sticker securely attached to the outer skin. It is of oval shape and about the size of a thumb print. It lists the web site as www.dalenafarms.com slightly circled across the top. The all capital letters in the middle of the label says “SWEET D” 4093. Now I find it interesting that my husband singly selected this one onion and chose this as my vegetable or fruit to do my writings on, as his name is also “De” and more times than fewer he can be called “Sweet De”. I laugh out loud thinking of his reaction to that. I’m sure in the future he will choose this to be his favorite onion.
Because it is still early morning, and my belly is full, I decided to not taste the onion. The house still carries the strong aroma of bacon and doesn’t allow my sense of smell to absorb any others. So when I sniffed all around the onion, I smelt nothing. When I firmly pressed the onion against my face, it was pleasantly cool. At this point, I am now engaged and fascinated. I decided to take a bite through the skin, quite ready for the explosion. I did it twice, however I was not able to penetrate which did leave me with a feeling of dissatisfaction.

It is now noon, time to get up and start my day fresh with an all day concert, Sheryl Crow and friends. I propose that in conclusion, this was a very good learning exercise. I began with little expectations of my subject matter and upon finishing I fell in love with the subject, maybe the “D” connection. I realized the importance of observation and its impact on making final decisions. Slowing down, concentrating, and investing time and patience in most things can possibly leave you with a new, different, often satisfied and rewarding experience.










Chapter Two Assignment
Saved – Malcom X

1. Why, do you think, Malcolm X could be so confident and articulate as a hustler, yet have so much difficulty writing “simple English”?
Malcolm X felt comfortable in his life as a hustler and was able to express himself confidently and verbally amongst the people in the streets. I’m sure the street language spoken was mostly slang. It was difficult for him to write “Simple English” because it was a language that was not native to his ancestry. During the times in which he was educated, it was harder for blacks because the “status quo” did not involve successful learning of the black man and success in the classroom was frowned upon and not expected.

2. What do you think of his practice of copying out every word in a dictionary?
It was a very good strategy and learning tool. It allowed him to enhance his writing skills as well as increased his reading and comprehension skills.

3. Why did Malcolm X find it so empowering to learn new words?
It empowered him in the sense that he could be like Bimbi, take charge of any conversation and write letters and be less frustrated. Because he commanded attention, he could now possess power in both the spoken word along with the written word.


4. What motivated him to read in his cell in semidarkness late through the night?
He was excited, fascinated and engrossed in learning and never wanted it to end. His street life only required a few hours of sleep and now that he has found a whole new life, he was thrilled. Time was also a factor. His new life of learning made prison time quickly drift away.

5. Why do you think Malcolm X wanted others to hear this story?

He wanted to give others different ways of bettering themselves. He wanted them to understand the valuable tool of a dictionary. He did something that seemed so simple and made it become a “Grand Accomplishment”. Through this type of learning, it empowered him and made it easier for him to write and speak on a very large stage. His demise unfortunately was brought on because of his further curiosity, questioning of the status quo and his freedom of expression which many others were not quite ready for.












Chapter Three Exercise
Core Discovery Writing Application page 91

1. Choose one photograph from this book. Spend time absorbing the photo. Imagine writing for someone who cannot see the picture and make a specific and detailed list of ten or more factual statements. Be careful of assumptions.

Taken from the photo on page 14
1. This is a black and white photo
2. The only person in the picture is a young girl.
3. The girl is white.
4. Her hair is pulled back and she also is wearing a bang across the front.
5. The girl is looking downward.
6. She is wearing a sweat shirt, sweat pants and tennis shoes.
7. In her right hand she is holding the head of a doll.
8. The doll is wearing a long white dress.
9. In her left hand she is holding a cane.
10. At the end of the cane is a round ball.









Chapter Four Exercises
Discovery Exercises
Drawing Inferences from Evidence

Read the following scenarios and think of three inferences you could make to explain each situation?

1. Your neighbors have regular habits and spend a lot of time at home. One day you notice that no lights have appeared in their house in the evenings for at least a week.
a. They went on vacation
b. Someone is sick
c. They moved away

2. In an airport waiting room, you sit down next to a nun wearing a dark blue dress, starched white collar, and starched white headdress. You notice she is reading Playboy magazine.
a. She’s doing research
b. She’s just interested and this is part of her normal reading
c. She’s dressed up in costume

3. Your child, age four, usually has a good appetite. However, she says no this morning when you offer her a dish of applesauce.
a. She is sick
b. She no longer likes applesauce
c. She wants something else to eat

4. You are on a Greyhound bus. A man gets on and sits beside you. He is carrying an expensive briefcase, although he is shabbily dressed, unshaven, and perspiring heavily. When you suggest he place his briefcase on the rack overhead, he refuses, saying he doesn’t mind holding it in his lap.
a. He stole the briefcase
b. He was once employed and is now unemployed reminiscing.
c. He really don’t mind carrying the briefcase.

5. You are looking in your wife’s closet for your missing shoe, and you notice a new and expensive man’s sports jacket hanging there.
a. She brought him a gift.
b. She’s cheating on him.
c. Someone gave her the jacket to give to her husband.

6. After a class you go to see your professor about an error in addition on your test score. You explain to him respectfully that 100 minus 18 is 82, not 79. He tells you to get the hell out of his office.
a. He just found another man’s jacket in his wife’s closet.
b. He doesn’t like to be questioned about his grading.
c. He received some bad disturbing news and is angry.




7. You are driving through a valley on a spring morning in a heavy rainstorm. You are on a two-lane highway, and you notice that only about half the cars that pass you head-on have their lights on.
a. They don’t know that they should turn on their lights.
b. The weather is better on the side they are leaving.
c. They are rude, inconsiderate drivers.

8. You want to buy a used car but your first priority is that it be smoke free. The owner of the car assures you that she is a nonsmoker. You notice small holes the size of cigarette ends in the upholstery of the front seats and the car has a strong smell of lemon deodorant.
a. She is lying and trying to cover up the smell.
b. She is not aware of the burns.
c. She just wants to sell the car and is very greedy and selfish












Chapter One Summary
Observation Skills

Observation is to hold something in front and pay close attention to. It requires slowing down, staying awake and focusing. The observation process involves sensing, perceiving and thinking. When we take in data without preconceptions, we are sensing. It occurs through feel and using the sense organs such as eyes and skin. In other words, we feel it. Perception means to catch, seize or hold. It is both passive and active, holds sensations in consciousness long enough to interpret them. Perception allows us to move through the physical world. Thinking is explained as an active process whereas people organize their perceptions.















Chapter Two Summary
Word Precision

Writing involves careful selection of words. The use of dictionaries allow us to have better word choices and can be a valuable tool in building a vocabulary. We need to understand what dictionaries can and cannot do for us. Thesaurus helps us when we are writing nonverbal experiences into words. The dictionary helps us when we are reading and need to interpret the word. Writing challenges you to stretch your abilities in using words. Definitions clarify words through boundaries. The word to be defined is a term which can be broken down into classes. Word connotations are about feelings, negative or positive. Concepts are a word that organizes and abstracts a body of related experience. A general idea. Concepts abstract experience. Critical reading is an active thinking endeavor that must begin with accurate comprehension under bias control.










Chapter Three Summary
Facts: What’s Real
Facts are our interpretations of what is real and true. Reality can be divided into relative and absolute, some say what reality is while others say it is what it is whether you like it or not. Facts are not the equivalent of truths or reality; they are decisions about what seems to be most real. The facts that are most useful are the ones that have been proven over and over. Critical thinking is a product that value the freedom to search for the truth.

It is said that we should be objective (facts) and not subjective (feelings) in order to determine the facts. This is not necessarily true. There are many times when our feelings would draw us to look closely at the situation.
Our need for verification of facts or confirmation can often leave us vulnerable to manipulation. This is quite often demonstrated through social pressure. We are limited in our ability to know the facts because of our limitations of our senses. Dogs can hear levels of pitch we cannot and butterflies can see colors we can not. We rely on science and wisdom to help us compensate for the limitations of our senses.

When we are stating facts, our language has to reflect the limits of our data as well as the measure of our certainty. How we state a fact makes all the difference.
When thinking critically, the four standards we use to determine facts are:
1. Verifiability – data can be conformed by another source.
2. Reliability – consider the degree of dependability.
3. Plausibility – does it makes sense, undergo the test of credibility.
4. Probability - as tested through time and repetition.
Chapter Four Summary
Inferences:
What follows?

Inference enables us to imagine, decide, guess, conclude, and predict about things unknown. Inferences can be confused for facts. Descriptive writing can become challenging for the mind. It lets the facts speak for themselves. Stating the facts with responsible clarity is also interesting writing, which involves clearly describing what we observe and think. This makes our work become concrete and specific. Reasonable inferences can be used to tie facts together. Many professionals are required to examine facts and make the best inferences from them. Laws are generalizations based on observations and relationships. We must look for patterns, analyze them, and draw conclusions. We should learn to draw generalizations that can be supported. The topic sentence is a generalization that states the main idea. It is a kind of conclusion that is repeated at the end of the paragraph. Observation helps determine facts, imagination, and reasoning to link the facts with explanations, and how a generalization ties all this together.