Haas and Flowers SQ&R #2

Summary:
This article is about reading; also, being able to know how to read and comprehend what you are reading. This article emphasizes the importance of reader’s understanding. Thus, knowing how to paraphrase, analyze, summarize and criticize. The point of this is to be able to build multi-faceted representations of the text. The article goes on to give instances of the kind of responses people give when reading a text. Kara (inexperienced freshman) and Seth (experienced graduate) are the examples and they both found the paragraphs they read to be rather confusing. Preceding, the article then moves on to focus on strategies for constructive meaning where we were provided with a graph that stated most students use content strategies. Content strategies help the reader get information from the text. Rhetorical reading is also a strategy, but it is hardly used. When using rhetorical reading it should be seen as the “progressive enlargement of the constructed meaning of the text.” Rhetorical reading and critical reading go hand in hand with each other. The real task for a person to improve their writing is by learning how to become a rhetorical reader.
Question:
Why is rhetorical reading the best strategy to use when trying to find meaning through a reading/article?
Response:
In my opinion, rhetorical reading is a great strategy to use and I know I probably fall into the percentage of people who never use that strategy. It’s a shame, because I know it’s very effective when I’m reading for comprehension, or when I’m just reading in general. In the article, there was a sentence (page 170) I really enjoyed. It was “Many of out students are ‘Good’ readers in the traditional sense: they have large vocabularies, read quickly, are able to do well at comprehension tasks involving recall of content.” I completely agreed with that statement. When I read that my mind just opened up and I realized that’s what teachers do. They drill certain strategies into you. They tell you to do things a certain way and they make you believe that’s the only way. I know in my high school, even in my AP English courses, my teacher was always telling me I needed to be a fast reader. She would drill us with SAT vocabulary tests just to expand our vocabulary, and for every essay she had a specific format which she wanted our essays to bee in. In a sense, I’m sure vocabulary, speed , and written content is important but it isn’t the only aspect of importance. Rhetoric plays a great role in the reading and writing and therefore should become a mastered strategy.