Adapted from the highly successful rhetoric, The Call to Write, this Concise Edition is organized by the genres of writing and is grounded in the reality of students' lives. The Call to Write gives students the practice they need to write both in college and in the public sphere. This text connects writing to the real worlds of everyday life, college, and work, giving students reasons to write and the skills to help them succeed. A strong emphasis on public writing promotes civic involvement through writing—to inform the public, to shape opinion, to advocate change, etc.—while relevant, provocative readings underscore when and why citizens are called to write.

Table of Contents:
Most chapters conclude with “Writing Assignment,” “Reflecting on Your Writing,” “Writers' Workshop,” and “A Closing Note.”I. WRITING AND READING. Introduction: The Call to Write. 1. What Is Writing?: Analyzing Literacy Events. Writing in Everyday Life. Writing in the Workplace. Ethics of Writing. Writing in the Public Sphere. Going Online: Organizing Worldwide Networks. Writing in School. Analyzing a Literacy Event. Frederick Douglass, from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Eudora Welty, from One Writer's Beginnings. Margaret J. Finders, from Just Girls: Hidden Literacies and Life in Junior High. 2. Reading Strategies: Analyzing the Rhetorical Situation. Basic Reading Strategies. Stephen Jay Gould, “Alfred Binet and the Original Purpose of the Binet Scale.” Ethics of Reading: Boredom and Persistence. Strategies for Analyzing Writing. Jonathan Kozol, “Distancing the Homeless.” Strategies for Analyzing the Rhetorical Situation. Going Online: Evaluating Web Sites. Sample Analysis of a Rhetorical Situation. Kevin Powell, “My Culture at the Crossroads.” 3. Persuasion and Responsibility: Analyzing Arguments. Understanding Argument. Ethics of Argument: The Writer's Responsibilty. Entering a Controversy. Taking a Position: From Issues to Claims. Developing a Persuasive Position. Malcolm X, “The Ballot or the Bullet.” Making an Argument. Negotiating Differences. Going Online: Handling Differences. Anna Quinlin, Abortion Is Too Complex to Feel All One Way About. Sample Rhetorical Analysis of an Argument. II. WRITING PROJECTS. Introduction: Genres of Writing 4. Letters: Establishing and Maintaining Relationships. Thinking About the Genre. Readings: Letters Home. Richard Marks, “Dear Mom.” “An Ellen Viewer to Her Mother.” Readings: Letters to the Editor. Kristin Tardiff, Letter to the Editor. Mark Patinkin, “Commit a Crime, Suffer the Consequences.” John N. Taylor, Letter to the Editor. Readings: An Exchange of Letters. Galen Sherwin, “To Whom It May Concern.” Ingrid Newkirk, “Dear Ms. Sherwin.” Readings: Open Letter. James Baldwin, “My Dungeon Shook: Letter to My Nephew.” Readings: Visual Design—Letter of Appeal. For Discussion and Analytical Writing. Going Online: Instant Messages. 5. Public Documents: Codifying Beliefs and Practices. Thinking About the Genre. Readings. Abraham Verghese, from My Own Country. Ellen Cushman, from The Struggle and the Tools. Ethics of Writing: Plain Language. First Things First Manifesto 2000. The Mentor, “Hacker's Manifesto, or the Conscience of a Hacker.” Proposition 215, Medical Use of Marijuana, California State Ballot, 1996. Council of Writing Program Administrators, WPA Outcomes Statement for First-Year Composition. Visual Design by Paula Scher, “Defective Equipment: The Palm Beach County Ballot.” For Discussion and Analytical Writing. Going Online: Finding Online Documents at Your College. 6. Profiles: Creating a Dominant Impression. Thinking About the Genre. Readings. Molly O'Neill, “A Surgeon's War on Breast Cancer.” Mike Rose, “I Just Wanna Be Average.” Jon Garelick, “Kurt Cobain 1967-1994.” Visual Design: Profiles in Advertising. Ethics of Writing: Responsibility to the Writer's Subject. Visual Design: Profiles in Advertising. For Discussion and Analytical Writing. Going Online: Riotgirls, Geekgirls, and Other Web Sites for Women and Girls. 7. Commentary: Identifying Patterns of Meaning. Thinking About the Genre. Readings. Eric Liu, “Remember When Public Spaces Didn't Carry Brand Names?” Commentary on Shannon Faulkner's Resignation from the Citadel. Michael Rock, “Since When Did USA Today Become the National Design Standard?” Lundy Braun, “How to Fight the New Epidemics.” Visual Design: Parody. For Discussion and Analytical Writing. Ethics of Writing: In Whose Interest? 8. Proposals: Formulating and Solving Problems. Thinking About the Genre. Readings. Leon Botstein, “Let Teenagers Try Adulthood.” Barbara Ehrenreich, “Stop Ironing the Diapers.” Shonda Andersons, “Female Boxing: A Fieldwork Proposal for Soc. 215 Participant Observation.” Henry Jenkins, “What Congress Doesn't Want to Hear About Youth and the Media.” Visual Design: Advocacy Group Appeals. For Discussion and Analytical Writing. Going Online: Proposal Writing Guides. 9. Reviews: Evaluating Works and Performances. Thinking About the Genre. Readings. Rob Marriott, “Fathers and Sons: Jay-Z Makes His Fifth Album a Family Affair.” Karen Durbin, “Razor Thin, But Larger than Life.” Stephen Holden, “After 20 Years It Still Comes Out Swinging.” Alan A. Stone, from “Report and Recommendations Concerning the Handling of Incidents such as the Branch Davidian Standoff in Waco, Texas.” Visual Design: Minisystems Ratings and Superbowl Matchup. For Discussion and Analytical Writing. Going Online: Rapstation. III. WRITERS AT WORK. Introduction Managing Your Writing Projects. 10. Case Study of a Writing Assignment. Collaborating on Your Writing Projects. Case Study of a Writing Assignment. Ethics of Collaboration: Responsibilities of Writers and Readers. Talking to Teachers. Going to the Writing Center. 11. The Form of Nonfiction Prose. Thinking About Form. Three Patterns of Organization. Sarah Boxer, “I Shop, Ergo I Am: The Mall as Society's Mirror.” Ellen Goodman, “Minneapolis Pornography Ordinance.” Joan Didion, “Los Angeles Notebook.” Seeing Patterns of Organization: How Form Embodies Purpose. Putting the Parts Together. Designing Paragraphs. How Paragraphs Make Patterns of Organization Easy to Recognize. 12. Writing Portfolios. What Should You Include in a Portfolio?. Some Options for a Writing Portfolio. On-Line Portfolios. Credits. Index.