For developmental writing courses or first-semester freshman writing courses. The Simon & Schuster Short Prose Reader is a process-oriented Rhetorical Reader. It combines high-interest reading material with creative, principled pedagogy and traditional concerns about correctness, coherence, and meaning. Short, appealing essays provide ideas for writing, suggest ways to approach a topic, and illustrate methods for organizing and presenting information. Each reading is accompanied by a “Step-by-Step” writing assignment that guides students in composing their own essays.

Table of Contents:
Thematic Contents. Editing Skills Contents. Preface. 1. Active Reading. Learning to Be an Active Reader. Keeping a Journal. Previewing the Reading. A First Reading. Staying Aware of Conventions. A Sample Essay: Bob Greene, “Handled with Care.” Marking the Text. Clarifying Meaning. Making Inferences and Associations. Writing to Understand and Respond. 2. The Reading-Writing Connection. Writing in Response to Reading. Building an Essay. Sample Student Essay: Tara Coburn, “Someone to Help.” Resources for Writers on the Internet. Responding to a Reading: Russell Baker, “Learning to Write.” Suggestions for Writing. 3. Strategies for Conveying Ideas: Narration and Description. The Point of Narration and Description. The Principles of Narration and Description. The Pitfalls of Narration and Description. What to Look For in Narration and Description. William Least Heat-Moon, “Wind!”Mike Royko, “Jackie's Debut: A Unique Day.”William Recktenwald, “A Guard's First Night on the Job.”Judith Ortiz Cofer, “More Room.”Kelly Berlin (student), “Domestic Abuse.” 4. Strategies for Making a Point: Example and Illustration. The Point of Example and Illustration. The Principles of Example and Illustration. The Pitfalls of Example and Illustration. What to Look For in Example and Illustration. Charles Kuralt, “Down with Forests.”Brent Staples, “'Just Walk on By:' A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space.”Daniel Meier, “One Man's Kids.”Lynn Coady, “Genius or Madness?”David C. Lair (student), “My Key Chain.” 5. Strategies for Clarifying Meaning: Definition and Explanation. The Point of Definition and Explanation. The Principles of Definition and Explanation. The Pitfalls of Definition and Explanation. What to Look For in Definition and Explanation. Gloria Naylor, “Mommy, What Does 'Nigger' Mean?”Isaac Asimov, “What Is Intelligence, Anyway?”Wayson Choy, “I'm a Banana and Proud of It.”Barbara Ehrenreich, “Cultural Baggage.”Kerri Mauger (student), “Nothing to Be Scared Of.” 6. Strategies for Sorting Ideas: Classification and Division. The Point of Classification and Division. The Principles of Classification and Division. The Pitfalls of Classification and Division. What to Look For in a Classification. Judith Viorst, “Friends, Good Friends—And Such Good Friends.”Paul Chance, “I'm OK; You're a Bit Odd.”David Elkind, “Types of Stress for Young People.”Louis Menand, “Love Stories.”Megan Quick (student), “Stats on ER.” 7. Strategies for Examining Two Subjects: Comparison and Contrast. The Point of Comparison and Contrast. The Principles of Comparison and Contrast. The Pitfalls of Comparison and Contrast. What to Look For in Comparison and Contrast. Mark Twain, “Two Views of the Mississippi.”Suzanne Britt, “Neat People vs. Sloppy People.” Scott Russell Sanders, “Women and Men.”Kathy Seal, “The Trouble with Talent: Are We Born Smart or Do We Get Smart?”Dana Webb (student), “Shopping Online.” 8. Strategies for Explaining How Things Work: Process and Directions. The Point of Writing about Process and Directions. The Principles of Process and Directions. The Pitfalls of Process and Directions. What to Look For in Process and Directions. Daniel Golden, “How to Make Your Dendrites Grow and Grow.”Garrison Keillor, “How to Write a Personal Letter.”James Surowiecki, “The Box That Launched a Thousand Ships.”Dave Barry, “There Are Rules, You Know.”Ann Moroney (student), “A Graceful Stride.” 9. Strategies for Analyzing Why Things Happen: Cause and Effect. The Point of Cause-and-Effect Writing. The Principles of Cause-and-Effect Writing. The Pitfalls of Cause-and-Effect Writing. What to Look For in Cause-and-Effect Writing. Eric Marcus, “Ignorance Is Not Bliss.”Stephen King, “Why We Crave Horror Movies.”Jade Snow Wong, “Fifth Chinese Daughter.”Steve Lopez, “Working: Nobody Talks about the Common Person's Life.”Tricia Rooney (student), “Why We Watch Daytime Talk Shows.” 10. Strategies for Influencing Others: Argument and Persuasion. The Point of Argument and Persuasion. The Principles of Argument and Persuasion. The Elements of Good Argument. A Sample Annotated Argument: Joshua Wolf Shenk, “Ignoring the Solution.” The Pitfalls of Argument and Persuasion. What to Look For in Argument and Persuasion. Arthur Ashe, “Send Your Children to the Libraries.”Bill Bryson, “The War on Drugs.”Barbara Huttmann, “A Crime of Compassion.”Debate: Examining the Death Penalty. David Leibowitz, “Death Penalty Showdown.”Ken Shulman, “We, On Death Row.”Debate: The Right to Same-Sex Marriage. Charles Krauthammer, “When John and Jim Say, 'I Do'.”Alex Tresniowski, “Same-Sex Marriage, for Better or Worse?: Readers' Forum.”David Mixner, “No One Has to Send a Gift.”Steve Dare (student), “Education Interrupted.” 11. Further Readings. Langston Hughes, “Salvation.”Sheryl Flatow, “I Know What I Can Do.”Jack Hitt, “Navajo Code Talkers: The Century's Best Kept Secret.”Richard Selzer, “The Discus Thrower.”Roy Grace, “Volkswagen's Campaign in America.”Robert MacNeil, “Wordstruck.” Glossary. Credits. Index.