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xiii%u2022 NEW! Guided Questions make sure students are engaged and on track. We%u2019ve added quick checks for understanding to all anthology chapter prose readings. We placed these Guided Questions within each essay, speech, or short story to ensure students catch key points. %u2022 NEW! Scaffolded Conversations help students articulate their positions. As always, the Conversation at the end of each anthology chapter (Chs.%u00a05%u201310) brings together diverse perspectives on an enduring American issue. This time, the Conversations in early anthology chapters are streamlined and more accessible, with prompts that invite class discussion before building to essay writing. We designed these features to help you teach with freedom while engaging the students in your classroom today. Read on to learn more about our second edition! Opening Chapters introduce key%u00a0reading%u00a0skills. Chapters 1%u20134 teach the reading and analysis skills key to success in the American literature course. Guided Tour3 1 Rhetorical Analysis To many people, the word rhetoric suggests trickery or deception. They assume that an advertiser is trying to manipulate a consumer, a politician wants to obscure a point, or a spin doctor is spinning a news story. %u201cEmpty rhetoric!%u201d is a common criticism %u2014 and at times, an indictment. Yet the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle (384%u2013322 B.C.E .) defined rhetoric as %u201cthe faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion.%u201d At its best, rhetoric is a thoughtful, reflective activity leading to effective communication, including the rational exchange of differing viewpoints. Those who understand and can use the available methods to persuade an audience of one or many find themselves in a position of strength. They have the tools to resolve conflicts without confrontation, persuade readers or listeners to support their position, or move others to take action. Rhetoric is everywhere. You might use rhetoric to convince a friend that Beyonc%u00e9 is today%u2019s greatest popular musician, record a video for social media explaining to your followers why Night of the Living Dead is the most influential horror movie of all time, or persuade your parents that they should buy you the newest phone. Every essay, political cartoon, photograph, and advertisement is designed to convince you of something. To simplify, we will call all of these texts because they are cultural products that can be %u201cread%u201d: they are investigated rather than simply consumed. We need to be able to %u201cread between the lines,%u201d regardless of whether we%u2019re examining an editorial, a meme, a political cartoon, or an online video. While understanding rhetoric is an important tool for sorting through the information we encounter in the world, there%u2019s an even bigger purpose: informed citizenship. That concept might sound distant and lofty, but it%u2019s essential. Democracy cannot be taken for granted, and it simply doesn%u2019t work without properly informed citizens. Our nation%u2019s founders may have given us the basic tools for creating a democratic society, but a government by consent of the people will always need its people to be well-informed 02_alr2e_54894_ch01_002_043_4pp.indd 3 02/08/24 10:52 AM45 2 Evidence-Based Argument When we discussed argument in the previous chapter, we focused primarily on the rhetorical situation and rhetorical appeals. In this chapter, we will turn our attention to reading full arguments critically by analyzing claims, evidence, and methods of development. Argument What is the meaning of the word %u201cargument%u201d? To many today, it carries connotations of conflict and competition, a zero-sum game where there are winners and losers. Let%u2019s look at the political cartoon on the next page that captures the misconception of argument as a contest between opponents. This cartoon illustrates what happens when antagonism gets in the way of dialogue. The man on the left accuses the one on the right of substituting insults for arguments, yet the inflammatory language that they both use %u2014 %u201cfascist,%u201d %u201ccrazy,%u201d %u201cmoron%u201d %u2014 results in defensive responses. The two figures compete to control the cramped space of the comic panel, and in the end they get no closer to resolving their dispute. The men are arguing, yes, but they are not engaging in rational argument. That%u2019s because argument %u2014 which comes from a Latin root meaning %u201cto enlighten%u201d %u2014 is actually the process of reasoning and discussion intended to develop 03_alr2e_54894_ch02_044_081_5pp.indd 45 02/08/24 9:53 AM119 4 Analysis of Poetry How does poetry differ from fiction? The language and structure of poetry are often more compressed than prose; most poems say a lot in a small amount of space. While both forms of writing convey meaning that runs deeper than the literal, the stories, emotions, and ideas that poetry expresses sometimes seem much less straightforward. As the writer W. H. Auden put it, %u201cPoetry might be defined as the clear expression of mixed feelings.%u201d However, many poems do contain familiar narrative arcs, and all poetry uses language that is rich and that will reward an active reader. Every word matters, which is why it%u2019s a good idea to read a poem more than once in a sitting. As you read poetry, keep in mind some of the ways you will be asked to respond to it. You will often be asked to discuss poetry out loud and share how it made you feel. You will also be asked to closely analyze a poem, initially in short written responses and eventually in an essay %u2014 in other words, you must interpret not just what a poem means, but how that meaning is created. Often, this will involve analyzing the speaker%u2019s attitude toward an idea expressed in the poem. Above all, the key to close analysis is making connections between style and meaning. In this chapter, we suggest three steps you can use to help you begin the study of a new poem: 1. Read for literal meaning. First, we recommend reading a poem at its most literal level to form a basic understanding of it %u2014 this will help you discover the poem%u2019s main subject and will provide the foundation for your analysis. 2. Consider the speaker. Second, we will show you how to identify the speaker of a poem, along with the speaker%u2019s attitude toward the subject. This will help form the basis of your interpretation. 05_alr2e_54894_ch04_118_141_4pp.indd 119 02/08/24 12:14 PM83 3 Analysis of Fiction Humans have told stories for thousands of years. At their simplest, stories entertain,%u00a0and at their most complex, stories capture our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. We all have experience relaying events: what happened last weekend, what happened in the last episode of our favorite show, what happened in the final minutes of the game. Literature, however, weaves together what happens in ways that turn storytelling into an art form; authors incorporate literary elements to share a message or present a theme. In fiction, one character may have the honor (or bear the burden) of narrating the story, or the point of view may be spread among many. Ordinary objects often take on a significance beyond our literal understanding of them. As readers, we then have an opportunity to explore each element on its own and analyze how all of them work together to communicate meaning. We will use %u201cThe Three Sisters%u201d by Sandra Cisneros to explore the major elements of fiction. In this short story, the main character, Esperanza, encounters three wise yet mysterious women. While their arrival in Esperanza%u2019s life follows a tragic death, their message to her foretells a promising life. As you read the story for the first time, try to focus on literal meaning %u2014 what happens? We will then revisit the story for deeper analysis throughout the rest of this section. 04_alr2e_54894_ch03_082_117_4pp.indd 83 02/08/24 11:57 AMCopyright %u00a9 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Not for redistribution.