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3. How does the design of the graph help illustrate just how far behind other countries the United
5
States is?
/
4. Comparison. Based on what you read in “La Gringuita,” how might Alvarez respond to the
findings in this graph?
5. Informing Your Argument. How does this graph relate to the prompt you have been thinking
Narrative
about — What should society or individuals do to ensure that there are not significant
differences in equality or power based on language?

Entering the Conversation

Throughout this Conversation, you have read a variety of texts that deal with lan-
guage and the ways that it relates to power. Now it’s time to enter the conversation by
responding the prompt you’ve been thinking about — What should society or individ-
uals do to ensure that there are not significant differences in equality or power
based on language? Follow the steps below to write your argument.
1. | Building on the Conversation. Locate one additional text on this topic that you
think adds an interesting perspective to this Conversation. This text can be of any type:
an argument, a narrative, a poem, a painting, or even a film clip. Before you decide on
adding this text to the Conversation, be sure that it is a credible and relevant source,
which you can determine by evaluating it with the skills you practiced in Chapter 4
(p. 99). Read and annotate the text carefully, making connections to other texts in the
Conversation and “La Gringuita” (p. 177).

2. | Making a Claim. Look back through the table you created and your notes on
the texts in the conversation and write a statement that reflects your overall position
about what steps society or individuals should take to ensure there are not significant
differences in power based on language. This statement will be your thesis or claim
that you will try to prove in the rest of your argument.
3. | Organizing the Ideas. The texts in this Conversation offer a number of
explanations of how language and power are related. Review the table you have been
keeping throughout this Conversation and identify the texts and quotations that either
directly support or oppose the claim that you wrote in the earlier step.

4. | Writing the Argument. Now that you have a claim that reflects your informed
stance, it is time to write your argument. Be sure that your writing stays focused on
your position on the issue. Refer to at least two Conversation texts, which could
include the additional text you found to support your position. Review Chapter 4
(p. 119) to remind yourself of how to use sources in your own writing and refer to
the Writing an Argument Workshop in Chapter 7 (p. 466) for additional help with
constructing and supporting your argument.
5. | Presenting the Argument (Optional). Once you have written your argument, you
might want to present it to the class or a small group. Review how to write and deliver
a presentation in Chapter 3 (p. 90) and Chapter 7 (p. 479).

194
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Copyright © Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
For review purposes only. Not for redistribution.

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