If you look at the blog from the end of last week, I promised a long awaited notebook quiz. Tomorrow is the day. It'll be a quick one, but I would want to be sure I brushed up on the material. Read the old blog if you are unsure of the content.
Good discussion today on the Montana and Smith articles. While most of you concluded that Smith's presentation of the information was the more valid one, the key thing I wanted you to see is that it is important to find out who is writing what you are reading. Does the writer have credibility? What is his/her stake in writing the article? Is it overly opinionated? Biased? A lot of the material you read will be opinionated. Some might even be biased. There is nothing wrong with either if the writer can support his/her opinion with evidence and if you are aware of the bias while you are reading it. That way you can come to a fair conclusion on where you stand on the topic.
I also hope you saw the power of voice. Montana was dripping in it! I loved the confident , in-your-face attitude that pervaded the entire piece--the first time I read it, that is. My second reading allowed me to look beyond the flair and flash and see that most of what he preached had little backing. A closer reading revealed him to be a loud mouth with a bullhorn. Unfortunately today, the loudest screamers tend to get the most attention. Just watch any talk show (politics, sports, etc.) or listen to any talk radio station. They are all overloaded with bombastic individuals in love with the sounds of their voices. Facts? Support? Who needs them? At least that's what they believe. It takes a wise, educated viewer/listener to wade through the style and find the substance.
We'll finish our Ashby discussion, take that quiz, enjoy a Rudyard Kipling poem, synthesize our ideas from "Harrison Bergeron,"Flowers for Algernon", the three steroid articles, and the poem, and maybe have a bit of time for some nonfiction reading. How far are you in your book? QBTs can start Monday! (Two weeks already?!?!)
See you tomorrow.
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