SUB Gottingen 7210 162 376

99 A 13154

CREATINGAMERICAReading and Writing

Arguments

SECOND EDITION

JOYCE MO.SER and

ANN WATTERSStanford University

PRENTICE HALLUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Contents

Preface xvii

PART IContexts for Reading and Writing Arguments

Chapter 1: Reading and Analyzing Arguments 1

Reading American Cultures 1Persuasion 2Elements of Persuasion 27Persuasion in Diverse Genres 38Critical Reading and Persuasive Writing 46

Chapter 2: Writing and Research 47

Developing Essays 47Integrating Research into Writing 69

PART IIArgument in the American Tradition

Chapter 3: Identities 91

American Identities Through History 92BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Join, OT Die (1754) 94

Franklin's eighteenth-century woodcut, reportedly the firstAmerican cartoon.

Hi

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ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE "Origin of the Anglo-Americans,"(1839) 96

"If we were able to go back to the elements of states, and toexamine the oldest monuments of their history, I doubt notthat we should discover in them the primal cause of the prej-udices, the habits, the ruling passions, and, in short, of allthat constitutes what is called the national character."

JOSEPH KEPPLER The U.S. Hotel Badly Needs a Bouncer (ca. 1890)202

A detailed cartoon from the popular weekly magazine, Puck.

HOWARD CHANDLER CHRISTY Victory Liberty Loan (1919) 104

An early twentieth-century poster to garner support for warbonds.

LUTHER STANDING BEAR "What the Indian Meansto America" (1933) 206

"Tyranny, stupidity, and lack of vision have brought aboutthe situation now alluded to as the 'Indian Problem.' Thereis, I insist, no Indian problem as created by the Indian him-self. Every problem that exists today in regard to the nativepopulation is due to the white man's cast of mind."

RALPH ELLISON Prologue to Invisible Man (1947) 222

"I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those whohaunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh andbone, fiber and liquids—and I might even be said to possessa mind."

J O H N F. KENNEDY "Inaugural Address" (1961) 226

"In the long history of the world, only a few generationshave been granted the role of defending freedom in its hourof maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibil-ity—I welcome it."

ARTURO ISLAS "Thanksgiving Border Crossing" (1990) 220

In this excerpt from the novel Migrant Souls, a MexicanAmerican family celebrates a traditional American holidayin its own way.

ARTHUR M. scHLESiNGER, JR. "The Cult of Ethnicity" (1991)128 '* .

An educator and historian reflects on America's multiethnicheritage and asserts the importance of maintaining a cohe-sive American identity.

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DANIEL o. TAUBE "Aunt Jeannette's Arm: On a Lesson of BeingJewish" (1993) 232

A psychologist and educator reflects on the lessons of thepast and the responsibilities of privilege.

JEANNE WAKATSUKI HOUSTON "A Tapestry of Hope: America'sStrength Was> Is, and Will Be Its Diversity" (1994) 236

Drawing from her own experiences, a graduation speakerexhorts students to find strength in their diversity.

MARTHA SERRANO "Chicana" (1994) 241

"Don't call me Hispanic. Don't call me Latina. Don't call meMexican. Don't call me Mexican American. I want to becalled Chicana. I am mestiza—indigenous and Spanish. Myheritage is struggle and strength."

FILM The Joy Luck Club (1994) 144

The stories of four Chinese American mothers and daughtersare interwoven in a compelling film that traces their families,their challenges, their evolving identities.

Writing Assignments 245

Chapter 4: American Dreams 147

American Dreams Through History 148WILLIAM BRADFORD from History of Plymouth Plantation (1645)

252

One of the first great writers of the colonial period docu-ments English settlement in the New World.

SARTAIN'S UNION MAGAZINE OF LITERATURE & ART Liberty Intro-ducing the Arts to America (1849) 260

An allegorical, feminine, and imaginative visual representa-tion of America.

ANDREW CARNEGIE "Wealth" (1889) 262

Carnegie asserts a number of assumptions; among them,charity is best bestowed on "those who will help them-selves. .. those who desire to improve."

California, the Cornucopia of the World (1889) 2 70

A poster by an unknown artist beckons people to the GoldenState.

sui SIN FAR "In the Land of the Free" (ca. 1900) 272

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A young Chinese immigrant mother deals with differences incultures and values in this ironically titled short story.

LANGSTON HUGHES "Let America Be America Again" (1938)181

"O let America be America again—The land that has never been yet—And yet must be—the land where everyman is free"

MARGARET BOURKE-WHITE There's No Way like the AmericanWay (1937) 184

Bourke-White's ironic Depression-era photograph.

F. SCOTT FITZGERALD "Early Success" (1937) 187

An American writer of fiction turns to the essay form toanalyze success achieved at an early age.

PLEDGE FURNITURE SWEEPSTAKES ADVERTISEMENT Win aHouseful of Beautiful Furniture! (1967) 292

Selling consumers on material symbols of success in a PledgeSweepstakes advertisement.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. "I Have a Dream" (1963) 294

"When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificentwords of the Constitution and the Declaration of Indepen-dence, they were signing a promissory note to which everyAmerican was to fall heir. This note was a promise that allmen would be guaranteed . . . life, liberty, and the pursuit ofhappiness."

WITOLD RYBCZYNSKI "Tomorrowland" (1997) 299

A writer visits Celebration, a community developed by theWalt Disney Company.

JACOB WEISBERG "United Shareholders of America" (1998) 206

An essay on the role of the shareholder-citizen in Americandemocracy—self-sufficient and individualistic, but perhapsto the detriment of civic virtue and community.

CHRIS COUNTRYMAN "Structured Appeal: Let America BeAmerica Again" (1997) 223

A college student analyzes a poem by Langston Hughes.

FILM Avalon (1990) 225

The story of a Jewish American immigrant family in the 1940sand 1950s.

Writing Assignments 227

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Chapter 5: Images of Gender and Family 219

Gender and Family in American History 220Keep Within Compass (ca. 1790) 224 ,

A seventeenth-century etching urging "proper" behavior forwomen.

Enlist: On Which Side of the Window Are YOU? (1917) 227

An American World War I recruitment poster.

Fame Instead of Shame (1944) 229

The famed Charles Atlas advertisement for bodybuilding.

FORD MOTOR co . They'll Know You've Arrived (1958) 232

An advertisement for the infamous Ford Edsel automobile.

JUDGE WILNER Rusk v. State: Court of Special Appeals of Mary-land, 406 A.2d 624 (1979) 233

Arguments in the noted "date rape" case.

KEENAN PECK "When 'Family' Is Not a Household Word" (1988)240

"Although blood relation, marriage, and adoption haveserved as useful shorthands for 'family,' the legal establish-ment must now find categories that can accommodate newliving arrangements without losing all definition."

ALFRED LUBRANO "Bricklayer's Boy" (1989) 245

"Related by blood, we're separated by class, my father and I.Being the white-collar son of a blue-collar man means beingthe hinge on the door between two ways of life."

THOMAS STODDARD "Marriage Is a Fundamental Right" (1989)252

"In an increasingly loveless world, those who wish to com-mit themselves to a relationship founded upon devotionshould be encouraged, not scorned. Government has no le-gitimate interest in how that love is expressed."

BRUCE FEIN "Reserve Marriage for Heterosexuals" (1990) 253

"The law should encourage male-female marriage vows overhomosexual attachments in the interests of physically, men-tally, and psychologically healthy children, the nation's mostvaluable asset."

SUSAN FALUDI "Blame It on Feminism" (1991) 256

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"The truth is that the last decade has seen a powerful counterassault on women's rights, a backlash, an attempt to retractthe handful of small and hard-won victories that the feministmovement did manage to win for women."

MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN "A Family Legacy" (1992) 270

"The legacies that parents and church and teachers left to mygeneration of Black children were priceless but not material:a living faith reflected in daily service, the discipline of hardwork and stick-to-it-ness, and a capacity to struggle in theface of adversity."

MARY PIPHER "Saplings in the Storm" (1994) 276

A psychologist examines reasons why young women'svoices become silenced.

JOHN wu "Making and Unmaking the 'Model Minority'" (1994)287

"The model minority myth precludes the possibility thatsome Asian Americans may not be upwardly mobile andsuccessful. Yet our parents expect us to become upwardlymobile and successful. Our parents' expectations personalizethe society's model minority expectations for us."

FILM Mi familia (My Family) (1995) 292

A story of three generations of a Mexican American family inSouthern California.

Writing Assignments 293

Chapter 6: Work and Play 295

Work and Play Through History 297

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN from Autobiography (1771) 299

"As I knew, or thought I knew, what was right and wrong, Idid not see why I might not always do the one and avoid theother. But I soon found I had undertaken a Task of more Dif-ficulty than I had imagined. While my Care was employ'd inguarding against one Fault, I was often surpriz'd by an-other."

CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN from Women and Economics(1898) 305

"Each woman born, re-humanized by the current of race ac-tivity carried on by her father and re-womanized by her tra-ditional position, has had to live over again in her own

Contents ix

person the same process of restriction, repression, denial; thesmothering 'no' which crushed down all her human desiresto create, to discover, to learn, to express, to advance."

JACOB RIIS Two Women Sewing (ca. 1907) 308

A photographer documents sweatshop labor in New YorkCity's Lower East Side.

DAVID NASAW from Going Out (1994) 320

A writer explores the roots of American mass entertainmentin this social history.

HAWAIIAN TOURIST BOARD Duke Kahanamoku (1914) 316

A postcard to capture interest in the exotic and appealingHawaiian islands.

Physical Culture (1927) 318

This magazine cover of a physically fit "cover girl" embodiesthe publisher's philosophy: A healthy body is a prerequisitefor moral excellence.

WOODY GUTHRIE "Union Maid" (1940) 320

A pro-union (and still popular) song dedicated to womenworkers.

STUDS TERKEL from Working (1972) 322

An oral history of Mr. Bates, a stonemason.

GLORIA STEINEM "The Importance of Work" (1983) 328

"Anyone who has ever experienced dehumanized life onwelfare or any other confidence-shaking dependency knowsthat a paid job may be preferable to the dole, even when thehandout is coming from a family member. Yet the will andself-confidence to work on one's own can diminish as depen-dency and fear increase."

LEONARD KOPPETT from Sports Illusion, Sports Reality (1994) 334

In his essay "The Poison of Amateurism," a writer suggeststhat amateurism in sports is really an "institutionalization ofhypocrisy."

SUSAN K. CAHN from Coming on Strong (1994) 339

An educator poses questions about professionalizingwomen's sports in her essay "You've Come a Long Way,Maybe."

MAGAZINE ADVERTISEMENT Motrin Spoken Here (1998) 345

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A product used to treat pain is pitched through the image ofa worker.

JORGE FLORES "From Necessary to Unwanted: An Analysis onthe Anti-Mexican American Movement During the Great De-

~ pression" (1997) 347

A college student researches labor and immigration issues ofthe Depression.

FILM Jerry Maguire (1997) 355

A sports agent struggles with disillusionment and moral re-covery.

Writing Assignments 356

Chapter 7: Justice and Civil Liberties 359

Justice and Civil Liberties Through History 360

ANDREW HAMILTON "In Defense of Freedom of the Press"

(1735) 364A core principle of American democracy is articulated in thisfamous case.

THOMAS JEFFERSON The Declaration of Independence (1776)368

"We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are cre-ated equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with in-herent and inalienable rights; that among these are life,liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

HENRY DAVID THOREAU from Civil Disobedience (1850) 374

"It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so muchas for the right. The only obligation which I have a right toassume, is to do at any time what I think right."

FREDERICK DOUGLASS "Independence Day Speech atRochester" (1852) 382

"The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity, and inde-pendence bequeathed by your fathers is shared by you, notby me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you hasbrought stripes and death to me. This fourth of July is yours,not mine."

SUSAN B. ANTHONY "Women's Right to Vote" (1873) 387

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"The only question left to be settled now is: Are women per-sons? I scarcely believe any of our opponents will have thehardihood to say they are not. Being persons, then, womenare citizens, and no State has a right to make any new law, orto enforce any old law, which shall abridge their privileges."

u.s. SUPREME COURT Plessy v. Ferguson (1894) 394

"If the civil and political rights of both races be equal, onecannot be inferior to the other civilly or politically. If one racebe inferior to the other socially, the Constitution of theUnited States cannot put them upon the same plane."

EUDORA WELTY Dolls (1935) 399

This photograph graphically represents the pain and prob-lem of prejudice in the image of two African American young-sters—clutching white dolls.

N O R M A N ROCKWELL Freedom of Speech (1943) 401

One of a series entitled "The Four Freedoms," this paintingwas also one of Rockwell's many covers for The SaturdayEvening Post.

u.s. SUPREME COURT Brown v. Board of Education (1954) 403

"Does segregation of children in public schools solely on thebasis of race, even though the physical facilities and other'tangible' factors may be equal, deprive the children of theminority group of equal educational opportunities? We be-lieve that it does."

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. "Letter from Birmingham Jail"(1963) 406

"For years now I have heard the word 'Wait!' It rings in theear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This 'Wait' hasalmost always meant 'Never.' We must come to see, with oneof our distinguished jurists, that 'justice too long delayed isjustice denied.'"

JOSHUA QUITTNER "Unshackling Net Speech" (1997) 423

An article on the tension between free speech and protectionof children using the Internet.

FILM The Long Walk Home (1995) 427

Two families, one African American, one European Ameri-can, experience the Montgomery bus boycott.

Writing Assignments 428

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Chapter 8: War and the Enemy 431

War and the Enemy Through History 432

Creating War and the Enemy Through Persuasive Language 434

THOMAS PAINE "These Are the Times That Try Men's Souls"(1776) 435

"I call not upon a few, but upon all: not on this state or thatstate, but on every state; up and help us; lay your shouldersto the wheel; better have too much force than too little."

ABRAHAM LINCOLN "The Gettysburg Address" (1863) 438

"The world will little note, nor long remember, what we sayhere, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us theliving, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished workwhich they who fought here have thus far so nobly ad-vanced."

MARK TWAIN "The War Prayer" (1904-1905) 439

"It was a time of great and exalting excitement. The countrywas up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned theholy fire of patriotism; the drums were beating, the bandsplaying, the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackershissing and spluttering."

"We Smash 'Em HARD" (1918) 443

Wartime advertisement for White Owl Cigars.

"Deliver Us from Evil" (ca. 1940) 445

World War II-era anti-Nazi poster.

FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT "Pearl Harbor Address" (1941)446

"Yesterday, December 7,1941—a date which will live in in-famy—the United States of America was suddenly and de-liberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire ofJapan."

EDWARD T. ADAMS Saigon Execution (1969) 449

This famed photograph of a summary execution won the1969 Pulitzer Prize for news photography.

HUYNH CONG " N I C K " UT The Terror of War (1973) 452

This Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph captures the suffer-ing of the children of war.

JACQUELINE NAVARRA RHOADS "Nurses in Vietnam" (1987)453

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"I didn't really have much time to worry about right andwrong back then, because during these mass-cals we'd be upfor 36 hours at a stretch. Nobody wanted to quit until the lastsurgery case was stabilized. By that time, we were emotion-ally and physically numb. You couldn't see clearly; youcouldn't react."

JEFF ZORN "Demonizing in the Gulf War: Reading the Arche-types" (1991) 464

An educator examines the process of creating images of po-litical enemies.

JEREMY KASSIS "Rhetorical Divisiveness in Nation-Building andWar: An Analysis of FDR's 'Pearl Harbor Address'" (1994) 468

"The national tide had turned against Japan upon the newsof the bombing, but FDR's speech wove a subtle public tap-estry of logic and emotions with threads of American justiceand history to whip up public fervor against the Empire ofJapan, to name it 'enemy.'"

PETER c. DOUGLAS "Intelligent Propaganda: Deliver Us fromEvil" (1998) 472

A student writer analyzes a highly effective propagandaposter.

FILM Casablanca (1942) 475

A classic American film about the struggles of war that occurbehind the scenes of battle.

Writing Assignments 476

Chapter 9: Frontiers 477

' Frontiers Through History 478

SARAH KEMBLE KNIGHT from The Journal of Madam Knight (1704)481

An enterprising woman records her experience of frontiertravel.

from The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) 489

A document marking the end of the Mexican-American Warbut ultimately failing to guarantee civil rights to Mexicansliving in the disputed areas.

MARK TWAIN from Roughing It (1872) 493

"We were spinning along through Kansas, and in the courseof an hour and a half we were fairly abroad on the great

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Plains. Just here the land was rolling—a grand sweep of reg-ular elevations and depressions as far as the eye couldreach—like the stately heave and swell of the ocean's bosomafter a storm."

ALBERT BIERSTADT Giant Redwood Trees of California (1874) 500

A popular nineteenth-century painting by an artist re-nowned for his depictions of nature in the American West.

POLICE GAZETTE Indian Treachery and Bloodshed (1891) 502

"The action teaches the lesson that if the Sioux are of any useat all they should be fairly dealt with, and if not, that theyshould at once be given free passes to the happy huntinggrounds. As they speak highly of the happy huntinggrounds, it might be as well to start them on the journey inany case."

FREDERICK JACKSON TURNER "The Significance of the Frontierin American History" (1893) 505

"American social development has been continually begin-ning over again on the frontier. This perennial rebirth, thisfluidity of American life, this expansion westward with itsnew opportunities, its continuous touch with the simplicityof primitive society, furnish the forces dominating Americancharacter."

RICHARD HOFSTADTER "The Thesis Disputed" (1949) 524

"It became plain, as new thought and research was broughtto bear upon the problem, that the frontier theory, as an ana-lytic device, was a blunt instrument. The terms with whichthe Turnerians dealt—the frontier, the West, individualism,the American character—were vague at the outset."

WALLACE STEGNER "Coda: Wilderness Letter" (1960) 529

"We need wilderness preserved—as much of it as is still left,and as many kinds—because it was the challenge againstwhich our character as a people was formed. The reminderand the reassurance that it is still there is good for our spiri-tual health even if we never once in ten years set foot in it."

JOAN D I D I O N "Notes from a Native Daughter" (1965) 525

A writer and California native is fascinated by the idea of theWest.

LOUISE ERDRICH "Dear John Wayne" (1984) 535

"August and the drive-in picture is packed.We lounge on the hood of the Pontiac

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surrounded by the slow-burning spirals they sellat the window, to vanquish the hordes of mosquitoes.Nothing works."

JONATHAN RABAN "The Next Last Frontier" (1993) 537

A contemporary English writer explores the Western statestwo hundred years after Madam Knight.

FILM Unforgiven (1993) 544

A film with traditional elements of Westerns—hero, ladies indistress, gunfighting—that both revises and validates themythic West.

Writing Assignments 545

Index of Authors and Titles 550

Index of Rhetorical Terms 554