seyler_fm_preface

READReasonWriteAN ARGUMENT TEXT AND READER

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EIGHTH EDITION

Dorothy U. Seyler

READReasonWriteAN ARGUMENT TEXT AND READER

Boston Burr Ridge, IL Dubuque, IA New York San Francisco St. LouisBangkok Bogotá Caracas Kuala Lumpur Lisbon London Madrid Mexico CityMilan Montreal New Delhi Santiago Seoul Singapore Sydney Taipei Toronto

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McGraw-Hill Higher EducationA Division of The McGraw-Hill Companies

Published by McGraw-Hill, an imprint of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of theAmericas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright © 2008. All rights reserved. No part of this publicationmay be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or re-trieval system, without the prior written consent of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., including,but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for dis-tance learning.

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ISBN 978-0-07-353320-9

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataSeyler, Dorothy U.

Read, reason, write / Dorothy U. Seyler.--8th ed.p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN 978-0-07-353320-91. English language—Rhetoric. 2. Persuasion (Rhetoric) 3. College readers. 4. Report

writing. I. Title.PE1408.S464 2006808' .0427—dc22

2006049980www.mhhe.com

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DOROTHY U. SEYLER is Professor of English at Northern

Virginia Community College. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the

College of William and Mary, Dr. Seyler holds advanced degrees

from Columbia University and the State University of New York

at Albany. She taught at Ohio State University, the University of

Kentucky, and Nassau Community College before moving with

her family to Northern Virginia.

She has coauthored Introduction to Literature in its second edi-

tion. She is the author of Understanding Argument, Doing Research

(second edition), The Reading Context and Steps to College Reading

(both in their third editions), and Patterns of Reflection (now in its

sixth edition). In addition, Professor Seyler has published articles

in professional journals and popular magazines. She enjoys tennis

and golf, traveling, and writing about both sports and travel.

v

AbouttheAuthor

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Contents

vii

Preface xxi

SECTION 1 CRITICAL READING AND ANALYSIS 1

Chapter 1 WRITERS AND THEIR SOURCES 3Reading, Writing, and the Contexts of Argument 3Responses to Sources 4Abraham Lincoln, “The Gettysburg Address” 5

The Response to Content 5

The Analytic Response 6

The Judgment or Evaluation Response 7

The Research Response 7

Ellen Goodman, “In Praise of a Snail’s Pace” 8Active Reading: Use Your Mind! 10

Guidelines for Active Reading 10

Richard Morin, “Political Ads and the Voters TheyAttract” 11Understanding Your Sources 13Writing Summaries 13

Guidelines for Writing Summaries 14

Writing Paraphrases 16Bertrand Russell, from “A Free Man’s Worship” 17Acknowledging Sources Informally 17

Referring to People and Sources 18

Lev Grossman, “The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth” 19Presenting Direct Quotations: A Guide to Form and Style 21

Reasons for Using Quotation Marks 21

A Brief Guide to Quoting 21

For Debate 24Robert J. Samuelson, “Century of Freedom” 24David Rieff, “Their Hearts and Minds?” 27Suggestions for Discussion and Writing 30

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Chapter 2 RESPONDING CRITICALLY TO SOURCES 33Traits of the Critical Reader/Thinker 33Examining the Context of a Source 34

Who Is the Author? 34

What Kind of Audience Is Addressed? 34

What Is the Author’s Purpose in Writing? 35

What Are the Writer’s Sources of Information? 35

Understanding Attitude 36Denotative and Connotative Word Choice 37

Recognizing Tone 39

Analyzing Style 40Word Choice 40

Sentence Structure 41

Metaphors 42

Organization and Examples 43

Repetition 43

Hyperbole, Understatement, and Irony 44

Quotation Marks, Italics, and Capital Letters 44

Dave Barry, “Remote Control” 45Writing about Style 47

Understanding Purpose and Audience 48

Planning the Essay 48

Drafting the Style Analysis 49

A Checklist for Revision 49

Ellen Goodman, “Choosing Families” 50Student Essay: “Goodman’s Feast of Style” 52Combining Summary, Analysis, and Evaluation: The Review 55

Knowing Your Audience 55

Understanding Your Purpose 55

Establishing a General Plan 55

Drafting the Review 56

Annotated Review: Lynda Ransdell, “More Than a Game:One Woman’s Fight for Gender Equity in Sport” 56Student Review: “Winchester’s Alchemy: Two Men and aBook” by Ian Habel 57Analyzing Two or More Sources 59

Guidelines for Preparing a Contrast Essay 60

Peter Rainer, “Knightley, in Shining Armour” 61

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For Reading and Analysis 63Andrew Vachss, “Watch Your Language” 63Catherine Getches, “I Have a Chip, but It’s Not on MyShoulder” 66Suggestions for Discussion and Writing 69

SECTION 2 THE WORLD OF ARGUMENT 71

Chapter 3 UNDERSTANDING THE BASICSOF ARGUMENT 73Characteristics of Argument 73

Argument Is Conversation with a Goal 74

Argument Takes a Stand on an Arguable Issue 74

Argument Uses Reasons and Evidence 74

Argument Incorporates Values 74

Argument Recognizes the Topic’s Complexity 74

The Shape of Argument: The Aristotelian Model 75The Shape of Argument: The Toulmin Model 76The Language of Claims and Support 77

Facts 78

Inferences 78

Judgments 79

Richard Morin, “Paradise Lost” 80Learning More about the Toulmin Model of Argument 82

Claims 83

Grounds (or Data or Evidence) 84

Warrants 85

Backing 85

Qualifiers 86

Rebuttals 86

Using Toulmin’s Terms to Analyze Arguments 87Les Schobert, “Let the Zoo’s Elephants Go” 87Using Toulmin’s Terms as a Guide to Structuring Arguments 89For Debate 90Barrett Seaman, “How Bingeing Became the NewCollege Sport” 90Joseph A. Califano, Jr., “Don’t Make Teen DrinkingEasier” 92Suggestions for Discussion and Writing 95

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Chapter 4 WRITING EFFECTIVE ARGUMENTS 97Know Your Audience 97

Who Is My Audience? 98

What Will My Audience Know about My Topic? 98

Where Does My Audience Stand on the Issue? 98

How Should I Speak to My Audience? 99

Irony or Sarcasm? 100

Understand Your Writing Purpose 100Move from Topic to Claim to Possible Support 101

Selecting a Topic 101

Drafting a Claim 102

Listing Possible Grounds 103

Listing Grounds for the Other Side or Another Perspective 103

Considering the Rogerian or Conciliatory Argument 104

Planning Your Approach 105

Draft Your Argument 106Guidelines for Drafting 106

Revise Your Draft 107Rewriting 107

Editing 108

A Few Words about Words and Tone 109

Proofreading 110


For Analysis and Debate 111Deborah Tannen, “We Need Higher Quality Outrage” 111Sidney Hook, “In Defense of Voluntary Euthanasia” 114Peter A. Singer and Mark Siegler, “Euthanasia: ACritique” 117Suggestions for Discussion and Writing 124

Chapter 5 LEARNING MORE ABOUT ARGUMENT:INDUCTION, DEDUCTION, ANALOGY, ANDLOGICAL FALLACIES 127Induction 127Mark A. Norell and Xu Xing, “The Varieties ofTyrannosaurs” 129Deduction 130“The Declaration of Independence” 135Analogy 138Zbigniew Brzezinski, “War and Football” 140

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Arguments That Do Not Work: Logical Fallacies 142Causes of Illogic 142

Fallacies That Result from Oversimplifying 143

Fallacies That Result from Ignoring the Issue 148

Evaluating the Arguments of Others: The Refutation Essay 153

Guidelines for Preparing a Refutation Essay 154

David Sadker, “Gender Games” 154Robert H. Bork, “Addicted to Health” 157For Debate and Analysis 161Colbert I. King, “‘Judicial Activism’ to Be Thankful For” 161Ruth Marcus, “Diversity Gets Benched” 164Suggestions for Discussion and Writing 167

Chapter 6 READING, ANALYZING, AND WRITINGDEFINITION ARGUMENTS AND POSITIONPAPERS 169The Definition Argument: Debating the Meaning of Words 170

When to Define 170

Guidelines for Evaluating Definition Arguments 171

Preparing a Definition Argument 171


Student Essay: Laura Mullins, “Paragon or Parasite?” 173The Position Paper: Examining Claims of Value 176

Characteristics of the Position Paper 176

Guidelines for Analyzing a Claim of Value 176

Supporting a Claim of Value 177


Student Essay: “Examining the Issue of Gun Control” by Chris Brown 179For Debate 182Charles Krauthammer, “Setting Limits on Tolerance” 182Colbert I. King, “You Can’t Fight Terrorism with Racism” 184Suggestions for Discussion and Writing 188

Chapter 7 READING, ANALYZING, AND USING VISUALSAND STATISTICS IN ARGUMENT 191Responding to Visual Arguments 192

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Guidelines for Reading Political Cartoons 192

Guidelines for Reading Advertisements 192

Reading Graphics 196Guidelines for Reading Graphics 196

The Uses of Authority and Statistics 200Judging Authorities 200

Understanding and Evaluating Statistics 201

Guidelines for Evaluating Statistics 201

Writing the Investigative Argument 205Gathering and Analyzing Evidence 205

Planning and Drafting the Essay 205

Guidelines for Writing an Investigative Argument 206

Analyzing Evidence: The Key to an Effective Argument 206

Preparing Graphics 207


Student Essay: “Buying Time” by Garrett Berger 208For Reading and Analysis 212Gregory Rodriguez, “Mongrel America” 212Annette Fuentes, “Discipline and Punish” 216Suggestions for Discussion and Writing 223

Chapter 8 READING, ANALYZING, AND WRITING CAUSALAND PROBLEM/SOLUTION ARGUMENTS 225Arguments about Cause 226

Characteristics of Causal Arguments 226

Mill’s Methods for Investigating Causes 227

Guidelines for Analyzing Causal Arguments 229

Preparing a Causal Argument 230


Eugene Robinson, “A Specious ‘Experiment’” 232The Problem/Solution Argument: Exploring Public PolicyIssues 234

Characteristics of Problem/Solution Arguments 235

Guidelines for Analyzing Problem/Solution Arguments 235

Preparing a Problem/Solution Argument 236


James Q. Wilson, “A New Strategy for the War on Drugs” 238For Analysis and Debate 242

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Lester C. Thurow, “Why Women Are Paid Less Than Men” 242Beth Shulman, “Four Myths, 30 Million Potential Votes” 244Suggestions for Discussion and Writing 249

SECTION 3 THE RESEARCHED AND FORMALLYDOCUMENTED ARGUMENT 251

Chapter 9 GETTING STARTED AND LOCATING SOURCES:IN THE LIBRARY, ONLINE, IN THE FIELD 253Types of Research Projects 254

Expository 254

Analytic 254

Argumentative/Persuasive 254

Finding a Workable Topic 255What Type of Paper Am I Preparing? 255

Who Is My Audience? 255

What Are the Assignment’s Time and Length Constraints? 256

What Kinds of Topics Should I Avoid? 256

How Can I Select a Good Topic? 256

How Do I Get Started When There Are Few Restrictions? 257

What Is the “Right” Size for a Topic? 257

Writing a Tentative Claim or Research Proposal 258Preparing a Working Bibliography 260

Basic Form for Books 261

Basic Form for Articles 261

Knowing Your Library 262Locating Books 263

Using the Reference Collection 265

Basic Reference Tools 265

Using Indexes to Periodicals: In Print and Online 267The Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature 267

The New York Times Index 267

Online Databases 268

Guidelines for Using Online Databases 269

Indexes to Academic Journals: In Print and Online 271

Searching the Internet 272Guidelines for Searching the Web 273

Doing Field Research 274

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Federal, State, and Local Government Documents 274

Correspondence 274

Interviews 275

Lectures 275

Films, Tapes, Television 275

Surveys, Questionnaires, and Original Research 276

Chapter 10 EXPLORING SOURCES, SELECTING SUPPORT,AND DOCUMENTING (USING MLA) 279Using Sources Effectively 279Evaluating Sources, Maintaining Credibility 280

Guidelines for Evaluating Sources 281

Documenting Sources to Avoid Plagiarism 282What Is Common Knowledge? 283

Taking Notes on Sources 284Guidelines for Effective Note Taking 285

Should I Quote or Paraphrase or Use Photocopies of Sources? 286

Using “Tags” or “Signal Phrases” to Avoid MisleadingDocumentation 286

Guidelines for Appropriately Using Borrowed Material 287

MLA In-Text (Parenthetical) Documentation 289Guidelines for Using Parenthetical Documentation 289

The Simplest Patterns of Parenthetical Documentation 290

Placement of Parenthetical Documentation 290

Parenthetical Citations of Complex Sources 291

Additional Information Footnotes or Endnotes 293

“See Also” Footnotes or Endnotes 294

Preparing MLA Citations for a “Works Cited” Page 294Forms for Books: Citing the Complete Book 294

Forms for Books: Citing Part of a Book 298

Forms for Periodicals: Articles in Journals 300

Forms for Periodicals: Articles in Magazines 300

Forms for Periodicals: Newspapers 301

Citing Other Print and Nonprint Sources 302

Citing Electronic Sources 306

Chapter 11 WRITING THE RESEARCHED ESSAY 315Organizing the Paper 315The Formal Outline 317

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Drafting the Paper 317Plan Your Time 317

Handle Documentation as You Draft 317

Choose an Appropriate Writing Style 317

Write Effective Beginnings 319

Avoid Ineffective Openings 321

Compose Solid, Unified Paragraphs 321

Write Effective Conclusions 326

Avoid Ineffective Conclusions 326

Choose an Effective Title 327

Revising the Paper: A Checklist 328Rewriting 328

Editing 328

Proofreading 329

The Completed Paper 329Sample Student Research Essay 330

Chapter 12 USING OTHER STYLES OF DOCUMENTATION(APA AND MORE) 341Author/Year or APA Style 342

APA Style: In-Text Citations 342

APA Style: Preparing a List of References 344Form for Books 345

Form for Articles 346

Electronic Sources 347

Sample Student Essay in APA Style 348Footnote or Endnote Style 358

In-Text Citations 358

Footnote/Endnote Form: First (Primary) Reference 359

Sample Footnotes/Endnotes 360

Footnote/Endnote Form: Short Forms 363

SECTION 4 A COLLECTION OF READINGS 365

Chapter 13 THE MEDIA: IMAGE AND REALITY 369Jean Kilbourne, “In Your Face . . . All Over the Place!” 370Rob Walker, “Social Lubricant: How a MarketingCampaign Became the Catalyst for a Societal Debate” 379

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Robin Givhan, “Dove Look Is Real, but Does It Inspire?” 381Michelle Cottle, “Turning Goys into Girls” 384Peggy Noonan, “The Blogs Must Be Crazy” 391Eugene Robinson, “Instant Revisionism” 395Derrick Speight, “Of Losers and Moles: You Think RealityTV Just Writes Itself?” 397

Chapter 14 SOCIETY AND VALUES IN AN IPOD WORLD 403Patricia Dalton, “We’re Only Human: And None of Us AreMade to Run Like Machines” 404Simson Garfinkel, “Privacy Under Attack” 408Cary Sherman, “The Issue Is Piracy, Not Privacy” 418George F. Will, “IPod’s Missed Manners” 419Ruth Marcus, “PowerPoint: Killer App?” 422Andrew Sullivan, “Society Is Dead: We Have Retreatedinto the iWorld” 424Joel Achenbach, “Out of the Woods: Today’s Kids Can’tSee the Forest for the MTV” 427

Chapter 15 VIOLENCE AND AMERICAN SOCIETY 431Karen Wright, “Guns, Lies, and Video” 432Richard Rhodes, “Hollow Claims About Fantasy Violence” 436Katherine Ellison, “What’s Up Doc? A Bloody Outrage,That’s What” 439Brent Staples, “How Hip-Hop Music Lost Its Way andBetrayed Its Fans” 443Gloria Steinem, “Supremacy Crimes” 445Robert F. Drinan, “Small Weapons Pose a Global Threat” 449Jonathan Cowan, “False Choices on Gun Safety” 452

Chapter 16 SPORTS TALK—SPORTS BATTLES 457David Oliver Relin, “Who’s Killing Kids’ Sports?” 458Gordon Gee, “My Plan to Put the College Back in College Sports” 462Sally Jenkins, “Education, Athletics: The Odd Couple” 465Rick Reilly, “Disadvantage, Women” 468Frank Deford, “Solving the Title IX Problem” 471

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Charles Krauthammer, “The Greatness Gap” 473John Feinstein, “Farewell to a True Champion” 475

Chapter 17 QUALITY AND FAIRNESS IN THE AMERICANCLASSROOM 479Daniel Henninger, “Doing the Numbers on Public SchoolsAdds Up to Zero” 480Diane Ravitch, “Put Teachers to the Test” 483Bob Herbert, “Left Behind, Way Behind” 486Bob Somerby, “Back-to-School Blues” 488James P. Pinkerton, “A Grand Compromise” 490Mary Sue Coleman, “The Digital Library Plan: Riches WeMust Share” 494Nick Taylor, “The Digital Library Plan: But Not at Writers’Expense” 496

Chapter 18 CENSORSHIP AND FREE SPEECH DEBATES 501Mark Mathabane, “If You Assign My Book, Don’t Censor It” 502Ken Dautrich and John Bare, “Why the First Amendment(and Journalism) Might Be in Trouble” 506Mark Davis, “A Little Civility, Please” 510Robert O’Neil, “What Limits Should Campus NetworksPlace on Pornography?” 512Andrew J. McClurg, “Online Lessons on UnprotectedSex” 516Anne Applebaum, “Let a Thousand Filters Bloom” 518David McHardy Reid, “Business Is Business” 521

Chapter 19 ETHICS AND THE LAW—CURRENT ANDENDURING DEBATES 525Molly Ivins, “Congress Should Stay Out of Private FamilyMatters” 527Wesley J. Smith, “The Case Heard Round the Web” 529Linda J. Collier, “Adult Crime, Adult Time” 533Richard Cohen, “Kids Who Kill Are Still Kids” 536Joseph Bernstein, “Animal Rights v. Animal Research: A Modest Proposal” 538Timothy Sprigge, “A Reply to Joseph Bernstein” 538Ernest van den Haag, “The Ultimate Punishment: A Defense” 544Hugo Adam Bedau, “Death Is Different” 550

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Chapter 20 MARRIAGE AND GENDER ISSUES: THE DEBATESCONTINUE 565Linda J. Waite, “Social Science Finds: ‘Marriage Matters’” 566Michael Kinsley, “Abolish Marriage” 574Andrew Sullivan, “The Conservative Case for GayMarriage” 577Lisa Schiffren, “Gay Marriage, an Oxymoron” 579Amanda Ripley, “Who Says a Woman Can’t Be Einstein?” 582Susan E. Reed, “Lawsuits Won’t Break That Glass Ceiling” 587Judith D. Auerbach, “The Overlooked Victims of AIDS” 591

Chapter 21 SCIENCE—AND THE POLITICS OF SCIENCE 595Laura K. Donohue, “Censoring Science Won’t Make UsAny Safer” 596Glenn D. Shean, “Psychology and the Environment” 601Anna Quindlen, “Don’t Mess with Mother” 604President’s Council on Bioethics, “Human Cloning andHuman Dignity: An Ethical Inquiry” 606Joseph Bottum, “The Horror” 617Lee M. Silver, “The Virtual Child” 621Patricia J. Williams, “Genes, Genius, Genies” 629Daniel C. Dennett, “Show Me the Science” 632

Chapter 22 STORM CLOUDS OVER AMERICA: WHERE AREWE HEADED? 639Tunku Varadarajan, “That Feeling of Being UnderSuspicion” 640Karina Rollins, “No Compromises: Why We Are Going toLose the War on Terror—and How We Could Win” 642Irshad Manji, “When Denial Can Kill” 648Wynton Marsalis, “Saving America’s Soul Kitchen” 650David Brooks, “The Bursting Point” 652E. J. Dionne, Jr. “When Government Is Good” 655Katha Pollitt, “Intelligible Design” 657Jack Welch, “The Five Stages of Crisis Management” 660

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Chapter 23 SOME CLASSIC ARGUMENTS 667Jonathan Swift, “A Modest Proposal” 668Henry David Thoreau, “Civil Disobedience” 675Elizabeth Cady Stanton, “Declaration of Sentiments” 691John Stuart Mill, from “On Liberty” 693George Orwell, “A Hanging” 701Martin Luther King, Jr., “I Have a Dream” 705

Appendix UNDERSTANDING LITERATURE 711Getting the Facts: Active Reading, Summary, andParaphrase 712Paul Lawrence Dunbar, “Promise” 712Langston Hughes, “Early Autumn” 713

Summary of “Early Autumn” 715

William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 116” 715Paraphrase of “Sonnet 116” 716

Seeing Connections: Analysis 717Analysis of Narrative Structure 718

Analysis of Character 719

Analysis of Elements of Style and Tone 719

Drawing Conclusions: Interpretation 720Writing about Literature 720Andrew Marvell, “To His Coy Mistress” 721Christopher Marlowe, “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” 722Sir Walter Raleigh, “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd” 723A. E. Housman, “Is My Team Ploughing” 724Amy Lowell, “Taxi” 726Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour” 726Ursula K. Le Guin, “The Ones Who Walk Away fromOmelas” 729Susan Glaspell, Trifles 734Sample Student Literary Analysis 752Suggestions for Discussion and Writing 757

Credits 758

Index 762

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PrefaceI have written in previous prefaces to Read, Reason, Write that being asked to pre-pare a new edition is much like being asked back to a friend’s house: Althoughyou count on it, you are still delighted when the invitation comes. Well, the sev-enth edition kept old friendships and made new ones as well, so here I am, writ-ing a preface to the eighth edition, more than twenty years after first presentingthis text to college students and their instructors. Over these years, Read, Reason,Write has grown in size—most books have—but also in stature within the teach-ing community and in its value to students. Of course, neither this text nor I amgetting older, only better, as this eighth edition demonstrates!

Although some important new material strengthens the eighth edition, theessential character of Read, Reason, Write remains the same. This text still com-bines instruction in critical reading and analysis, argument, and researchstrategies with a rich collection of readings providing practice for these skillsand new ideas and insights for readers. A key purpose of Read, Reason, Writeremains to help students develop into better writers of the kinds of papers theyare most often required to write, both in college and in the workplace: sum-maries, analyses, reports, arguments, and documented essays. To fulfill thiskey purpose, the text must do more than provide instruction and opportunitiesfor practice; the text must demonstrate to student writers that these seeminglydisparate skills connect in important ways. Read, Reason, Write remains a newkind of text because it shows students the interrelatedness of reading, analytic,argumentative, and research skills and seeks, in connecting these skills, alwaysto extend each student’s critical thinking ability.

FEATURES OF READ, REASON, WRITE

• An emphasis on good reading skills for effective arguing and writing.• Instruction, models, and practice in understanding reading context and

analyzing elements of style.• Instruction, models, and practice in writing summaries and book reviews.• Focus on argument as contextual: written (or spoken) to a specific audience

with the expectation of counterarguments.• Explanations and models of various types of arguments that bridge the gap

between an understanding of logical structures and the ways we actuallywrite arguments.

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• Presentation of Aristotelian, Toulmin, and Rogerian models of argument asuseful guides to analyzing the arguments of others and organizing one’sown arguments.

• In-depth discussion of logical argument, including extensive coverage ofinduction and deduction.

• Guidelines and revision boxes throughout the text that provide an easyreference for students.

• Instruction, models, and practice in researching and evaluating sources andin composing and documenting researched papers.

• A rich collection of readings, both timely and classic, that provide examplesof the varied uses of language and strategies for argument.

• A brief but comprehensive introduction to reading and analyzing literature,found in the Appendix.

NEW FEATURES IN THE EIGHTH EDITIONThis new edition maintains the key features of previous editions while addingnew material that will make the eighth edition even more helpful to both stu-dents and instructors. The significant additions are:

• A much greater emphasis on visual argument throughout the text. Eachchapter now opens with a visual—cartoon or photograph—with questionsfor reading and thinking about the visual.

• Two color inserts adding more visuals. The first, in Chapter 7, provides examples of different types of visuals for analysis in this chapter on usingvisuals in argument.

• A second color insert, in Chapter 13, the chapter on the media. These eightimages are famous photographs from the Vietnam era up to our time.

• A total of 111 readings, plus seven student essays. Fifty-six of the readingsare new, and some of those from the seventh edition are now in new placesin the text. One of the seven student sample essays is new.

• Of the eleven chapters in the anthology section of the text, two chapters areentirely new, and the others have been refocused and refreshed with somenew readings.

• Some of the new topics for reading and discussion include the social impactof modern technology, especially the small electronics; the role of bloggersin our understanding of the news; copyright issues and Google’s plans fora digital library; the politics of science; and the impact of Katrina on ourthinking about society and government.

• A streamlining of the section on research, with greater emphasis on elec-tronic searches.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTNo book of value is written alone. I am pleased to acknowledge the contri-butions of others in shaping this text. My thanks are due—as always—to thelibrary staff at the Annandale Campus of Northern Virginia Community Col-lege, especially to Marian Delmore, Ruth Stanton, and Ellen Westman, who havehelped me locate needed information and have kept me current with the newtechnology for research. I would also like to thank students Ian Habel, GarrettBerger, Chris Brown, Laura Mullins, Monica Mitchell, Connie Childress, andAlan Peterson, whose essays grace this text. They should be proud of the skilland effort they put into their writing.

I appreciate as well the many good suggestions of the following reviewersof the eighth edition:

PREFACE xxiii

Jeff OlmaFlorida Community College at

JacksonvilleSamuel OlorountoNew River Community CollegeDonna PotratzMiraCosta CollegeNelson C. SagerSul Ross State UniversityAnne A. SmithNorthwest Mississippi Community

CollegeMark N. TaylorBerry CollegeSandy ZappParadise Valley Community College

Craig R. BarretteBrescia UniversityKaren S. BurgeWichita State UniversityGlenn DavisSt. Cloud State UniversityLinda GeorgePittsburgh Technical InstituteRuth HaberWorcester CollegeBrenda HelmbrechtCalifornia Polytechnic State

UniversityTom HodgkinNorthwestern Connecticut

Community CollegeRay LacinaDelta College

My former editor Steve Pensinger needs to be remembered for steering methrough four editions of this book. I am also grateful to Tim Julet and AlexisWalker for guidance through the fifth edition and to Chris Narozny, develop-ment editor of the sixth edition. My hat’s off to Lisa Moore, executive editor forthe sixth and seventh editions, to Christopher Bennem, sponsoring editor for theeighth edition, and to Joshua Feldman, the hardworking and dedicated devel-opmental editor of both the seventh and eighth editions. I have been blessedwith a chorus of voices enriching this text throughout its life: May you all livelong and prosper!

I’ll close by once again dedicating this text to my daughter Ruth who, de-spite her own career and interests, continues to give generously of her time,

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reading possible essays for each new edition. My wish for all students: Mayyou come to understand, as Ruth does, that it is the liberal education thatmakes continued growth of the human spirit both possible and pleasurable.

Dorothy U. Seyler

Northern Virginia Community College

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