Discussion Questions on Literacy  

“Interrogate the texts,” and compose a healthy well-developed  paragraph response for each number (approx 1/3-typed page-for each  response). Support your reasoning with quotes from the texts. Double space, 12 Point Times Roman Font. 

Analyze in PRESENT TENSE (avoid “was”- change to “is”) Avoid  overusing “is,” and weak 2-3 letter verbs (do, get, put, says), and  replace with active verbs when possible.   Read words to avoid, and edit  word choice. You will be assessed on content, level of analysis, unity  and coherence, word choice and grammar.  Grading criteria posted below  questions.

1. How long did it take Frederick Douglass to learn to read and write? What strategies does he employ in his rhetoric?
2. What is Douglass’s relationship to Master Hugh’s wife? How do their  interactions  change over time? Name some of the important factors in  this transformation.
3. Discuss the speaker’s purpose, audience and tone in “Theme for  English B,” providing specific examples from the text to support your  analysis.
4. Analyze the speaker’s dilemma  in the poem.  In what ways does the  speaker define himself or ascribe his identity (i.e., how does he answer  the question “who are you”)?
5. According to Baldwin, how did Black English develop in the US?   Discuss the connection he draws between language and education.   Provide at least two examples from the text to support your analysis. 
6. Discuss how Malcolm X learns to read, the sense of empowerment he  gains, and the impact that rhetoric makes on the trajectory of his  life’s work.
7. How does Malcolm X develop a connection in the first section of the essay between books, language, and enlightenment?
8. Is reading the most important skill for students in school today?  Why or why not? What is equally or more important? What skills should  schools prioritize?
9. Compare the purpose, audience and tone of “Theme for English B” and  “The Power of Words.”   To what extent do the speakers’ words move you  on a personal level? Cite specific words/phrases that resonated with  you.  To what extent do words matter?  Can they heal what ails the  present US society?
10. What are some of your earliest memories of learning to read and  write? Contrast the contexts of your learning process and the authors.’  Do these texts make you look at literacy in a new way? Explain.

                                                          Sources to Help 

– https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/rhetorical_situation/index.html

– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PXdacSqvcA

– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHmO9OCZojM

– https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-07-14/african-american-english-racism-discrimination-speech

– https://movies2.nytimes.com/books/98/03/29/specials/baldwin-english.html

– https://www2.palomar.edu/users/lchen/Malcolm%20X.pdf

– http://learningabe.info/fd_ReadandWrite.pdf