Page 110 - The Language of Composition 4e Teacher Edition Sample.indd

wee hours, particularly when I have exchanged measure: I whistle melodies from Beethoven
4
business clothes for jeans. If I happen to be and Vivaldi and the more popular classical com-
CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING Identity entering a building behind some people who posers. Even steely New Yorkers hunching
appear skittish, I may walk by, letting them clear toward nighttime destinations seem to relax,
You might ask students to explain the the lobby before I return, so as not to seem to be and occasionally they even join in the tune.
analogy that ends the essay (his whistling following them. I have been calm and extremely Virtually everybody seems to sense that a
classical melodies is to passersby as a congenial on those rare occasions when I’ve mugger wouldn’t be warbling bright, sunny
hiker’s cowbell is to bears). What does been pulled over by the police. selections from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. It is my
the comparison to bears suggest? Then, And on late-evening constitutionals along equivalent of the cowbell that hikers wear when
ask them to connect the analogy to the streets less traveled by, I employ what has they know they are in bear country.
Copyright (c) 2023 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Uncorrected proofs have been used for this sample chapter.
complex tone of the final paragraph.
proved to be an excellent tension-reducing 1986

TRM Suggested Responses Understanding and Interpreting
Suggested responses to the questions for 1. Rhetorical Situation. What explanations does Brent Staples provide for the “victim’s”
Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Strictly for use with its products. Not for redistribution.
this reading can be found in the Teacher’s behavior in the opening paragraph? To what extent does he blame her? Does he want us as
Resource Materials. readers to blame or be more sympathetic toward her?
2. Claims and Evidence. What do you think Staples means when he says that he realizes
“that being perceived as dangerous is a hazard in itself” (par. 2)? What distinction does he
DIFFERENTIATION draw? Do you agree or disagree? Explain why or why not.
3. Claims and Evidence. What examples does Staples provide to illustrate “the language of
Connections to World fear” (par. 3)?
4. Claims and Evidence. How does Staples account for the fact that he was in graduate
On August 27, 2019, WBEZ Chicago, an school before he realized that his presence was perceived as having a “lethality” about it
NPR member station, turned to an expert (par. 7)?
panel to seek advice for “the talk” some 5. Rhetorical Situation / Claims and Evidence. What “precautions” did Staples take to
Black families choose to have with their make himself “less threatening” (par. 13)? As he moves from a reference to his clothing to
children about interactions with the police. a description of whistling classical music, does he remain entirely serious or change his
You can either share the printed article or attitude?
play the audio recording of “Having ‘The
Talk’: Expert Guidance on Preparing Kids Analyzing Language, Style, and Structure
for Police Interactions” with students.
Then, ask students to react as you lead 1. Vocabulary in Context. In paragraph 14, Staples writes, “And on late-evening
them through a whole-group discussion constitutionals along streets less traveled by, I employ what has proved to be an excellent
about the segment and its relationship to tension-reducing measure.” What is a “constitutional” in this context? Why do you think he
Staples’s article. has used such a formal, old-fashioned word?
2. Rhetorical Situation / Style. What is the effect of the opening sentence, “My first victim
was a woman . . .”? How is Staples using the term “victim”? How does the meaning of the
sentence and the term change as you read and reread the essay?
DIFFERENTIATION 3. Rhetorical Situation / Style. How does the description at the beginning resemble a scene
from a novel? What mood does Staples set with the details and specific words he chooses?
Connections to Self Pay close attention to modifiers and verbs.
Understanding Q5. As an extension, you
might ask students to reflect on modifica-
eaction to other people.
tions they make in r
tions they make in reaction to other people.
How are the changes they make similar to 216
or different from the ones Staples
describes?
05_sheatlc4e_40925_ch04_170_315.indd 216 12/10/22 2:35 PM
CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING
Analyzing Q3. This question offers a good
opportunity to review with students how
mood (atmosphere) differs from tone (the
writer’s attitude) as well as to review the
function of modifiers.

216 chapter 4 / Identity

05_sheatlcte4e_46921_ch04_170a_315_2pp.indd 216 1/20/23 7:46 PM