Page 84 - The Language of Composition 4e Teacher Edition Sample.indd

Gradually, item by item, I learned the loca- themselves at certain intervals, like filmy bits of
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tion of every screw and spring, spoke and tire, glass in the turn of the kaleidoscope. Probably
and every beam and bearing that went to make every accident of which I had heard or read in
up Gladys. This was not the lesson of a day, my half-century tinged the uncertainty that by
Identity
but of many days and weeks, and it had to be the correlation of forces passed over into the
learned before we could get on well together. tremor that I felt when we began to round the
To my mind the infelicities of which we see terminus bend of the broad Priory walk. And
so much in life grow out of lack of time and who shall say by what original energy the mind
patience thus to study and adjust the natures forced itself at once from the contemplation of
Copyright (c) 2023 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Uncorrected proofs have been used for this sample chapter.
that have agreed in the sight of God and man to disaster and thrust into the very movement of
stand by one another to the last. They will not the foot on the pedal a concept of vigor, safety,
take the pains, they have not enough specific and success? I began to feel that myself plus the
gravity, to balance themselves in their new envi- bicycle equaled myself plus the world, upon
ronment. Indeed, I found a whole philosophy of whose spinning-wheel we must all learn to ride,
DIFFERENTIATION life in the wooing and the winning of my bicycle. or fall into the sluiceways of oblivion and
Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Strictly for use with its products. Not for redistribution.
Just as a strong and skilful swimmer takes despair. That which made me succeed with the
Collaborative Learning the waves, so the bicycler must learn to take bicycle was precisely what had gained me a
At the end of paragraph 8, Willard states, such waves of mental impression as the passing measure of success in life — it was the hardihood
“Indeed, I found a whole philosophy of life of a gigantic hay-wagon, the sudden obtrusion of spirit that led me to begin, the persistence of
in the wooing and the winning of my bicy- of black cattle with wide-branching horns, the will that held me to my task, and the patience
cle.” You might use that statement as a rattling pace of high-stepping steeds, or even the that was willing to begin again when the last
catalyst to review the essay for its life les- swift transit of a railway-train. At first she will be stroke had failed. And so I found high moral
sons. You could give pairs of students one upset by the apparition of the smallest poodle, uses in the bicycle and can commend it as a
of the essay’s three sections and have and not until she has attained a wide experience teacher without pulpit or creed. He who suc-
them highlight or quote sentences which will she hold herself steady in presence of the ceeds, or, to be more exact in handing over my
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function as statements about ways to critical eyes of a coach-and-four. But all this is a experience, she who succeeds in gaining the
approach life in general, not just bicycle part of that equilibration of thought and action mastery of such an animal as Gladys, will gain
riding. Each group could then choose at by which we conquer the universe in conquer- the mastery of life, and by exactly the same
least one statement that they value and ing ourselves. methods and characteristics. . . .
share their impressions with the class. You I finally concluded that all failure was from 10
could also compile all the students’ choices
could also compile all the students’ choices a wobbling will rather than a wobbling wheel. In Conclusion
and have the students vote on which one I felt that indeed the will is the wheel of the If I am asked to explain why I learned the
best encapsulates Willard’s argument. mind — its perpetual motion having been bicycle I should say I did it as an act of grace, if
learned when the morning stars sang together. not of actual religion. The cardinal doctrine laid
When the wheel of the mind went well then the down by my physician was, “Live out of doors
CLOSE READING rubber wheel hummed merrily; but specters of and take congenial exercise;” but from the day
the mind there are as well as of the wheel. In the when, at sixteen years of age, I was enwrapped
You might highlight the extended metaphor aggregate of perception concerning which we in the long skirts that impeded every footstep,
at work in paragraph 10 (“the will is the have reflected and from which we have deduced I have detested walking and felt with a certain
wheel of the mind”). Why was it imperative our generalizations upon the world without, noble disdain that the conventions of life had
that Willard learn to conquer herself before within, above, there are so many ghastly and cut me off from what in the freedom of my
seeking to conquer her world, especially fantastical images that they must obtrude prairie home had been one of life’s sweetest
during this time period? You might also joys. Driving is not real exercise; it does not
nudge students toward considering Wil- 2 A stagecoach pulled by four horses. — Eds. renovate the river of blood that flows so
lard’s specific word choices in this para- 190
graph: What connections do they notice?
How does Willard’s diction in this section
(“specters,” “ghastly,” and “fantastical”)
represent the obstacles she faces in her
world? Finally, you might point out Willard’s 05_sheatlc4e_40925_ch04_170_315.indd 190 12/10/22 2:34 PM
effective use of parallelism in this para- DIFFERENTIATION DIFFERENTIATION
graph and remind students that a writer’s
rhetorical choices often reflect her purpose. Speaking and Listening Connections to World
Here, Willard’s parallelism reflects her belief In paragraph 10, Willard makes some lofty You might ask students if they believe women
that patience, repetition, and consistency claims about how the same skills needed to still face obstacles in the business world.
are key to conquering a task. learn to ride a bicycle are ones needed for What is the contemporary equivalent of “long
success in life. Those claims might differ if we skirts” (par. 11)? They might compare men
shift the rhetorical situation to include con- and women’s salaries, the number of female
temporary readers. Today, children often learn CEOs in Fortune 500 companies, and so on.
to ride a bike when very young. You might
ask small groups of students to debate
whether Willard’s claims in paragraph 10
apply to a child’s experience of learning to
ride a bike, and to support their positions with
appropriate evidence.

190 chapter 4 / Identity

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