Judith E. Anderson

Summary: A guide for understanding and writing with clarity, whether about literature or in any of four forms of discourse.

Do you remember those high school literature and composition classes? I vaguely remember learning clues about understanding the metaphors, symbols, and themes one might find in a work of fiction, and learning to pay attention to plot, characters, and recurring motifs that helped one recognize what this was "all about." I also remember writing papers, having to analyze a piece of literature (Silas Marner and The Scarlet Letter come to mind). I discovered how hard it can be to write, and how putting ideas to paper (no computers then) brought and forced a degree of clarity to my thought.

I can't recall that we had a book to instruct us in how to do all this. I remember reading books and having to write about them, trying to emulate and apply the things our teachers taught and modeled. Reading this work, I think having something like this would have helped. Judith E. Anderson, a retired high school teacher has written a primer that teaches how to analyze a piece of literature, how to understand various figures of speech, how to pay attention to context in interpreting literature, and then how to apply all this in written compositions.

She employs two helpful devices that run through this work. The first is the use of stones and what they mean. She carries the metaphor of stones through the work, including proposing a myriad of composition prompts around stones, and proposing an exercise in biblical interpretation using seven biblical passages on stones that seem to contradict.

The second device is that various exercises or written responses are included throughout. The book uses different approaches from simple questions and responses, to drawing visual images that symbolize certain concepts, to writing compositions, learning how to use, quote, and cite material. She explains plagiarism and how one can mis-cite material.

One of the most helpful parts of the book for me was her distinction of four forms of discourse: the descriptive, the expository, the persuasive, and the narrative. She offers and example of each, inspired by a picture of a partially crumbling stone wall, and explains the significance of each word or phrase.

This book is intended as a primer for high school students. While the author proposes its usefulness in public, private, and home school contexts, my hunch is that it might be used most in the latter two of these contexts, and because of the biblical content, more likely in Christian contexts, despite the centrality of the Bible in English literature. The book does not proselytize, except for learning how to read and understand literature, and how to write with clarity and proper citations. It could be used by teachers, or by tutors and parents working with students struggling to learn literary analysis and composition.

I found the book personally helpful. Many of us were not paying attention in high school or college, or just enough to pass the class. This is a great refresher for the adult who wants to read well. It also is an excellent refresher in the fundamentals of good writing, useful for those who blog, who have to write reports for their work, who want to tell a story, or to make a persuasive case in a letter to the editor. It is brief, practical and clear. Using the exercises and prompts will make you a better reader and writer. It just may be that you are finally in a place where you know why that matters.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.… (altro)

This is by far the best event-inspired or subject-inspired anthology of poetry that I've come across. Each poem deserves to be read and reread, and carries a unique and touching perspective on the 2004 tsunami. For any lovers of poetry or the ocean, readers who want new authors, or readers who might be interested and reading more about what happened in 2004, this is a worthwhile and beautifully written work. When I've taught the text, even students who don't generally like poetry find works to appreciate here--it's eclectic, touching, and intelligent throughout. I can't recommend it highly enough.… (altro)