Cover: The Bedford Reader, 14th Edition by X. J. Kennedy; Dorothy M. Kennedy; Jane E. Aaron; Ellen Kuhl Repetto

The Bedford Reader

Fourteenth Edition ©2020 X. J. Kennedy; Dorothy M. Kennedy; Jane E. Aaron; Ellen Kuhl Repetto

The first Bedford title ever published, The Bedford Reader continues to make its mark. This popular composition reader combines timeless readings with the leading voices of our time. It takes a practical and flexible approach to the rhetorical methods, focusing on their uses in varied writi...
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ISBN:9781319256531

Cover: The Bedford Reader, 14th Edition by X. J. Kennedy; Dorothy M. Kennedy; Jane E. Aaron; Ellen Kuhl Repetto

Writers worth reading

The first Bedford title ever published, The Bedford Reader continues to make its mark. This popular composition reader combines timeless readings with the leading voices of our time. It takes a practical and flexible approach to the rhetorical methods, focusing on their uses in varied writing situations. The unique “Writers on Writing” feature connects reflections from professional writers with point-of-need advice for student writers, and the Kennedys proven approach to instruction helps students connect critical reading to academic writing. The new edition has been thoroughly revised with engaging new readings by diverse writers, a stronger foundation in reading and writing, and new graphic organizers to visually outline how to use each method.

Features

79 compelling selections by extraordinary writers. Ranging from well known favorites like David Sedaris and Amy Tan to emerging voices like Zadie Smith and Derek Thompson, the writers and wide variety of genres included in the text provide diverse perspectives on topics that engage and challenge students to think and write purposefully.

Innovative “Writers on Writing” selections. Writing advice from professional and student writers in the book is directly tied to relevant instructional content.

Comprehensive coverage of reading and writing. Part One guides students through critical reading and academic writing with an emphasis on the editing and revising processes; examples illustrate how to annotate an essay and how to respond critically to a piece of writing. In Part Two, each rhetorical chapter contains readings supported by author and selection headnotes, a two-part journal prompt, three sets of discussion questions that encourage critical thinking and reading, and several writing suggestions.

Emphasis on student writing. With 23 student works in total, 14 of them annotated to point important rhetorical moves, The Bedford Reader includes more models by student writers than any comparable reader.

Practical instruction in the rhetorical methods. Part Two presents in-depth instruction in ten methods of development. Chapter introductions address the purpose and uses of each method, with graphic organizers that visually sketch out how to organize each method and annotated examples that show the methods at work in different kinds of writing. Part Three collects well known essays that show how the best writers mix the methods to achieve their purposes.

Flexible apparatus. The Bedford Reader provides support for a variety of teaching approaches, including support for instructors who teach thematically and those who hope to emphasize a more disciplinary approach to writing.

Emphasis on visual literacy. An in-depth analysis in Chapter 1 teaches students how to view images critically. Then each chapter in Part Two begins with a compelling visual and offers suggestions for approaching it with a critical eye.

New to This Edition

26 current and compelling new readings. Fresh voices along with classic authors explore topics that are relevant to students. Highlights include:

  • Scaachi Koul, "Impatiently Waiting for the Horror of Death," a humorous description of a father’s increasing preoccupation with his eventual demise.

  • Jourdan Imani Keith, "At Risk," an exploration of the concept of endangered species.

  • Rebecca Solnit, "Division Street," an investigation of a tent encampment in San Francisco includes some of Robert Gumpert’s haunting photographs to illustrate the continuing problem of homelessness.

Now includes literature. Eleven classic and contemporary pieces of literature, one in each rhetorical chapter, show the methods at work in the forms we read for pleasure. Highlights include:

  • Shirley Jackson’s "The Lottery," one of the most often-taught short stories in fiction.

  • Langston Hughes’s "Harlem," a classic, powerful poem by one of the most famous poets of the Harlem Renaissance.

  • Jessica Blank and Erik Jenson’s excerpts from "The Exonerated," a contemporary documentary play that explores the death penalty.

Two new casebooks on current issues offer opportunities to synthesize multiple perspectives in argument and allow students to examine timely questions. "Is capital punishment morally defensible?" includes two professional essays and one documentary play, while "Should colleges offer safe spaces for students?" offers the insights of two professional writers and one student writer, all of whom deftly assert their claims.

A greater emphasis on peer review. Coverage of the writing process is spread across three chapters for ease of comprehension and reference. Reworked checklists for reviewing and revising in each method chapter support student writers and peer reviewers.

New graphic organizers. Graphic organizers in each rhetorical chapter visually portray how each method is typically structured to provide additional support in an easily digestible format.

More annotated professional essays. Two newly annotated essays--in the chapter on argument and in Part Three on mixing the methods--help students follow the methods and hone their critical reading skills.

Student’s Companion for The Bedford Reader. This guide offers additional support for students in ALP or corequisite courses and helps beginning college writers develop on-level skills. Coverage includes time management, writing activities in the methods, sentence guides, and additional grammar help.

“The Bedford Reader has everything I need for freshman composition: engaging selections, comprehension checks, and probing discussion questions to elicit robust inquiry in the methods of writing development.”
-- Marie Eckstrom, Rio Hondo College
 
 “The Bedford Reader has the elements I look for in a text: excellent readings and writing instruction that students can easily understand, all in a sensible, organized format.”
-- Robert Giron, Montgomery College

Digital Options

Table of Contents

* indicates new to the 14e

PREFACE FOR INSTRUCTORS

CONTENTS BY THEME AND DISCIPLINE

HOW (AND WHY) TO USE THIS BOOK

THE SELECTIONS

THE METHODS OF DEVELOPMENT

THE PRACTICAL GUIDANCE

THE WRITERS ON WRITING

 

PART ONE

ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING

1 CRITICAL READING: Learning from Other Writers

READING ACTIVELY

NANCY MAIRS Disability (annotated essay)

DEVELOPING AN UNDERSTANDING

Checklist for critical reading

ANALYZING WRITTEN WORKS

Questions for analyzing a written work

EXAMINING VISUAL IMAGES

Questions for examining an image

Visual Image: Man Fishing by A Power Plant, photograph By Robin Nelson

2 THE WRITING PROCESS: Discovery and Drafting

ASSESSING THE WRITING SITUATION

DISCOVERING IDEAS

DRAFTING

A STUDENT ESSAY-IN-PROGRESS

3 THE WRITING PROCESS: Reviewing and Revising

*REVIEWING A DRAFT

REVISING IN STAGES

*Questions for peer review and revision

INTEGRATING EVIDENCE

A STUDENT ESSAY-IN-PROGRESS

4 THE WRITING PROCESS: Editing

USING EFFECTIVE LANGUAGE

Questions for editing

CRAFTING CLEAR AND ENGAGING SENTENCES

FIXING COMMON ERRORS

A STUDENT ESSAY-IN-PROGRESS

ROSIE ANAYA Mental Illness on Television (annotated student essay)

 

PART TWO

THE METHODS

5 NARRATION: Telling a Story

Visual Image: Proposal, drawing by Demetri Martin

THE METHOD

THE PROCESS

Focus on verbs

*How to organize a narrative

Checklist for reviewing and revising a narrative

STUDENT CASE STUDY: A POLICE LOG

Scott Beltran from Ride-Along Report (annotated student writing)

EMBARRASSMENT

AMY TAN Fish Cheeks

NAOMI SHIHAB NYE Museum

Naomi Shihab Nye on Writing

JONATHAN BETHARDS Code Three (student essay)

*KUNAL NAYYAR Kumar Ran a Car

*Kunal Nayyar on Writing

MAYA ANGELOU Champion of the World

Maya Angelou on Writing

SHIRLEY JACKSON The Lottery (short story)

Shirley Jackson on Writing

ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS

6 DESCRIPTION: Writing with Your Senses

*Visual Image: Under the Passaic Falls, photograph by Todd R. Darling

THE METHOD

THE PROCESS

*How to organize a description

Focus on specific and concrete language

Checklist for reviewing and revising a description

STUDENT CASE STUDY: A FIELD OBSERVATION

Nick Fiorelli from Teaching Methodologies at Child’s Play Preschool (annotated student writing)

*FATHERS

BRAD MANNING Arm Wrestling with My Father (student essay)

Brad Manning on Writing

*SCAACHI KOUL Impatiently Waiting for the Horror of Death

*Scaachi Koul on Writing

*SHONDA RHIMES My Summer of Scooping Ice Cream

N. SCOTT MOMADAY The Way to Rainy Mountain

N. Scott Momaday on Writing

JOYCE CAROL OATES Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks, 1942 (poem)

Visual Image: Nighthawks, painting by Edward Hopper

Joyce Carol Oates on Writing

ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS

7 EXAMPLE: Pointing to Instances

*Visual Image: Costumes to Scare Millennials, cartoon by Sarah Andersen

THE METHOD

THE PROCESS

Focus on sentence variety

*How to organize examples

Checklist for reviewing and revising an example essay

STUDENT CASE STUDY: A JOB-APPLICATION LETTER

*Susan Churchill E-mail to Exeter Hospital (annotated student writing)

MISPERCEPTIONS

BRENT STAPLES Black Men and Public Space

Brent Staples on Writing

ISSA RAE The Struggle

ANNA QUINDLEN Homeless

Anna Quindlen on Writing

*ZANE RASSLER Looking Back (student essay)

*Zane Rassler on Writing

*BRIAN DOYLE Three Basketball Stories (short story)

Brian Doyle on Writing

ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS

8 COMPARISON AND CONTRAST: Setting Things Side by Side

Visual Image: Excerpt from Fun Home, graphic memoir by Alison Bechdel

THE METHOD

THE PROCESS

*How to organize a comparison-and-contrast essay

Checklist for reviewing and revising a comparison-and-contrast essay

Focus on parallelism

STUDENT CASE STUDY: A REVIEW

Charlotte Pak from Beyoncé Knowles: Soloist (annotated student writing)

*ENDANGERED SPECIES

*JOURDAN IMANI KEITH At Risk

*Jourdan Imani Keith on Writing

*TED CHIANG The Great Silence (short story)

*Visual Images: from The Great Silence, video installation by Allora & Calzadilla

SUZANNE BRITT Neat People vs. Sloppy People

Suzanne Britt on Writing

*CAITLIN McDOUGALL So Enid and Dorothy from West Covina Can Hear You (student essay)

*Caitlin McDougall on Writing

DAVID SEDARIS Remembering My Childhood on the Continent of Africa

David Sedaris on Writing

FATEMA MERNISSI Size 6: The Western Woman’s Harem

ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS

9 PROCESS ANALYSIS: Explaining Step by Step

Visual Image: Workers Making Dolls, photograph by Wally McNamee

THE METHOD

THE PROCESS

*How to organize a process analysis

Checklist for reviewing and revising a process analysis

Focus on consistency

STUDENT CASE STUDY: A LAB REPORT

Victor Khoury from DNA Extraction (annotated student writing)

WRITING

ANNE LAMOTT Shitty First Drafts

KOJI FRAHM How to Write an A Paper (student essay)

Koji Frahm on Writing

FIROOZEH DUMAS Sweet, Sour, and Resentful

Firoozeh Dumas on Writing

*DANIEL OROZCO Orientation (short story)

*Daniel Orozco on Writing

JESSICA MITFORD Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain

Jessica Mitford on Writing

ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS

10 DIVISION OR ANALYSIS: Slicing into Parts

Visual Image: Deconstructing Lunch, cartoon by Roz Chast

THE METHOD

THE PROCESS

*How to organize a division or analysis essay

Focus on paragraph coherence

Checklist for reviewing and revising a division or analysis essay

STUDENT CASE STUDY: A CRITICAL READING

Rachel O’Connor, from A Question of Fairness: "The Lottery" as Social Commentary (annotated student writing)

*SPORTS AND LEISURE

*PAUL THEROUX Football Matters

*Paul Theroux on Writing

*ZADIE SMITH Find Your Beach

*Visual Image: Find Your Beach, advertisement by Corona

*Zadie Smith on Writing

*GARY SOTO The Elements of San Joaquin (poem)

*Gary Soto on Writing

BARBARA B. PARSONS Whistling in the Dark

Barbara B. Parsons on Writing

Laila Ayad The Capricious Camera (documented student essay)

Visual Image: Mounted Nazi Troops on the Lookout for Likely Polish Children, photograph

ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS

11 CLASSIFICATION: Sorting into Kinds

Visual Image: How the Poor, the Middle Class, and the Rich Spend Their Money, table by National Public Radio

THE METHOD

THE PROCESS

Focus on paragraph development

*How to organize a classification

Checklist for reviewing and revising a classification

STUDENT CASE STUDY: A RÉSUMÉ

*Susan Churchill Résumé (annotated student writing)

*SANDRA CISNEROS And Some More (short story)

*Sandra Cisneros on Writing

*LEO BRAUDY Where Our Monsters Come From

JEAN-PIERRE DE BEER Stars of Life (documented student essay)

FAILURES TO COMMUNICATE

DEBORAH TANNEN But What Do You Mean?

Deborah Tannen on Writing

WILLIAM LUTZ The World of Doublespeak

William Lutz on Writing

ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS

12 CAUSE AND EFFECT: Asking Why

Visual Image: Wild Weather, bar graph by National Geographic

THE METHOD

THE PROCESS

*How to organize a cause-and-effect analysis

Focus on clarity and conciseness

Checklist for reviewing and revising a cause-and-effect essay

STUDENT CASE STUDY: A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Kate Krueger Letter to the Weekly (annotated student writing)

*LANGSTON HUGHES Harlem (poem)

*BEN HEALY Gossip Is Good

*DEREK THOMPSON What Makes Things Cool

*Visual Image: Raymond Loewy, illustration by Mark Weaver, with photographs by Bernard Hoffman, Jack Garofalo, and Sherman Oaks Antique Mall

MALCOLM GLADWELL Little Fish in a Big Pond

Malcolm Gladwell on Writing

GLOBALIZATION

CHITRA DIVAKARUNI Live Free and Starve

Chitra Divakaruni on Writing

MARIE JAVDANI Plata o Plomo: Silver or Lead (documented student essay)

Marie Javdani on Writing

ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS

13 DEFINITION: Tracing Boundaries

*Visual Image: This Expedition Called Life, advertisement by Outward Bound

THE METHOD

THE PROCESS

*How to organize a definition

Focus on unity

Checklist for reviewing and revising a definition

STUDENT CASE STUDY: AN ESSAY EXAM

Martin Ward Civil Liberties (annotated student writing)

PRIVILEGE

TAL FORTGANG Checking My Privilege (student essay)

Tal Fortgang on Writing

ROXANE GAY Peculiar Benefits

Roxane Gay on Writing

*EMILY DICKINSON "Hope" is the thing with feathers (poem)

*Emily Dickinson on Writing

DAGOBERTO GILB Pride

AUGUSTEN BURROUGHS How to Identify Love by Knowing What It’s Not

ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS

14 ARGUMENT AND PERSUASION: Stating Opinions and Proposals

Visual Image: Corporate America Flag, image from Adbusters Media Foundation

THE METHOD

Focus on tone

THE PROCESS

*How to organize an argument

Checklist for reviewing and revising argument and persuasion

STUDENT CASE STUDY: A POLICY PROPOSAL

Adrianne Silver from Bullying Law Proposal (annotated student writing)

LINDA CHAVEZ Supporting Family Values (annotated essay)

Linda Chavez on Writing

HAVE POLITICS RUINED COMIC BOOKS?

CHUCK DIXON AND PAUL RIVOCHE How Liberalism Became Kryptonite for Superman

Visual Image: Sink the Japanazis with Bonds and Stamps, cover illustration for World’s Finest Comics

JANELLE ASSELIN Superhuman Error: What Dixon and Rivoche Get Wrong

*IS CAPITAL PUNISHMENT MORALLY DEFENSIBLE?

*DAVID B. MUHLHAUSEN How the Death Penalty Saves Lives

*SEMON FRANK THOMPSON What I Learned from Executing Two Men

*JESSICA BLANK AND ERIK JENSEN from The Exonerated (documentary play)

*Visual Image: The Exonerated, poster for the Secret Theater

*Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen on Writing

*SHOULD COLLEGES OFFER SAFE SPACES FOR STUDENTS?

*DAWN LUNDY MARTIN Weary Oracle

*Dawn Lundy Martin on Writing

*THOMAS CHATTERTON WILLIAMS Blanket Security

*Thomas Chatterton Williams on Writing

*SARAH HEMPHILL What Happened to Free Speech on College Campuses? (documented student essay)

*Sarah Hemphill on Writing

ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS

 

PART THREE

MIXING THE METHODS

JOAN DIDION Earthquakes (annotated essay)

Joan Didion on Writing

*LOUISE ERDRICH The Crest (short story)

*Louise Erdrich on Writing

MAXINE HONG KINGSTON No Name Woman

Maxine Hong Kingston on Writing

*REBECCA SOLNIT Division Street

*Visual Images: from Division Street, photographs by Robert Gumpert

JONATHAN SWIFT A Modest Proposal

TRANSCENDENTALISM

HENRY DAVID THOREAU What I Lived For

*Henry David Thoreau on Writing

LUIS ALBERTO URREA Barrio Walden

Luis Alberto Urrea on Writing

E. B. WHITE Once More to the Lake

APPENDIX: RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION

CONDUCTING RESEARCH

Questions for evaluating sources

WRITING WITH SOURCES

SOURCE CITATION USING MLA STYLE

MARGARET LUNDBERG Eating Green (annotated student essay)

SOURCE CITATION USING APA STYLE

ERIC KIM The Brain that Changes (annotated student essay)

GLOSSARY OF USEFUL TERMS

DIRECTORY TO THE WRITERS ON WRITING

INDEX

Headshot of X. J. Kennedy

X. J. Kennedy

X. J. Kennedy is an acclaimed poet, children’s author, college teacher, and textbook author. He has taught freshman composition at the University of Michigan; the University of North Carolina, Greensboro; and Tufts University. More than 2 million students have used his introductory literature texts and The Bedford Reader, now in its fourteenth edition.

Headshot of Dorothy M. Kennedy

Dorothy M. Kennedy

Dorothy M. Kennedy was a writer and editor whose articles and reviews have appeared in both professional and academic journals. She taught composition at the University of Michigan and Ohio University and, with X. J. Kennedy, was the recipient of the NCTE Teachers Choice Award for Knock at a Star: A Childs Introduction to Poetry.

Headshot of Jane E. Aaron

Jane E. Aaron

Jane E. Aaron is a professional writer and editor as well as an experienced teacher. She is the author of the best-selling Little, Brown Handbook and The Compact Reader. She has served as consultant, editor, or writer on more than a dozen other textbooks for the first-year composition.

Headshot of Ellen Kuhl Repetto

Ellen Kuhl Repetto

Ellen Kuhl Repetto is an editor and writer who has contributed to more than twenty composition readers, handbooks, and rhetorics. She is the author of The Bedford Reader and The Compact Reader.