Cayla Lepior Homework #2

            After reading chapter one of “Everything’s a Text”, I came across two passages that really stood out to me. “What we value in academic writing in America is not necessarily what is valued in academic writing in other countries” (Melzer, Coxwell-Teague 3). This particular line stood out to me because it has so much truth to it. Other countries and cultures definitely have different values with their writing and it is important to keep that in mind when studying and writing English. Another quote that interested me was about how the United States is becoming different and more advanced as time goes on; “composers who can speak and write in multiple languages and dialects will have an advantage over those who are monolingual and can use only the standard version of English found in grammar handbooks” (Melzer, Coxwell-Teague 5). I feel that this excerpt is very important because people who can adjust to different styles and languages of writing will definitely be more persuasive and successful in their writing. People who are monolingual will not be as successful in their writing process and will not appeal to a wide audience.

            As I was reading “English Mercury Reader” I found many things interesting, such as the second concept, which was discussing the term thesis statement at the beginning. “From your previous schooling, you are probably familiar with the term thesis statement, which is the main point a writer wants to make in an essay. However, you may not have thought much about the question that lies behind the thesis, which is the problem or issue that the writer is wrestling with” (Reader 7). This is important to me because the initial question behind the thesis is the main point of their work and I think a lot of times people forget why they are writing something. Another quote that I found informative was in the description and definition of rhetoric. “In a narrower sense, rhetoric is the art of making messages persuasive” (Reader 12). This is a very important concept because without persuasive writing, it would be harder to attract people’s attention and by using rhetoric you can influence a person’s thoughts on a certain topic.