50 Essays: A Portable Anthology - Samuel Cohen 2017
Table of contents by rhetorical mode
Narration
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, To My One Love
Langston Hughes, Salvation
Camden Joy, Surviving Sinatra
Audre Lorde, The Fourth of July
George Orwell, Shooting an Elephant
David Sedaris, Me Talk Pretty One Day
John Jeremiah Sullivan, Feet in Smoke
Virginia Woolf, Professions for Women
Description
Joan Didion, On Keeping a Notebook
Cristina Henríquez, Lunch
Zora Neale Hurston, How It Feels to Be Colored Me
John McPhee, The Search for Marvin Gardens
Lydia Millet, Victor’s Hall
E. B. White, Once More to the Lake
Process Analysis
Sherman Alexie, The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me
Joan Didion, On Keeping a Notebook
Frederick Douglass, Learning to Read and Write
Lars Eighner, On Dumpster Diving
Stephen King, Reading to Write
Malcolm X, Learning to Read
James Thurber, The Subjunctive Mood
Colson Whitehead, The Loser Edit
Example
Barbara Lazear Ascher, On Compassion
James Boswell, On War
Daniel Defoe, The Education of Women
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Paranoid Style of American Policing
Barbara Ehrenreich, Serving in Florida
Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence
Lydia Millet, Victor’s Hall
Dave Zirin, Pre-Game
Definition
Gloria Anzaldúa, How to Tame a Wild Tongue
Jamaica Kincaid, The Ugly Tourist
Nancy Mairs, On Being a Cripple
Colson Whitehead, The Loser Edit
Classification
Judith Ortiz Cofer, The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named María
Stephanie Ericsson, The Ways We Lie
Mike Rose, “I Just Wanna Be Average”
Oliver Sacks, My Periodic Table
Amy Tan, Mother Tongue
Comparison/Contrast
James Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son
Daniel Defoe, The Education of Women
Brian Doyle, Joyas Voladores
Bharati Mukherjee, Two Ways to Belong in America
Richard Rodriguez, Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood
Cause/Effect
William F. Buckley Jr., Why Don’t We Complain?
Alan Burdick, The Truth about Invasive Species
Nicholas Carr, Is Google Making Us Stupid?
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Paranoid Style of American Policing
Verlyn Klinkenborg, Our Vanishing Night
Brent Staples, Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space
Argument/Persuasion
James Boswell, On War
Nicholas Carr, Is Google Making Us Stupid?
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Paranoid Style of American Policing
Daniel Defoe, The Education of Women
Malcolm Gladwell, Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted
Jamaica Kincaid, The Ugly Tourist
Verlyn Klinkenborg, Our Vanishing Night
Plato, The Allegory of the Cave
Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal
Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience
Miya Tokumitsu, In the Name of Love
Table of contents by purpose
Personal
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, To My One Love
Sherman Alexie, The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me
Gloria Anzaldúa, How to Tame a Wild Tongue
James Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son
Judith Ortiz Cofer, The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named María
Frederick Douglass, Learning to Read and Write
Cristina Henríquez, Lunch
Langston Hughes, Salvation
Zora Neale Hurston, How It Feels to Be Colored Me
Camden Joy, Surviving Sinatra
Audre Lorde, The Fourth of July
Nancy Mairs, On Being a Cripple
Malcolm X, Learning to Read
George Orwell, Shooting an Elephant
Richard Rodriguez, Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood
Mike Rose, “I Just Wanna Be Average”
Oliver Sacks, My Periodic Table
Brent Staples, Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space
John Jeremiah Sullivan, Feet in Smoke
Amy Tan, Mother Tongue
E. B. White, Once More to the Lake
Expository
Barbara Lazear Ascher, On Compassion
James Boswell, On War
William F. Buckley Jr., Why Don’t We Complain?
Joan Didion, On Keeping a Notebook
Brian Doyle, Joyas Voladores
Lars Eighner, On Dumpster Diving
Stephen King, Reading to Write
John McPhee, The Search for Marvin Gardens
Lydia Millet, Victor’s Hall
Bharati Mukherjee, Two Ways to Belong in America
David Sedaris, Me Talk Pretty One Day
James Thurber, The Subjunctive Mood
Colson Whitehead, The Loser Edit
Virginia Woolf, Professions for Women
Dave Zirin, Pre-Game
Argumentative
Alan Burdick, The Truth about Invasive Species
Nicholas Carr, Is Google Making Us Stupid?
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Paranoid Style of American Policing
Daniel Defoe, The Education of Women
Barbara Ehrenreich, Serving in Florida
Stephanie Ericsson, The Ways We Lie
Malcolm Gladwell, Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted
Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence
Jamaica Kincaid, The Ugly Tourist
Verlyn Klinkenborg, Our Vanishing Night
Plato, The Allegory of the Cave
Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal
Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience
Miya Tokumitsu, In the Name of Love
Table of contents by theme
Education
Sherman Alexie, The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me
Gloria Anzaldúa, How to Tame a Wild Tongue
Daniel Defoe, The Education of Women
Frederick Douglass, Learning to Read and Write
Audre Lorde, The Fourth of July
Malcolm X, Learning to Read
Richard Rodriguez, Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood
Mike Rose, “I Just Wanna Be Average”
David Sedaris, Me Talk Pretty One Day
Ethics
James Boswell, On War
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Paranoid Style of American Policing
Stephanie Ericsson, The Ways We Lie
Nancy Mairs, On Being a Cripple
Lydia Millet, Victor’s Hall
George Orwell, Shooting an Elephant
Plato, The Allegory of the Cave
Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal
Family
Cristina Henríquez, Lunch
Langston Hughes, Salvation
Bharati Mukherjee, Two Ways to Belong in America
Richard Rodriguez, Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood
Amy Tan, Mother Tongue
E. B. White, Once More to the Lake
Gender
Judith Ortiz Cofer, The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named María
Daniel Defoe, The Education of Women
Brent Staples, Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space
James Thurber, The Subjunctive Mood
Virginia Woolf, Professions for Women
History and Politics
James Boswell, On War
Daniel Defoe, The Education of Women
Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence
Bharati Mukherjee, Two Ways to Belong in America
George Orwell, Shooting an Elephant
Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal
Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience
Dave Zirin, Pre-Game
Identity
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, To My One Love
Gloria Anzaldúa, How to Tame a Wild Tongue
James Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son
Judith Ortiz Cofer, The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named María
Zora Neale Hurston, How It Feels to Be Colored Me
Jamaica Kincaid, The Ugly Tourist
Nancy Mairs, On Being a Cripple
Brent Staples, Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space
Colson Whitehead, The Loser Edit
Media and Pop Culture
William F. Buckley Jr., Why Don’t We Complain?
Nicholas Carr, Is Google Making Us Stupid?
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Paranoid Style of American Policing
Malcolm Gladwell, Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted
Camden Joy, Surviving Sinatra
John McPhee, The Search for Marvin Gardens
Bharati Mukherjee, Two Ways to Belong in America
Brent Staples, Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space
Colson Whitehead, The Loser Edit
Dave Zirin, Pre-Game
Race and Culture
Sherman Alexie, The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me
Gloria Anzaldúa, How to Tame a Wild Tongue
James Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Paranoid Style of American Policing
Judith Ortiz Cofer, The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named María
Cristina Henríquez, Lunch
Zora Neale Hurston, How It Feels to Be Colored Me
Audre Lorde, The Fourth of July
Bharati Mukherjee, Two Ways to Belong in America
Brent Staples, Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space
Reading and Writing
Sherman Alexie, The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me
Gloria Anzaldúa, How to Tame a Wild Tongue
Joan Didion, On Keeping a Notebook
Frederick Douglass, Learning to Read and Write
Stephen King, Reading to Write
Malcolm X, Learning to Read
Richard Rodriguez, Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood
Amy Tan, Mother Tongue
Virginia Woolf, Professions for Women
Thinking
Nicholas Carr, Is Google Making Us Stupid?
Daniel Defoe, The Education of Women
Plato, The Allegory of the Cave
Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience
Nature and the Environment
Alan Burdick, The Truth about Invasive Species
Brian Doyle, Joyas Voladores
Verlyn Klinkenborg, Our Vanishing Night
Lydia Millet, Victor’s Hall
Oliver Sacks, My Periodic Table
E. B. White, Once More to the Lake
Work and Class
Barbara Lazear Ascher, On Compassion
Barbara Ehrenreich, Serving in Florida
Lars Eighner, On Dumpster Diving
Miya Tokumitsu, In the Name of Love
Virginia Woolf, Professions for Women
Dave Zirin, Pre-Game
Table of contents by clusters and paired readings
Language and Identity
Gloria Anzaldúa, How to Tame a Wild Tongue
Richard Rodriguez, Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood
Amy Tan, Mother Tongue
Immigrant Tales
Judith Ortiz Cofer, The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named María
Bharati Mukherjee, Two Ways to Belong in America
Facing Death
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, To My One Love
Oliver Sacks, My Periodic Table
John Jeremiah Sullivan, Feet in Smoke
Miseducational Systems
Mike Rose, “I Just Wanna Be Average”
David Sedaris, Me Talk Pretty One Day
Saved by Reading
Sherman Alexie, The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me
Frederick Douglass, Learning to Read and Write
Stephen King, Reading to Write
Malcolm X, Learning to Read
Men Encountering Racism
James Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Paranoid Style of American Policing
Brent Staples, Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space
Women Speaking to Racism
Zora Neale Hurston, How It Feels to Be Colored Me
Audre Lorde, The Fourth of July
Explaining Gender Stereotypes
Judith Ortiz Cofer, The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named María
Brent Staples, Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space
Cultures of Violence
James Boswell, On War
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Paranoid Style of American Policing
Living Poor
Barbara Lazear Ascher, On Compassion
Barbara Ehrenreich, Serving in Florida
Lars Eighner, On Dumpster Diving
Seeing and Reality
Joan Didion, On Keeping a Notebook
Plato, The Allegory of the Cave
Mediated Lives
Nicholas Carr, Is Google Making Us Stupid?
Malcolm Gladwell, Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted
Looking at Nature
Alan Burdick, The Truth about Invasive Species
Verlyn Klinkenborg, Our Vanishing Night
Nature and Morality
Lydia Millet, Victor’s Hall
E. B. White, Once More to the Lake
Defining Government
Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence
Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience
Moral Choices
George Orwell, Shooting an Elephant
Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience
Avoiding the Truth
Stephanie Ericsson, The Ways We Lie
Langston Hughes, Salvation
Organizing Perception
Joan Didion, On Keeping a Notebook
Colson Whitehead, The Loser Edit
Consequences of Conformity
William F. Buckley Jr., Why Don’t We Complain?
George Orwell, Shooting an Elephant
Arguing against Injustice
Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence
Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal
Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience
Invaders
Alan Burdick, The Truth about Invasive Species
Jamaica Kincaid, The Ugly Tourist
Side Effects
Nicholas Carr, Is Google Making Us Stupid?
Miya Tokumitsu, In the Name of Love
Living and Dying
Brian Doyle, Joyas Voladores
John Jeremiah Sullivan, Feet in Smoke
Reflecting on Culture
Camden Joy, Surviving Sinatra
John McPhee, The Search for Marvin Gardens
Colson Whitehead, The Loser Edit
Getting Past Appearances
Judith Ortiz Cofer, The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named María
Jamaica Kincaid, The Ugly Tourist
Telling Family Stories
Cristina Henríquez, Lunch
John Jeremiah Sullivan, Feet in Smoke
Role Models
Mike Rose, “I Just Wanna Be Average”
Dave Zirin, Pre-Game
Table of contents by chronological order
Plato, The Allegory of the Cave 360 BCE
Daniel Defoe, The Education of Women 1719
Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal 1729
Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence 1776
James Boswell, On War 1777
Frederick Douglass, Learning to Read and Write 1845
Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience 1849
Zora Neale Hurston, How It Feels to Be Colored Me 1928
James Thurber, The Subjunctive Mood 1929
Virginia Woolf, Professions for Women 1931
George Orwell, Shooting an Elephant 1936
Langston Hughes, Salvation 1940
E. B. White, Once More to the Lake 1941
James Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son 1955
William F. Buckley Jr., Why Don’t We Complain? 1960
Malcolm X, Learning to Read 1965
Joan Didion, On Keeping a Notebook 1968
John McPhee, The Search for Marvin Gardens 1972
Audre Lorde, The Fourth of July 1982
Richard Rodriguez, Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood 1982
Barbara Lazear Ascher, On Compassion 1986
Nancy Mairs, On Being a Cripple 1986
Brent Staples, Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space 1986
Gloria Anzaldúa, How to Tame a Wild Tongue 1987
Jamaica Kincaid, The Ugly Tourist 1988
Mike Rose, “I Just Wanna Be Average” 1989
Amy Tan, Mother Tongue 1990
Stephanie Ericsson, The Ways We Lie 1992
Judith Ortiz Cofer, The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named María 1993
Lars Eighner, On Dumpster Diving 1993
Bharati Mukherjee, Two Ways to Belong in America 1996
Sherman Alexie, The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me 1997
Stephen King, Reading to Write 2000
David Sedaris, Me Talk Pretty One Day 2000
Barbara Ehrenreich, Serving in Florida 2001
Camden Joy, Surviving Sinatra 2002
Brian Doyle, Joyas Voladores 2004
Alan Burdick, The Truth about Invasive Species 2005
Cristina Henríquez, Lunch 2007
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, To My One Love 2008
Nicholas Carr, Is Google Making Us Stupid? 2008
Verlyn Klinkenborg, Our Vanishing Night 2008
Malcolm Gladwell, Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted 2010
John Jeremiah Sullivan, Feet in Smoke 2011
Dave Zirin, Pre-Game 2013
Miya Tokumitsu, In the Name of Love 2014
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Paranoid Style of American Policing 2015
Lydia Millet, Victor’s Hall 2015
Oliver Sacks, My Periodic Table 2015
Colson Whitehead, The Loser Edit 2015