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THE SUMMARY 1. Summarize the assigned essay in one or two paragraphs that run approximately 200 words in length. 2. In the very first two sentences of your summary paragraph(s), state the author’s full name, the author’s credentials (be brief and include credentials that make the essay’s author an authority to speak on the topic at hand), and the author’s thesis. Please note that simply referring to the author as “author” or “essayist” will not meet the credential statement requirement. For all subsequent references to the author, refer to the author by last name only. If you include the title of the essay, place quotation marks around it. (ENGL 97 students may refer to pages 282-284 and 298-301 in The Bedford Handbook eleventh edition for more information.) Ex: After considering all possible causes Josh Barro, senior editor at Business Insider, reasons that _____ is the main cause for why stealing cars went out of fashion. 3. In your summary, identify and cite at least one example of the author’s use of a rhetorical strategy that is most characteristic of the pattern of writing currently being studied. (Please note that the term “rhetorical strategy” does not refer only to Aristotelian appeals but to all rhetorical devices/modes.) YOU MUST USE FORMAL TERMS AND CONCEPTS WHEN IDENTIFYING THE RHETORICAL STRATEGY. Terms and concepts can be found in the appropriate chapter in Patterns (or, at times, in appropriate handouts posted to Brightspace). For example, “Why Stealing Cars Went Out of Fashion” is a cause and effect essay, so you need to cite and identify something like the use of “a causal chain” or categories of causes, such as contributory or immediate. Do this by writing the paragraph number(s) in parenthesis at the end of the sentence. Ex: Barro establishes _____ as a _____ cause for the decline of auto theft (par. 7). 4. Write from the third-person point of view, and use the present tense. 5. If you quote from the essay – or if you include an idea that is not your own – put it in quotation marks and write the paragraph number in parenthesis at the end of the quote. 6. Consider varying the language and placement of your signal phrases to avoid monotony. Some verbs for use in signal phrases are suggested in the table below. THE RESPONSE 1. Write a response in one or two paragraphs that run approximately 200 words in length. Respond with facts, examples, and/or personal experiences to show agreement or disagreement with the author. 2. In the very first two sentences of your response, state why you agree with or disagree with the author’s thesis. Be thoughtful. As needed, clarify the logical connections between your claim and the author’s claim so that the reader can follow your line of reasoning. 3. In your response, identify and evaluate the effectiveness of at least one piece of evidence used by the author. That is, do you feel that the author uses enough evidence to support her or his position? In Good Arguments, Connie Missimer states that there are three major types of evidence. Experimental evidence employs scientific experiment to identify direct (causal) relationships between two variables. This evidence concerns statements about the material world. Correlative evidence is not as definite as experimental evidence. It employs after-the-event studies to detect relationships between two variables that may or may not be related directly. For example, medical researchers studying the relationship between smoking and lung cancer might track the health of 100 smokers and 100 non-smokers over a span of 25 years. The researchers cannot experiment directly on human beings and force them to smoke; instead, they must analyze the data after the event. Researchers will employ statistics and expert opinion to suggest the strong likelihood of a link (correlation) between smoking and cancer. Speculative evidence often employs an appeal to examples that support a philosophical principle (value). IT IS NOT USED in the search for what is (fact) but for what should be (values). Expert opinion and/or appeals to the audience’s beliefs or needs are also employed. You may write from either the third-person point of view or the first-person point of view, and use the
LINDA M. HASSELSTROM ‘
A Peaceful Woman Explains
Why She Carries a Gun
Linda M. Hasselstrom (b. 1943) grew up in rural South Dakota in a cattle ranching family. After receiving a master’s degree in journalism from the University
of Missouri, she returned to South Dakota to run her own ranch and now
divides her time between South Dakota and Cheyenne, Wyoming. A highly
respected poet, essayist, and writing teacher, she often focuses on everyday
life in the American West in her work. Her publications include the poetry collections Caughtby One Wing (1984), Roadkill (1987), and Dakota Bones (1991); the
essay collection Land Circle (1991); and several books about ranching, including
Feels Like Far: A Rancher’s Life on the Great Plains (1999) and Between Grass and
Sky: Where l Live and Work (2002). Her most recent book is Dirt Songs:A Plains
Duet (2011). ln this essay from Land Circle, Hasselstrom explains her reluctant
l decision to become licensed to carry a concealed handgun.
Background on incidences of sexual assault Hasselstrom’s gun ownership
can certainly be considered in the context of the ongoing debate over how
(and even whether) stricter gun safety measures should be enacted in the
United States. In 2008, the Supreme Court overturned a thirty-two-year ban on
handguns in Washington, DC, concluding that the ban violated individuals’
right to keep and beararms. ln a ruling in 2010, it extended Second Amendment
protection to every jurisdiction in the nation. Equally important, however, is
the fact that Hasselstrom’s reason for carrying a gun is to protect herself from
i sexual According to the 2008 National Crime Victimization survey,
l more than 200,000 women reported being sexually assaulted in this country
in that year. It is estimated that only one in six instances of sexual assault is
actually reported to the police, so the number of such attacks is, in reality, much
higher. A 2009 study conducted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation
found that gun purchases by women were increasing and that 80 percent of
the female gun buyers who responded to the survey had purchased a gun for
self-defense.
I am a peace-loving woman. But several events in the past
convinced me I’m safer when I carry a pistol. This was a personal deci51°”, but because handgun possession is a controversial subject, perhaps
my reasoning will interest others.
I live in western South Dakota on a ranch twenty-five miles from the
town: for several years I spent winters alone here. As a freelance
I travel alone a lot ~ more than 100,000 miles by car in the last four
Years. With women freer than ever before to travel alone, the odds of our
353
encountering trouble seem to have risen. Distances are great,
deserted, and the terrain is often too exposed to offer hiding placi–a.
A woman who travels alone is advised, usually to
self by avoiding bars and other “dangerous situations, by 3PPl’02lCm ng
car like an Indian scout, by locking doors and windows. But these precau.
tions aren’t always enough. I spent years following them and still Found
myself in dangerous situations. I to resent the idea. that ]USl because
I am female, I have to be extra care u .
A few years ago, with another woman, I camped for several weeks in
West. We discussed self-defense, but neither of us had taken acourse in it,
She was against firearms, and local police told us Mace was illegal. S0
armed ourselves with spray cans of deodorant tucked into our sleeping
bags. We never used our improvised Mace because we were lucky enough
camp beside people who came to our aid when men harassed 115- But on
one occasion we visited a national park where our assigned space was less
than fifteen feet from other campers. When we returned from a walk, we
found our closest nei hbors were two young men. As we gathered our
cooking gear, they beer and loudly discussed what they would do to
us after dark. Nearby campers, even families, ignored them: rangers strolled
past, unconcerned. When we asked the rangers point-blank if they would
rotect us, one of them patted my shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, girls.
just kidding.” At dusk we drove out of the park and hid our camp
in the Woods a few miles away. The illegal spot was lovely, but our enjoyment of that park was ruined. I returned from the trip determined to reconsider the options available for protecting myself.
At that time, I lived alone on the ranch and taught night classes in 5
town. Along a city street I often traveled, a woman had a flat tire, called for
help on her CB radio, and got a rapist who left her beaten. She was afraid I0
call for help again and stayed in her car until morning. For that reason, =15
well as because CBs work best along line-of-sight, which wouldn’t help
much in the rolling hills where I live, I ruled out a CB.
As I drove home one night, a car followed me. It passed me on a IlflY1’°W
bridge while a passenger flashed a blinding spotlight in my face. I braked
sharply. The car stopped, angled across the bridge, and four men j11mPed
out. I realized the locked doors were useless if they broke the vvindows °f
my pickup. I started forward, hoping their car aside so I ¢°ul_d
then another car appeared, and the men hastily got back in
354 Cause and Effect
they pulled over to the roadside, and ‘
the pickup horn blaring, I swerved as close to them as I
roared past. It worked: they turned off the highway But I was
“mg”Y- in my vehicle I was too vulnerable. 7 Other incidents occurred over the years. One day I glanced out at a
field below lrpy and saw a man with a shotgun walking toward 3
s. and eXPlained – that the land was Posts
e. He stared at me, and the muzzle of the
- .
Hasselstrom I A Peaceful Woman Explains Why She Carries a Gun 355
begfl-fl 1’l5e~ In 3 moment Of utter clarity I realized that I was alone on the
ranfih» and he ¢°\11d $h0Ot me and simply drive away. The moment
assed: the man left.
one I home from teaching a class to find deep tire rurs 8
in the wet ground of my yard, garbage in the driveway, and a large gas tank
empfY- A lfl the house: I couldn’t remember leaving it on. I was ‘ .
embarrassed to drive to a neighboring ranch and wake someone up. An
hour of cautious exploration convinced me the house was safe, but once
inside, with the doors locked, I was still afraid. I kept thinking of how vulnerable I felt» around my own house in the dark.
My first positive step was to take a kung fu class, which teaches eva- 9
sive or protective action when someone enters your space without permission. I learned to move confidently, scanning for possible attackers.
I h°W 155858 danger for avoiding it without
corn at.
I also learned that one must practice several hours every day to be good 10
at kung fu. By that time I had married George: when I practiced with him, I
learned how close you must be to your attacker to use martial arts, and
decided a 120-pound woman dare not let a six-foot, 220-pound attacker
get that C1086 unless She is very, very good at self-defense. I have since read
-articles by several women who were extremely Well trained in the martial
arts, but were raped and beaten anyway.
I thought back over the times in my life when I had been attacked or 11
threatened and tried to be realistic about my own behavior, searching for
anything that had allowed me to become a victim. Overall, I was convinced
that I had not been at fault. I don’t believe myself to be either paranoid or a
risk-taker, but I wanted more protection.
With some reluctance I decided to try carrying a pistol. George had 12
always carried one, despite his size and his training in martial arts. I prac- _
ticed shooting until I was sure I could hit an attacker who moved close_ _
enough to endanger me. Then I bought a license from the county sheriff, ‘
making it legal for me to carry the gun concealed.
But I was not yet ready to defend myself. George taught me that the
most important preparation was mental: convincing myself I could actu- .
ally sboota person. Few of us wish to hurt or kill another human being. But \
there is no point in having a gun — in fact, gun possession might increase
your danger — unless you know you can use it. I got in the_habit of rehearsing, as I drove or walked, the precise conditions that would be required
before I would shoot someone.
People who have not grown up with the idea that they are capable of 14
protecting themselves — in other words, most women — might have to work
hard to convince themselves of their ability, and of the necessity. Handgun
Ownership need not turn us into gunslingers, but it can be part of believing in, and relying on, ourselves for protection.
To be Pistol has to be available. In my car, it’s within instant 15
reach. When I enter a deserted rest stop at flight, In mY my hand en When I walk from a dark parking lot into a motel, it’s in 355 Cause and Effect .
horr, [ .
1:
my hand, under a coat. At home, it’s on the headboard. In s
with me almost everywhere I go alone. _
just carrying a pistol is not protection; avoidance is still
approach to trouble. Subconsciously watching for signs of 6
1’ve become more alert. Handgun use, not unlike driving, becomes
tive. Each time I’ve drawn my gun — I have never fired it at another
being — I’ve simply found it in my hand.
Iwas driving the half-mile to the highway mailbox one day when 1
a vehicle parked about midway down the road. Several rnen were
in the ditch, relieving themselves. I have no objection to emer _ Sency Uflnq. tion, but I noticed they‘d dumped several dozen beer cans in the road
sides being ugly, cans can slash a cow’s feet or stomach.
The men noticed me before they finished and made quite a perfor.
mance out of zipping their trousers walking toward me. All four of
gathered around my small foreign car, and one of them demanded
what the hell I wanted.
“This is private land. I’d appreciate it if you’d pick up the beer cans.” 19
“What beer cans?” said the belligerent one, putting both hands on the 1|;
car door and leaning in my window. His face was inches from mine, and the
beer fumes were strong. The others laughed. One tried the passenger door,
locked; another put his foot on the hood and rocked the car. They circled,
lightly thumping the roof, discussing my good fortune in meeting them
and the benefits they were likely to bestow upon me. I felt very small and
very trapped and they knew it. ‘
“The ones you just threw out,” I said politely. 21
“I don’t see no beer cans. Why don’t you get out here and show them to 22
me, honey?” said the belligerent one, reaching for the handle inside my door.
“Right over there,” I said, still being polite. “ — there, and over there.”I B
pointed with the pistol, which I’d slipped under my thigh. Within one minute the cans and the men were back in the car and headed down the road.
I believe this incident illust
number. Out of the car,
vulnerable. The pistol just changed the balance of power. It worked again recently when
I was driving in a desolate part of Wyoming.
A man Played cat-and-mouse with me for
thirty miles, ultimately trying to run me off
th – . . his car passed mine with
°I1 Y two inches to
pistol, and showed him my
Wh 1 ~ ‘ . . , 15 God P1SF°l, I told my husband, revising the old Colt
Sam Colt made them equal.”
The pistol just
ba.1aI109
of power.
and women, bur
Hasselstrom I A Peaceful Woman Explains Why she a Gun 357 _ _ _
a gunm:-iker’s ad with a similar sentiment. Perhaps this is an idea l
e has come, though the pacifist inside me will be saddened ifthc
Whose umwomen can ac hieve equa 1’ity is ‘ by ” WeaPonS I
I
onl We must treat a fireartn’5 With caution. “Power tends to corrupt, 26
power abwllltely,” as a man (Lord Acton) once said. l
is not the °n1Y “’aY being raped or murdered in today’s l intelligently wielded, it can shift the balance of power and proe of safety. worl Vide a me3$Uf 1 According to Hasselstrom, why does she carry a gun? In one sentence,
summarize her rationale.
- List the specific events that led Hasselstrom to her decision to carry a gun.
3, Other than carrying a gun, what means of protecting herself did
Hasselstrom try? Why did she find these strategies unsatisfactory? Can
you think of other strategies she could have adopted instead of carrying
a gun? - Where in the essay does Hasselstrom express her reluctance to carry a
gun? - In paragraph 13, Hasselstrom says that possessing a gun “might increase
your danger-— unless you know you can use it.” Where else does she touch
on the possible pitfalls of carrying a gun? - What does Hasselstrom mean when she says, “The pistol just changed the
balance of power ” (24)?
Purpose and Audience - How does paragraph 1 establish Hasselstrom’s purpose for writing this
essay? What other purpose might she have? - What purpose does paragraph 5 serve? Is it necessary?
- Do you think that this essay is aimed primarily at men or at women?
Explain.
4- D0 you think Hasselstrom expects her readers to agree with her position?
Where does she indicate that she expects them to challenge her? How
does she address this challenge?
1′ This essay is written in the first person, and it relies heavily On PeY§°Y13~1
@XPerience. Do you see this as a strength or a weakness? Explain.
2′ What is the main cause in this cause-and-effect essay – that is, what is the
important reason Hasselstrom gives for carrying a gun? Can you
i ‘ . any contributory causes?
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