SQR 4

Christina Haas and Linda Flower. “Reading Strategies and the Construction of Meaning”. College Composition, Vol. 39, No. 2 (May, 1988), pp. 167-183.

Rhetorical Reading Strategies and the Construction of Meaning

Summary

In the article the authors talked about constructive process as the way that reading should be understood. In a constructive process readers construct meaning in multiple facets their private mental representation of: content information, function of the text, and rhetoric strategies.

Christina Hass and Linda Flower observed and analyzed the strategies of ten readers (graduate and college freshman students) in order to understand “how readers go about ‘constructing’ meaning and the constructive strategies they use to do so” (171). The authors choose a text, and they asked the readers to read the information eight times. Each time the readers asked themselves “how do you interpret the text now?” (171).

The authors classified the readers’ strategies in: content, function/feature, and rhetorical reading.  Readers use content strategies to paraphrase “what the text is about”. In function/features strategies the readers name what the text is “doing”. In the rhetorical strategies the readers recognize the author’s intention, specific purpose and actual effects. As the authors said constructive reading is the “act of building a rich representation of the text” (181).

The authors mention how as teachers, it is very difficult to teach students to make use of rhetorical strategies as they read and write because students see writing and reading as an information exchange.

Question #3

What does it mean to have “rhetorical” reading strategies? Do you already practice this method of reading?

To have rhetorical reading strategies means that you as a reader are able to connect yourself to the content. It is very important for the reader to create a connection between whatever they are reading and themselves in order to have a better understanding. As the readers connect to the content they are able to compare their own ideas or knowledge to the ideas that the author is trying to relate.  “Rhetorical” reading strategies are the readers’ recognition of the author’s intention, specific purpose of the content, and the actual effects on the audience. In my opinion recognizing the author’s purpose is the cue for reading, been able to recognize what the authors wants to say through their writings is the fun part of reading. Is when you as reader, are able to compare and connect the author’s point of view with yours.

Unconsciously I have practice this method of reading before with topics of my interest. For example, when I read this article it interested me, and as I read it I had to go back several times to reread some parts because there were kind of confusing. As I reread I used several of the rhetorical reading strategies to get a better understanding of the text. However, now I find these strategies very interesting, because as I read the article I noticed how we as readers can learn so much more. Using these strategies, are a better way to read. Hopeful I will be able to put these strategies in practice from now on.