A Community of Readers, 2/e by Roberta Alexander & Jan Lombardi

1. PowerPoint Presentation by JoAnn Yaworski, 2000 West Chester University A Community of Readers, 2/ebyRoberta Alexander & Jan Lombardi Chapter 7: Inferences and Reading Literature Dealing with Gender

2. Inferences • Inferences = assumptions based on the information we have about an event, a person, or a written passage. • If, when reading, you use your previous knowledge of the world and information provided by the author, you can often come to well-founded conclusions which are accurate. • Visual aids assist us in making inferences.

3. Inferences from the Written Word • Textbook authors use inference in two ways: • They report on their own inferences/conclusions about data and concepts. • They provide data and insights from which the readers can make further inferences.

4. Inferences and Irony • Sometimes, writers infer the opposite of what they write • Example: • A brother comes home from work at 8:00pm and he has not had dinner, you might say, “He’s not hungry.” The rest of your family would probably laugh because they all know you mean the exact opposite, that he is starving.

5. ConnotationWords • Connotations = the positive or negative feelings evoked by a word • Denotation = the precise meaning of a word; literal meaning; or dictionary definition • Example: • Denotative meaning of family = people related by blood or marriage • Connotative meaning • Positive = “A family is a group of caring and loving relatives.” • Negative = “You can choose your friends, but not your family.”

6. Reading Literature • Images and Inferences • Images = sense pictures in words based on sight, taste, hearing, touch , and smell • Figurative language = creates images by making direct or implied comparisons between two unlike things • Similes = uses the words “like” or “as” • Example: The skin of their faces were creased like the leather of old work gloves. • Metaphors = compare something known with something unknown without using the words “like” or “as” • Example: The prolonged slavery of women is the darkest page in human history.

7. Reading Poetry • A poem is a combination of images, rhythm, and rhyme that creates a dominant impression for the reader. • Like making inferences, interpreting poetry asks the reader to conclude meaning based on the evidence provided.

8. Reading Fiction • Characters = the people in the story • Plot = the action of the story • Setting = the time and place the story occurs • Viewpoint = the perspective from which the story is told • Theme = an interpretation of life experience based on the outcome of the story

9. “Sex, Lies and Conversation” by Deborah Tanner, pp. 652-656 • Which of the points of analysis of men and women’s communication styles in Tanner’s article were new to you? • Having read differences in women’s and men’s conversational styles will you infer different meanings from communications with someone from the opposite sex? Explain and give an example.

10. “Sex and Gender”by William E. Thompson & Joseph V. Hickey, pp.627-636 • What is the difference between “sex” and “gender”? • From your own observations and experience, how do you think children develop their gender identity? • How much influence do you think parents have over this process? • What have been some of the major influences for your own identification of gender roles in society?

11. “Why I Want a Wife” by Judy Brady, pp.663-666 “The Men We Carry in Our Minds”by Scott Russell Sanders, pp. 668-672 • How can you explain the differences between these authors in the way they perceive the power that men and women have over their lives? • What do you think about each position? How are these positions different from yours? Why?

12. “The Chase”by Alberto Morazia, pp. 699-705 • Why do you think this man’s feelings towards his wife have changed over the years? • Why do you think this man’s feelings towards this wife change again as he watches her through the window and then follows her to her rendezvous? • Why doesn’t the man do anything at the end of the story? • What do you think will or should happen next?

13. Inference Irony Connotation Denotation Images Figurative language Simile Metaphor Dominant Impression Characters Plot Setting Viewpoint Theme Reader’s Checklist

14. Visit the Web • The websites listed below provide more information on the theme of dealing with gender. • 1. Gender and Society • (http://www.trinity.edu/~mkearl/gender.html) • This is a website created by Michael C. Kearl, a professor from Trinity University. The page is called "A Sociological Tour through Cyberspace" and is focused on developing the sociological imagination of the students. "Gender and Society" includes lots of links to other pages related to gender issues and feminism. • 2. The Center for Women's Global Leadership • (http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/) • The Center for Women's Global Leadership works on women's leadership, women's human rights, and social justice worldwide. The Global Center's programs promote "feminist perspectives in policy-making processes in local, national and international arenas." The Global Center is concerned about violence against women, sexual and reproductive health and socio-economic well-being. The Global Center page includes a list of home pages of organizations around the world that advocate and promote social justice, human rights and women rights. • 3. The Men's Issues Page • (http://www.vix.com/pub/men/) • The mission of this page is to cover the several men's movements encyclopediacally. Its goals are to maintain comprehensive reference lists of men's movements, organizations, books, periodicals, web links, and other resources, particularly in the areas of fathering and fatherlessness, single fathers, custody, visitation, battered men, and equal rights for men and women

15. Visit the Longman English Pages • http://www.awl.com/englishpages