the last meow - bell english...

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STUDENT VERSION

Reading Selection for This ModuleBilger, Burkhard. “The Last Meow.” New Yorker 8 Sept. 2003. Web. 5 Jan. 2013. <http://www.

newyorker.com/archive/2003/09/08/030908fa_fact_bilger>.

Reading RhetoricallyPrereading

Activity 1

Activity 2

Getting Ready to Read—Quickwrite

Read the following sentence: “She arrived in Manhattan looking ravaged and ravishing, like a queen of silent film with one last swoon left in her.”

Based on reading this introductory sentence, what do you think the text will be about?

What type of text do you think this sentence is introducing—fiction or nonfiction? Why?

Be prepared to share your ideas as part of a class discussion.

Introducing Key Concepts—Semantic Mapping

List words that relate to pets, owners, or veterinarians, and then, with the help of your teacher, work with classmates to create a semantic map. Here is an example of a map for the word “pets.”

The Last MeowDeveloped by Roberta Ching Revised by Roberta Ching and Karen Lopez

STUDENT VERSION

2 | THE LAST MEOW CSU EXPOSITORY READING AND WRITING MODULES

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Strays

Possible messesand germs:

fleas, hair, dirt, etc.

CatsDogs

IguanasBirdsFish

Hamsters

Types of petsReasons tohave a pet

PETS

Drawbacks toowning pets

Costs of foodGrooming

Veterinary fees

Money may be betterspent on humans

Protection (guard dogs)Special needs (sight)

Love

Surveying the Text

Based on the title that your teacher has projected, what do you think the topic of the article you are going to read will be? What do you think the author’s position will be? Write down your ideas and be prepared to share your predictions.

Now read the subtitle. Has your idea changed? Write what you think the topic will be now.

Based on what you know about the New Yorker, who did the writer probably intend to read the article?

Making Text-Based Predictions

Your teacher is going to pass out the first part of “The Last Meow” in chunks and ask you to read and make predictions about whether or not you think Shawn Levering will decide on surgery for his cat, “Lady.” After reading each of the following chunks, you are going to indicate your prediction until you reach the final paragraph.

Read paragraphs 1-3. Be prepared to ask your teacher to clarify the meaning of any concepts or words and phrases that you are unsure about. Now write Yes in the margin by paragraph 3 if you think Shawn Levering will decide to have Lady undergo the operation to repair her kidneys or No if you think he will refuse.

STUDENT VERSION

CSU EXPOSITORY READING AND WRITING MODULES THE LAST MEOW | 3

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Activity 6

Now read paragraphs 4-5 and write your prediction in the margin. It’s OK to change your mind and modify your prediction.

Follow the same procedure for paragraphs 6-7.

Finally, read paragraph 8.

Quickwrite: Do you think Shawn made the right decision for Lady?

Identifying the Main Idea by Creating Titles and One-Sentence Summaries

The article has been divided into chunks that are numbered but untitled. To help you remember the main idea of each part, do the following:

1. Label a sheet of paper “Titles and Summaries.”

2. Then, after you read each part, create a title that you think expresses that section’s main idea.

3. Follow that by writing a one-sentence summary of the part that accurately reflects the content of that part.

In this activity, you will write a title and summary just for Part 1. As you continue to read “The Last Meow,” you will use your “Titles and Summaries” paper to record the title and one-sentence summary that you create for the remaining parts of the article.

Understanding Key Vocabulary—Script Writing

Write a “script” using eight words from the chart shown below—two from each column. Using those eight words, design a script for a scene you might see in a TV drama or news program. Make sure each person in your group has a speaking part and that the scene is no more than five minutes long. Use a dictionary to ensure that you are using the words correctly.

unequivocal compensated general practitioner dialysis

ravishing compelled incurable transplant

absurdity ravage mercy terminal

dichotomy droop suffering donor

support bewilder family member euthanasia

exotic strays medical treatment lethal injection

STUDENT VERSION


Activity 7

Activity 8

Understanding Key Vocabulary

Complete the following sentences by changing the verb in parentheses into either an –ed form or an –ing form:

1. The patient, ________________ (ravage) by the effects of diabetes, was a candidate for a kidney transplant.

2. The disease was ________________ (ravage) the kidneys of the cat.

3. The _______________ (droop) cat was held in the arms of her owner.

4. The cat ________________ (droop) as the owner handed her to the veterinarian.

5. ________________, (bewilder) Shawn Levering looked around the veterinary hospital.

6. He was given a ________________ (bewilder) number of choices.

7. The veterinarian made a ________________ (compel) argument for saving Lady’s life.

8. He was ________________ (compel) to choose between his hot rods and his cat.

9. The ________________ (transplant) kidney was working fine.

10. The surgeon had ________________ (transplant) the kidney the night before.

Reading

Paraphrasing Paragraphs

The purpose of this activity is to encourage you to paraphrase (put information in your own words), rather than copy it directly from the text, and to help you become more conscious of the difference between copying information and paraphrasing it.

1. Read paragraph 9 in Part 2 to discover one piece of information that you found interesting, surprising, or even startling.

2. Set the paragraph aside so that you are not tempted to copy the information you selected.

3. Record the information from paragraph 9 on a sheet of paper, but do it by memory to ensure that you paraphrase the information rather than copy it or borrow too much of the author’s language and phrasing.

Now select two additional paragraphs and follow steps 1-3 above to paraphrase them.

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Activity 9

Activity 10

Discovering and Annotating Evidence

You have already read Part 3 closely. Now, work with another classmate and read Part 3 again, using the margins of your text to identify evidence both in favor of and against the Leverings’ decision to have Lady undergo a kidney transplant. Annotate the text by placing a plus sign “+” in the right hand margin beside evidence in favor of the Leverings’ decision to have Lady undergo a kidney transplant and a minus sign “–” in the left hand margin beside evidence that causes you to disagree with the Leverings’ decision.

Supporting Topic Sentences with Evidence

Use the following sentence to provide context for the two body paragraphs that follow:

In the article entitled “The Last Meow,” a man named Shawn Levering and his wife Karen decide to spend $15,000 on a kidney transplant for their cat named Lady.

Body Paragraph: Evidence AGAINST the surgery

Complete the following sentence starter, and then provide evidence from Part 3 to illustrate why most people would think the Leverings’ decision was foolish:

The Leverings’ decision was foolish because ______________________

________________________________________________________________ .

Body Paragraph: Evidence IN FAVOR OF the surgery

Complete the following sentence starter, and then provide evidence from Part 3 to illustrate why the Leverings made the decision to proceed with Lady’s surgery:

Despite these reasons, the Leverings proceed with the surgery

because _______________________________________________________ .

Be sure you have explained the importance of each of your pieces of evidence.

Now create a title for Part 3 along with a one-sentence summary in your “Titles and Summaries” document.

STUDENT VERSION


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Activity 12

Using Evidence to Interpret Character

Most of Part 4 is devoted to describing Lillian Aronson, the head surgeon who operates on Lady. Fold a sheet of paper into fourths, and label each section with one of these categories:

• What Aronson says:

• What Aronson does:

• How Aronson is described:

• How other characters react to Aronson:

Work in a group to find evidence from Part 4 to record in each section. Then discuss in your group the following questions. Be sure to support your answers with evidence from the text, and be prepared to report your group’s responses to the class.

• What do you think is going to happen to Lady and why is Bilger making readers wait to find out?

• Why does Bilger spend so much time describing Aronson? What is Bilger’s purpose?

• Now that you have read half of the article, what do you think the main focus of this article is? Is Lady’s surgery the intended focus of this article? Or is Lady part of a bigger picture?

Create a title for Part 4 along with a one-sentence summary in your “Titles and Summaries” document.

Structuring Information

As in Part 2, Bilger departs in Part 5 from his primarily narrative approach and provides factual information organized into carefully focused paragraphs.

• Are you able to identify the topic sentences of the paragraphs in Part 5? How does he structure this section?

• Why does Bilger choose to make readers wait—just as he did with Part 2—to find out what is going to happen to Lady?

• What reasons did Bilger have for including Part 5?

Now create a title and one-sentence summary for Part 5 and add these two items to your “Titles and Summaries” document.

STUDENT VERSION


Activity 14

Activity 13 Quickwrite Response

Before you read Part 6, respond to the quickwrite below.

Quickwrite: “Do [animals] also feel enough pleasure—enough joy in the sheer fact of existence—to make surviving worthwhile?”

When you have finished reading Part 6, consider how you would answer the following questions and be prepared to discuss your answers in groups or with your class:

• Why does Bilger include the anecdote involving the mastiff named Taberia who is dying of cancer? What does it suggest about his position on this topic?

• Why does he conclude Part 6 with the words of Taberia’s owner: “When someone buries a dog there [in the country’s oldest and most prestigious pet cemetery], you know they must have loved it to death.”

Inferring a Writer’s Purpose

So far in this article Bilger has chosen NOT to express his opinion overtly, but based on the anecdote he presents in Part 6, what do you infer Bilger’s response would be to his own question about how far you should go for a pet? What does he think animals like Taberia would say (if animals had a choice)?

1. Discuss the following questions:

• Why does Bilger describe Taberia and her condition in such detail?

• Why quote the resident who is treating Taberia?

• Why describe the owner? Why do we care that she is a bartender at Red Rock West in Manhattan?

• Why does Bilger describe the way the owner “crouched” inside Taberia’s cage and “cradled” her dog’s head?

• Why quote the owner’s description of Taberia as a “drunken ballerina”?

• Why bring up the debate over euthanasia for humans?

• Why quote Guy Pidgeon (the current director of the AMC whom we first met back in Part 2)?

STUDENT VERSION


Activity 15

2. Write an analysis of Part 6 in which you:

• Identify Bilger’s position in answer to his question at the end of Part 6.

• Use Taberia’s story in Part 6 to support your opinion. Summarize her story and then discuss the rhetorical impact of the details, figurative language, word choice, and quotations that Bilger employs. Don’t forget to include an explanation of the importance of each piece of your evidence.

This is your chance to show your ability to read for inference, and to marshal evidence and justify its importance.

Now create a title for Part 6 along with a one-sentence summary for your “Titles and Summaries” document.

Noticing Language

Work with a partner to answer the following questions based on “The Last Meow.”

1. According to Bilger, how has veterinary medicine changed in the last 20 years?

2. Why does Guy Pidgeon say that veterinary medicine is driven by emotion?

3. If you could own an exotic pet, what would it be?

4. How does Shawn Levering react to New York City and the veterinary hospital? Use “bewildered” in your answer.

5. What is Shawn willing to give up in order to save the life of Lady? Use the word “sacrifice.”

6. Do you feel sorry for the Leverings? Use the word “sympathetic.”

7. What problem does the story of Lady and the Leverings represent?

STUDENT VERSION


Activity 16 Exploring Arguments and Counterarguments

Argument/Counterargument Quiz (Parts 7 and 8 of “The Last Meow”)

Explain the contrast is as many of the following items as you can. You may skip around, first discussing the ones you like best, then moving to those you find more challenging. Remember to discuss how these items reflect 1) Bilger’s use of contrasting elements to create a balance between argument and counterargument; 2) the impact this has on the reader; and 3) how this approach reveals Bilger’s purpose.

1. “She’s blind, she’s toothless, she has renal disease, and she’s really sweet.”

2. “Lady lay on the table, immobile. After a few minutes, she opened a single eye.”

3. “Add to that the cost of pet food and other supplies, and the number rises to forty-seven billion, nearly three times as much as the federal government spends on welfare grants.”

4. “Pets, as George Bernard Shaw wrote, ‘bear more than their natural burden of human love.’”

5. “Every year, while pets like theirs are saved by the most elaborate means, some six million strays are put to sleep.”

6. “The drugs will cost about five hundred dollars a year, not counting veterinary fees for tri-monthly visits, and will leave Lady prone to infections, cancers, and diabetes.”

7. “‘It would have been hard not to have Lady around,’ Shawn said. The cats, as always, didn’t say a word.”

Now discuss with your class the following questions:

• How does Bilger’s use of balancing contrasting elements impact our interpretation of his purpose and his implied thesis?

• Why did Bilger include the final paragraph and final sentence in the essay?

• Have your ideas about what Bilger’s thesis is changed since you made your original predictions?

STUDENT VERSION


Analyzing Stylistic Choices

Answer the following questions:

Words

• Identify examples of medical terminology that Bilger uses in “The Last Meow.” Why does he use so much technical language?

• In the context of Bilger’s argument in “The Last Meow,” what do Lady, Shawn Levering, and Cathy Langston represent?

Sentences

• Read the last sentence in several paragraphs in “The Last Meow.” Often these sentences are quite short although most of Bilger’s other sentences are long and complex. Give an example of a short sentence that ends a paragraph. What is the effect of ending paragraphs with short sentences?

Paragraphs

• How are the paragraphs in this article different from paragraphs in a newspaper article?

Essay

• What is the tone of “The Last Meow”?

• How would the article be different if it were a newspaper article? What if it were in a textbook for students of veterinary medicine?

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Activity 18

Postreading

Contextualizing Quotations for Your Audience

The purpose of this activity is to practice providing context and analysis for quotations. It will help you incorporate quotations when you revise your essay for this module. A list of memorable quotations from “The Last Meow” is included below. Following the directions provided, discuss the importance of three of these quotations. (If there is another quotation from “The Last Meow” that you would prefer to discuss that is not included on the list, please feel free to use it instead.)

1. Review the section of the text where your first selected quotation appears; locate the quotation and then summarize the context. (What was going on when these words were spoken?)

2. Identify the speaker and the speaker’s identity (Example: Lady’s owner, Shawn’s wife) and “credentials” (Example: current director of the Animal Medical Center, animal rights attorney, and author of the book Drawing the Line).

STUDENT VERSION


3. Correctly introduce and punctuate the quotation. (Look carefully at how Bilger introduces and punctuates quotations in “The Last Meow.”

4. Explain the importance of the quotation to the part where it is appears. (What main ideas of the part does the quotation express? Why does Bilger choose to include it?)

5. Repeat the process for each of the other two quotations that you choose to discuss.

Part 1

“I just hope we can find our way out again.”

Part 2

“If you’re a farmer in Nebraska, you’ve been waging holy war against prairie dogs all your life.”

Part 3

“I don’t know what I would have done without the cats.”

Part 4

“Why not just perform a collar transplant instead?”

Part 5

“Pets don’t depreciate; they appreciate.”

Part 6

“When someone buries a dog there, you know they must have loved it to death.”

Part 7

“She’s blind, she’s toothless, she has renal disease, and she’s really sweet.”

Part 8

“It would have been hard not to have Lady around.”

Thinking Critically

The following activity is designed to help you consider Bilger’s use of ethos, logos, and pathos—and the impact of each of these rhetorical appeals on the effectiveness of his argument. Meet in groups to discuss each of the following questions. Be prepared to share your group’s ideas with the class.

Activity 19

STUDENT VERSION


Questions about Logic (Logos)

1. Locate the essay’s major claims and assertions, and ask yourself whether you agree with the author.

2. Look at support for the major claims, and ask yourself whether there is any claim that appears to be weak or unsupported. Which one, and why?

3. Can you think of counterarguments that the author does not deal with?

4. Do you think the author has left something out on purpose? Why?

Questions about the Writer (Ethos)

1. Does this author have the right background to speak with authority on this subject? Bilger never talks about himself in “The Last Meow,” but what have you learned about him by reading it?

2. Is this author knowledgeable? Smart? Successful?

3. Do you trust this author? Why or why not?

4. Do you think this author is deceptive? Why or why not?

5. Do you think this author is serious?

Questions about Emotions (Pathos)

1. Does this piece affect you emotionally? Which parts?

2. Do your emotions conflict with your logical interpretation of the arguments?

3. Does the author use humor? How does this affect your acceptance of his ideas?

Reflecting on Your Reading Process

Read your quickwrites, the “Title and Summary” sheet you have kept, and any other writing that you have done while reading “The Last Meow.” Think about how your understanding of “The Last Meow” has developed during your reading. Then answer the following questions:

1. What reading strategies did you use or learn in this module? Describe three or more of these strategies in your own words.

2. Which strategy was most helpful to you in understanding Bilger’s argument and the way it developed over the course of the argument? Why?

3. What have you learned about reading complex texts like “The Last Meow?”

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Activity 21

4. How will these strategies help you read texts in other classes?

5. What have you learned about yourself as a reader from studying “The Last Meow”?

Connecting Reading to WritingDiscovering What You Think

“Presspass”

You will be participating in an activity called “Presspass” that will help you experience the challenges that Burkhard Bilger encountered when he interviewed people in preparation for writing “The Last Meow.” For twenty minutes you will function as a reporter or an authority. Then, you will switch roles for twenty minutes.

1. Decide on your “credentials” as an authority. You will write your credentials on a press badge that you will wear on the day of the activity. Your credentials should be authentic and reflect your actual experience; you will have to be able to respond to reporters’ questions based on the credentials you select. Examples include

• Owner of two-year-old Chihuahua

• Owner of one large Pit Bull

• Owner of a fifteen-year-old cat that had to be put to sleep

• Granddaughter of a grandma who makes a hobby of taking in stray cats

• Son of a veterinarian

• Person who has never been interested in having a pet

• Person who has always wanted a pet but never been allowed to have one

You will also create a press badge for yourself as a reporter.

2. As a class generate questions for the reporters to ask based on the questions Bilger has posed in “The Last Meow.” An example of the kind of questions you may want to ask follows.

Sample Press Conference Question: Americans spend $19 billion a year on veterinary care. Do you think that money would be better spent on people? Why?

After generating possible questions, your class will decide on the best three questions.

STUDENT VERSION


Activity 22

3. Write responses based on your experience and what you have learned while reading “The Last Meow.” Writing the answers will ensure that you are prepared with ideas when you are interviewed by a reporter.

4. On the day of the Presspass activity, take notes while you are assuming the role of reporter and interviewing two classmates. Record the name and credentials of the two classmate authorities you interview—in addition to what those classmate authorities say. When you are functioning as a “pet authority,” answer the reporter’s questions using your own personal experiences and observations as well as what you have learned while reading “The Last Meow.”

5. Save your own answers to the interview questions and the notes you take as a reporter during the Presspass activity.

Writing RhetoricallyEntering the Conversation

On-Demand Writing Assignment

You will have 45 minutes to plan and write an essay on the topic below. Before you begin writing, read the passage carefully and plan what you will say. Your essay should be as well-organized and carefully written as you can make it.

After reading the passage, explain Bilger’s argument and discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with his analysis. Support your position by providing reasons and examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

Americans now spend $19 billion a year on veterinary care for their pets, up from $11 billion just seven years ago. Add to that the cost of pet food and other supplies, and the number rises to $47 billion, nearly three times as much as the federal government spends on welfare grants. Poodles get root canals, cats undergo chemotherapy, rabbits are treated with radiation, and prairie dogs get oxygen therapy in intensive-care units. People spend enormous amounts to pay for special diets for their pets while cities create parks for off-leash puppy play dates. For a price, we can take our dogs for day care or psychotherapy and buy them $200 cashmere sweaters and leopard-skin beds. Clearly, our love affair with our pets has gotten out of control.

Adapted from Burkhard Bilger’s “The Last Meow” published in The New Yorker Sept. 8, 2003.

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Activity 23

Activity 24

Responding to an On-Demand Writing Assignment

On-demand writing assignments like this one require you to complete three tasks:

1. Explain the author’s argument. Whether you agree or disagree with the author’s argument, you are expected to “explain” the author’s argument by paraphrasing or summarizing it. Paraphrasing the author’s argument will force you to better understand the argument and, in turn, demonstrate your understanding of the argument for those who read your essay. Include an attributive tag that provides an author/title reference.

2. Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the argument. You are expected to take a position in response to the author’s argument. In order to do this, you have to consider whether the argument made by the writer is convincing and whether the conclusion is justified. You may discover that you agree with the writer, disagree with the writer, or agree in part but not fully with the writer. Whatever your position, state your opinion explicitly—do not just imply it.

3. Support your position with reasons and examples from your own

• Experience

• Observations

• Reading

Revising and Editing

Essay Revision

Effective essays include the essay elements listed below. As you revise, make sure you address these elements in your essay. Persuade readers to agree with your position by providing at least two reasons why they should and then supporting those reasons with evidence from Bilger’s article.

Most academic essays include an introduction, conclusion, and a minimum of two body paragraphs; however, a writer like Bilger has many more. And since writers want to be as persuasive as possible, most include a counterargument in which they address the arguments raised by those who disagree with them.

Your final draft should include all of these elements; however, for the purpose of this assignment your teacher will focus on one or two that will be most beneficial for you and your classmates depending on what you have already learned during the course. As you revise, refer

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back to “The Last Meow” for examples of how a skillful professional writer has accomplished each element of an extended essay.

Essay Format

Creative Introduction (Background Information)

Provide background for your argument. Use Bilger’s approach in Part 1 of “The Last Meow” and create an anecdote (a brief story) that “hooks” your readers and introduces the issues that you are going to address. For this assignment, you will follow your anecdote with at least one provocative question that causes readers to think about the issues that you have introduced; however, writers often do not pose questions for their readers, instead leaving it to the readers to determine the questions that are being asked.

Position Statement (Thesis)

Conclude your creative introduction by taking a stand in response to the issues you have introduced and identifying two reasons for your opinion. Be sure to include an attributive tag (author/title reference) introducing Bilger’s article as the source that prompted you to take a stand on this issue and as the source that you will be referring to in your paragraph citations.

Body Paragraph (Reason)

Identify your first reason, and then support it with evidence from Bilger’s article accompanied by your explanation of the importance of each piece of your evidence. In addition to evidence from the article, you may also provide evidence from your own experience and observations.


Identify your second reason, and then support it with evidence from Bilger’s article accompanied by your explanation of the importance of each piece of your evidence. Providing additional reasons is fine as long as you support them with evidence from the article or your observations and experience.

Body Paragraph (Counterargument)

Acknowledge a counterargument to your position by identifying at least one reason why others might disagree with you. Provide evidence from Bilger’s article (accompanied by commentary) and your own experiences and observations in support of that reason.

Conclusion

Choose from one of the following possibilities:

• Provide a “call to action.” (What can your readers do about this issue?)

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RevisionOption 1:Activity 25

• Revisit the question you posed in your introduction, and remind readers why they should agree with your position.

• Create a “frame” for your essay, just as Bilger did, by concluding the anecdote that you created for your introduction and then reflecting on its importance or posing additional questions that leave the reader thinking.

Reminder: MLA format and paragraph citations are required.

Formulating a Position Statement–Taking a Stance

Taking a “stance” in sports refers to the position of an athlete’s body and feet that provides a strong start. In writing, “stance” refers to the position that a writer takes when writing an argument about a particular topic. A writer’s stance is often expressed in one or more sentences that are called the position or thesis statement. A position statement makes clear what the topic of the essay is and what the writer’s opinion about that topic is. A “tentative position statement” is one that the writer wants to test to see if it will work. Just as athletes adjust the position of their body and feet after trying out a stance, so writers adjust their tentative position statements until they find one that they can defend. Just because you write a position statement doesn’t mean you are “stuck” with it—you are going to test it to see if it works and then revise it if it doesn’t.

Sample potential position statement: A pet should not have to endure expensive, painful veterinary procedures just because its owner still wants to enjoy that pet’s companionship.

You will need to support your position statement with at least two reasons why readers should agree with it. To test the strength of a tentative position statement, you will need to find two or more reasons that could be used to persuade readers that it is true. Work with a partner to test the sample position statement above.

1. Turn the position statement into a question.

2. Provide two or more possible reasons.

3. Consider whether or not there is enough evidence available in Bilger’s article to support these two reasons. To find evidence for the sample position statement, look at Part 3, Part 4, and Part 7 of “The Last Meow.”

4. Make a list of the potential evidence.

5. Decide if the evidence is sufficient to provide the basis for an extended essay. If you and your partner agree that it is, then the position statement is no longer “tentative.”

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When you revise the position statement that you wrote in your first draft essay, use the same process to test it. Copy your position statement on a separate sheet of paper and list evidence from “The Last Meow” that you could use to support it. If you cannot find sufficient evidence to provide the basis for an extended essay, rewrite your position statement until it can pass the test.

Once your teacher has approved your revised position statement, you are ready to provide background for your position statement and develop the rest of the essay using the evidence you have identified.

Providing Background for Your Position Statement

Most formal argument essays feature an introduction that establishes background for the argument that is the focus of the essay. For example, Bilger devotes the first two parts of his article to that task:

• Part 1 provides an anecdote (a brief story) meant to “hook” the interest of his readers while introducing many of the issues that other parts of his article will further address.

• Part 2 provides a factual history of veterinary medicine that has led to the development of the controversial procedures that are described in Bilger’s article.

Read the example below of a strong, creative introduction in response to the on-demand prompt for “The Last Meow.”

Healing the Broken Heart

I thought I would never get over it when our dog Hollie died. My bother Dan and I both cried as Dad buried her under the avocado tree in our backyard, knowing that Hollie was gone from our lives forever. We made Dad bury her deep so no other animals could come and dig her up. Dad said Hollie was old (we knew that) and had been sick a long time (we knew that too) and had lived a good life (we knew that too) but my heart was broken anyway.

My family also had a few pets before Hollie. For instance, we had Mousekins, who froze to death in the garage, and Swimmy, who went belly-up one night and got flushed down the toilet the next day. Whenever a pet dies, it is a sad thing but we did get over it. However, according to Burkhard Bilger in his essay “The Last Meow” from The New Yorker, Americans may be going too far to help their pets live a long time. Bilger says that “our love affair with our pets has gotten out of control,” and I for one agree. We Americans must develop a more reasonable perspective about the role of pets in our lives.


STUDENT VERSION


Write your answers to the following questions and be prepared to discuss them with your class.

• What did you like best about this introduction?

• What surprised you about it?

• How does it accomplish the three tasks in the assignment so the writer can continue to develop a strong response in the rest of the essay?

• Now that you’ve read this introduction, how would you improve your own introduction?

Writing the Creative Introduction

Now write a creative introduction for your essay that will provide background for your argument while “hooking” reader interest.

STEP 1: Model Bilger’s approach in Part 1 of “The Last Meow,” and write an anecdote that can serve as an introduction to your essay while “hooking” reader interest. The anecdote can be based on personal experience, a story or novel that you have read, a movie you have seen, or a situation you have observed. Use the following Creative Introduction Criteria to develop your anecdote. Then, get ready to share the rough draft of your anecdote with the students in your group

Strategies for Creative Introductions

1. Relate an engaging anecdote.

Example: the story of Lady the cat.

2. Provide sensory details.

Examples: sleek ermine coat; pale-green eyes; scuffed blue jeans; freckled, ruddy face; thickly cabled forearms

3. Use carefully selected specifics.

Examples: Lady (a specific, revealing name); Animal Medical Center (not just a veterinary clinic); Wheels of Time T-shirt (not just any shirt); picture of a custom Cadillac (not just a car); Wilmington, Delaware (a specific location)

4. Use strong verbs.

Examples: drooped, glanced, cast, transforming, compelled, nodded, filtering, whisk

5. Use figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification).

Examples: like a queen of silent film with one last swoon left in her; like demolition experts

Activity 27

STUDENT VERSION


STEP 2: The instructions for this essay require you to include the following items in your introduction: 1) an anecdote; 2) a provocative question written in response to the anecdote; 3) a position statement; and 4) an author/title reference introducing Bilger’s article as the source for your evidence. You have already written the most difficult part of the introduction—the anecdote. Now create a provocative question that you can add to your anecdote. Once you have thought of a question, record it after your anecdote.

STEP 3: In Activity 25, you created your position statement. Add it to your introduction directly after the question you have generated.

STEP 4: If you have not already included an author/title reference, complete your introduction by adding it to an existing sentence that introduces Bilger’s article as the source for the issue you are writing about and your evidence.

STEP 5: Write a final draft of your introduction to give to your teacher for additional feedback.

Analyzing Bilger’s Use of Evidence to Develop Body Paragraphs

In order to learn how to develop your own paragraphs with evidence, you are going to work in groups to examine the content and structure of some of Bilger’s paragraphs. This activity is designed to help you discover the types of evidence he selected to develop those paragraphs and to better understand the difference between an explicitly stated topic sentence and an implied topic sentence. Review the examples of evidence below, and then complete the activity for both explicit and implied topic sentences.

Examples of Evidence from “The Last Meow”

Facts

• The Animal Medical Center has its own oncology, dentistry, and dermatology departments (par. 9).

• A group called In Defense of Animals has lobbied communities to define people as “guardians” rather than owners of their pets (par. 35).

Statistics

• By the year 2000, women represented 75 percent of veterinary students (par. 13).

• Between 1980 and 2001, the number of dogs and cats in the United States grew from 98 million to 130 million (par. 13).


STUDENT VERSION


Statements from Authorities

• Some of the people Bilger quotes in his article may not be authorities in the traditional sense—like someone who has an advanced degree or has spent years researching a particular topic—but people like the Leverings who can be considered authorities because of their life experiences. Statements from authorities can be directly quoted or paraphrased.

Direct Quotations from Authorities

• “The chimp is amazingly similar to us in brain structure, DNA, and behavior,” British primatologist Jane Goodall told me during intermission, “but a dog can be a better friend to you than anyone else” (par. 38).

Paraphrased Statements from Authorities

• Reference to animal rights attorney Steven Wise’s opinion about “legal personhood” for animals (par. 37).

Examples

• The AMC treats a variety of animals like a hummingbird with a broken wing and a corn snake with a clutch of eggs stuck in her birth canal (par. 10).

• Carlotta Liebenstein bequeathed her $80 million estate to her dog Gunther (par. 16).

Personal Stories (Anecdotes)

• Part 1

• Part 6

Evidence in Paragraphs with Explicit Topic Sentences

The following paragraphs from “The Last Meow” feature explicitly stated topic sentences in the typical position (first sentence in the paragraph): paragraphs 9, 10, 16, 17, 33, 34, and 35.

1. Select one of these paragraphs (or your teacher will assign you one). Write the topic sentence of the paragraph.

2. List the types of evidence that Bilger uses in paragraph to support/illustrate his explicitly stated topic sentences: facts, statistics, statements from authorities (quotations), examples, and personal stories (anecdotes).

3. Be prepared to share your evidence discoveries with the class.

STUDENT VERSION


Evidence in Paragraphs with Implied Topic Sentences

Paragraphs 15 and 22 from “The Last Meow” both feature implied topic sentences. (As with Bilger’s implied thesis statement, you have to read the evidence in each paragraph in order to infer the topic of each paragraph.)

1. Read each paragraph carefully, and based on the evidence Bilger includes, discuss what each person in your group thinks is the topic of the paragraph and/or what point Bilger is trying to make.

2. Based on your discussion, write an explicit topic sentence for each paragraph. (You might want to look back at the paragraph that served as the basis for the on-demand writing assignment. Notice that the topic sentence is placed at the end of the paragraph to provide a logical conclusion to the evidence presented in the paragraph. Try taking the same approach to these two paragraphs and create a topic sentence that you think could be placed at the end of each paragraph rather than at the beginning.)

3. List the types of evidence that Bilger uses in each paragraph to support/illustrate each of his implied topic sentences: facts, statistics, statements from authorities (quotations), examples, and personal stories (anecdotes).

4. Be prepared to share your evidence, discoveries, and proposed topic sentences with the class.

Using Evidence to Develop Body Paragraphs

Now that you have analyzed professionally written paragraphs that include a variety of evidence types, you should be ready to revise the body paragraphs of your essay to make them more effective.

1. Gather additional evidence for each of your “reason” paragraphs, and note the paragraph number where you found each piece of evidence. (This will enable you to provide MLA citations in your final draft.)

2. Brainstorm additional personal experiences and/or observations that you can use as evidence.

3. Write another draft of both paragraphs, developing them with at least three types of evidence—just as Bilger did.

4. Submit the revised paragraphs to your teacher for feedback.

Activity 29

STUDENT VERSION


Incorporating Paragraph Citations

After you have submitted the revised drafts of your “reason” paragraphs, you need to add paragraph citations indicating the location of the evidence you use.

Using the Attributive Tag (Citation) Equation below and the examples of paragraph citations in the list of evidence from Activity 28 as a guide, add paragraph citations to your paragraphs.

Attributive Tag (Citation) Equation

Attributive Tag (Parenthetical Citation)

Author, Title, Paragraph # = None Required

“Americans now spend $19 billion a year on veterinary care, up from $11 billion just seven years ago,” states Burkhard Bilger in paragraph 48 of his article entitled “The Last Meow.”

Author, Title = (Paragraph #)

According to Burkhard Bilger, author of “The Last Meow,” “Americans now spend $19 billion a year on veterinary care, up from $11 billion just seven years ago” (par. 48).

Title = (Author’s Last Name, Paragraph #)

“Americans now spend $19 billion a year in veterinary care, up from $11 billion just seven years ago,” states the author of “The Last Meow” (Bilger, par. 48).

Developing the Counterargument

The next part of the essay that you are going to write is the counterargument, in which you are going to acknowledge possible opposition to your point of view. A good way to do this is to look at the issue you are addressing through the eyes of one of the “authorities” that Bilger references in his article. The “Cast of Characters” list provided below identifies some of these authorities along with the part(s) where each of them appears in the article.

Assume you agree that Americans spend too much money on medical care for our pets. Write a counterargument using evidence provided by one of the authorities below. Select an authority, and then review the parts of the article where that authority appears so that you can understand that authority’s mindset. You may need to infer the authority’s opinion based on the information Bilger provides.



STUDENT VERSION


Cast of Characters (listed in order of appearance)

Authority’s NameParts of the Essay Where Each Authority Appears

1. Shawn Levering 1, 3, 8

2. Cathy Langston 1

3. Guy Pidgeon 2, 5, 6

4. Karen Levering 3, 8

5. Karen Allen 3

6. Lillian Aronson 4, 7

7. Stan Brock 5

8. George Duckler 5

9. Steven Wise 5

10. Jane Goodall 5

Collect evidence that you can use to develop your authority’s opinion. Remember to make a list of evidence along with the paragraph numbers where you found each piece of evidence—just as you did when writing your “reason” paragraphs. Then draft a paragraph identifying the authority’s name and credentials and summarizing that authority’s opposition to your opinion. Make sure to illustrate the authority’s position with evidence accompanied by paragraph citations.

If you have trouble starting your counterargument paragraph, try introducing it with one of the following transition possibilities:

Transition Possibility 1:

(Name of authority followed by credentials) would disagree. He or she would say that…

Example: Guy Pidgeon, current director of the AMC, would disagree. He would say that…


(Name of authority followed by credentials) would oppose my position. He or she would point out that…

Example: Shawn Levering, Lady’s owner, would oppose my position. He would point out that…

STUDENT VERSION



Not everyone would agree with my position. For example, (Name of authority followed by credentials) believes that…

Example: Not everyone would agree with my position. For example, Lillian Aronson, the kidney specialist who performed Lady’s surgery, believes that…

Writing the Conclusion

You may choose to use one of the following methods to conclude your essay.

• Provide a “call to action” suggesting what your readers can do about the issue.

• Revisit the question you posed in your introduction, and remind readers why they should agree with your position.

• Create a “frame” for your essay by concluding the anecdote that you created for your introduction and then reflecting on its importance or posing additional questions that leave the reader thinking. (If you have other ideas for a conclusion, discuss them with your teacher.)

Here is an example of a conclusion to a student essay entitled “Healing the Broken Heart” written in response to the topic that you wrote on.

I do understand that people have a right to spend their money as they see fit and that people greatly love their pets; however, I also wonder if their spending is a way to put on a good show or even a symptom of people’s isolation. For those people who live in a major city like New York, maybe they don’t have sufficiently good relationships with other humans, maybe pets replace those relationships because it’s hard to have a long-term relationship with the doorman in your building. No wonder they are willing to spend so much money. This issue is tough, and I have to say that I don’t have the answer. However, I do believe that the money we invest in pets could be better invested elsewhere, such as health care and hunger relief. That’s a start, isn’t it?

What type of conclusion did this student writer use? How effective do you think it is?

Now read Bilger’s conclusion to “The Last Meow.” What type of conclusion did he use? How effective do you think it is?


STUDENT VERSION


Revise your own conclusion using one or a combination of the methods above. If you think of another method, discuss it with your teacher.

Revision Checklist

Use the following items as a checklist to help you take a close look at the drafts of the paragraphs you have written so far to see if you have included all of the required elements; and to organize the your essay parts into a coherent essay.

Creative Introduction (Activity 25, 26, and 27)

_____ Did you “hook” your reader’s attention and provide background information for your argument by writing an anecdote using the Creative Introduction Criteria found in Activity 27?

_____ Did you follow your anecdote with at least one provocative question that will cause your readers to think about the issues that you have introduced?

_____ Did you conclude your introduction by writing a position statement that takes a stand on the issues you have introduced?

_____ Did you identify two or more reasons why your readers should agree with your position statement?

_____ Did you include an attributive tag (author/title reference) introducing Bilger’s article as the source that you will be referring to in your paragraph citations? (See Activity 30.)

Body Paragraphs (Activity 28, 29, 30, and 31)


_____ Did you write a body paragraph illustrating the first reason that supports your position?

_____ Did you include several different types of evidence in your first body paragraph including both evidence from the article and evidence from your experience and observations?

_____ Did you include commentary explaining the importance of the evidence?

_____ Is each piece of evidence accompanied by an attributive tag or parenthetical citation identifying the paragraph number where the piece of evidence can be found? (See Activity 30.)

Activity 33

STUDENT VERSION



_____ Did you write a body paragraph illustrating the second reason that supports your position?

_____ Did you include several types of evidence in your second body paragraph?


Body Paragraph (Counterargument)

_____ Did you provide the name and credentials of the authority you selected for your counterargument paragraph?

_____ Did you summarize what you think your authority’s counterargument would be?

_____ Did you provide evidence to illustrate the authority’s counterargument?


Conclusion (Activity 32)

Place a check by the type of conclusion you have chosen to write. If you used an approach of your own, just explain the type of conclusion you used in the space that is provided at the end of the list.

_____ Provide a call to action. (What can your readers do about this issue?)

_____ Revisit the question you posed in your introduction, and remind readers why your response to that question is justifiable.

_____ Create a “frame” for your essay by concluding the anecdote that you created for your introduction and then reflecting on its importance or posing additional questions that leave the reader thinking.

At this point, your teacher may want you to 1) submit the revision draft of your essay for feedback; 2) receive feedback from a group of peers; or 3) edit it by yourself. Follow the instructions your teacher provides for submitting a final, polished copy.

STUDENT VERSION


Editing Your Final Draft

Work with the grammar and mechanics of the final draft of your academic essay to make sure that your use of language is effective and conforms to the guidelines of standard written English.

Edit your draft on the basis of the information you have received from your teacher or a tutor. Use the editing checklist in the Evaluation Form provided by your teacher.

The suggestions below will help you edit your own work:

• If possible, set your essay aside for 24 hours before rereading it to find errors.

• If possible, read your essay aloud so you can hear errors and discern any rough spots.

• At this point, focus on individual words and sentences rather than on overall meaning.

• Take a sheet of paper and cover everything except the line you are reading.

• Then, touch your pencil to each word as you read.

• With the help of your teacher, figure out your own pattern of errors—the most serious and frequent errors you make.

• Look for only one type of error at a time. Then go back and look for a second type and, if necessary, a third.

• Use the dictionary to check spelling and to confirm that you have chosen the right word for the context.

Responding to Feedback

You will be meeting in groups several times during the process of writing rough drafts for the academic essay assignment: creative introduction, “reason” paragraphs, counterargument paragraph, and conclusion. After these group discussions and whenever you get rough drafts back from your teacher that include feedback, consider all of the feedback you have received. Then, based on that feedback, make decisions about what changes you want to implement.

Here are some questions you might want to consider before writing a final draft of your essay—or any of its parts:

• What are the main concerns my readers had in reading my draft?

• Do all of the readers agree?

Activity 34

Activity 35

STUDENT VERSION


• What global changes (position statement, evidence, organization) should I consider?

• What do I need to add?

• What do I need to delete?

• What sentence-level and stylistic problems do I need to correct?

• What kinds of grammatical and usage errors do I have? How can I correct them?

Reflecting on Your Writing Process

When you have completed writing your academic essay, record your responses to the following six questions and attach them to your essay:

1. What was most difficult about this assignment?

2. What was easiest?

3. By completing this assignment, what have you learned about writing an argument essay?

4. What do you think are the strengths of your argument? Place a wavy line by the parts of your essay that you feel are very good.

5. What are the weaknesses, if any, of your paper? Place an X by the parts of your essay you would like help with. Write any questions you have in the margin.

6. What have you learned from this assignment about your own writing process—about preparing to write, writing the first draft, revising and editing?

Activity 36

the last meow - bell english...

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