Rehugo- Reading

Bryan Mai
Mr. Soeth
English 3 AP
January 26, 2011
REHUGO Analysis - Reading: Community

A. Essay- “In Search of the Good Family.” by Jane Howard

B. The main point in the essay “In Search of the Good Family,” indicated by the author, Jane Howard is that a human being is always in need of a family whether or not they make the right decisions in life.
C. Evidence:

a. Howard explains how a person a person is always in need of a family. As she starts her essay, she states, “Call it a clan, Call it a network, Call it a tribe” which indicates that a so called family does not really refer to a blood relative. She refers to the word “Family “as someone would need in their life because it is required. She goes on to argue that a person has two different types of the word “Family”. One who is willing to with you while you’re damaged in a state of mind, and the ones who just comfort you, but that is all they can do.

b. As her opening paragraphs become more emotional, Howard starts stating that family is sometimes too far to interact with in some causes. As she continues with her argument, it addresses pathos because people can connect to the situation as they live their lives. A family party is offered once or twice a year which brings everyone in the family together but aside from that, there is rarely a chance that we can see our long distance relatives each week due to the fact that it is complicated to visit them if there is no special event. Since that is the cause, people make friends that are nearby and tend to create some sort of a family. For example, an average teenager would attend high school and make friends. As time progresses, their friendship becomes what we call a family because they can act normally around those types of people.

D. Rhetorical Strategies:

a. Howard uses cause and effect throughout her essay by stating one example and addressing its outcome. She talks about how people barely see their families because of distance and family arguments which is the cause, and the effect would be that people create a sort of family that is close to them even if they are not blood related.
b. Appeal via emotion (Pathos): Throughout her essay, Howard creates words that have us relate back to our situations. “The trouble with clans and tribes…they are too far away”(283) shows how we can barely speak to half of long distance family members. Her words also address to herself to let audiences know that she is also in the same situation as a majority of us. Using herself as an example, it is easier to connect to the audience because they can relate to what she is going through.


MLA citation for essay:

Howard, Jane. "In Search of the Good Family." The Language of Composition. By Renee H. Shea, Lawerence Scanlon, and Robin Dissin Aufses. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin's, 2008. 283-88. Print.

REHUGO:Essay

Destiny Ornelas

Mr. Soeth

English 3AP

January 26, 2011

REHUGO Analysis: Essay

A.     “In search of the Good Family” by Jane Howard

B.     The author states that every one needs some type of family whether its blood relatives or a group of friends.

C.     Howard uses ethos by informing the readers that she belongs to seven or eight different tribes. Right after she goes into how she noticed some common characteristics between relative tribes and friend tribes. Doing this shows the reader she is an experienced and credible person, allowing the readers to trust the ten similarities she lists immediately after. She also uses logos by including a quote from a social scientist. The scientist states that “if you’re voluntarily childless and alone it gets harder and harder with the passage of time. That’s why you need support systems.” Using this quote in her essay clearly strengthens her argument because it backs up her idea of everyone needing a family. If you don’t have a family (support system) to confide in, your life will be harder and more stressful than it needs to be.

D.    In the beginning of the essay Jane Howard explains how and why everyone must be in a family or tribe and throughout the rest of the essay she uses exemplification to give examples of the temporary and long-term bonds that you can develop with other. She also gives examples of how to create those bonds. Doing this makes her argument stronger because it not only tells readers they should have these families but it actually shows you how to achieve them. All throughout the essay Howard alludes to countries to show the need for ‘support systems.’ She alludes to Scandavia and tells how they have ‘mega-families’ with as many as three hundred people. She tells how Japanese have been adopting non-relatives for years. And how Unitarians have been taking part in ‘extended families’ and all act like each other’s relatives. Jane Howard does this to help the readers connect with the idea of everyone needing families.

Howard, Jane. In Search of the Good Family. Language of Composition, Renee H. Shea. 2008

Abby Saavedra

Mr. Soeth

English 3 AP

27 January 2011

REHUGO Analysis – Reading: Essay

A. “In Search of the Good Family” by Jane Howard

B. Howard argues that having a family is essential to life and humanity, and that a sense of family can also be found in a select group of friends as a support system. She also states that a good family must have respect for each other as they work together.

C. Evidence:

a. Howard explains how a sense of family can be found past actual blood relatives and in friends, since family members aren’t always nearby to continually act as a source of support. She goes on to categorize friendships into two divisions – those that are temporary because of proximity and those that are “achieved by choice” – and how such “friends of the heart” would be there to rely on in times of distress as if they were actual family.

b. Howard provides a list of ten qualities of a “good family” and examples of how such qualities are expressed. The list stresses the importance of solid foundations within the family, the need for the utmost respect given to all members, and the desire to be unified with each other when facing life. To support her claims, she provides her own anecdotes and experiences under each quality.

D. Rhetorical Strategies:

a. Claim of Definition: In the latter half of her piece, Howard clearly states ten qualities of a “good family”. Along with this, she provides exemplification to demonstrate when the quality is useful and how it is practiced amongst families. Defining a “good family” ties together Howard’s piece by providing a direct reference and meaning to the concept of family, which she often utilizes to centralize her argument.

b. Appeal via emotion (Pathos): By the manipulation of stylistic devices such as selective diction and repetition, Howard begins her essay by directly acknowledging her audience and evoking emotion by introducing the close-to-home concept of the need for a family. As her argument progresses, she continues to address her audience to make the connection between the writer and reader more personal. She also selectively chooses her words, using extremes like “best” and “must” (284) and connotations of nouns like “meddling ogres”, “heart”, and “constellations” (283); this gives off the impression of assuredness in her tone and confidence in the high importance of family ties, while allowing a reader to connect their own knowledge and feelings back to the implied emotion from her wording. Howard also cites the personal feelings and examples of experiences involved with the creation of the family, which provoke sympathy in the reader, connection back to their own experiences, and personalization of and concession to her argument.

MLA Citation for essay:

Howard, Jane. "In Search of the Good Family." The Language of Compoasition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 283-88.

REHUGO Analysis - Reading: Community

Samira Haikal

Mr. Soeth

AP English Lang/Comp

27 January 2011

REHUGO Analysis – Reading: Community

1. “In Search of the Good Family” by Jane Howard
2. In this essay, Howard clearly argues that humans cannot do without a clan, no matter what their status or condition in life may be. In simpler terms, every human being needs a family. Throughout the essay, she explains the characteristics that define “a good family”.
3. Evidence:

1. Logos - Howard uses logos to enhance her argument when she quotes, “‘If you’re voluntarily childless and alone,’ said the other Helen, who was from Pennsylvania by way of Puerto Rico, ‘it gets harder and harder and harder with the passage of time. It’s stressful. That’s why you need support systems,” (paragraph 8). In this excerpt, Howard conveys the message that people need some type of support system, if not kids to help relieve the stress of daily life. Howard uses this quote from a “social scientist” to provide simple reasoning, but also to reinforce her ethos. This evidence is effective because one would trust a social scientist in speaking about family and community, since that is their specialized and known field.
2. Ethos- In each of the ten characteristics that Howard presents, the information is almost factual. For example, "Good families prize their rituals" seems like a proven fact by its syntax, even though it is simply a claim of value (paragraph 16). The matter-of-fact tone that is evident throughout the piece makes these obvious opinions seem like known facts, even though there is not a recipe for a “good family.” This utilization of ethos and tone shows how confident Howard is in speaking about this topic. Her confident tone alone could serve as a source of credibility because readers often tend to believe someone who is confident in their work.

4. Rhetorical Strategies:

1. Classification/Division - Through dividing the characteristics of both a conventional family and a second family, Howard uses classification. She clearly separates the good family into 10 numbered definitions, which breaks down her thought with a deeper look into the common ingredients for what makes these two different families alike.
2. Extended Metaphor - Beginning this strategy from the first sentence and ending it in the last creates a tremendously effective comparison. Howard could  have used a similar word to clan like flock, group, league, army, or colony, but none would have the same effect that the words clan and tribe have because of the connotations that accompany them. When we envision a clan, we visualize a village where an assiduous, indigenous group works together to help each other survive. The concept of family and survival enhances the argument because Howard’s thesis is that a family is necessary and that one cannot do without one. With tribe, we imagine the former, or maybe a tribe working together to battle and defeat an opposing tribe. Either way, Howard uses this metaphor and imagery so her readers can continually conceptualize a family, primary or secondary, as a group in which the members help each other in life and provide support through hardship. Another reason this extended metaphor is effective is because it relates to both types of families, proving Howard’s overall thesis and argument.

MLA Citation:

Howard, Jane. "In Search of the Good Family." The Language of Composition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 283-88. Print.

REHUGO on comment.

Kathria Pador

Mr. Soeth

AP English 3

January 27, 2011

REHUGO Analysis : Reading – Essay

A. “In Search of the Good Family” –Author: Jane Howard.

B. In the essay “In Search of the Good Family” by Jane Howard, the author states that everyone needs a family. This family, blood-related or not, will help someone to be less stressful by acting as support systems. Howard stresses the idea of finding family in friends if becoming friends with blood family is not a possibility.

C. One piece of evidence Howard uses is an example of ethos. In the essay she states that, “Several of my colleagues and I used to meet for lunch every Pearl Harbor Day, preferably to eat some politically neutral fare like smorgasbord, to ‘forgive’ our only ancestrally Japanese friend, Irene Kubota Neves. For that and other things we became, and remain, a sort of family…” Howard shows the reader that she has found a family in her friends from having a tradition with them. She is trying to show that even a small one, like her lunch with friends, can lead to a lifelong friendship and “sort of family.” Another piece of evidence Howard uses is an example of pathos. In the very first paragraph she writes, “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. You need one because you are human. You didn’t come from nowhere. Before you, around you, and presumably after you, too, there are others. Some of these others must matter a lot – to you, and if you are lucky, to one another. Their welfare must be nearly as important to you as your own.” Howard appeals to the readers’ emotions by noting the fact that everyone has and needs a family. When she says, “Their welfare must be nearly as important to you as your own,” the readers can relate to the feelings of wanting the best for their families.

D. One rhetorical strategy that Howard uses is allusion. In paragraph four, she alludes to Aristotle’s ancient proverbs written in his Ethics, “Wishing to be friends […] is quick work, but friendship is a slowly ripening fruit,” and “…you cannot know a man until you and he together have eaten a peck of salt.” Howard uses Aristotle’s ideas that friendships take time to develop. There needs to be a deep bond and understanding between two people in order to actually know who that other person is. Another rhetorical strategy that Howard uses is the use of metaphor. She writes, “Good families are fortresses with many windows and doors to the outer world.”This metaphor is comparing a good family to a fortress. A fortress is known for being a place where someone can feel safe and protected, much like how someone would feel in a loving family. In a loving family, someone can learn useful skills to use in the outside world. This metaphor describes these skills as the many windows and doors.

MLA Citation :

Howard, Jane. "In Search of the Good Family." The Language of Composition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 283-88. Print.

Jeserey Sanchez

Mr. Soeth

English 3 AP

Jan. 26, 2011

REHUGO Analysis: Reading


A. Reading: “In Search of the Good Family” By, Jane Howard

B. Thesis: In the article the author’s main purpose is every human being belongs or needs a family.

C. Evidence: "If you're voluntarily childless and alone," said the other Helen, who was from Pennsylvania by way of Puerto Rico, "it gets harder and harder with the passage of time.It's stressful. That's why you need support systems." Howard establishes her pathos. It brings out the emotion in the article. Howard explains and shows that you can be anyone in the world, be as strong as a brick wall. Replace your family with friends, people who you may think will be there for you in the long run, end up being the people who leave you at the moment you need them the most. And you’ll still be running back to no other place, but your family. And thats what she means by support system, your family is your support system, through thick and thin they’re are the people who can’t turn you away, no matter how long of a grudge they’ve held on you. When it comes down to it, they’re are the ones who are there to catch you when you fall. Jane Howard refers to author of the fictional novel Slapstick written by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr in her essay. Howard establishes her ethos with Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.’s quote from his novel to back up Jane Howard’s argument saying, "human beings need all the relatives they can get - as possible donors or receivers not of love but of common decency." If as much as possible its always best to fall back on someone thats your own blood, rather than a friend. Whether they be a very close friend or not. If its between you and their relative in need, they would help their own blood first.


D. Rhetorical Strategies: “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.” Howard uses repetition to state her main point in the first sentence of the first paragraph of her essay. Call it whatever you want to call it, they’re family. Her reason is straight forward and to the point. Doesn’t matter where you’re from, who you are and where you stand in life, you came from some place because you are a human. She believes you can go on with life alone and live in solitaire, but either way you can’t go without a family. Howard uses multiple rhetorical questions to continually get the reader not only engaged in her essay, but keep them thinking and on their seats as she builds up to her main argument and purpose. “Are there not thriving “mega- families” of as many as three hundred people in Scandinavia? Have not the Japanese for years had an honored, enduring -- perhaps by our standards rather rigid -- custom of adopting non relatives to fill gaps in their families? Should we not applaud and maybe imitate such ingenuity?”


Citation:
Shea, Renee Hausmann., Lawrence Scanlon, and Robin Dissin. Aufses. "More
Working Parents Play "Beat the Clock"" The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing and