This chapter contains additional reading and writing activities related to the articles in Themed Readings: The Quest for a Sustainable World.

Making Connections

Both Amber Martin-Woodhead (I Spoke to ‘Minimalists’ to Find out Why They Are Giving up Their Personal Possessions) and Simon Okelo (Growing Up in a Kenyan Slum Taught Me the Real Value of Stuff) address concerns with consumer culture. Martin-Woodhead describes minimalism, the choice to limit one’s possessions to the bare necessities, whereas Okelo describes how he is cautious about not purchasing more than he needs.

Reread the two articles. Respond to the following questions.

1. Imagine a conversation between these two writers. What do you think they would say to each other? Explain your thinking.
2. What are the reasons the minimalists give for their choices, as reported by Amber-Woodhead? Why has Okelo changed his habits as a consumer? How are their reasons for their choices similar and different?
3. Do you think self-proclaimed minimalists would label Okelo as a minimalist? Why or why not?

Rhetorical Analysis

Comparing and Contrasting Methods

Comparison/contrast is a common method of thinking, organizing, and writing across the curriculum. In a math course, for example, you may be asked to compare and contrast two approaches to solving a math problem. In a history course, you may be asked to compare and contrast two historical events or two leaders. In English courses, it is common to compare and contrast ideas, writers, and texts.

The following three texts communicate a similar message about what it means to “have  enough,” yet they use different methods:

• In Growing Up in a Kenyan Slum Taught Me the Real Value of Stuff, Simon Okelo uses a narrative essay.
• In Energy, Housing, Food, Water: What’s a Fair Share?, Tracy Matsue Loeffelholz presents data using an infographic.
• In Enough Is Enough, Sarah Lazarovic uses a comic.

Which text and method do you think is most effective? Why?

Analyzing Cause and Effect

When writers want to analyze why something happened or the outcome of some occurrence, they are using cause and effect. When examining causes, they focus on the reasons behind some outcome or result, answering the question, “Why did this happen?” When writers address the effects, they present the consequences or results of some cause. A writer may choose to examine only causes, only effects, or both causes and effects in a text.

In the article Cohousing Is Empowering People to Fight Back against a Global Housing Crisis, Johannes Novy examines the reasons people choose cohousing and the effects of cohousing.

In the article I Spoke to ‘Minimalists’ to Find out Why They Are Giving up Their Personal Possessions, Amber Martin-Woodhead examines both the reasons people choose minimalism and the effects of minimalism.

Choose one of the articles. Make a list of the causes and effects that the writer identifies. Then, analyze and evaluate Novy’s or Martin-Woodhead’s writing using the following questions as a guide:

1. Is each cause-effect relationship clearly explained?
2. Is there sufficient evidence to explain the link to each cause and effect? If not, what additional evidence would you like to have seen?
3. Does the writer cover all the major causes and effects? Are there any that the writer overlooked and should have included?

You may also choose to evaluate both articles and decide which writer did a better job of presenting the causes and effects.

Analyzing Use of Narrative

Some writers choose to use anecdotes, or short narratives or stories, within their writing, even when the purpose of the writing is not to tell a story.

Examine the following two articles: US Climate Risks Are Rising – A Scientist Looks at the Dangers Her Children Will Have to Adapt to, from Wildfires to Water Scarcity by Erica A. H. Smithwick and I Spoke to ‘Minimalists’ to Find out Why They Are Giving up Their Personal Possessions by Amber Martin-Woodhead. Both writers use anecdotes in their writing. Respond to the following questions for each article.

1. For each article, identify and briefly describe the anecdotes used in the writing.
2. Why do you think the writers chose to use the anecdotes?
3. How did the anecdotes impact your experience as a reader?
4. Would the writing have been as effective without the inclusion of the anecdotes?

Evaluating Sources

Choose one of the following articles: US Climate Risks Are Rising – A Scientist Looks at the Dangers Her Children Will Have to Adapt to, from Wildfires to Water Scarcity by Erica A. H. Smithwick or Cohousing Is Empowering People to Fight Back against a Global Housing Crisis by Johannes Novy.

The links in the articles serve as citations or references to the sources where the writers obtained their information. In the article you chose, click on the links to evaluate the sources. Use the questions below in your evaluation.

1. Does the source seem reputable? Has the information from the source been reviewed by editors or experts?
2. Does the author include enough details and information from the source, or should the author have included more information to provide a clearer context?
3. Is there anything the author should have told the audience but omitted?
4. Does the author misrepresent or misuse any of the research?
5. Does the source seem current enough, or should the author(s) should have searched for a more recent source? (The need for currency varies according to the topic.)