Didion On Critical Thinking

This critical thinking process assignment has been beneficial in different ways. The research especially on the principles of critical thinking has been an eye opener for me. It will now be easier to choose any research topic, do an in depth research and produce excellent results in the end. It is evident to me that critical thinking is more than copying and editing people’s work. The process has also had it downs too, for instance, establishing the work that did not involve good critical thinking. It is also hard to determine whether an author depended on another person’s work if they have not referenced it.

        As citizens, it is essential to be “Critical thinkers who seek to draw intelligent conclusions” (pg. 3) whether as jurists, voters, parents, students, teachers, workers, managers, attorney. It is important to be able to discern between opinion, propaganda, facts, truth, error, and purposeful deceit. We elect people to speak for us at many levels. We need to be able to comprehend what we are hearing and be willing to utilize all the skills of critical

What potential barrier(s) to critical thinking did you notice in the reading? What ‘evidence’ presented in the case supports your choice? How would you suggest this issue (potential barrier to critical thinking) might best be addressed in order for the ‘protagonist’ of the case to be more effective?

In order to be successful, the students must fully dive in and give themselves to writing. Though her students say that yes they do want to be writers, Dillard questions if they understand what the choice really means. She asks herself “why do I want them to mean it?”; perhaps because just as she can recognize a moth, she can also recognize that many of them will not end up becoming writers. They do not understand that writing will be hard work but relatively unrewarding. Only after the moth had died did it truly begin to burn, acting as a second wick. Only after she falls asleep do the candles in Dillard’s last paragraph flame and thrive. The true success of the writing-- the inspiration and understanding it creates for others-- will remain relatively unseen by the writer.

The desire to attain a pensive repercussion to readers through the work of literature is limned in Richard Wilbur's, The Writer. The poem follows the progression and contemplation of a father’s daughter who is aimed to write a story in the peace and serenity of her home. As he observes her, he finds that she types at unequal rates, breaking at certain intervals sometimes puzzled to regain her thoughts. “Young as she is, the stuff / Of her life is a great cargo, and some of it heavy: / I wish her a lucky passage.” The father believes that her message is to be of significance and that she should not fret when stuck in a state of absence. He only desires the best for his daughter and acknowledges that despite the length of time needed, one should

Marian Evans Lewes relates to aspiring writers by subtly elucidating her own anticipation in order to draw attention to the common misconceptions young people possess about writing. Lewes quickly states how “exultation is a dream before achievement and rarely comes after” (Lewes 8-9). By creating a short and concise sentence, Lewes quickly informs the reader of how in one’s youth, triumph and elation are expected results of one’s work. Yet the reality is that these are attributes that scarcely accompany one’s achievement. Lewes immediately juxtaposes her previously succinct point what that of a lengthy conclusion she has developed. She determines how after one has completed a piece of writing they feel as though their bodies became the system in which writing “develop[s] and grow[s] by some force of which one’s own life has only served as a vehicle and that what is left of oneself is only a poor husk” (11-13). Lewes contrast in

In the beginning of her essay, Didion focuses on explaining what her idea of a notebook is not and for who it is not. We can see this when she says, "Although I have felt compelled to write things down since I was five years old, I doubt

“By which I mean not a “good” writer or a “bad” writer but simply a writer, a person whose most absorbed and passionate hours are spent arranging words on pieces of paper. Had my credential been in order I would never have become a writer. Had I been blessed with even limited access to my own mind there would have been no reason to write. I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at what I see and what it means.”

What did you already know about Critical Thinking: Making Inferences and Analyzing the Author’s Message? Respond to each concept. What did you already know about making inferences? What did you already know about analyzing the author’s message?

In “Why I Write” by Terry Tempest Williams, she deliberates the development and affect of writing from the mind. Through the internal destruction of emotions, the reconstructing of the words, and the influence writing has in this world, Terry Williams causes us to reevaluate the meaning of writing and how people write for different reasons. In the introduction of the story, we are given an image of the setting, and an indication of where the story will lead. “It is just after 4:00 a.m. I was dreaming about Moab, Brooke and I walking around the block just before dawn.

Throughout this week’s reading assignment, Summer found the advice provided by Burroway on page three most helpful. Furthermore, Summer stated that she found the explanation of the “formula” of how to arrive at the point of “creative” writing most helpful. Summer recalls Burroway’s valuable advice as she writes, “after writing your personal experience, ideas, and observations the next step is to develop a purpose for the writing. Upon discovering the purpose for the piece the author can then add depth to the work until your creative purpose can be conveyed to the reader”.

The main concepts presented in the article are the varying definitions of each author on the concept of critical thinking. The information the author uses are definitions which are the opinions of varied authors and are similar in foundation in that to apply critical thinking one must be able to identify a problem, pose a question(s), provide valid supporting evidence, and come to a conclusion. Although the author’s definitions do not identify a problem, questions, evidence, or conclusions, the relationship Petress (2004) shows is that the reader must apply this process themselves as it is not always given. The information used does appear to be relevant, significant, and valid. The references the author listed does provide enough information for me to come to this conclusion. Since this work is a literature review and not a case study, numerical data are not necessary to determine validity of the information.

The text begins by introducing the general idea of what it is to think critically. The first sentence of this text is a personal remark “When we were in school” (2004) which instantly makes the reader remember their time in school and would be very relatable for many students. The author then goes on to talk about children as individuals and how naïve we all are into believing practically anything we could get our hands on. The second part of the text goes on to explain how individuals can be critical thinkers. The author tells the reader that to be a critical thinker, we must ask ourselves questions whilst skimming through the text and to think about how the author is presenting a specific idea. The text concludes with telling the reader the benefits of being a critical thinker, such as the idea of being able to “comprehend from a critical stance” (2004).

“From a very early age, perhaps the age of five or six, I knew that when I grew up I should be a writer. Between the ages of about seventeen and twenty-four I tried to abandon this idea, but I did so with the consciousness that I was outraging my true nature and that sooner or later I should have to settle down and write books.” George Orwell writes “Why I Write” to show reasoning why authors by developing a purpose like including speaker, structure, and tone.

According to Wolpert (2009), “technology plays an important role in our lives; however, skills such as critical thinking and analysis have been declining.” Wolpert further stated that “reading for pleasure, which is one of the things that should help youths in their thinking and imagination has declined.” Students are rarely read books or any form of literature that would have helped to improve their critical thinking skills. Furthermore Kurland (2000) posits that critical thinking speaks to relying on reason rather than emotion; the influence of motives and bias are measured, and all reasonable inferences are evaluated. In addition, the Foundation for Critical Thinking (2011), cited Glaser’s (1941), definition of critical thinking as