We are finishing the graphic organizer that accompanies Powell's article on his book the Anarchist Cookbook, which was his response to the Vietnam War, an action much different than that of Tim O'Brien's. Powell believed that disrupting the government would end their violent policies. Now he has come to see the irony behind the idea that violence will stop violence and has taken on a more philosophical attitude; he wants his book to no longer be published.
Make sure you have your graphic organizer. On Monday, I asked to write a thesis statement, that is the main idea for each of the five paragraphs. If you were absent or did not complete the assignment, check the filled in organizer and copy in the information. See copy below:
Anarchist Cookbook
article name
______________________________________________
We are
trying a new type of close reading exercise. Here's how it works:
1.
Silently read the short article.
2. Now we
are going to look at how the article is organized. For each of the five
paragraphs, write a sentence that explains the main idea the author is making,
that is the same as his thesis statement or controlling idea. These should be
succinct.
3. Now
with a pen or pencil, reread the text, underlining the four words that you think best express the
author's main idea in the article. Yours will unlikely look like your
neighbors'.
4. As a
class, we'll review these. Be prepared to explain why you chose these. (application)
5.
Finally, incorporate those four words in a couple or three well-written
sentences that describes how Powell builds his argument that supports the theme
/ main idea / controlling idea of the article. (standard grammar / punctuation
/ spelling) class participation grade. (evaluation)
.
William Powell
theguardian.com
1
|
Forty-four years ago
this month, in December 1969, I quit my job as a manager of a bookstore in
New York City's Greenwich Village and began to write the Anarchist Cookbook. My motivation at the time was simple; I was
being actively pursued by the US military, who seemed single-mindedly
determined to send me to fight, and possibly die, in Vietnam.
I wanted to publish
something that would express my anger. It seems that I succeeded in ways that
far exceeded what I imagined possible at the time. The Cookbook is still in
print 40 years after publication, and I am told it has sold in excess of 2 million
copies.
|
In response to his being drafted to be
sent to Vietnam, William Powell
wrote the very successful book entitled the Anarchist Cookbook.
|
2
|
I have
never held the copyright, and so the decision to continue publishing it has been in the hands of the
publisher.
I now find
myself arguing for it to be quickly and quietly taken out of print taken out of
print. What has changed?
|
Powell would like the Anarchist Cookbook to no longer be sold.
|
3
|
Unfortunately, the source of my anger in the
late 60's and early 70's – unnecessary government-sanctioned violence – is
still very much a feature of our world. The debacle
of the US invasion of Iraq is
yet another classic example. It still makes me very angry. So my change of
heart has had less to do with external events than it does with an internal
change.
|
Powell has had a "change of heart", and despite his continued anger with the government.
|
4
|
Over the years, I have come to understand that
the basic premise behind the Cookbook is profoundly flawed. The anger that
motivated the writing of the Cookbook blinded me to the illogical notion that
violence can be used to prevent violence. I had fallen for the same
irrational pattern of thought that led to US military involvement in both
Vietnam and Iraq. The irony is not lost on me.
|
Powell has decided the Anarchist Cookbook is wrong in promoting violence to prevent violence.
|
5
|
To paraphrase
Aristotle: it is easy to be angry. But to be angry with the right
person, at the right time and to the right degree that is hard – that is the
hallmark of a civilized person. I continue to work hard, in an Aristotelian
sense, to be more civilized.
|
Powell has decided to take the philosophical approach to be a more civilized person and manage his anger more effectively.
|
Finally,
incorporate those four words in a couple or three well-written sentences that describes
how Powell builds his argument that supports the theme / main idea /
controlling idea of the article. (standard grammar / punctuation / spelling)
class participation grade. (evaluation). This is essentially a paraphrasing of what Powell wrote, but you must incorporate your four words. In reviewing the selected words as a class, you might have changed your list. That's ok.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment