Strategies for successful writing



These days it is required that reading a text, we need to be very active, and we need to think all the time. According to Alderson and Cseresznyés, They [readers] are selecting and interpreting information according to the reasons they have for reading the text. (Alderson, J. C. & M. Cseresnyés 2003:19)Why do we teach reading? It is very important to get students to read. They should be able to read English texts for study or for pleasure. In this way, they make an opportunity of studying vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, spelling, and punctuation as well. A well-selected text can also stimulate discussion, develops imaginative responses, and it can be a base of an interesting lesson. (Harmer 1998)According to Hedge, reading is an interactive process. Texts are in relationship with readers as readers try to find the sense of them. Reading is an active process that inevitably combines information from the text and readers' knowledge they brought with them. It can be seen as a kind of dialogue between the reader and the text.(Hedge 2000:188) To make sense of the text, readers use the fallowing types of knowledge. Besides, these different kinds of knowledge are connected with each other.

Argumentative Essay

The media sets unrealistic standards for what body weight and appearance is considered “normal.” Girls are indoctrinated at a very young age that Barbie is how a woman is supposed to look (i.e. no fat anywhere on your body, but huge breasts). NOTE: If Barbie were life-size, she would stand 5'9” and weigh 110 lb. (only 76% of what is considered a healthy weight for her height). Her measurements would be 39-18-33, and she would not menstruate due to inadequate levels of fat on her body. Similarly, boys are given the impression that men naturally have muscles bulging all over their bodies. Take a look at their plastic action-figures (like GI Joe Extreme) in toy stores. If GI Joe Extreme were life-size, he would have a 55-inch chest and a 27-inch bicep.

In other words, his bicep would be almost as big as his waist and bigger than most competitive body builders'. These body ideals are reinforced every day on TV shows, movies, magazine covers, and even video games. At UCLA, where the crowd is young and the warm climate promotes use of revealing clothing, the exaltation and expectation of extreme leanness is even more exaggerated.

And the media's portrayal of what is “normal” keeps getting thinner and thinner for women and more muscular and ripped for men. Twenty-five years ago, the average female model weighed 8% less than the average American woman. Currently, the average female model weighs 23% below her average weight. Similar trends are seen with men. The average Playgirl centerfold man has shed about 12 lbs. of fat, while putting on approximately 27 lb. of muscle over the past 25 years.

With these media images and body ideals, it's little wonder that women and men feel inadequate, ashamed, and dissatisfied with how they look. Only about 5% ...