This week, we’re reading two texts that we can consider protests, The Declaration of Independence (text and audio) and Layli Long Soldier’s poem “38.” Spend some time reading these two texts (and the additional materials for the Declaration), annotating the texts or taking notes as you read.

You might wonder why we’re reading these texts here in ENG 1101 as we’re starting our reflective annotated bibliography, not a history lesson. We’re reading them as writers, as Mike Bunn encourages us to do. In your comment below, use your reading-as-a writer techniques to write a paragraph about what you notice these texts have in common, and how they differ. Think about features such as who the speaker is, who the audience is, what the purpose, tone, style, word choice, and genre of each is.

In another paragraph, choose one of the two texts to focus on. What is it protesting? What do you understand from it, and what is difficult to understand? If you were going to spend more time on the text, what would you want to know more about? Include a quotation from the text to use as an example of something you’re writing about.

In class, we talked about identifying the following while reading/listening to these texts:

  • What stands out to you? what questions do you have? what do you understand? Mark up your text to show what you’re thinking about.
  • What is the purpose of each of these texts?
  • who is the speaker?
  • who is the audience?
  • what is the tone of the text?
  • what genre is the text?
  • how do we know?

Optional questions for further thought:

Think about The Declaration of Independence in modern terms. In your comment below, write a paragraph explaining how the arguments in this founding document are relevant to you and relate to issues that affect you, your family, and/or your community in the 21st century. If you feel the document is completely irrelevant to your life, explain your reasoning.

Think about the history that Layli Long Soldier covers in her poem “38.” Are there any incidents or chapters in US history that you think are not as visible as they should be, and that you think are important for people to learn about? Are there contemporary incidents that you think should be included in historical accounts of our era so people in the future can learn from them?