Writing with a Thesis: A Rhetoric and Reader

by Sarah E. Skwire, David Skwire

WRITING WITH A THESIS is based on the persuasive principle-the development and support of a thesis in order to persuade a reader, which is exactly the skill the beginning writer in freshman composition needs to develop. The book's 52 professional and 10 student essays are almost all short and easy to read so that class time can be devoted not to what the readings mean, but to what they mean for the student's writing.

Genres: Writing

325 pages, Paperback

First published June 18, 2004

Reviews

[Rosie Gearhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I use this as a resource for my homeschooled kids when they are about 12/13 years old. In order to write a good essay, you have to have read good essays. This is an easy way to accomplish that. We don't use it as a primary writing curriculum, just a supplement, but I wouldn't hesitate to do so if I didn't have something else to use. It is meant to be a college text but is certainly accessible enough for the average high schooler.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors write that this book is a rather traditional approach to looking at modes of discourse in writing. I see nothing wrong with such an approach. With that in mind, I still can only give the book an average review.

First of all, there is not much substance. The authors spend about two or three pages touching on some very superficial basics for modes of discourse such as narration, argumentation, comparison/contrast and others. If the writers had given more analysis, more suggestions, and more details to this segment of each chapter, I would have rated the book with more stars.

What I did like, however, is that for each mode of discourse the authors provide several short examples. Each of them is no more than a page or two thus making it very easy to look at several examples in a short period of thime. This makes the book useful in a classroom.

In short,the book may be more useful in a high school composition course, or as a supplement in a community college or in a four-year college "English 100" course

[Liriope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read this for an English class. The essays aren't too bad, some of them were very entertaining actually. For reading, it was pretty good.

[Maria]

very useful!

[Anissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As textbooks go, this one is engaging. The tone Skwire adopts is friendly but knowledgable.