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The following is an example of two students' use of the part-whole
exercise to write an effective summary of an essay by Ward Churchill.
The essay proposes the idea that giving teams with Native American
mascots or names, such as the Atlanta Braves, is racist.
Step #1: Identify the parts.
Identify the
parts of the essay that seem to be focused on one point.
- Introduction:
497 - 498 top
- 498 1st
paragraph - 499 bottom
- 499
bottom – 500 middle
- 500 middle – 501
after 1st full paragraph
- 501 2nd
paragraph – 502 top
- 502
top – 503 last paragraph (middle of page?)
- Conclusion: 503
last paragraph – 504
Step #2: Label the parts.
Write a
very brief summary of each part.
- Intro regarding inappropriate American Indian names
- Churchill makes a point on how other ethnic groups aren’t bashed
- He
gets serious on this topic
- Talks about Streicher as an example of someone punished for his caricaturing of a race
- How American
Indians have been diminishing in the past few years and how they have been
subjected to reservations and what not
- Speaks about
genocide and how it is evil (speaks about how the history of genocide
continues today)
- Concludes that
American Indians culture shouldn’t be subjected to hate crimes
or to dehumanizing images of Indians
Step #3: Summaries.
Summaries should be both inclusive and
elegant. Notice that Example #1 is clear and captures the gist of
the essay, though it only takes into account 4 of the 7 parts
of the Churchill essay Example #2, on the other hand, takes into
account 6 of the 7 parts. Also, though it could be a bit more
concise, Example #2 has sentences that flow into one another smoothly to
capture the actual
logic of Churchill’s argument.
Example #1:
American Indians, through media, are becoming
“dehumanized.” Like what the Nazi’s did to the Jews, images in the media
are doing to the Indians. To destroy a human group through mockery is a
“crime against humanity.” (1,4,6,7)
Example #2:
There is a very big problem in our symbols of
Indians for names of teams and gestures people use representing Indians.
It is not just good, clean fun but actually degrades the Indian culture. In a Native American’s perspective, their situation and battle is
much like the extermination and emotional fight of the Holocaust in the
1940’s. The American government has also been a central assistant
in the dehumanization of the American Indian culture. Understanding the
embarrassment and humiliation the Native Americans go through could be the
first step in putting a halt to American’s traditional crimes against
humanity. (1,2,4,5,6,7)
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