The Ignorant Reader
Think of someone, real or not--This is the ignorant reader. We call the her Jane. She will be your audience for all of your writing in this course.
Jane has read the assigned reading (if applicable) and familiarized herself with any new terminology in the work.
She does not need a plot summary or any explanation of the obvious.
Yet, she has questions that need to be answered.
****However, she doesn't always catch on immediately. You may have to explain your answers from time to time. Add explanations, keeping in mind that she understands "the basics."
Literary Example: (for 1302 and Lit. students--1301 students see below)
Concerning the story Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, one of the ignorant reader's question might be:
What do the differences between Eva and Topsy signify?
Easy, right? But this reader is slow--her/his questions are simple. All you must do is answer the question, using evidence from the text to support your reply. As soon as you say, "For one, the characters illustrate Good and Evil" (a great answer), the ignorant reader will then ask:
How do you know?
And you will need to point to the exact moments in the text where it becomes clear to you that Eva=good, Topsy=bad (although this dichotomy is more complex) AND then explain how these examples/quotations "prove" your point. Using quotations always helps the ignorant reader to remember what she read.
Argumentative Example:(for 1301 students)
If reading an essay/article about the benefits of taking college English courses, one of the ignorant reader's questions might be:
But I have taken fours years of English in high school, so why should I take more classes?
Easy, right? But this reader is slow--her/his questions are simple. All you must do is answer the question, using examples/evidence, by outlining the differences between college English courses and high-school English courses. As soon as you say, "High-school English courses are more about teaching you 'the basics', while college writing courses involve more analytical and complex writing and require the type of writing and thinking you will do 'in the real world'" (a great answer), the ignorant reader will then ask:
But I plan to be a pharmacist, so I won't need to write any essays--what's in it for me?
And you will need to demonstrate how the type of writing and thinking that college English courses help cultivate can be applied to other areas in life AND how many professions require such writing and thinking. Using examples from actual job descriptions and/or statements made by executives/professionals would help the ignorant reader.