Name: Brandon Kollmorgen

Period: 3

Date: February 11, 2015

Keeping Priorities Straight, Even at the End

Directions: Please follow each step for the given source. Type into the areas labeled click here
to enter text to type your information.

1. MLA Citation
Parker-pope, Tara. "Keeping Priorities Straight, Even at the End." The New York Times.
The New York Times, 7 Apr. 2008. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
2. Critically read the article. Use the basic (number the paragraphs, underline the
claims and important information, and circle important names, places, and dates) and
intermediate (question, comment, and connect writing in the margins) strategies.
3. Critically read the article. Use the advanced strategy (say/do charting the text).
Paragrap
h(s)
1-2

What is the author saying in

the text?
Introduction into who Randy
Pausch is and his story.

3-4

Stating Dr. Pauschs view on

the speech and why/how it
was powerful.
States Dr. Pausch was dying
of pancreatic cancer and has
little time to live.

5-6

7-9

The speech was not meant to

be to his class, but to his
children who were too young
to understand what was
happening.

10-12

Mr. Zaslow wrote the book

which Pausch used to outline
his recipe for a happy life
and achieving his dreams.
Shares that one should not
give up on creativity and
imagination.

What is the author doing in the

text?
Provides book name as well as
some of Pauschs credentials as
a professor. Gives a look into
the speech itself.
Gives direct quotes from
interviews about the lecture.
Provides statistics as to how
fatal the disease is to show
that Pausch was in fact
declining in health but not in
ambition.
Establishing his legacy and
what his perception of life was
and how it will impact his
children as they get older.
Gives quotes from Pausch to
explain I didnt set out to tell
the world about how to live
life.
Provides quoted examples of
what is contained within the
book and the analogies inside.

13-14

15

16-19

Pausch was attempting to

raise attention to lack of
funding for pancreatic
cancer research. And some
didnt believe his sickness
was real.
Explains more of his
philosophy and why Pausch
was a successful man.
Pausch realized he did not
have much time before he
would pass away so he
denied time to do interviews
and documentaries.
However, he worked with Mr.
Zaslow to write the book.
This was done in order to
save time for his family and
those he loved.

Quotes Dr. Pausch and gives

examples of those who
confirmed his fatal diagnosis.

Quotes those close to Pausch

and states their opinion.
Pausch is directly quoted as to
why he didnt take some
opportunities to be famous. It
was time I didnt have.
Foreshadows the emotions felt
with quote saying Ive only
care about the first three
copies of the book. In order to
show he is leaving his legacy
for his family in those copies.

4. Write a Four-Sentence Rhetorical Prcis:

Author Tara Parker-Pope of the New York Times wrote the article Keeping
Priorities Straight, Even at the End (April 8, 2008) explaining the meaning
and purpose for Randy Pauschs Last Lecture. She first gives brief
background of Pauschs book and lecture saying that it is whimsical and
poignant, which turns to her providing the reason for it all, pancreatic cancer
and Pauschs desire to leave his mark to his children through the videos and
speech and how he believes in holding onto ones imagination and never
giving up hope to eventually valuing ones family over all. Parker-Popes
purpose is to provide background as to how the lecture and book from Randy
Pausch came to be and what his true beliefs were in order to explain why he
had such an impact to society and his family. She adopts a descriptive tone
to summarize Pauschs life, philosophy and mindset even through dark days.

5. Believing/Doubting Game:
Believing: Randy Pausch was very
successful in his lecture and book
despite his fatal illness. This was the
way in which he saw his greatest
pay-off or his rise to fame. Raising
awareness to the disease really
helped him to get his word out and

Doubting: Pausch states in the article

Lets not ignore the obvious, if Id
given the lecture but I werent dying,
it wouldnt have had the gravitas.
Context is everything. It is possible
to say that had he not been
diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he

share his philosophy and how he has

remained positive about everything
that has happened and not given up
on his dreams. Through the negative,
he has endured his disease and left
more than most, which is his legacy
and lifes work of never giving up on
yourself and your dreams.

may or may not have achieved the

same level of success, fame, and had
as lasting of an impression as he did
in his lifetime. He would have still
delivered a very great speech, it just
would have lost some of its
gravitas or impact making it much
less inspirational and it would have
been considered an average final
lecture in a college students life.