Homework 1.

6: How to Read: A Factual Article

Biography of Eloy Alfaro

“Let others pride themselves about how many pages they have written; I'd rather
boast about the ones I've read.”
― Jorge Luis Borges

One of the best ways to become a better writer is to first become a better reader.
The best writers are those who understand the process of reading.

For this assignment, you will read an online article about Eloy Alfaro. You can find it
here (https://www.thoughtco.com/biography-of-eloy-alfaro-2136634) or at the link
provided by your instructor. As you go along, I want you to occasionally pause to
reflect on the process of your own reading.

Before You read the article, ask yourself the following questions:

You’re about to click on an article about Eloy Alfaro, former President of Ecuador.
Why are you doing so? Obviously, this is homework for your class, but if you were
not doing this for homework, why might you click on a title like this one? Give three
possible reasons.

1. To learn and understand better the history of Ecuador.

2. To learn about the accomplishment and life of Eloy Alfaro
3. Curiosity, I remember the event surrounding his death were astonishing.

The article is clearly written in English, because of the title. Do you have any
feelings about this? Is a biography of an Ecuadorian president better in English
or Spanish or does it not matter?

Personally I would prefer if the article about a former Ecuadorian President was in
Spanish. It makes sense to me and I think the language Spanish would capture and
express better Eloy Alfaro’s history.

What do you already know about Eloy Alfaro, even before you read the article?

I know he is one of the most famous former presents, he made historic

accomplishments and developments in Ecuador. He was the first liberal President
and improve education and women rights.

What sorts of things do you think you will read in the article? Do you think there
will be something you do not already know?

I expect to read an article that highlights the the developments made in Eloy
Alfaro’s presidency. As I don’t remember all the details about him, I do expect to
learn new things.
Reading the Introduction

Read the introduction to the article:

Eloy Alfaro Delgado was President of the Republic of Ecuador from 1895 to 1901 and
again from 1906 to 1911. Although widely reviled by conservatives at the time, today he
is considered by Ecuadorians to be one of their greatest presidents. He accomplished
many things during his administrations, most notably the construction of a railroad
linking Quito and Guayaquil.
What sort of information will the article cover?

It would cover the information about Eloy Alfaro’s presidency and the
accomplishments.

Will the article be interesting, informative, or both?

Most likely both, as Eloy Alfaro’s did great things that impulse the development of
Ecuador. The things he did are very interesting, so the article could serve as
informative and amusing.

Reading the Article

Now read the entire article. As you read, think about the questions you had before
you started. Does the article answer them? Does it leave any of your questions
unanswered?

After Reading

Did the article answer the questions you had?

Yes, and even more. The article gave a good summary of Alfaro’s life and helped
understand better his ambitions and decisions.

How is the article structured? What did the writer put first, last, etc.

The article is structured by sections, that follow a chronological order of Eloy

Alfaro’s life and legacy. First an introduction, then Early Life and Politics, after
Liberals and Conservatives in the Age of Eloy Alfaro, further Alfaro and the Liberal
Struggle, The 1895 Liberal Revolution, The Guayaquil - Quito Railroad, Death of
Eloy Alfaro, and at last Legacy of Eloy Alfaro.

Think back to the reasons why you might click on an article like this one. What if
you were doing research for a project? Would this article be helpful or not?

I might click on this article to learn more about the history of one of the most
famous presidents of Ecuador. This article would definitely be helpful for a research
project. It doesn’t give a lot of details or sources but it gives a good overview of
Eloy Alfaro’s life.