ACT IVIT Y 1 (c ontinu ed)

20 You may need to review the

individual elements of the SOAPSTone
strategy before students begin
SOAPSTone responding to each element of
S—Speaker How might Anna Quindlen’s position as a journalist influence her message? the analysis. The responses in
the Teacher’s Edition are sample
As a well-known journalist, Quindlen has presented opinions to large
audiences and has had her ideas held up for scrutiny on numerous occasions. responses. Other responses are
Her ideas, then, are offered from a position of authority as a journalist of a possible.
national newspaper and as someone who has addressed controversial issues
in the past.
O—Occasion In what ways might the timing of this essay influence Quindlen’s message?
The attack on the World Trade Center towers was in many ways symbolic. The
World Trade Center was a place where multinational companies had offices.
In addition, New York City has long been recognized as a center of world
commerce and power. Therefore, this act was not just against the nation
but against the very ideals of the nation. In her essay, Quindlen wants to
emphasize that this terrorist act served in many ways to unite the different
cultures within America in order to address this national tragedy and to remind
us of our “mongrel” inheritance.
A—Audience This essay was published in Newsweek magazine, a widely read weekly news
publication. Who, then, is her primary audience? How might this audience
shape her essay?
Publications like Newsweek reach a broad, educated range of readers. Unlike
smaller magazines, specialized websites, blogs, or local newspapers, the
readership of a magazine like Newsweek crosses cultural lines. She recognizes
this audience by using examples of historical conflicts in America, contrasting
the past with a present that has moved past tolerance and integrated
ethnicities into a true unified whole. She also specifically identifies by name
some of the many different ethnic groups living in America, creating an essay
that is inclusive rather than exclusive.
P—Purpose What is Anna Quindlen’s purpose in writing this essay? How do you believe she
wants her audience to respond to the ideas in her essay?
At the time she wrote this essay, the national debate about race and ethnicity
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in America and its relationship to the attacks was intense. She recognizes that
some of the discussions at the time caused Americans to question who the
“real” Americans were, leading to internal division and strife. She affirms that
in the past Americans have come together in times of conflict and war and
that this particular point in history is a chance not to become more divided but
instead to unite.
S—Subject What is the primary subject or central topic of this essay?
The subject of this essay is the idea of a “fractured coalescing” that defines
America. Like the quilt that is made from many different pieces of fabric, the
United States continues to strive, though imperfectly at times, to fulfill the idea
of E Pluribus Unum,
Unum, or “out of many, one.”
Tone Consider how the tone changes over the course of the essay. Try to
characterize the progression. The tone moves from to
and finally to .
After beginning with a tone of improbable hopefulness, the essay progresses
from resignation over past ills, to curious speculation, to resolute affirmation
of the desire for challenge, to steadfast affirmation of eventual unity. This tone
progression reinforces the purpose of reminding America that although it has
had countless struggles to unify as a nation, it is in a powerful position to truly
coalesce and realize its lofty ideals.

Close Reading Workshop 1 • Close Reading of Informational/Literary Nonfiction Texts 9

© 2021 College Board. All rights reserved.

Close Reading Workshop 1 • Close Reading of Informational/Literary Nonfiction Texts 9