ASSIGNMENT CRITICAL READING AND LITERACY

ANALYZING ARTICLE

Group Members:
1. Adelia Vananda (210210401006)
2. Sophiae Salsabila (210210401033)

Article Title : The Beauty of Saying "No"

Link Source : https://www.mentalhelp.net/blogs/the-beauty-of-saying-quot-no-quot/

The Beauty of Saying "No"

Let me ask you something. When was the last time you said “no” to a request? Perhaps
someone asked you to bring a dish to a potluck. Maybe someone requested your participation on
a committee at your child’s school. Or, as often happens around this time of year, we’re asked
(or expected) to bake Christmas cookies, send cards to anyone we’ve ever met over the last 25
years, or wrap gifts in such a way that they could be submitted as artwork to a posh fine arts
gallery.
We are inundated with requests every day – from our employer, from our family, and –
perhaps most destructively – from ourselves. And in a society that perpetuates the message that
multitasking and ultra-productivity are requirements for self-worth, we feel as though we simply
can’t say “no.”
Here’s the deal. Although we might think we can’t say “no,” and it might feel really
uncomfortable to say “no,” the truth is almost always that we can say “no” and the world will not
crumble at our feet when we do so.
The idea that we can’t say “no” is a stubborn thought pattern (albeit with good intentions)
that we must work to unravel. Here are some steps to do that: First, examine what you are telling
yourself whenever you find yourself saying “yes” to something when you would rather be saying
“no.” Are you afraid that someone will be angry with you if you don’t comply? Are you fearful
of losing someone’s love, respect, companionship, or resources if you don’t agree to a request?
Or would you simply feel like a failure or a bad person if you said “no”? Pinpoint your thought
process in order to examine it. Once you’ve determined why you think you can’t say “no,”
evaluate the validity of that statement. Would the person asking a favor of you really be angry
with you or cease to respect you if you graciously declined? If this is a person worth knowing, he
or she will understand. Does saying “no” every once in a while make you a heathen, or does this
actually mean that you being smart and proactive by taking care of yourself? When you avoid
burnout, you are ensuring you can really be there for others when it counts. Create a new
statement to replace the old one. For instance, instead of thinking, “I have to say ‘yes’ or else I’m
a horrible person,” you could tell yourself, “By saying ‘no’ I am making smart choices so I can
invest my time and energy wisely.” Repeat this regularly!
Finally, think about what’s really important to you and where you want to invest yourself.
Life is short, and you don’t want to look back and wish that you had said “yes” to things you
couldn’t because you didn’t say “no” to others. Values and priorities can guide us in learning
how to say “no,” which can open up opportunities for us to say “yes” to the things that really
matter. In this way, we see that saying “no” can be a thing of beauty.

1. What is the writer's attitude? The writer’s attitude toward her article that we can say no to
others is positive.
The reason: The author said that it is better to think about what’s really important things to
us and where we want to invest ourselves. We don't need to say “yes” to things we couldn’t,
because values and priorities can guide us in learning how to say “no”. (Last Paragraph)
2. What is the writer's intent? To convince the readers that it is better to say no to others'
requests if we couldn’t do without thinking about other people's judgments.
The reason: We don’t need to be afraid of other people's perspectives if we cannot
accomplish their requests. By saying “no” we are making smart choices so we can invest our
time and energy wisely. We must pay attention to when and where we accept their requests
to the best ability. (Paragraph 4)
3. What is the tone of the article? The writer's tone of the article is encouraging.
The reason: The author kept encouraging us to say "no" to avoid burnout because saving
energy is also important. Furthermore, you need to think about the activities that you want to
do and think carefully so that you make a smart choice for yourself. (Paragraph 4)
4. What is the writer's bias? The writer's bias is saying "no" to requests that people give us.
The reason: In paragraph one, the author asked questions relating to requests, and in
paragraph two the author explained that we are given so many requests and it feels like we
can't say "no" because we feel bad. In the fourth paragraph, we can see that the author
explained further how important is it to say "no" every once in a while to avoid burnout.
And in the last paragraph, the author concluded that you need to think about what's
important and invest in yourself instead.