Valentina Gutirrez

Advisory
Beth Thurber
Q4
Read-On Summary: Various Articles
1. 7 Reasons People Argue That Female Privilege Exists And Why Theyre
Mistaken by Nikita Redkar discusses seven different examples of female privilege,
such as women being on the receiving end of chivalry, not needing to be the main
breadwinners, and being more likely to win child custody. Redkar dismisses these myths
through statistics, as well as with the idea these so-called privileges are not at the expense
of men and are usually the fault of the patriarchy.
2. In The Third World Is Not Your Classroom, Courtney Martin argues that
while there are tangible benefits for students who study abroad, the organizations and
people they work for while abroad do not necessarily receive the same advantages.
Indeed, volunteering abroad can even be harmful to those local communities when
visiting students do not address their privilege or pride.
3. In Pleading for Peace in Chicago Amid Fears of a Bloody Summer, Monica
Davey and Mitch Smith discuss Chicagos rising homicide rates, which are up by 52
percent in 2016. Community members are afraid that this may turn out to be one of
Chicagos most violent years yet, especially this summer, as the warm season is
historically the most vicious. Authorities have responded by increasing the number of
police officers on the streets -- even though the communitys distrust of the police
department (for evidence of racism) is a cause for concern.
4. In Old and on the Street: The Graying of Americas Homeless, Adam
Nagourney reports the United States increasing homelessness rate, especially for older
adults. Indeed, 306,000 adults over the age of 50 are homelessness -- a 20% increase

since 2007. The increase in age of the homeless brings along new sets of challenges,
which the government and charitable organizations are not prepared to deal with.
5. In President Obamas Overtime Pay Plan Threatens the Prada Economy,
Noam Scheiber reports how companies have been responding to a move by the Obama
administration which requires time-and-a-half overtime pay for most salaried employees
making less than $47,476 a year. According to Noam, the change presents more than an
economic challenge for the companies that rely on the willingness of young, ambitious
workers to trade pay and self-respect for a shot at a prestige job down the road.
a. Even though so-called prestige jobs are not guaranteed to every
entry level employee who is willing to trade pay and self-respect, other
companies, such as the United States Public Interest Research Group and the
Judicial Watch, agree with this line of thought. They argued that the new
overtime rule would hamper the mission of training young idealists. I find this
quote and the idea behind it utterly laughable. What can hamper the mission of
training young idealists more than overworking them and then underpaying
them? If exploitation is the game these organizations want to play, then I suppose
that they will receive very few young idealists in the future. Working entry level
jobs and being underpaid for overtime work is a privilege that only the rich, and
often white, can afford. Although Scheibers article is palpably biased, there is
one quote in his article with which I concur, and that is, [this policy will] rein in
an overly workaholic atmosphere and perhaps diversify a rarefied world that tends
to be white and upscale, thanks to its reliance on social connections and the
difficulty of working for scraps without affluent parents. I personally say good

riddance to the cultural norms that make it okay for companies to abuse and
exploit their entry level employees.
b. As aforementioned, I believe Noam Scheibers writing was
noticeably biased against the Obama administrations new policy. He often quoted
the companies against the policy, their explanations for doing so, or how they
planned to get around it. Almost the entire piece is about the professions opposing
the unwelcomechanges. On the other hand, the article features no more than
five short paragraphs about why the new policy is supported.

New Read-On Summary

After a Book
1. The Title, Author, Genre and a 2-3
sentence summary of the book.
2. Answer one question below in a
paragraph. Include at least one quote or
passage from the text in your answer.
3. Choose another question below to
answer in a paragraph, again including at
least one quote or passage from the text
in your answer.

After 5 Short Stories/Articles

1. Write the title and author of each short story or
article, and then write a two-sentence summary
for each short story or article that concisely tells
the main idea.
2. Answer TWO of the short story or article
questions below in at least a paragraph each.

Non-Fiction Books and/or News Articles

Why did the author write this? How do you know?
What is the most important idea? Why is it the most important? Write about it for a paragraph.
Find a passage that made you think differently. Write about it.
Find a passage that disagreed with. Write about it.
What questions does this text leave unanswered? Please explain.
Comment on the writing style. What did you notice about the way the author writes?
How is this similar or different to something else youve read?
For a news article only
Find the 5Ws and H of this story. Then, add another Why Why is this considered newsworthy
and important?
Is this article well-written? Why or why not? Be sure to provide evidence from the story in your
answer.
Find a passage that someone might disagree with. Why would they disagree and what would
they say?
What information is left out of this story? What could the author have included for clarification?
Find a quote that would most likely surprise a reader. Why would it surprise him or her?