Read the case and answer the following questions

    

766 381 WORD POWER semiliterate barely able to read or write Unit 9 Reading Essays Writing Practice 1. Assume you are Brady's husband and feel unjustly attacked by her essay. Write her a letter in which you define husband, using as many examples as you can to show how overworked and underappreci- ated you are. 2. Write an essay in which you define your ideal teacher, parent, spouse, or boss. 381 Argument An argument essay takes a stand on one side of a debatable issue, using facts, examples, and expert opinion to persuade readers to accept a posi- tion. The writers of the three essays that follow-Mary Sherry in "In Praise of the F Word." Oprah Winfrey in "Dnt Txt N Drv," and Adam Winkler in "The Guns of Academe"-try to convince readers to accept their positions or at least to acknowledge that they are reasonable. IN PRAISE OF THE F WORD Mary Sherry Mary Sherry is a writer and an adult literacy educator. "In Praise of the F Word," which was first published in the "My Turn" column of News- week in 1991, argues that it is good for students to fail once in a while because it motivates them to continue to do their best work. As you read Sherry's essay, think about how persuasive her argument is, noting the facts and examples she uses to support her claims. Tens of thousands of 18-year-olds will graduate this year and be handed 1 meaningless diplomas. These diplomas won't look any different from those awarded their luckier classmates. Their validity will be questioned only when their employers discover that these graduates are semiliterate. Eventually a fortunate few will find their way into educational- 2 repair shops-adult-literacy programs, such as the one where I teach basic grammar and writing. There, high-school graduates and high-school dropouts pursuing graduate-equivalency certificates will learn the skills they should have learned in school. They will also discover they have been cheated by our educational system. As I teach, I learn a lot about our schools. Early in each session I ask 3 my students to write about an unpleasant experience they had in school. No writers' block here! "I wish someone would have had made me stop doing drugs and made me study." "I liked to party and no one seemed to