Composition Reading Bank: Society & Culture

Abdurraqib, Hanif. "The Vanishing Monuments of Columbus, Ohio"  Abdurraqib discusses the history and removal of various monuments in Columbus, Ohio, including well-known statues as well as the local and even personal landmarks that define our lives. His essay inspires readers to reconsider their concept of a monument. (First- and Third-Person Perspective; Cultural Analysis; Descriptive; Narrative)

Birbiglia, Mike. "Stranger in the Night" [Podcast]  This podcast features a comedic excerpt from Birbiglia’s one-man show titled, “Sleepwalk with Me.” In it, Birbiglia shares a story revealing when he learned denial can be both good and bad in your life. Stranger in the Night Transcript (Third-Person Perspective; Expository; Persuasive)

Biss, Eula. "Time and Distance Overcome"  Biss connects the history of the telephone pole to the history of lynching in the United States. This article makes surprising connections between a variety of events and figures in history to illuminate, in part, how memory, history, prejudice and hate, and our built environment all interact in complex ways. (First- and Third-Person Perspective; Expository; Narrative; Persuasive)

Brus, Michael. "Self-Loathing Wins Championships"  Brus examines the role of attitude and inner monologue in the performance of a tennis player. (Third-Person Perspective; Expository; Persuasive)

Burgess, Anthony. "Is America Falling Apart?"  Burgess expresses an opinion on quite a few themes, including consumption, education, and other cultural values in America and contrasts them to how other countries’ people see themselves—where their values and happiness lies. (First- and Third-Person Perspective; Descriptive; Expository)

Carmichael, Rodney. "The Prophetic Struggle of Kendrick Lamar’s ‘DAMN.’"  Carmichael provides an in-depth evaluative analysis of Kendrick Lamar’s 2017 hip-hop album DAMN, which would go on to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Braiding his personal history with in-depth analysis of the album, Carmichael finds insights via the bible, hip-hop culture, Lamar's previous work, cover art, and synthesis of other non-mainstream interpretations of Lamar's album. (First- and Third-Person Perspective; Narrative; Expository; Music and Cultural Analysis)

Comey, James. "Hard Truths: Law Enforcement and Race" [FBI Speech]  In this speech, Comey addresses the issues of unconscious bias, police brutality, prejudice, and police-community relationships. Video Of Speech (First- and Third-Person Perspective; Speech; Expository; Persuasive)

Cooper, Christian H. "Why Poverty Is Like a Disease"  Cooper weaves his personal history of growing up in poverty with emerging science that shows the biological effects of generational poverty. He argues that we should change societal views to see poverty as a disease in order to end the "lie of American meritocracy." (First- and Third-Person Perspective; Descriptive; Expository; Persuasive)

Daly, Christopher B. "How the Lawyers Stole Winter"  Daly compares his childhood experience pond skating in the 1960's with the more recent practice of using safety warnings to prevent litigation. (First-Person Perspective; Descriptive; Narrative; Persuasive)

Dickerson, Debra. "Who Shot Johnny?"  Dickerson crafts an emotional analysis of prejudice in America as well as a personal reflection on the impact of gun violence in one family. (First-Person Perspective; Descriptive; Narrative; Cultural Analysis)

Eastman, Crystal. "Now We Can Begin"  Crystal Eastman (1881-1928) was a lawyer, feminist, and writer. In this piece, published in 1920, immediately after the ratification of the 19th Amendment, Eastman makes clear that having the right to vote was just one step in American women’s long journey toward freedom and equality. Eastman’s great-grandson reads the piece in this TikTok video. (Third-Person Perspective; Expository; Persuasive)

Fagone, Jason. "What Bullets Do To Bodies"  Fagone profiles Dr. Amy Goldberg, a trauma surgeon at Temple University Hospital in North Philadelphia, which treats more gunshot victims than any other in the state. This feature profile takes an interesting angle on contributing to the continuing conversation of gun violence by focusing on a trauma surgeon's routine and extracurricular work to save the lives of victims of gun violence.(First- and Second-Person Perspective; Profile; Cultural Analysis)

Giamatti, A. Bartlett. "The Green Fields of the Mind"  In this 1977 essay, Giamatti describes on the dramatic nature of baseball. (First-, Second-, and Third-Person Perspective; Profile; Descriptive; Narrative)

Goodall, Jane, and Krista Trippett. "The Shadow of Humanity and the Spirit of Animals"  In this conversation between two experts in their fields, Goodall and Trippett discuss Goodall’s act of pioneering field research on chimpanzees, the importance of empathy in all aspects of study, the threat mankind poses to the natural world, the idea of community-based conservation, and the relationship between people and their own, immediate environment as well as the natural world. (First-Person Perspective; Interview, Cultural Analysis, Field Research)

Hardin, Garrett. "Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor"  Hardin stresses that better decisions should be made when offering resources to poorer people or countries. He claims that with international crises, it is not in the richer countries’ best interest to provide aid, as it creates systems that deplete common resources and the environment, leaving inequity and ruin for future generations. (First- and Third-Person Perspective; Expository; Persuasive)

Jones, Jeffrey Owen. "The Man Who Wrote the Pledge of Allegiance"  Jones presents an overview of the history of the Pledge of Allegiance, along with some of the debates since, such as adding the phrase "under God." (First- and Third-Person Perspective; Expository)

Kilbourne, Jean. "Jesus is a Brand of Jeans"  Kilbourne argues for the negative impact of ads on the way people construct their own and others' reality or "social consciousness" particularly with regards to consumerism. (First- and Third-Person Perspective; Cultural Analysis; Persuasive)

Koch, Katie. "Mentoring Troubled Teens"  In her 2008 article for Boston University Today, then undergrad Katie Koch profiles Boston University graduate Wyatt Posig, a caseworker in the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services. (Third-Person Perspective; Profile)

Laitner, Bill. "Heart and Sole: Detroiter Walks 21 Miles in Work Commute"  In this profile from the Detroit Free Press, Laitner highlights the 21-mile daily work commute of James Robertson while also addressing issues of accessible transportation for low-income communities. (Third-Person Perspective; Profile)

Leonard, Annie. "The Story of Bottled Water" [Video & Transcript]  In this multimodal text, Leonard presents a case against bottled water and its overuse due to manufactured demand. (Third-Person Perspective; Expository; Persuasive)

Ludden, Jennifer. "Kids' Solo Playtime Unleashes 'Free-Range' Parenting Debate"  Ludden discusses how attitudes have changed regarding children's autonomy and the recent rise of so-called free-range parenting, which encourages children to roam freely without parental oversight. (Third-Person Perspective; News Article)

"The Man in the Red Bandana" [Vimeo Video]  This video is a profile of 9/11 hero, Welles Crowther. It originally aired on ESPN’s Outside the Lines in 2011 and went on to win the Outstanding Long Feature Sports Emmy. (Third-Person Perspective; Narrative; Profile)

McKibben, Bill. "The Case for Single-child Families"  McKibben describes his decision to limit the number of children he has - and the procedure he underwent to ensure he would have no more children. This personal narrative and reflection mixes a first hand account of a vasectomy with a broader critical reflection on population and personal responsibility. (First- and Third-Person Perspective, Descriptive, Narrative, Persuasive)

Moyer, Melinda Wenner. "More Guns Do Not Stop More Crimes, Evidence Shows"  Moyer visits high gun-ownership regions in the US and also synthesizes multiple research studies to try to unravel the truth behind gun ownership and crime reduction. This article was published in 2017 in Scientific American. (First- and Third-Person Perspective; Descriptive; Narrative; Expository; Persuasive)

Muir, John. "A Wind-Storm in the Forests"  Muir vividly describes his adventure into a lush forest during a wind storm and learns about how to experience life. (First- and Third-Person Perspective; Descriptive; Narrative)

Oates, Joyce Carol. "Rape and the Boxing Ring"  Focusing on Mike Tyson's conviction on rape charges in 2009, Oates reveals what Tyson's career as a boxer had to do with the incident. (Third-Person Perspective; Expository; Persuasive)

Obama, Barack. "Eulogy for Clementa Pinckney"  Clementa Pinckney was the senior pastor killed in the 2015 mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. In his eulogy, President Obama honors Pickney’s life and contributions and offers statements on reducing gun violence in America. (First- and Third-Person Perspective; Eulogy (Speech))

"The Opioid Diaries" Warning: Graphic Pictures  This special report for Time magazine provides a visual and story-telling based record of what the opioid epidemic looks like throughout America. (Third-Person Perspective; News Article; Documentary)

Orwell, George. "Shooting an Elephant"  Orwell narrates a story of a Burmese police officer’s internal debate about how to handle a difficult decision. The story was published in 1936. The story includes historical, political, and cultural commentary as well as the officer’s personal ethical dilemmas. (First-Person Perspective; Descriptive; Narrative)

Plato. "The Allegory of the Cave"  In this allegory, Plato uses the idea of prisoners trapped in a cave to discuss how one should gain knowledge to escape imprisonment and darkness. (First-Person Perspective; Descriptive; Narrative; Allegory)

Quindlen, Anna. "Stuff is Not Salvation"  Quindlen explores ideas about consumerism and its effects on human relationships and the environment. (Third-Person Perspective; Persuasive)

Rauch, Jonathan. "Be Not Afraid"  Rauch discusses the disconnect between public perception of violence – it’s gone up, versus the reality – it’s gone down dramatically, and our innate overreaction to threats. (Third-Person Perspective; Persuasive)

Rose, Mike. "Blue-Collar Brilliance"  Rose explores the cognitive work involved in blue-collar jobs. (First-Person Perspective; Descriptive; Narrative; Persuasive)

Sanders, Scott Russell. "Under the Influence"  In this reflection on his father's alcoholism and how it has affected him, Sanders realizes that he must face his own potential to be an alcoholic in order to spare his children. (First-Person Perspective; Descriptive; Narrative)

Schrader, Stuart. "An Empire of Patrolmen"  An interview with Stuart Schrader, author of Badges without Borders: How Global Counterinsurgency Transformed American Policing. The interview expands on the book's thesis that post-WW II and Cold War U.S. military presence abroad operated as the "world's policeman" and "guarantor of the global capitalist system". Transferred to the U.S., this model of "professionalization" of police was used for the 1960's War on Crime and post 9/11 War on Terror, leading to our current "dystopian carceral state". (Third-Person Perspective; Expository; Persuasive)

Singer, Peter. "The Why and How of Effective Altruism" [TED Talk]  Singer discusses the "best" ways to give to charity to make the most global impact on the largest number of people. He also details ways to re-think and possibly overcome the most common impediments people list as reasons that prevent them from giving. (First- and Third-Person Perspective; Persuasive; TED Talk)

Skenazy, Lenore. "My Free-Range Parenting Manifesto"  Skenazy argues that children need unsupervised outside play to be resilient, entrepreneurial, pleasant adults. She also encourages political action on the subject. (First- and Third-Person Perspective; Persuasive)

Thoreau, Henry David. "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For"  Thoreau asks many questions in this essay about the meaning of life and of human's relationship with time (what it is and what it should be). (First-Person Perspective; Descriptive; Narrative)

Twain, Mark. "Advice to Youth"  In this text of his 1882 lecture, Twain gives (sometimes tongue-in-cheek) advice to young people. (First- and Second-Person Perspective; Lecture; Satire)

Winfrey, Oprah. "Acceptance Speech for the The Cecil B. de Mille Award at the 2018 Golden Globes" [YouTube Video]  Winfrey uses this moment to recognize all the difficulties and abuse that powerful women have been able to overcome and emphasizes the importance of the growing change and equality the #MeToo movement has sparked. Transcript of the Speech (First- and Third-Person Perspective; Descriptive; Narrative; Speech)

Yglesias, Matthew. "The End of Policing Left Me Convinced We Still Need Policing"  Yglesias critiques Alex Vitale’s book The End of Policing, using the book as his focus to examine efforts to defund or abolish police and as a means for him to criticize those efforts. (Third-Person Perspective; Persuasive)