Loewen chooses to start out his essay memorably, with the dramatic statement "High school students hate history" (333). But even before that first line, Loewen persuades his readers by citing four quotations about history. What is the rhetorical (i.e., persuasive) effect of choosing to start out in this way? How do the quotations foreshadow Loewen's thesis? For that matter, what is Loewen's thesis? At what points in his essay does he make this thesis clear?
How and where does Loewen anticipate counterarguments? How effectively do you think he addresses the concerns of readers who might disagree with him? What conclusions can you draw from Loewen's writing about addressing resistant readers in your own writing? In your essay this week, how will you resist binary thinking and, to quote Greene and Lidinsky, "seek and value complexity"?