Rene Reyes
Edward Aranda
English 1301.28
Trang Phan
9/21/2010

Summary
Rhetorical Reading Strategies and the Constructions of Meaning
Christina Haas and Linda Flower. “Rhetorical Reading Strategies and the Constructions of Meaning”. College Composition and Communication, Vol. 39, No. 2 (May, 1988), pp. 167-183

Reading is a constructive process not a receptive process. Meaning is not received through reading, but constructed by building your representations. Constructive process works by using “rhetorical” reading strategies. Reading rhetorically is to analyze the author’s intention of their writing. For example, the writing’s purpose, the audience it was intended to attract, who the author is, and the effects the writing should have on the reader.
Also, combining it with critical thinking and experience you should be able criticize or agree with your beliefs. This is a type that helps writers understand what they are writing the article also tells us about another strategy “multiple representation thesis” which it’s a certain change and the process of constructing this was to see if the reader understood what he read and how fast they read.

Question
What does it mean to have "rhetorical" reading strategies?

Response
To use "rhetorical" reading strategies is to analyze the author’s intention. Using rhetorical reading strategies is to read between the lines and find out the purpose of what your reading. Also, its described as a discourse act, a conversation between the read and the writer. Some things you will agree on while on other things you won't. "These examples demonstrate some of the range of rhetorical strategies: comments concerned with author's purpose, context or source, intended audience, and actual effect."(pg.176) I’m going to use a Women's Health article as an explanation to try to explain more clearly. When most students read this kind of article all they do is learn about women's health. However, you have to think about who is the author. Is it a women specialist type of doctor how wrote this or just some woman how did her research and wrote about it? How is the author's intended audience? Of course it’s going be women that are concerned about their health because this information mostly like would be useless for a man or child. What is the purpose of this article? To inform women about health problems and healthy behaviors and habits. Which in effect it should persuasive the reads of this article to change their habits and behaviors to healthier ones. However, some readers might criticize that some of the subjects this article talks about are not problems and the advice it gives them isn't much useful.