RACIAL PROFILING
Getting Ready to Read
Quickwrite #1:
The argument, “Hounding the Innocent” by Bob Herbert, was first published in The New York Times on
June 13, 1999. It tries to persuade its readers that law-enforcement agents should not take action based on
race alone. It uses a combination of logic and emotion to achieve its purpose. Have you ever been stopped
by the police because of your appearance? If you have, what was your reaction? If you haven’t, what do
you think your reaction would be? Why do you think you would react this way?
Quickwrite#2:
What do you know about racial profiling? What do you think about it? If you don’t know what it is, what
does it sound like it might be? Write for five minutes.
Surveying the Text and Making Predictions
Look over (but don’t read) Herbert’s article. Then answer the questions below.
“Hounding the Innocent”
Who is the author of this essay?
1. When and where was this essay published?
2. What do you think this essay is going to be about?
3. What do you think is the purpose of this essay?
4. Who do you think is the intended audience for this piece?
5. How do you know that?
6. What do you think the writer wants us to do or believe?
7. Based on the title and section headings of the article, what ideas might this essay present?
8. Will the article be for or against the central topic (racial profiling)? Why do you think this?
9. Turn the title into a question [or questions] to answer after you have read the essay.
10. Turn the sub-headings into questions to answer after reading the article.
Introducing Key Concepts
Key Terms:
race
prejudice
ethnic
anti-semitism
discrimination
pre-conceived notions
profiling
stereotyping
Vocabulary-Building Activity
Complete a Cubing Activity for 2 or more of the words listed above. This activity involves the following
6 steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Describe it (Come up with a scenario or example where this occurs)
Compare it (What is it similar to?)
Associate it (What does it make you think of?)
Analyze it (What can make people do this?)
Apply it (Why would some see it as a benefit?)
Argue (How could someone argue for and against it?)
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First Reading
“Hounding the Innocent”

Which of your predictions turned out to be true?

What surprised you?

Are you persuaded by the text? Why or why not?

In the introduction, how does Herbert establish the significance of racial profiling?

Why does the author tell the story about Sgt. Gerald and his son? How does it begin to make the
essay’s point?

What is the main point of the section titled “The Faces of Ethnic Profiling”?

Why does the author give the facts about New York pedestrians in the section titled “Profiling
Targets the Innocent”? What is the main point of this section?

What are the consequences of racial profiling, according to Herbert?
Analyzing Stylistic Choices
(1) Paragraph 5 of Herbert’s essay has several strong words that draw on our emotions. Circle the
words that are the most highly charged, and explain why you have chosen these words. Why did
you choose these words over others in the paragraph? Why did the author choose these words?
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(2) Record the definition of the following:
a. Denotation
b. Connotation
(3) For two of the words you circled in Herbert’s essay, complete the following:
(a) Word One:
a. Denotation:
b. Connotation
(b) Word Two:
a. Denotation:
b. Connotation
Rereading the Text
What is the essay’s thesis?
State the thesis as a question.
Highlight concrete details throughout the essay that directly answer that question.
(1) On your copy of the essay, label what the author says in the left hand margin:
 The introduction
 The issue or problem the author is writing about
 Examples the author gives
 The author’s main arguments
 The conclusion
(2) In the right hand margin, write your reactions to what the author is saying.
**Make at least 2 annotations on each side for each paragraph.
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Summarizing and Responding
Read the instructions for writing a summary below. Then write a summary AND response for
Herbert’s article.
Writing a Summary (Herbert argues…)
1. Read the passage for overall content.
2. Reread carefully, highlighting the main idea and any key supporting ideas. Look for section
headings, bolded or italicized words, and subheadings.
3. Group the reading into sections according to the author’s topic divisions and label them.
4. Write a one-sentence summary of each section, focusing on the main point. Do not include
examples or minor details.
5. Write one sentence (the thesis) that summarizes the whole article.
6. Write the first draft: In the first sentence, include the title and author of the reading as well as the
thesis. Then use your one sentence summaries to complete the summary. Do not include your opinion,
but make sure to use your own words.
Writing a Response (However, I would argue…)
1. Write a paragraph about your opinion about the author’s thesis and each of the main points (3-5
sentences).
Creating Questions (What I’m still wondering is…)
2. Create five questions you have in response to the article.
Using Rhetoric
Define the following:
(1) Logos (Logic)
(a) List the types of information that would count as logos:
(2) Pathos (Emotion)
(a) List the types of information that would count as pathos:
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Answer the following questions about Herbert’s use of Logos and Pathos
Questions about Logos
List two major assertions the author makes in this
essay.
Questions about Pathos
Does this piece affect you emotionally? What
parts?
Do you think the author is trying to manipulate
your emotions? How?
Highlight the support the author provides for these
assertions.
Can you think of counter-arguments that the
author doesn’t deal with?
Do your emotions conflict with your logical
interpretation of the arguments? At what point?
Do you think the author has left something out on
purpose? Why?
Does the author use humor? How does this affect
your acceptance of his or her ideas?
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Quickwrite #1:
What does Herbert want us to believe?
What is your response to one of the author’s main ideas?
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