English 102
Reader Response Assignments for The Omnivore’s Dilemma
Summary Writing Assignment
DUE DATES
Fri 9/27:
Reader Response due for “Our National Eating Disorder,” pages 1-11 of The
Omnivore’s Dilemma.
Tue 10/1: Reader Response due for “Industrial Corn,” pages 15-119 of The
Omnivore’s Dilemma.
Mon 10/7: Summary due in writing groups: Bring 3 copies .
Tue 10/8: Summary due.
Fri 10/11: Reader Response due to chapters 8 & 9 (pages 124-184) of The
Omnivore’s Dilemma.
Tue: 10/15: Reader Response due to chapters 10-14 (pages 185-273) of The
Omnivore’s Dilemma.
THE READER RESPONSES
detailed instructions
Format: Word-processed, double-spaced. Name and date in upper right corner. Word count in
upper left corner. Number your answers to each question. Do not re-write the question.
Length: Approximately 1 – 1 ½ pages, or 250-350 words, depending on the questions. 350-word
maximum. Keep your answers focused, use words efficiently, and include enough detail to
answer the question fully.
Title: Title your Response with the response number, the book’s title in italics, and the page
numbers the assignment responds to. For example, your first Reader Response would be titled:
Reader Response #1: The Omnivore’s Dilemma, pages 1-11.
MLA: For all quotations, paraphrases and summaries from the text, use in-text parenthetical
documentation to show the author and the page number. A works cited entry is not required. Use
MLA conventions for quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing. Links are provided on our course
website to MLA resources, and we will go over some of it in class.
Titles within the Response: Book titles should be italicized. Chapter titles should be in
quotation marks. Your own title should be just plain, not underlined, italicized, or in quotation
marks (unless it contains the title of the text, which should be formatted appropriately).
Grading: 10 Points
 Answers all the assigned questions as fully as possible within the word-count limit.
 Shows that you have read and understood all the assigned material. You are expected to
cite points from throughout the reading.
 Uses MLA conventions of quotation, summary, and paraphrase, and includes in-text page
citations.
 Is proofread and grammatical.
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Specific Reader Response Assignments
Reader Response #1: Due Fri 9/27
Reading: “Our National Eating Disorder,” pages 1-11 of The Omnivore’s Dilemma.
1. What is “the omnivore’s dilemma”? Define what it is and say why, according to Pollan,
it’s a problem for a modern eater.
2. Compose a discussion question about the reading to bring to class. A good discussion
question 1) does not require a factual answer and is not a yes/no question, 2) invites many
different points of view in response, and 3) asks readers to connect material from all
throughout the assigned text.
3. To paraphrase means to put another writer’s text into your own words. A good paraphrase
retains the precise ideas of the original and uses different vocabulary and sentence structure.
Since paraphrases are not quotations, they do not use quotation marks. Paraphrase the
following sentence, and be sure to include the page citation at the end, punctuated correctly.
“Our culture codifies the rules of wise eating in an elaborate structure of taboos,
rituals, recipes, manners, and culinary traditions that keep us from having to
reenact the omnivore’s dilemma at every meal” (Pollan 4).
4. Paraphrase the following sentence:
“To go from the chicken (Gallus gallus) to the Chicken McNugget is to leave this
world in a journey of forgetting that could hardly be more costly, not only in
terms of the animal’s pain but in our pleasure, too” (Pollan 10).
Reader Response # 2: Due Tue 10/1
Reading: “Industrial Corn,” pages 15-119 of The Omnivore’s Dilemma.
1. In your own words, write a sentence conveying the overall main idea of this selection. Make
sure you have a complete sentence, and that your statement includes a topic and an idea about
that topic. For example, a topic could be “corn in America”; the idea would state exactly what
the selection has to say about corn in America. To get started, you can use this sentence
template:
In this selection about __(topic)____, the writer says that ___(idea)____.
2. a, b, and c: What are the three most important sub-points in the reading? Write a sentence or
two about each one. Use mostly your own words; however, you can include brief quotations
from Pollan within your sentences. Make sure to cite page numbers for all summary, paraphrase,
and quotation. Each one of your three important sub-points will include page citations.
3. What’s your new favorite vocabulary word from this selection? Use the word in a sentence of
your own that clearly defines its meaning. Be sure that the sentence provides context that defines
the word. Observe that “The amount was dwindling” does not clearly define the word
“dwindling.” However this sentence does: “The amount of fresh water in the stream dwindled
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almost to nothing, so the horses had to go elsewhere to drink.” Do not paste a dictionary
definition into this assignment.
4. Paraphrase the following passage. However, write it in the third person (Pollan, he) and not as
an “I,” as Pollan does. You can begin with a phrase like “Pollan thinks that…” or “Pollan
speculates that…”
Perhaps the reason you eat this food quickly is because it doesn’t bear savoring.
The more you concentrate on how it tastes, the less like anything it tastes. I said
before that McDonald’s serves a kind of comfort food, but after a few bites I’m
more inclined to think they’re selling something more schematic than that—
something more like a signifier of comfort food. So you eat more and eat more
quickly, hoping somehow to catch up to the original idea of a cheeseburger or
French fry as it retreats over the horizon. (Pollan 119)
Reader Response #3: Due Fri 10/11
Reading: Chapter 8, “All Flesh Is Grass” and Chapter 9, “Big Organic” (pages 124-184) of The
Omnivore’s Dilemma.
1. In your own words, write a sentence conveying the overall main idea of “All Flesh Is Grass.”
As before, Make sure you have a complete sentence, and that your statement includes a topic and
an idea about that topic.
2. In your own words, write a sentence conveying the overall main idea of “Big Organic.” As
before, Make sure you have a complete sentence, and that your statement includes a topic and an
idea about that topic.
3. What is the most striking image, the most memorable and compelling picture in “All Flesh Is
Grass”? Discuss this image, exploring what ideas it expresses and finding ways it relates to,
evokes, or emphasizes the other material in the chapter. Remember to use page citations for all
references to the text.
4. What is the most striking image, the most memorable and compelling picture in “Big
Organic”? Discuss this image, exploring what ideas it expresses and finding ways it relates to,
evokes, or emphasizes the other material in the chapter. Remember to use page citations for all
references to the text.
5. What is your new favorite vocabulary word from this selection? As you did in Reader
Response #2, use the word in a sentence that clearly expresses its meaning, and don’t paste a
dictionary definition here.
6. What do you notice about Pollan’s writing style? For example, if he’s descriptive, in what
way? Does he use a lot of adjectives? Does he use a wide variety of verbs? Are his sentences
long or short or mixed lengths? What kind of tone does he seem to have? How are the individual
essays organized? Give examples of things you notice about Pollan’s writing style.
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Reader Response #4: Due Tue 10/15
Reading: Chapter 10, “Grass: Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Pasture”; Chapter 11, “The
Animals: Practicing Complexity”; Chapter 12, “Slaughter: In a Glass Abattoir”; Chapter 13,
“The Market: Greetings from the Non-Barcode People”; and Chapter 14, “The Meal: Grass Fed”
(pages 185-273) of The Omnivore’s Dilemma.
1. Write a paragraph summarizing Joel Salatin’s farming methods and overall philosophy. Use
information from throughout the entire reading.
2. You’ve now read about two ways of raising, slaughtering, and eating animals—the industrial
way and the pastured, free-range, Polyface farm way. Write a paragraph in which you discuss
your own attitude towards eating meat. Is it something you’ve thought about? If so, have you
reached any conclusions? Has the book affected your thinking or your decisions about it? How
do you resolve the problem that in order to stay alive we have to kill at least something, even if
only carrots and lettuces?
3. Write a paragraph comparing and contrasting the Big Organic method of farming with the
Industrial method of farming described in the earlier “Industrial Corn” section. What are the
good and bad points of each?
3. These chapters seem to promote an organic farming method based on grass and biodiversity. It
all sounds beautiful and healthful. Do you see any problems with this farming method?
4. Overall, what is the very most striking and memorable image in this group of chapters?
Discuss this image, exploring what ideas it expresses and finding ways it relates to, evokes, or
emphasizes the other material in the chapter. Remember to use page citations for all references to
the
THE SUMMARY
Due Dates:
Mon 10/7: Summary due in writing groups: Bring 3 copies .
Tue 10/8: Summary due.
Format of finished summary:
 Word-processed, double-spaced
 Name in upper right corner
 Word count in upper left corner. The title and the works cited page should not be
included in the word count.
 Stapled (not in a folder, not paper-clipped, not loose).
 12-point standard font such as Times or Courier.
 One-inch margins on all sides.
 Give your summary a title. This title may include Pollan’s title, but it doesn’t have to.
 Includes a works cited page containing the single source, The Omnivore’s Dilemma.
Length: 650 words, not including the title or the works cited page. 650 is the absolute maximum.
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The Assignment
The basic assignment: Write a summary of the “Industrial Corn” section of Michael Pollan’s
The Omnivore’s Dilemma.
What the summary should include: Your summary should include all the main points of the
text. Make sure the summary does not over-emphasize details at the expense of the important
ideas. At the same time, include all the detail the summary does have room for. The more
efficient your sentences, the more room you’ll have for important information.
Use efficient sentences: Efficient sentences are crucial for this assignment. In order to include
the right balance of generality and detail in the small space allowed, this summary will have to
use extremely efficient sentences, sentences which say what they mean directly, in as few words
as possible, sentences from which all redundancy has been eliminated. It takes a lot of revision to
write sentences as focused and efficient as this assignment asks for. We will work on this in
class. Additionally, you might want to consult the Loft for help with this. The Loft, our NSCC
Writing Center, is located on the top floor of the library.
Include quotation, paraphrase, and summary from sources: Your summary should include
brief quotations where necessary, as well as short paraphrases and condensations. You’ll need
some quotations to convey Pollan’s ideas accurately, but if you use too many, your summary will
be too long. Try to incorporate brief quotations—words and phrases—gracefully into your
sentences. Do not include block quotations.
Do not evaluate or review: Your summary must avoid all evaluative language. In other words,
don’t say that Pollan’s writing is “effective” or that he “gets his point across well.” This is not a
review, but a summary that gives us the main points of what Pollan says, regardless of how he
says it. Avoid giving your opinion of the material. Rather, you are trying to relate, as clearly as
possible, the information and ideas in the text.
Your own opinion: You may include a brief final paragraph in which you state some of your
own thoughts about Pollan’s ideas (not your opinion of his writing style, but your thoughts or
reflections about his ideas). This paragraph is not required. Other than this, your summary does
not include your own thoughts except in that it is your brain that is abstracting and paraphrasing
and organizing the summary.
The Structure of the Finished Summary
The opening: Your title and first paragraph should, in some combination, provide the following
basic information: 1) The title of what you are summarizing; 2) the author’s full name; and 3) a
general idea of what the text is about.
After this opening, for the rest of the summary, refer to the author by last name only. Use the
present tense, for example, “Pollan points out that cows have to sleep in their own manure” (81).
The middle: After this opening, the rest of the summary should, in however many paragraphs
you need, mention the main points of the material. Put these points into your own words, quoting
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only where necessary. Represent Pollan’s ideas accurately. Do not avoid the portions of the text
that are confusing to you, and do not disguise your confusion by quoting instead of paraphrasing
or explaining.
Instead, if some passages are confusing, try discussing them with others to see if more minds will
help. Also, remember that you can visit the Loft for help not only with writing, but also with
reading and understanding.
In all these middle paragraphs, each sentence should introduce one of Pollan’s points, or should
elaborate on a point mentioned in your previous sentence. Each sentence will probably contain
some sort of signal phrase, such as “Pollan says,…” or “Pollan points out that…” and will
contain either a paraphrase, a quote, or a combination of quotation and paraphrase. Since all
quotations, paraphrases, and summaries from texts require parenthetical page citations, just about
every sentence in your summary will be followed by a parenthetical page citation in MLA
format.
The end: It depends on how much room you have: you can simply end with whatever Pollan’s
last point was, but this is the least graceful choice. Alternatively, the end might be a good place
to mention the overall tone or mood of Pollan’s writing. Or, as mentioned above, at the end you
can include your own reflections on Pollan’s ideas.
MLA Documentation
In either your title or in the first sentence of your, name the author and source of what you are
summarizing. Throughout, use signal phrases and the MLA system of parenthetical citations for
citing page numbers of all quotations and paraphrases. This means that a parenthetical citation
will be after almost every sentence. Include a works cited page with the single source given in
MLA format.
Grading (100 points)
This is a holistic grade; that is, there are not a specific number of points for each criterion.
Successfully met, all these criteria add up to a strong summary. However, if several of them are
met only minimally, for example if the proofreading is atrocious or the summary misses some
important main points, even if the other criteria are met, the grade can be overwhelmingly
affected.
1. Covers all the main points, and distinguishes between main points and sub-points:
Does the summary include the most important points of the text and as much detail and
explanation as possible in the length allowed?
2. Organization: The summary is easy for a careful reader to follow, with each paragraph
having a clear topic sentence which all the other sentences in the paragraph relate to and
follow from, and with paragraphs following each other in an order which makes sense
and is easy to follow. Transitions are clear and logical.
3. MLA mechanics: Are the mechanics of quotation and the MLA system used correctly?
4. Sentence efficiency: Is the summary written in clear, efficient sentences?
5. Grammar and proofreading: Is it free of errors in grammar and usage? Has it been
carefully proofread.
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