ENGL 1103 - #2 Writing Assignment
Due: Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Write a short essay on ONE of the following:
1. Author Gary Howard, in an attempt to discover his heritage, traveled to and
spent an entire night at Stonehenge in England. He writes,
“This was a magic night for me. I felt the presence of the ancient Celts
who had chanted here their prayers to earth and sky, performing their
rituals through the sacred geometry of these same stones. The circle was
drawn, and we were inside the space created for us, the place designed to
teach us about ourselves, our relationship to each other, and our
connection to everything else outside the ring of stone. This is the function
of culture – to provide a context, a circle of meaning, and a sense of
relationship to all of life.”
Assuming Howard’s perception of culture is accurate, how does your culture
“provide a context, a circle of meaning, and a sense of relationship to all of
life”?
2. Howard writes, “White dominance is not a relic of the past but continues to
have direct and deleterious influence in the lives of children today.” Do you
agree/disagree with Howard’s view? Support your argument with examples.
NOTE: Watch for opportunities, in your writing, to use signal or transitional words
(see Creating Meaning).
Howard, G. (2006). We can’t teach what we don’t know. (2nd Ed.). NY: Teachers
College Press.