Summary

Writing effective summaries

Summarizing

Purpose: To give the reader a condensed and objective account of the main ideas and features of a text.

Typically between 100 and 300 words, depending on the length and complexity of the original essay

Summaries Should:

Cite the author and title of the text Indicate the main ideas of the text Use some direct quotation of key words,

phrases or sentences Include author tags Avoid specific examples or data Report the main ideas objectively

Chapter 3 Summary: Culture of Fear

In Chapter 3 of Culture of Fear, Barry Glassner analyzes the media’s portrayal of the risks facing children and adolescents. Many false risks are exaggerated while real risks, such as guns, go under-reported and under-analyzed. In turn, Glassner states that the “faulty diagnosis” of risk leads to “callous cures,” that is, cures that punish children unnecessarily. He dismisses fears of an epidemic of teen gamblers, and the risks of “cybersmut,” as exaggerations. Glassner looks more closely at the exaggerated fear of stranger abductions and its impact on marketing products to make parents feel safe.

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He also analyzes the way the media creates a fear of children by exaggerating child crime, and the impact thishas on our prison system in the form of longer, and harsher sentences for juvenile offenders. In the end, Glassner states that adults have created theories to “justify both our fear of children and our maltreatment of them.” (74) His point is that we neglect the real threats to children-poverty, guns, family abuse, lack of education, housing, food and security – in favor of theories that allow adults and society to escape responsibility for the abysmal resources we dedicate to raising and protecting children, and childhood.

Quotation/Paraphrase

Your summary should contain a mix of both paraphrase and quotation. The paraphrased and quoted passages should be chosen appropriately and integrated well into your summary.

Quote when:

– You want to capture the writer’s tone

– The writer has said something particularly memorable

Paraphrase when:

– It’s the idea and not the tone, voice, or style that is important

– You can rephrase the writer’s ideas both accurately and briefly

Response

Requires reaction and interpretation Your own perspective (experiences, beliefs

and attitudes) will guide your response. Good response say what you think, but they

also show why you think so

Types of Response

Analyzing the effectiveness of the text Agreeing and/or disagreeing with the ideas in

the text; Intepreting and reflecting on the text.

Analyzing

Analyzing the effectiveness of the text

Includes analyzing:

-the key features, such as clarity of the main idea, organization of the argument, quality of the supporting evidence, effectiveness of the author’s style, tone and voice.

Agreeing/Disagreeing

This involves responding to the ideas or the arguments of a text.

Responders show why they agree and/or disagree with what the author says.

Interpreting/Reflecting

This involves explaining key passages or examining the underlying assumptions or implications of the ideas.

The responder also reflects on his or her own experiences, attitudes, and observations relate to the text.

Agree/Disagree Thesis

While I agree with Glassner that single mothers are often used as scapegoats in our society for a variety of social ills, I think he underestimates the dangers and social consequences of teenage pregnancy.

Interpret/Reflect Thesis

Reading “Smack is Back” helped me understand why I have always found the anti-drug commercials on television so ridiculous and un-helpful. I had many friends in high school and now college who tried illegal drugs without becoming addicted. On the other hand, I’ve seen several responsible adults become dependent on prescription drugs, but I’ve never seen any anti-drug commercials for them. ”

Homework for Tuesday 4/12

Decide which chapter you will respond to for your essay

Write a summary of that chapter Write a 2-3 sentence response to the

chapter.

Class Summaries:

Chapter 3: Delbert, Ashleigh, Cherise, Kaylen

Children face many dangers. The dangers they face are feared, but the ones we shouldn’t face are more hyped than the ones we should be afraid of. The immediate causes of death are accidents, homicide, and suicide. The underlying problem with suicides is guns. The hyped up fear is that kids are addicted to gambling, but the real fear is depression, drugs, alcohol, and relationship problems.

Summary Continued

Everybody thought pornography on the net was a serious issue but according to studies it was least likely that a pornographic picture would display. Parents fear that children will get kidnapped by strangers but the rates are very low. It’s less likely they will get kidnapped from a stranger but most likely kidnapped by a family member. Groups are making money off of offering solutions to problems that we don’t fear, but don’t offer solutions to the real problems.

Sample Summary

Chapter 3:

In Chapter 3 youth are at risk because society is having an impact more on children than they should have. Parents have a huge effect on the children because of the upbringing and the way they are raised. Youth in actuality aren’t at as much risk as projected. For example, on p. 75 PP2 in 1850 in New York and San Francisco had…

Sample Summary

Chapter 3:

Parents are fearing the wrong things for the right

reasons. Parents fear their children committing

suicide however we are providing the weapons.

Statistics don’t provide the full story. If they did,

perhaps we would spend our money on more

realistic fears. Keeping our children from going

hungry.

Sample Summary

Chap 4:.This chapter on Monster Moms is mainly focused on

“The Art of Misdirection” meaning there is far more than what meets the eye of society and the government. People in today’s society have overlooked major reasons and factors that have contributed to teen pregnancy. The media portrays this image that children from two-parent homes are less likely to engage in offensive behavior than children from one-parent families but it’s been shown that there is no difference.

Sample Summary

Chapter 4:

This chapter focuses on unwed mothers,

teen mothers and motherhood in general.

This chapter questions who is really fit to be

a mother.

Sample Summary

Chapter 4: Monster Moms are portrayed through the media

as destroying civilization. Mothers are seen as babies having babies and not being able to take care of their children and causing the U.S. millions of tax dollars. The media further projects single mothers as not being able to raise healthy children on their own but men can. Child abuse mainly focused on mothers. These reports don’t coincide with the statistics behind the media’s allegations.

Group Work Instructions

– How many paragraphs of the response are devoted to summarizing Tannen?

– Rewrite the summary into a one-paragraph introduction

– What is the thesis of the response?– What type of response is this? – What are the main reasons given to support the

thesis, i.e. that explain why the thesis is true?– What kind(s) of evidence are used to support the

reasons? Give one example of evidence