Reading Thank You For Arguing is probably the most fun I've had reading a non-fiction book. It's like Bill Nye except for rhetoric and in book form. I haven't felt that way about any reading assignment I've had in the past. There are a couple of things that make me enjoy Thank You For Arguing so much. The book shows me how to get a better handle on rhetoric devices and it makes it easy to understand what is being said.
All of the rhetoric devices that are mentioned in TYFA I've heard of before; the problem is that I'm not 100% sure how/when/where to use them. This book allows me to revise how each device is defined, yes, but what is more important is that it shows me how each device should be use. It does this not by using two or three sentence examples that you will hopefully understand. It gives examples and then explains how that example effectively used the device. I've only had one teacher through out my entire high school career who did, and under his guidance, my writing did improve. But two semesters of proper teaching was not enough to make feel confident about my writing. Thank You for Arguing is continuing where Mr. Pool left off. It goes deeper into each rhetoric device and gives me a better, fuller understanding of how to write effectively.
Thank You For Arguing is also very easy to read and understand. Unlike other books (or teachers) that are so cryptic you need to have a secret code to understand them, Heinrich's book uses layman's English to help you understand whats happening. I've noticed that if I don't understand something, I can read a few more sentences ahead and figure it out. I didn't realize how much it hinders me when I have issues with understanding the contents or a reading. Its comforting to know that what I'm reading doesn't need a code to understand.
At the risk of sounding like a book review, I give Thank You for Arguing a gold star. It's a joy to read and easy to follow, and I'm no longer too worried about if I'll do well in writing.
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