As noted by David E. Rumelhart (1985), a skilled reader must be able to make use of sensory, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic information to accomplish the task. These various sources of information appear to interact in many complex ways during the process of reading.
To help you understand, I provide you with some brief explanations of the terms just for your reference.
Sensory information: things that the brain collects from the senses that give you information about the world around you. Some examples of sensory information include the smell of baking bread (smell), the feel of a wool sweater (touch), the taste of an apple (taste), a song (hearing), and a painting (sight).
Syntactic information: about the rules of language. An example is a sentence that uses the correct form of a very, or sentence structure.
Semantic information: the word semantics concerns the meanings of words, signs, symbols, and the phrases that represent them. It examines meaning that is conventional in a given language, so in fact, it is the study of meanings through the relationships of words, how they are used, and how they are said. If I tell you I’m going to eat a piece of cake, you would interpret it literally. Maybe you would even ask for a piece. If instead, I told you my homework was a piece of cake, you would interpret that I meant it was easy, unless of course, I’m taking cooking classes. Semantic information can be informative or factual, but factual information must always be true.
Pragmatic information: It refers to the information received by a recipient with a focus on the implied meanings. The pragmatic information measures the information received, not the information contained in the message. Pragmatics considers language as an instrument of interaction, what people mean when they use language, how words can express things that are different from what they appear to mean, and how we communicate and understand each other.
Discussion Questions (answer the following questions):
Does the author make her point clear? What is the author’s point? Please write it down.
In the essay named “Relax in Greenpoint, Brooklyn” the author visited Greenpoint and demonstrated the role of food in preserving the cultures and ethnicities. The author has made her point clear by portraying the preserved Polish culture in Greenpoint, followed by the narrative that food is one of the main attributes of culture, and the culture can be regenerated or promoted through food.
Has the author succeeded in making a point/argument? Why or why not?
The author has succeeded to make an argument up to some extent while she could not maintain it throughout the essay. In the beginning, her writing was more inclined towards the food rather than its impacts on culture.
How does the author develop the argument? What type of evidence is used? Underline all the major points as evidence that back up the argument.
The author developed the argument by using the sensory information about the taste of food and explaining the Polish culture and the availability of Polish food in the Greenpoint. She has used a lot of imaginations to demonstrate the existence of Polish restaurants and special Polish foods at the restaurants. She has also explained that despite less population remained in Greenpoint, the Polish culture is still alive in the form of foods and restaurants that offer Polish foods, and 75% of the Polish visit there often.
Can you explain how and why each piece of evidence supports the argument?
The argument has not been revealed in the whole essay except, in the end, however, it has been supported throughout the essay due to the imagery used by the author. Every line of the essay is directly or indirectly related to food; therefore, every imagery and food description supports the argument.
Is the author’s conclusion true? Why or why not?
The author concluded that food plays a major role in the culture and this argument is justified. She has also supported her arguments through the quote that the foodways of people from different cultures are associated with their cultures
What additional methods could the author use to make the argument more effective? Can you think about another two additional methods the author could possibly use to enhance her point? Explain why.
The author could make it more effective by the use of Simile to compare the role of food in the preservation of two different cultures. On the other hand, the author could have conducted interviews with the Polish people to get their perspective about their foods and cultural preservation.
Does this article remind you of anything or anyone? What does the article or the topic have to do with you, personally, and with your life (past, present, or future)? It is not accepted if anyone says that it has nothing to do with him/her.
This article has reminded me of the different food streets in the United States where people can buy their special dishes despite being away from their country and they also share their joy on social media.
