"The Pleasures of Eating" from WHAT ARE PEOPLE FOR? by Wendell Berry. Copyright © 1990 by Wendell Berry.
Berry’s piece asks readers to take pleasure in eating by being a participant, by connecting with the agricultural world that feeds them. He says the food industry is turning citizens into passive consumers who take and pay what they’re told. According to Berry, people should be active participants in the agricultural process; they should realize where the food comes from, understand what is done (or not done) to it, and be grateful and appreciate it. To engage readers and help them move toward this renewed connection with the land, Berry suggests that his readers grow some sort of food on their own, make their own meals, learn about the food they buy, buy local and direct from farmers when possible, and, in general, learn everything they can about the food industry and the history of the food they eat.
Qualley, Donna. Turns of Thought: Teaching Composition as Reflexive Inquiry. 1997. pp. 1-30.
Qualley presents her thoughts on reflexive inquiry, interspersed with personal anecdotes from home and work. She explains reflexive inquiry as always re-questioning in light of new information, an adaptation of ideas. As a teacher, Qualley employs this by asking her students to not just follow a formula for writing papers, but to see what their papers mean. How did they figure out or portray the subject and through what genres? Qualley wants students to think about their work, not be robots spitting out someone else’s ideas. She wants students, not be looking for a be-all, end-all answer, but to be engaged in a process of trying to understand with much reflection on one’s own ideas while exploring the connections and disconnections of other ideas. However, to procure these results, Qualley states that students should be taught how to read as reflexive inquirers. She thinks that students should examine the values they bring to a situation as well as other values at play. In providing definitions for the reader, Qualley says reflexivity is a response to others (ideas, people, etc.); it’s like taking two unlike things and trying to make sense of them. In contrast, reflection is a one-person gig; you figure out what you’re thinking/feeling on your own. A third idea, metacognition, involves being aware of your own thoughts and how they are working, but its use is limited, especially when struggling through questions with numerous ideas and answers involved. According to Qualley, if students can relate their own ideas to their worlds and understand, they aren’t learning. To learn new things, they must look outside the familiar, outside what easily makes sense. In reflexivity, Qualley says students must be aware of their thoughts and the roles they play in relation to drawing conclusions. Subjectivity can be helpful in the process of reflexive inquiry, but even it must be subject to reflexive thinking.
Berry’s piece asks readers to take pleasure in eating by being a participant, by connecting with the agricultural world that feeds them. He says the food industry is turning citizens into passive consumers who take and pay what they’re told. According to Berry, people should be active participants in the agricultural process; they should realize where the food comes from, understand what is done (or not done) to it, and be grateful and appreciate it. To engage readers and help them move toward this renewed connection with the land, Berry suggests that his readers grow some sort of food on their own, make their own meals, learn about the food they buy, buy local and direct from farmers when possible, and, in general, learn everything they can about the food industry and the history of the food they eat.
Qualley, Donna. Turns of Thought: Teaching Composition as Reflexive Inquiry. 1997. pp. 1-30.
Qualley presents her thoughts on reflexive inquiry, interspersed with personal anecdotes from home and work. She explains reflexive inquiry as always re-questioning in light of new information, an adaptation of ideas. As a teacher, Qualley employs this by asking her students to not just follow a formula for writing papers, but to see what their papers mean. How did they figure out or portray the subject and through what genres? Qualley wants students to think about their work, not be robots spitting out someone else’s ideas. She wants students, not be looking for a be-all, end-all answer, but to be engaged in a process of trying to understand with much reflection on one’s own ideas while exploring the connections and disconnections of other ideas. However, to procure these results, Qualley states that students should be taught how to read as reflexive inquirers. She thinks that students should examine the values they bring to a situation as well as other values at play. In providing definitions for the reader, Qualley says reflexivity is a response to others (ideas, people, etc.); it’s like taking two unlike things and trying to make sense of them. In contrast, reflection is a one-person gig; you figure out what you’re thinking/feeling on your own. A third idea, metacognition, involves being aware of your own thoughts and how they are working, but its use is limited, especially when struggling through questions with numerous ideas and answers involved. According to Qualley, if students can relate their own ideas to their worlds and understand, they aren’t learning. To learn new things, they must look outside the familiar, outside what easily makes sense. In reflexivity, Qualley says students must be aware of their thoughts and the roles they play in relation to drawing conclusions. Subjectivity can be helpful in the process of reflexive inquiry, but even it must be subject to reflexive thinking.
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