Completing this worksheet may take more time than you think. It’s worth the time. The information you gather will help you later when writing assignments. But more importantly, the process of addressing each of the questions below will change how you read texts. Subject: What is the text about? The text is about psychedelics and psilocybin the active agents in these psychedelics. Throughout this article, Michael Pollan informs the reader about the pros and cons of this psychedelic but ultimately concludes how it would be beneficial for users; only if administered by professionals. Author: Who is the author? What are their credentials and what is their investment in the issue? The author is Michael Pollan, an author and journalist who co-founded a center of science for psychedelics. Michael not only writes about psychedelics but has a first-hand account of them as he also used and grown these psychedelics. Audience: Who is the author’s intended audience? Look for clues from the text (especially the original publication) to support your inference. The author’s intended audience is the public, I know this because it was published in the New York Times which is very popular and easily accessible by the public. Genre: What type of publication is this (e.g., personal essay, newspaper article, academic paper, blog, textbook chapter, etc.)? How do the conventions of that genre show up in the text? This publication is a newspaper article and it is shown throughout the text as Michael addresses many problems happening at the time like the decriminalization of psilocybin and health issues and how this can help. Purpose(s): What is the author trying to accomplish? To persuade, entertain, inform, educate, call to action, shock? How do you know? The author is trying to inform the public about this drug. Michael starts off the article by saying “Only a few days ago, millions of Americans probably had never heard of psilocybin” (Pollan 1) which already can give you the idea that he wants to inform the public about this drug, what it can provide for us, and how it should be used. Context: What topic/conversation is this text responding to? What year was it published, and what was happening at that time? This text is a response to the decriminalization of psilocybin, Michael is trying to provide the pros of this drug while still mentioning that in order for this to be successful it needs to be handled by professionals and fully studied. Exigence: What specific concern motivated the writing? This could be a current or historical event, a crisis, pending legislation, a popular alternative view, or another ongoing problem. The motivation for the writing was the rising rates of depression and other health issues. Michael openly talks about how when guided by trained professionals psilocybin is seen to help in many different ways like “relieve “existential distress” in cancer patients; break addictions to cigarettes, alcohol and cocaine; and bring relief to people struggling with depression” (pollan 2). Michael even goes as far as criticizing our current treatments referring to them as “addictive” and mentioning their limited effectiveness. Notes: What will you remember about this text? I will remember how helpful this drug can actually be, when I think of psychedelics I think of all the crazy stories people say about them but I never really thought about how it could help those in need.