For courses in English Composition. By thinking, reading, and writing on three increasingly difficult levels - literally, interpretively, and critically - students can better learn the processes and skills necessary to be successful in their classes and beyond. Based on the grounded assumption that lucid writing follows lucid thinking, Kim and Michael Flachmann have spent their years teaching and writing to help students think clearly and logically in their minds and on paper. Students become more successful in their classes and beyond by thinking, reading, and writing on three increasingly difficult levels - literally, interpretively, and critically. In demonstrating the vital interrelationship between reader and writer, this text provides students with prose models intended to inspire their own thinking and writing. These essays are intended to encourage students to improve their writing through a partnership with someone of the best examples of professional prose available today.