College composition teachers face serious difficulties with student anger in trying to teach writing to poorly prepared students who do not see the need for learning standard English. Most teachers would agree that they are trying to teach writing in a much harsher, less receptive climate produced by powerful social forces over which they have little control. The new intensity of students' anger comes from a population that is waking up from the American Dream. Some guidelines for teacher response are: (1) expect anger; (2) do not assume that the value of what is being taught is self-evident; (3) acknowledge the arbitrary nature of accepted language use; (4) establish a consistent and trustworthy authority; and (5) keep in mind the difficulty of learning standard English. (CR)