Reading Response 7

Elbow – “Voice in Writing Again: Embracing Contraries”

Summary

In his article, “Voice in Writing Again: Embracing Contraries,” Elbow attempts to support both sides of the age old argument about viewing writing through the two main lenses, text based and voice based. He argues against the standard compromise, saying that it waters down the resulting concept, instead encouraging the use of both lenses, and learning when to switch between them. He does this through showing all of the advantages and disadvantages of each different process, and through this demonstrating that they are contrary, but neither is necessarily wrong.

Synthesis

This is similar to many of the other texts we have read in class, where the author is applying a common discussion in the academic community to students writing, and challenging us to change our standards. What is different about it is that he isn’t showing the other side as wrong, rather encouraging us to accept both sides of the topic as correct and applicable at different times.

Pre-reading

2. There is no doubt that papers would be different with the inclusion of “I” into a paper. It would allow the use of much more personal language; the ability to relate to a much more specific personal event rather than through obscure and roundabout impersonal language that you spend more time thinking about the wording to take away the personal touch than on the content of the essay in question.

QD

1. I had always defined voice as the personality that the author gave to the surroundings and situations in a story. All, or a vast majority, of my experience is with fiction works, so the critical analysis of the text without voice doesn’t really apply, although without it, the humorous descriptions of the settings or the impassive character actions would be different. The majority of differences in voice I’ve found exist in nonfiction and poetry, where they seem to take themselves way too seriously, or there isn’t any voice to be found.

4. In his argument, his is playing his “game” because he switches mindsets when he talks about the different frames that he is currently supporting, he then doubts the other side by showing their flaws. By showing support for both sides rather than just giving a cursory glance at the “opposing side,” even though there aren’t any in this essay, he’s giving the feeling of an unresolved debate, because though he’s supporting both sides, his tone when he switches sides still shows that edge of “this sides right” even though he ends with his statement that he supports both. He uses this to emphasize that there is still a difference between when each one is applicable.

A&E

1. Sincerity is when you write from you heart or mind with little thought to censor or restrict what you are writing; you feel what you are writing. Resonance is when you make the “voice,” for lack of a better word, change subtly to make a certain point stick out differently than the rest of your piece. This took a little time to come up with, mainly for the right words, but the concept wasn’t difficult to come up with.

2. When you listen to a passage, the job of identifying what the tone and inflection of the characters isn’t left up to your imagination; rather it is decided by the speaker. It also jades your memory when you read it yourself again; you don’t hear your internal voice, you hear the speaker. You understand passages that sounded weird with the inflection you gave them when you hear them differently. It is definitely a tool that I use when reading, because when you say things multiple times, they seem to make more sense.

MM

It is possible to incorporate this into your writing, you just need to write something and look at it from more than perspective; using Greene’s idea of frames, you need to use multiple frames to find where every part fits. Instead of coming to a compromise and taking only certain parts for your piece, you can blend all of the ideas together while keeping both distinct ideas.

Thoughts

This was my least favorite thing I’ve read so far, not because of the subject matter, for the concept is intriguing, but it was sooooo long. After about page two, I kept checking to see how much more I had to read every other paragraph. This kind of ambiance is not conducive to pleasure reading. The concept of opposing ideas both being correct and coexisting is very intriguing, and I intend on expanding upon it in one of my novel ideas….

Reading Response 6

Berkenkotter – “Decisions and Revisions: The Planning Strategies of a Published Writer”

Murray – “Response of a Laboratory Rat – or, Being Protocoled”

Summary

In their articles, “Decisions and Revisions: The Planning Strategies of a Published Writer”

and “Response of a Laboratory Rat – or, Being Protocoled,” Berkenkotter and Murray attempt to show, through their experiment, the processes that go through the mind of a professional writer to try and analyze the “proper” method of writing and revising piece. Berkenkotter disliked the (then) current methods of analysis which consisted of putting writers in a laboratory setting, with parameters. She felt, and proved, that this inhibited the thought processes of the writer, and observed the writer in its natural environment.

Synthesis

This is similar to the other texts, such as Klein, where as it is a discussion about the methods and results of their research, and an application of the self-same results to the writing of students in schooling now.

Pre-reading

I don’t have any particular writing habits, although I concentrate better most of the time if I have music playing, although this doesn’t work all the time.

QD

1. Murray’s writing process is very eccentric, as he has a system that works for him and him alone, as far as I can tell. He does a lot of notes on what he wants to write, but he dictates it rather than actually types it, so he also listens to it, and discerns whether it has the correct feel. I sit down and think about the concept as I go through life, refine random bits and pieces as I think, and when I sit down to write, I connect all the dots.

3. Berkenkotter discovered that for Murray, planning and revision are basically the same in practice. When he went back to do revision, he instead did a combination of both, which she called reconceiving.

A&E

1. I spend a lot of time connecting ideas with dialogue when I am writing a story. I have written a lot of non-story type essays, so I have a general idea of what formulas work and what don’t. I do a mental outline of what I need to write, and I formulate it in the most logical order, and start writing. When I go through and reread, I sometimes move ideas to try and make sure my point is being made. I don’t spend as much time on revising as I should, rather I’m used to just plowing through and hoping it’s right.

MM

I feel that I have a better understanding of how to revise and now I know that I need to spend more time on the information and on how everything is set up.

Thoughts

This article was weird, because it took me a while to realize that it was more geared for other academics, and when I took that into account, the point made a lot more sense. It didn’t really tell me anything I didn’t know, but it brought it all into light, and showed me I’m not the only one who goes back and forth on writings.

Reading Response 5 (Berger)

Berger – “Ways of Seeing”

Summary

In his article, “Ways of Seeing,” Berger attempts to use an analysis of European nude paintings to show gender placement in the corresponding time period in which the painting was created. He uses this to show the dual existence of women as well as the rather simplistic realm of men. Though the style has changed over the years, it still shows the same general trend of treating women as objects and men as overseers to judge said objects, which is obviously wrong.

Synthesis

This article isn’t like anything else we’ve read, because there is no argument about bettering our writing style, or anything to do with writing for that matter. Rather, this article is a social commentary on the historic placement of genders based on an analysis of nude oil paintings.

Pre-reading

1. For starters, we are imagining a lot if I’m going to draw. It takes a stretch just to imagine that whatever I draw even remotely comes close to looking like a woman. As to the direction she is facing, it would depend on the context of the picture, but in the generic sci-fi laser battle, probably sideways (hint: this is also my scene). As in any drawn out battle, there is mass chaos and people everywhere, if we imagine that I can draw mass chaos and other people. In no way would she be nude or naked, as it is a distraction when you are cold on the battle field. Although it might confuse the enemy.

3. The male is depicted as ruggedly handsome, as well as cool and confident. Almost as if he was projecting an aura of awesome, if there is such a thing. The woman, on the other hand, is depicted as “beautiful” with a pound of make-up covering her face, and wearing a skimpy, yet uniquely weird outfit that probably cost more than you make a year (directed at Mr. Vetter). She is depicted as confident and sexy, and gives off a vibe of ease with her surroundings. The depictions are all based around the stereotypical “perfect” person, and all of their publicity people set it up that way.

QD

1. The artists of these paintings knew exactly what they were doing; the painting of nude females, not the commentary on stereotypes that they didn’t know applied to them. Unfortunately, being a male, I have access to the horrible machinations of said mind, and the one thing guys like above looking at naked women is money (not saying that I do, it’s just an evil of hormones). These painters were marketing geniuses, because they were able to make money drawing naked women. Not only does it show status because of the servility of said women to the man that is commissioning this painting, but the painter gets to fulfill a primal urge and make money while doing it. Thus pornography was born. But all jokes aside, they did know what they were doing, and Berger would agree with this, because it shows the subservient nature of the female’s position in the process.

3. These assumptions are still very much in effect today, though their connotations have changed a little. Though there are some women that follow the old method of subservience; through their mannerisms, attire, surroundings, etc.; there are others that are much more independent through these same things. They don’t follow the list as strictly and because of this they have a more defined presence because what people see and think they are is in fact who they are, thus eliminating the dual existence.

A&E

2. There are definite ways we can apply Berger’s ideas of relationships to texts, because there is a definite relationship between the author and/or narrator to the reader. This relationship that you enter is one of the passing of ideas and thoughts; or in my realm of fiction, the telling of a story which could be told different based on the narrator and the author.

4. Humor defines a person by how they react to many different scenarios and situations. Some things seem funny to certain people and silly to others. Humor can also be seen as a passive trait, because it takes the place of other emotions such as anger, jealousy, ect. Humor mellows everything out when used properly and shows a person’s character when they can not only tell jokes, but take some as well. Humor could be seen as compensation for some insecurity, but that isn’t the case all the time, just like humor isn’t gender based the entire time. It is a careful combination of both, as well as the fact that most people like to laugh and smile, plus it’s always a good ice breaker.

MM

The necessity of reading this article has a lot to do with the correlation of spectator and viewer in relation to writing. When writing, it always good to keep the perspectives of the author and reader into consideration. This is especially important when you are trying to aim for a certain point that is affected by one of these points. The more general nature of art allows for an easier job of comprehending how easy it to understand something many different ways when you change a minute detail.

Reading Response 4 (McCloud)

McCloud – “Vocabulary of Comics”

Summary

In his article, “Vocabulary of Comics,” McCloud attempts to show the meaning behind icons of different kinds to show the correlation between them and why we connect with images the less detailed and more abstract (i.e. a cartoon).He eventually comes to the point of universality inherent to cartoons; cartoons describe a large sample of people because of their lack of details. We, while children, connect to cartoons because they are simplified and easier to interpret, as well as being what our mental image of own features are.

Synthesis

This article isn’t like any of the other readings we’ve done so far. It isn’t showing us a different way to change our writing style or analyzing conversation. It isn’t even in an “article format,” being written as a comic to help emphasize the point being made about icons and images. The only thing that is similar is that it is an analysis of a concept; it just isn’t one that has to do with writing.

Pre-reading

1. My favorite cartoon was when I was younger was Scooby-Doo. I related to all of the characters as a group, because they were normal kids, all of them friends and from different “cliques” and they had a good time, which I had as a kid. They also liked to go out and solve mysteries, which I thought was really cool. Because they were not portrayed as adults, I connected as one kid to another and it made me think that it was possible for me to solve mysteries and be as cool as them.

2. There are patterns in the lights and ceiling tiles that resemble a human face, as well as in parts of the carpet. The only similarity is just the placement of two objects as eyes and another as a mouth below them. I can see them without the face, if you look at only one part at a time, or in short intervals. The longer you look at it, the more it looks like a face.

QD

1. Adults still like the simplicity of cartoons because it reminds them of fond memories of their childhood, as well as allowing them an escape from the hardships and responsibilities of adulthood. There should not be an age when cartoons are inappropriate, because it gives everyone a universal humor and joy, and it may just help keep some adults a little younger. McCloud would agree, because even adults would benefit from cartoons simplifying some complex ideas for them. Hence why there are political cartoons.

2. McCloud used the comic book format so he could show the contrast between the two images, so that the reader’s interpretation of his language wouldn’t get between the point he was trying to make, so he took the reader’s interpretation out of the picture (pun intended). His point could have been garbled in translation if he had tried to describe the differences in writing, so some people wouldn’t have understood what he was trying to argue.

A&E

2. McCloud contends that we are more likely to see ourselves in generic, cartoonish images that don’t accurately resemble ourselves, because we rarely see our own face, only through mirrors. This then means that we spend a majority of our time seeing everyone else, so our own features tend to blur together. I have never looked at a photo of someone and identified with them, unless it was a family member.

3. Some adults “grow out” of watching cartoon, or say they do, because they feel that it is part of the role of an adult to scorn anything from their childhood, as cartoons are viewed as childish in nature. Some feel that the oversimplification is below their “intellect” and others have simply developed a new, more “refined” sense of humor. The truth that they encounter icons and cartoons every day is passed over by them, because they see it as an inevitable encounter, something that they can’t avoid. They’ve “grown out” of the choice to watch cartoons.

4. McCloud’s concept of the mask would affect my perception of myself, but not that of others, because when you wear a mask, your surroundings don’t change, you do. Without my mask, my perceptions of my surroundings would be the same, though their perception of me might be different, because they haven’t changed any, my mental image of myself has.

Thoughts

This is probably my favorite reading so far, simply because it was different. The others are scholarly articles whose concepts were a little beyond what I’m used to reading, but I can relate to cartoons, and it made the concept a lot easier to understand. In was a nice change from the same old, same old.

Video Summaries

 

How to Find a Book in the Library

Using ALICE, the library’s online database for all of their books, you can look a book up by title subject, anything you want. Then you can use the call number to find it in the library. The main book page tells you the floor, and you can pull up a map to find where on the floor it is. Then, when you get there, there are lots of signs signaling where everything is. Another neat feature is that when you find your book, you will usually find books of the same subject in the same general call number area, and you can look for books on ALICE by the subject of a book you’ve found.

How to Get a Book from OhioLINK

OhioLINK is a very simple site to use, all you do is when a book that you search for either isn’t available at Alden, or Alden doesn’t have it, you can search libraries across Ohio with their database, and request a copy. According to the person in the video, it should arrive in around 3 business days, but it is also important to make sure you fill out all of the information correctly, such as where to pick up the book at and what college you’re from (i.e. Ohio University).

ArticlesPlus

Articles plus searches lots of different places for scholarly articles, but when doing research, you probably want “peer reviewed” articles. After you search for whatever your subject is, there is a section on the left side of the page to refine your search, and there you can select “full text” and “peer reviewed” so that the results will only show selections fitting these criteria. Some articles are available in PDF form, so you can print, email, or save them as you see fit. Others you may have to find where they are, and the database helps with that too.

Topic Proposal

The construct that I'd like to challege in mainstream culture is that good fictional writing requires stereotypical characters, or can be achieved simply through stereotypes. This is most prevalent not only in schooling where they emphasize the traditional hero and other types in the novels that you read in class, but also in popular culture, where the hero or anti-hero is pushed as "popular" or "desirable." I feel that too many novels, especially towards the younger generation. It seems that people are told that a sterotype is what makes a good novel, and then there is no attempt for character development, which then makes a bad story. I feel that it is creating a group of people who don't know how to make characters in stories connect with the reader, because though you may know what a stereotype is going to do, it is hard to make a connection to one. I feel that to have a good story, complex characters beyond simple stereotypes are required; or at least development of said stereotypes to try and make an attempt at an original idea.

 

Some search terms would be:

•  Character development
• stereotype reception
• impact of stereotypes on story
• " of developed characters on story

Reading Response 3

Kantz – “Helping Students Use Textual Sources Persuasively”

Summary

In her article, “Helping Students Use Textual Sources Persuasively,” Kantz attempts to explain how to use a source properly in essays for students in college, through examples of good and bad of source use. She argues that if you use sources like you were taught in high school, you won’t be meeting your teacher’s expectations, and it really isn’t that hard to write the essay’s once you make the shift to a rhetorical mindset.

Synthesis

This reading is similar to Greene’s article, because it is encouraging students to think beyond the basic teaching of high school and to transcend the bare minimum for the assignments. This attempt to break the preconceptions of all of your other educational experiences seems to be a common theme, because Klein touched on it as well.

Pre-reading

In an argument I’ve had recently, the factual dispute was resolved when one side conceded the point when they assimilated the new information. They didn’t agree entirely on the facts, but they agreed to disagree on most of the other parts of the discussion, but they resolved the argument by settling one part of it and agreeing to come back to the rest at a different time.

QD

1. Kantz contends that facts are merely points that the community as a whole has decided is correct, but is always up for discussion, and has endured much discussion to fall under the tentative category of “fact.”

2. A list of the things that Kantz says students don’t know: problems writing persuasive researched papers, interpretation of assignment, interpretation of sources (as stories), expect sources to tell the truth, facts are a kind of claim, how to construct a more complex representation of texts, the concept of a rhetorical situation, understanding author’s facts are for specified audience, the true nature of plagiarism, task management skills, and thinking can write a paper in one draft. She is correct when applied to a vast majority of students. My experience in AP classes has given me a small glimpse to parts of what she explains we need to learn, such as using more than one draft for a paper and closer analysis of sources, but people without this experience fit in her profile well. I understand a good many of them, but it will take time to get into the practice of doing them well.

AE

2. The relationship between creativity and research, prior to this class, was how creative you were in paraphrasing your sources when you used it, and where you looked for sources. As Kantz talks about it, it is how you can interpret the “facts” in your sources and find the “truth” to use in your research. There is little overlap between the old way we were taught to research and Kantz’s method of research, but her methods have definitely influenced me to try harder when I do a research paper to try and come up with an original topic. She uses her model way too much, because I do know that research is much more fluid than her triangle makes it out to be.

MM

She’s trying to analyze the construct of sources holding all of the truth. It is useful for me to know this because it will help when I need to critically analyze something or do a much more complex writing assignment, and it will eventually help me to understand things other than just writing, if I work at it.

Thoughts

This article was okay, but it got repetitious fast. She could have consolidated the writing in about five pages less than she did. It brought up some good points, but most people have figured some of them out by now, so while parts of it were interesting, others were a chore to struggle through from sheer boredom.