Magee q.1&3 p467

Magee Questions 1&3 pg467

1.) My writing would fit under the stereotype for women's writing when whatever I'm writing allows me the space to include relevant relationships. Much like Magee, though, when it comes to short essays, such as college essays, I must stick with the short achievement side of things, with the very faint possibility of skimming the relationship involved.

3.) Other data could show that people are just getting lazy with their writing, because with many things we're expected to write these days, they must be precise and to the point, not caring about the relationship one has to have to get to that achievement. Like Magee said, “the institutions of higher education and the educational experts have clearly told us that accomplishments and achievements are what matters.”

Margaret Kantz pg.446 q1. Meta Moment

1. According to Kantz, in a rhetorical argument, facts are actually claims that an audience will accept as being true without requiring proof, though they may ask for an explanation; opinions are claims that an audience will not accept as true without proof, and even if proof is given, the audience may decide there's limited truth (possibly true for one case, but not another); argument includes both claims of facts and opinions to try and persuade the reader.

Meta Moment:

In this article, Kantz isn't only showing the faults students often make when writing, but also, how to correct those faults, or new ways to rhetorically analyze/read texts. This would be useful for a college student because it will help me to see/understand texts differently/better, and create better text documents.

Bazerman reading q.6 (pg393)

A basic genre I'm familiar with would have to be non-fiction romantic drama. For instance, Nicholas Sparks books get me every time. John Green and Suzanne Collins also pulled at the heart and kept me interested in their books as well. Being that this is a genre on a literary standpoint, they were written to keep people like me occupied and drawn in to my interests. This is recognizable, because all of these authors have draw in traumatic events while tying in a love story. Usually, one can realize a book is a romantic drama by reading the intro or the little overview. Or if it's a Nicholas Sparks book, the main couple is usually on the front, and it's just inevitable that there will be some sort of distress.

"All Writing is Autobiography" by Donald Murray 9-10-14

2.)According to Murray, everything written by someone has a little taste/feel of them in it. Whether its a research paper or not. There will always be some aspect of a writer in their text. It could be expressed through the sophisticated words they use, their sentence structure, or even something like the titles or headings they chose. Murray categorizes autobiographies by distinguishing peoples views or what the people have experiences in life. (I feel as if both of these questions are the same.)

5.) Murray's implications would make me think of the authors feelings or life “stories” of whatever I'm reading. If every written piece is considered an autobiography, then each writer/author has a story or a little piece of them behind what they're writing. Knowing this, I would probably write a little differently. Depending on the subject/topic, I would probably wonder “why I'm writing about this specifically” or “what events have led to my view/opinion on this.”

6.) Reviewing my older papers/texts and their autobiographical “standards” it seems that depending on the subject I was just supposed to have “research.” When looking at the different aspects of “autobiographical” writing though, I am able to see patterns in my sentence structure as well as the words used in those papers, that do in fact add character.  

Grant Davie "Rhetorical Situations" questions 1,4,&7

1.) I've never really thought about writers negotiating with their audience. Actually reviewing texts I've read/heard though, I can think of a few. Talking to someone through your writing is different than negotiating with them because when your just talking to them through your writing, your showing more of a story. When your negotiating with people through writing then you're showing more of your thoughts/opinions and being bias/ very one-sided. If i were negotiating with people through my writing I would add persuasion, but to a point where they would end up agreeing and not realize it, possibly by including some counter argument/or adding valid points from the opposing side.

4.) Constraints are practically anything that is not the rhetor and the audience, that causes the audience to take a point of view in the text. Constraints can be thought of as aids instead of restrictions because they also allow the rhetor to create a view that the audience could have possibly never thought of, when would then get the audience to start thinking completely different.

7.) A discourse is needed to possibly compare two things. What that discourse could be trying to accomplish is for the audience to declare a side or for the audience to fully understand the differences of the sides of whatever the discourse is.

Linnea Skoog

Writ 101

Literacy Paper

Final

9-12-14

All through life I've been taught how to read, write and properly pronounce words. Whether by my parents, siblings or even billboards, I was being educated. Not just in a minuscule way, but in a way that would really benefit my life. Reading and writing are such great skills to have. They not only allow you to leisurely engage in hobbies (such as reading and writing) but they also allow you to get somewhere in this world. People everywhere struggle everyday because they don't know how to read or write. They weren't given the opportunity to read or write, or their parents didn't engage in their future and teach them the alphabet or how to count. From there they just never grasped the concept and they lost interest in it. However, that was not my case. Here is my story.

Growing up my parents were always keen on us children having a good education. They'd put in extra time to make sure we knew and understood what we were learning. For obvious reasons, they were huge contributors to my literacy. They were the ones that taught me to read and write. They would practice the alphabet with me, and patiently correct me until I finally sang those twenty six letters with ease. They taught me my numbers. Again, patiently counting and correcting me until I understood that eight comes after seven, and ten before eleven. My family travels a lot. On every trip we would always have music and books on take. Those expanded my literacy by far. As a young child, if certain lyrics stuck in my head, like all children, I would repeat them, then eventually ask their meaning. Same goes with lines form a book on tape. Not only was I physically on a journey, but my mind was on a journey picking up new words as the readers voice drew me into a mystical world. Not only were my parents literary sponsors, but my brothers, too. Every conversation, no matter how small, they would always help me construct sentences that made sense, gradually correcting my grammar and splitting up my run on sentences. Unfortunately for me, they still find the need to correct me, when often, they have no idea what they are talking about. My baby sitter was even a literary sponsor. Spending five days a week and almost twelve hours a day, I was sure to gain something that would contribute to my future from her. Everyday, she would set up a “mock” classroom. We would do a little lesson, whether it was learning how to spell or how the sun makes plants grow. She was always intent on communication, also. We couldn't just whine and cry until she figured out what it was we wanted, we had to take the tools we were learning (the words we were learning and the basic sentence structure we knew) and tell her what it was we needed. Not only that, we were very lucky to have her read several books to us several times a day. She would read to us books such as If You Give a Pig a Pancake and an array of Dr. Seuss books. Always yearning for more of an understanding as to “why giving a pig a pancake is such a bad idea” or “is the Lorax really someone who will come after you if you cut down a tree? What about Christmas trees?”, we'd always plead with her “just one more time, please!”

Like all small children, I liked to do what those around me were doing. From the words they said, to the things they said. Picking up a pencil, or any writing utensil in reach, and anything I could write on, just to be like an adult. Grown ups made writing look so effortless. Too often, though, I would get caught writing on/in important books or documents, after being caught I'd pleadingly say, “daddy did it, why can't I?” Just like with writing, reading was much of a mimicked learning. Seeing people occupy their time with reading always seemed “so fun.” So why not try it myself. Typically not knowing what the words actually said or meant, and almost always holding the book upside down, I'd try as hard as possible to look as interested as possible in what I was reading as the person next to me was in their reading. Eventually, I came to the realization that The Cat and the Hat and Junie B. Jones were far more interesting than whatever anybody else was reading.

Reading in grade school was so fun. Looking back now, it's because it was a reward system. I'd have to say, though, a lot of the books I read were also my literacy sponsors. From those little three word per page books to chapter books. The change was gradual, but speedy. I just couldn't stop reading. I was one of those kids in school who would get in trouble for reading during class. Being in school taught me how to “properly” read and write. From dotting my 'i's and crossing my 't's, to not using 'I' in a paper. School established that when reading, at a period you pause, a semicolon introduces a new thought/idea, and that instead of using “and” to separate words (when listing them) you can use a comma. School was also the place I realized “I will not like everything I read.” Those usually, if I was not interested in a book after the third chapter, I often abandoned it. School really reinforced this action. School often serves material that not everyone likes. It was so hard to remain engaged. Usually it was a struggle to finish the assignment because such a lack of interest. Saying this, there were also “misappropriations” to my learning at school. From teachers who only focused on certain students, to teachers who didn't focus on their students at all. Though these may have hindered my learning, there were still the teachers that cared and helped us succeed. In high school, I had two types of teachers: the ones that tell you to express yourself in your writing and the ones who tell you to not show any glimpse of yourself at all. It was challenging to go from one class to the other. The teachers who would tell me to express myself through my writing were really empowering. They were the ones who really helped to expand my knowledge and literacy. They were the ones who would tell me to be involved in things that interest me. They were the ones who would make you want to continue learning. One of them even told me, “never apologize for your writing.” That has stuck with me and every time I write anything. That teacher spent his years investing in us a sense of individuality on such a scale, that we became confident in the words we wrote and the knowledge we consumed. He changed the way I read, too. He was the one who gave me the idea to never stick with a book that doesn't hook me after the third chapter. He also encouraged heavy note taking on readings. He wanted us to be changed by the written word and to question. He wanted us to question what the author could have been going through, who the intended audience was, if the author was alluding/ foreshadowing something. He always encouraged to use any and all resources possible. He wanted us to think about the ethos, pathos, locos of all the prompts. We were told to identify as many rhetorical/literary devices as possible. This teacher made us realize that reading and writing are essential and that we will be doing it the rest of our lives. He also showed us that it's not all bad.

Usually, when faced with the task of writing, I put it off until I know I shouldn't anymore (such as the night before it's due). I ponder the topic for a while and think about how I'm going to start off. Usually, I run a few ideas for a thesis statement through my head, then think about how the body would be constructed from that. After I think I've got it all figured out, I construct an outline. When putting my thoughts into writing is complete and my outline is all “fixed-up,” I usually try to start my paper. When writing and reading, I can't have any distractions. It's so much easier to get done and focus when there's hardly any noise or anyone to talk to. Though, when the subject is really interesting, there are never any distractions. Not only is writing such a task, I usually despise editing/ proofreading my work. Usually, because I end up not liking it and before I know it, half my paper is gone and I have to think of a whole new line of expressing my views/thoughts.

 Writing is usually somewhat of a task for me. As I've began to keep a journal, some writing assignments don't seem as daunting. When finding out that a four to five page paper is due, I end up fretting about it. It's usually after I've written about seven pages in my journal that I realize I can just as easily write about my literary history. Research papers are a whole different flavor of tea, though. Even so, some things I will passionately write about all day, others not so much. Admiration for writing is growing on me. I am grateful to be able accomplish/know such skills as to read and write. Though we think it's such a common skill to have, there are so many people out there who are so lost and struggling because they don't know how to read and write.  

Hey, it's Linnea! Finally got my blog to work! Hope ya'll had a great day!