Journal #7

What is the writer trying to find out more about through their research (what research question guides their work)?

There are many research questions that guides their work. A couple stated in the article are: What defines revision in a professional context? What approach is taken by those who make their living revising? How is their revision process influenced?

What is the research methodology of this article (how do they collect their information, and how do they analyze the information they collect)?

The research methodology of this article was a case study where six editors were, given texts to revise and edit, then asked after each text to recall information on said, text recording the time it took for the editors to remember the text because they weren't reading for context-but they were grazing for mistakes. The case then continues with quetions of revison.

How does professional editing differ from how students revise their own work?

The editors do not read for content, but look at the structure. The views of the paper do not sway the editors decison to chug on and correcting and revising. Whereas, a student is taught to read for context, students tend to put their own opitions in other works deveating their revising ability.

Physical Money

Dear Mom and Dad,

As you know I am contemplating the decision to sell my virginity, in order to pay for my Masters Degree. I am sorry if I disappointing you in my decision to take intercourse so casually, and in fact profit from it. Growing up you instilled in me the importance of albescence. As I starting becoming my own person, taking what you have taught me and what I have learned I now believe that today people picture intercourse as purely physical.
I know my consequences, but have weighed the benefits too. This is a onetime occasion that will pay for my Masters; I will not have to work during my degree and can purely study for my future. To better myself. I am taking all the necessary precautions before going through with this decision. I love you

Journal #6

What does Bitzer not mean by “rhetorical situation”? In other words, how does his view differ from past views that readers might compare to his?

Blizter view on rhetorical situation does not only mean context. Rhetorical situations don’t just appear out of conversations, they need to be thought out and well planned. While past views put any situation having the ability to be rhetorical but then, it would seem to general. Rhetorical situation does not mean an issue of the audience understanding, does not mean the interatction of the past, and does not mean persuasive situation.


What does Bitzer mean by “rhetorical situation”?

To say that rhetoric is situational means that rhetorical discourse comes into existence as a response to situation, in the same sense that an answer comes into existence in response to a question, or a solution in response to a problem, a speech is given rhetorical significance by the situation, just as a unit of discourse is given significance as answer ot as solution by the question or problem, a rhetorical situation must exist as a necessary condition of an answer, many questions go unanswered and many problems remain unsolved; similarly, many rhetorical situations mature and decay without giving birth to a rhetorical utterance; a situation is rhetorical insofar as it needs and invites discourse capable of participating with situation and thereby altering its reality; discourse is rhetorical insofar its functions as a fitting response to a situation which needs and invites it. Basically, the situation controls the rhetorical response in the same sense that the question controls the answer and the problem controls the solution

Therefore, rhetorical situation may be defined as a complex of persons, events, objects, and relations presenting an actual or potential exigence which can be completely or partially removed if discourse, introduced into the situation, can so constrain human decision or action as to bring about the significant modification of exigence.

Explain what “exigence” is. Give your own example of an exigence someone could respond to in writing.
Exigence is an imperfection marked by urgency, it is a defect, an obstacle, something waiting to be done, and a thing which is other than it should be. For example, suppose there is a 40 year old man still living with his mother, the discourse to explain to him that it is not socially expectable to still be feeding off your mother will provoke the action of the right kind and he will move out, finally giving his poor mother some peace.

Journal #5

In the dicussion of being "fully educated", one controverisial issue has been the coverage model suggests that sudents, need to demonstrate familiraity with the whole spectrum of literature, from the major periods to the three genres to certain influential authors. On the one hand, Bates argues that "inliterature, you confine your area, to begin with, to one author, a group of authors, or one aspect or genre of a period of a half a century. And you ask only certain kinds of questions-those you have been hearing baout or those most capable of systematization, leaving aside the larger difficlties and uncertanties of the subject"(201). Which means that specialists in certain areas, periods, or genre practivce their discipline differently from other specialists, even though it is all considered literary studies. Every specialist puts their own twist on the material. On the other hand, Easton contends that ' as of the late twentieth century, there is little place for the generalist" (23). Which means that one cannot just know the fine points of the subject, they need the basics and more to rise to the occasion and stand out in a debate, or competion. My own view is that students do need to demonstrate familiraity with the major periods and influential authors, but their is no need to be in basic composition learning to write prose like Shakespere when you don't even understand the dialect of that time period. One should be taught the technqiues and the signifigance of Shakespeare's work, but not scrutinized because they themselves cannot produce such poetry. Instead, we then have the literary world divided into sub-fields like Shakespearean Culture and you can major in that and wear tights all day.

This is an issue that Bate and Easton care about, because we need to know the basics, the foundations of literaturem before we can expand and truely produce our own creative and intellectual ideas. Students not knowing enough about liturature to be able to hold their own conversation in various fields.

Journal #4

In the Introduction to They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein provide templates designed for student's use right away to structure his/her writing; to generate writing; to help the writer successfully enter the world of academic thinking and writing, of civic discourse and work; to help put abstract models principles of writing into practice; to give the writer an immediate sense of how to engage in these kinds of critical thinking required at a college-level and beyond; and to represent simple, but crucial, writing moves. Specifically, Graff and Birkenstein argue that the types of writing templates they offer help present the writer's ideas as a response to some other person or group. As the authors themselves put it, “Broadly speaking, academic writing is argumentative writing, and we believe that to argue well you need to do more than assert your own ideas. You need to enter a conversation, using what others say (or might say) as a launching pad or sounding board for your own ideas.” Although some people believe "...in order to succeed academically you need to play it safe and avoid controversy in your writing, making statements that nobody can possibly disagree with", Graff and Birkenstein insist that this type of writing "... is actually a recipe for flat, lifeless writing, and for writing that fails to answer what we call the 'so what?' and 'who cares?' questions." In sum, hen, their view is that a writer needs to mix a little bit of argument in with their writing, something that not everyone can agree with, to make their writing interesting. As well, they feel that the writer needs to speak not only their own viewpoints, but use points from other's arguments and works as a base for the writer's own work.


I agree with Graff and Birkenstein’s feelings on templates. In my view, the types of templates that the authors recommend will help students first find the point to their essay, have proof, and the ability to back it up through the simple use of template.. For instance, a template I might follow to state a point would be to first state a general fact about your point, and then contradict that known statement with your view and back it up with proof. For example, On the one hand templates could be promoting a lazy student. On the other hand, template allow students and readers to clearly see the argument at hand, someone else point “they say” and then what you want to say the “I say”, and then back it up with proof. Templates make writers go into depth with their own views, by explicitly teaching the writers to pin point someone else view to build off of. Some might object, of course, on the grounds that templates are very straightforward and they have problems recognizing that crucial step in connecting the two points together with your own proof without going into detail. Yet I would argue that students should have some specific types of templates under their belts so they can be equipped to write any type of paper. Overall, then, I believe templates are amazing-an important point to make given that I have a problem connecting someone else’s view to the mine own, and then mixing the evidence into the views. This reading was very helpful and can’t wait to see if it works in my rhetorical analysis paper.

Journal #3

1. What does Bartholomae mean when he says that students must “invent the university” when they write in collage?
Bartholomae means that the students have to learn to speak the reader’s language, to speak as they do, to try on their ways of knowing, selecting, evaluating, reporting, concluding, and arguing to define the discourse of the community. When trying to prove a point the students must gather all the information of a subject, objectively find the claim, justify said claim with proof and explain your conclusions in a relative manor-to said readers.

2. What does Bartholomae suggest is a way for students to become “insiders” within academic discourse?
To become “insiders” the students must first have invented or discovered an original idea. This must be done so the students know the necessary steps in explaining discourse

3. Summarize some of the differences between the two examples of student writing that Bartholomae examines, and Bartholomae’s opinion on these examples.
Bartholomae thought that the first essay was very premature. It only focused on the question at hand; 'think of something creative you've done'. The football player did not expand on why he thought that wearing white socks was creative, what was his motivation to choose to wear white socks? The reader is left unknowing, because the writer does not expand on his choice.
The second essay was well thoughtout and throughly explained. She stated what she thought was creavtive, then looked at it from a different angle and realized with the reader that what she that was her own creativity, was only a mimic of her motivation-music. But as she realized that she could create her own music, with motivation and her own creative touch she was able to trully see that what she created was her own. The essay is very detailed and in depth.

Writing Workshop #1

Expertise in:
-Plants
-Sleeping
-Consuming Food
-Drifting off into Space
-Installing Car Stereo Systems
-Reading
-Cleanliness

Interested in:
-Planting
-Learning
-Chemistry
-Self Discovery
-Enjoying Life

Journal Entry #1

Picture from the 2008 Pulitzer Prize editorial cartoon winners-Michael Ramirez

1. What claim is being made?
This editorial cartoon is claiming that we should not have gas guzzling cars. We as Americans need to conserve our resources.

2. What type of claim is this?
This editorial cartoon is a claim of policy. We should not use insufficient ways to get around.

3. What types of appeals or evidence is used to support the claim?
I found that this editorial cartoon depicts the Garden of Eden. This is where God placed Adam and Eve; to live in beauty, peace and harmony, with one request. No one can take fruits from the forbidden tree for it is the root of all evil. But as the story goes, the snake (temptation/evil) tricked Eve into picking the forbidden apple from the tree and feeding it to Adam damming both their souls, and ours to temptation and sin. This cartoon has some differences from the original story to prove the claim it is trying to make, we should not have gas guzzling cars. For example, the temptation/evil is not a serpent but instead a gas pump and hose. This states that gas is the fruits of evil with its root of evil being high gas prices. Because high gas prices increasing the cost of living and stress in the environment. What is comical about the cartoon is that Eve did not have to be persuaded to use gas, she choose to buy another SUV “As a matter of fact, we just bought another SUV….” (Ramirez) This states that Americans today still choose to sin and cause frustration on their lives through unnecessary means. There is no need to fill up your 35 gallon tank to take Susie to soccer practice at the neighborhood park, why not walk? This editorial cartoon uses evidence of ethos, personal ethics and religion to convey its claim