PB3A: The Game Plan

For my WP3, the article I selected is “Textual Silences” by Huckin. The article looks at the rhetorical power of “silence.” In other words, it analyzes the different ways that information is purposefully omitted from something, and why the author/speaker chose to do so. It looks at the ways in which certain information is conscientiously left out, and what that accomplishes. For example, a “topical silence” is one where “some topic relevant to a larger issue is omitted from discussion.” A topical silence is something like the Congo genocide, in which over five million were killed, and even more sexually abused, yet it is never mentioned in U.S. news. Usually, the information omitted “surreptitiously disadvantages” the audience. The article discusses five other types of silences in addition to topical silences, including conventional, discreet, lexical, implicational, and presuppositional silences. All are different types of omissions that serve different purposes.

When I transform “Textual Silences” for a younger audience, I think I will do it in the form of a fun lesson/reading for children in elementary school. One of the first moves I plan to make with this piece is using colorful fonts for each different type of silence. I think it will make the paper more visually attractive, and interesting for a younger audience. Colored fonts are very playful. I will use a cool font as well for the same reasons. I will also separate the silences into their own different sections, so the writing “chunks” are not too large and it is easier for the children to move from one type of silence to the next. Younger audiences appeal more to writing that does not seem overwhelming or too complicated. I will also use very fun, informal language, as elementary school teachers are usually very playful with the children. I will also try to explain the silences in terms of examples that younger audiences will understand. I know that textual silences are not an easy concept to understand, so I must make sure I use very basic, clear language. Nothing can be too complex. I will also include some practice questions at the end of the paper, as teachers usually check children's understanding of a topic after the lesson.

For my transformation over to the older audience, I think I will use the genre of a blog post. Blog posts have a lot of freedom in their writing, and don’t follow any specific kind of format. When explaining the different types of silences, I plan to separate them using bullet points. I think that is a pretty common convention of blog posts, and is a quick, easy way to separate them. In addition, I will bold and underline the name of the textual silence in each bullet point, so that the different sections are easy to spot. This is a key convention of blog posts because people will skim a blog post before they read it, so headers that stand out help people scan the post and decide if they want to read it. It also helps people find the information they’re looking for quickly. I will also be using subjective language, and things like asides, because blog posts are usually personal. For example, I could put some side notes in parentheses, and include some humor in the blog post. I will take on a very casual, fun tone, as that is normal for a blog post. I will use a lot of my own voice, and develop my own style, as blogs are about sharing your own views on things. In addition, I will use a nice color contrast between the font color and background to make the writing look more appealing, but I will make sure it isn’t too busy so it doesn’t distract the reader from the actual post. I will also try to include some images, which blog posts tend to include. It adds some variation to the post and keeps it visually interesting.

Thlog 8: Bob Ross Rocks

To begin, I'd just like to say that I love Bob Ross. Seriously. Watching the video of him painting in class made the lesson that much more interesting/entertaining. Anyways, enough about Ross and his sweet fro. The videos we watched with Bob Ross and the Disney artists couldn't have been more clear in helping me understand how one thing can be transformed many different ways. Each of the artists was viewing the exact same tree, but interpreted it completely differently. Some focused on just the trunk of the tree, painting with much detail and precision. Others painter the entirety of the tree, using lots of light and colors. Others simply used black and white paints. The artists also all used different types of paints and tools on their works. The video showed me how one thing, like the tree, can be interpreted and changed into so many different things using different techniques. It is exactly the same thing that I will be doing for my WP3. Instead of painting a tree, I will be analyzing the scholarly academic article, and transforming it in two different ways - aiming it towards a younger audience, and also an older one. I'm not completely sure how I'm going to do that yet, but I plan to look into many different genres, and choose one that I believe I can execute well. I don't say this too often about school work, but I am actually into this project. I think it will be a nice wrap up of everything we've learned thus far and I am really excited/curious/nervous to see how this plays out! Well, that's it for me folks. Piper's out.

Thlog 7: Wednesday's Wisdom

Although this week was short, I gained an invaluable amount of information from Wednesday's peer editing activity. I love having the opportunity to thoroughly read and comment on other people's papers, because it allows me to see a different take on the same prompt as my paper. Doing so can show me moves or other strategies that the author used that could possibly work well in my paper as well. It also shows me things that the other author might have done well that I could fix in my own paper. Ultimately, it provides me with tons of new ideas that I could incorporate into my own essay. Another aspect of the peer editing activity that was extremely helpful was having to only write questions as our written feedback on our peers' papers. Having to ask a question forced me to think hard about why something needed to be fixed. That made me think of the bigger picture, and opened my eyes to concepts I needed to work on in my own paper. I was also able to see how other people incorporated sources and quotes in their papers, which is something I was really struggling with in my own paper. The activity gave me fresh ideas and a lot to work on in my paper. We also spent a lot of time discussing ways we can use sources in our papers, which further helped with my issue. I went home that day and found a few more quotes that I was able to utilize in my paper. All of the things we discussed in class on Wednesday made me reflect on my paper and show me many ways I can edit it.

Thlog 6: Shout Out to Sandy

I am eternally grateful for the peer review we did on “Sandy’s Sample Essay.” I got tons of insight into what strategies and concepts I could use in my own paper. I also saw a lot of things I shouldn’t do in my paper, which was just as helpful. As I was reviewing Sandy’s Sample Essay, I realized that a lot of the things I felt that she could fix, could’ve also been fixed in my WP1. I found myself writing over and over to include more direct evidence from the sources she was discussing, and then it opened my eyes to the same problem in my own writing. I guess you always think your own paper is a lot better than it is. After reviewing my notes on Sandy’s paper, I saw that my paper needed a lot of the similar adjustments, which was extremely helpful. Not only did this activity show me how I could improve my own paper, but it also showed me how I can improve my peer reviewing. When we were discussing some of the harsher comments in the peer review exercise, I realized that some of my own comments might come off that way, although I didn’t realize. Going over those comments showed me that it’s extremely easy to say the exact same thing, just in a kinder way that sounds less like a teacher and more like, well, a peer. I never realized how much difference a little change in wording could make, and I will definitely be more conscious of how I word things. There’s no reason to be condescending to others when editing their writing when changing a few words can convey the same message, just in a friendlier way. I’ve definitely learned more from this class than I can put into words.

PB2B: Making Moves

Rhetorical moves are important for developing a more interesting and personal writing style. Moves are personal choices that the authors make in order to elicit a desired response from the audience. While some rhetorical moves can be general and copied from other sources, some are created by the individual in order to give their writing more personality. In “Navigating Genres,” Kerry Dirk utilizes several of the moves listed in the They Say, I Say Appendix, as well as introducing some of his own to make the article both well-written and interesting to read.

Within “Navigating Genres,” Dirk is constantly quoting other sources in order to support his claims and explain certain concepts. He uses the move “Introducing Quotations” by writing things such as “Devitt writes that:” (252) or “Lloyd Bitzer wrote the following:” (251). Using such introductions explicitly tells the reader that the author will be using something that someone else said, and that the writing is not theirs. Dirk also introduces quotes using the move “Arguing Who is Saying What.” Immediately preceding a quote, Dirk uses phrases such as “Devitt argues that…” or “Carolyn Miller, a leading professor in the field of technical communications, argues that…” to indicate someone else’s opinion on the matter he is presenting. Then, Dirk goes on to use the move “Explaining Quotations.” Following a quote, Dirk will write something like “In other words, Bitzer is saying that…” (252) or “In other words, Miller is saying that…” (254) and then explain the quotation in his own words. This move is used in order to make sure that readers can really grasp a concept by explaining it in other terms, and so that the author can make his own argument rather than relying solely on other peoples’ words. It also shows he fully understand the material. Dirk further expands on his claims using the “Adding Metacommentary” move. Throughout “Navigating Genres,” Dirk wrote things such as “In sum…” (259) or “In other words…” (254) and follows with a sum of the argument he was just making. The use of this move is to restate the point that he made in the previous sentences, and to make sure the audience is following. Finally, Dirk uses the “Making Concessions While Still Standing Your Ground Move” in order to address a potential problem of his argument while still supporting it. One example of when he utilized this move is when he wrote the following: “That is, of course, not to say that there aren’t rules that come with genres: the difference is that the rules change as the genre changes, and that no rules apply to all genres, and that the genres require more effort than simply following the rules” (258). Here, this move is used to acknowledge a point that might seem confusing and explain what is really meant.

In addition to the many moves Dirk employs from the They Say, I Say Appendix, he also applies some of his very own moves. One of these moves I named “The Thinker,” which is when Dirk will write things such as “Think about George Washington giving the first State of the Union Address” (252) or “Think about a time when you were asked to write a research paper” (255). The use of this move is to get the reader to imagine a situation that exemplifies a point that Dirk is trying to make. It is extremely effective in giving a clear example that a reader can apply to Dirk’s claim to better understand it. Another one of Dirk’s creative moves is one I called “Who Cares?” which is where he explains why what he is saying is important. He implements this move in sentences such as “Why am I picking the popular genres to discuss?” (254) or simply, “Why?” (255) This move is useful in providing support for his claims and explaining his reasoning, so that his argument seems more legitimate. In another move that I call “The Aside,” Dirk implements dashes within sentences in order to expand on what he’s saying and give more details. This move is useful in clarifying a point, such as when he writes “…you have been participating in many different genres – whether you are telling a joke…” (235). Another one of Dirk’s moves is the “Self,” which is when he uses the word “I” a lot and explains his own thoughts and opinions. The use of this move is to make the writing feel more personal and informal, and will seem more interesting to readers. Rather than teach concepts in a boring fashion, Dirk attempts to connect with the readers and make the article more personal in order to secure the readers’ attention. Another one of Dirk’s personal moves is “Applying to Real Life,” which is when he relates a concept to something we’ve experience before in life and can relate to. For example, he wrote that when we write a Facebook status, we “were recognizing the rhetorical situation of [our] action and choosing to act in a manner that would result in the outcome [we] desired” (253). This move is used to explain concepts in ways that are applicable to our lives and in ways we can understand. Overall, Dirk uses various moves in his writing to help strengthen his points and make a logical, well-written article.