Reading Response 7

Getting ready to Read

1. I do not update my Facebook profile often, so what it says about me is often outdated.  I try to build an identity that represents me, but that is not easy because on Facebook you only write what you like and what you do, not how you do it.  My identity at home actually involves my attitude, not just interests.

2.  Using the first person makes writing much more personal because the reader interprets the writing as the thoughts of the writer, not just words on a page.

Summary

In his article "Voice in Writing Again: Embracing Contraries" Peter Elbow argues for and against the use of voice in writing.  He explains how the use of voice has many pros and cons.  A he puts it, "First, I'm trying to help us learn to adopt contrary stances toward voice-reading texts through the lens of voice and also reading them through the lens of "text" or not-voice.  We need the different and complementary insights we get from each kind of reading."

Synthesis

This article relates to John Berger's article "Ways of Seeing" because both of them discuss how one thing can have different meanings.  Reading a text twice, once taking voice into account and once not, can lead to two different interpretations of the text.

Review

I found this text to be informative because it was unbiased and presented two different sides of an argument. He represented each side equally and argued for the use of both.  I also found this article to be rather dry; very educational and very boring.

Questions for Discussion and Journaling

2.  Infographics can have a voice or be voiceless.  Some infographics, such as maps, are created purely to display facts.  Other may have a voice, such as infographics with a political agenda.  I disagree with his statement because in writing certain types of drafts, such as persuasive essays, one may want to develop their voice in their first draft.

4.  Yes, Elbow is playing his doubting and believing game because he is doubting each side of his own arguments and arguing against himself.  Giving full airing to each side of the debate allows it to remain open and for neither side to trump the other.  It is important to keep this up for debate because sometimes it is appropriate to use voice and sometimes it is not so people should know how to do each one.

Applying and Exploring Ideas

2.  When you listen to a passage the readers voice will change and that will make you interpret different parts of the passage differently.  It makes reading less complicated because you don't have to think as hard about how different phrases are supposed to be interpreted.  Ear training has made me think less about a passage in the past because I already have thoughts about it because I am hearing it.  I do not think that it should be used because it too strongly influences the reader/listener's thoughts.

3.  Sincerity is emotion that the author puts into text in order to connect with the reader.  Resonance is a small, lingering voice that the author puts into text in order to give it a slightly different feeling.  I struggled to come up with the sentence for resonance because it is a more abstract concept than sincerity.  I do not know how to use resonance effectively in my writing.

Meta Moment

Both methods need to coexist because they are useful at different times.  Do not mix them at one time, but use them at different times.  Do not use a weak voice as a compromise, rather mix a strong voice with no voice at all.