Voice in Writing Again: Embracing Contraries

Voice in Writing Again: Embracing Contraries

1.       Summary:

In the article “Voice in Writing Again: Embrace Contraries” by Peter Elbow the focus is talking about voice. Peter Elbow opens up talking about the Greek’s, philosophers and famous authors and their opinions on voice. Peter argues that voice is hard to keep from writing that intuitively and unconsciously we apply voice to our writing when we feel a relation or passion towards it. He talks about how many try to use the either/or method when discussing voice, that they accept one theory and discredit the other. Peter argues to instead make a compromise and have a both/and theory in which we must look at a piece of writing through one lens and then through another. Also that we must look at it through text which means to highlight the visual and spatial features of print. Along with that we should look through the lens of voice which highlights the language uses and how words differ based on who says them and how. He argues voice can help with effective writing in carrying meaning and purpose and that it can also help students become better writers and make better revision by hearing voice and using it in words. He then discusses how only looking at text usually makes the writing better because when students learn to read without voice they have to fully understand words and phrases. Also that it can teach students to separate language and voice and see effective writing and techniques beside pervasion.

2.       Synthesis:

This article relates a lot to Berger in the ideas and attempts to get students to better understand and use certain techniques when going about their work. These pieces are talking about two completely different things, Peters is about writing and reading and Berger is about photographs but they both focus on how you look at these pieces and the process at which to do it. Peter and Berger talk about how you need to look for the identity in the piece, why the author made this and what they are trying to say. Also they both talk about how small key features tell more than most of the entire piece like when Peter talks about how you can see where the author put their voice in a paper by comparing sections and how they are written. Then Berger argues about the ways at which women are posed or what the setting in the background looks like. IN these two article both authors talk about in their own way looking at different works through a lens and identifying the key features or things that speak from it.

1.       Before You Read:

When I am creating a profile for Facebook I tend to keep it as close to whom I truly am as possible. I am a very honest person so I try to describe myself to the fullest with my qualities, the things I enjoy, my hobbies, things I’m involved in and just overall background. I am almost smart about putting information about myself out so I choose to be smart and limit the things I say. I also leave out revealing information like my address or phone number. I think it’s important to be true to you but it’s also very important to be smart and safe.

2.       Before You Read:

I think that having the chance and ability to use I in a paper is a very good opportunity. This allows you to put feeling, emphases and personality into the paper. Also this can allow for more in depth thought in the paper because you don’t have watch how you describe things or place your information in the paper. Another thing is it allows you to put creative thought in your piece and not have to worry about placing bias and also you don’t really having any limitations or restrictions on what you can say.

1.       Journaling and Discussing:

I think that voice is a way in which to put yourself or your own identity into writing. This is to say that you describe and place your own side, meaning and feeling on the topic or issue being discussed or written about.  There are many other definitions that you can see about voice whether it is your literal voice or discussing or saying an opinion out loud. This is all well in comparison to what Elbow says because he talks about how voice is what the text says or how it talks to you.

1.       Applying and Exploring:

Sincerity- this is truthful writing or writing that is honest and believable by the audience or reader.

Resonance- this is writing that is added to the regular format in order to add excitement or power.

1.       Connecting the Reading:

I think that this connects the matter that your voice will inherently come out in the paper whether you realize it or not. The way you write a paper and the information you use is just a factor of your voice and how you choose to use it within the lines. They both speak on how it is rhetorical and is a quality of your writing; that it will appear visually and especially vocally.

3.       Article Evaluation:

I think that this article was a little on the dry side and at times was hard to understand because of the different vocabulary. The article was also complicated because of the analogies used and I think it was poorly developed for reader understanding. Although I think all of this Peter made strong arguments about writing and reading and how you should go about it. I think that his way of reading through the two different lens (texts, voice) is very logical and an extremely effective way of reading and understanding a piece and the author who wrote it. Also how he attempts to compromise analysis and going about writing with or without voice as both/and process instead of accepting and booting another. Overall I think the piece was ok but the message was strong and is very useful especially sense I am writing my construct on voice or identity in an academic paper.