Porter Reading Response

Summary

In "Intertextuality and the Discourse Community" Porter explains that in almost every writing there is some kind of borrowed information. He connects this to the word plagiarism. He wants teachers and their students to see his point of connection. He wants to them to accept his "borrowing" idea. 

Synthesis

Porters article, "Intertextuality and the Discourse Community," relates to Peter Elbow's "Voice in Writing Again.." Porter talks about borrowing information from others and making it your own. Elbow talks about having your own voice in your paper. You must first find your voice to translate others thoughts into your own.

Thoughts

I thought this article had very good points. Students sometimes accidentally plagiarize, but teachers are still harsh with punishment. I ask myself, how are you supposed to write a paper on something you don't know about without "borrowing" information from other sources to learn about/support your topic? I agree with Porter that borrowing information should be more accepted.

Dialectical Notebook

Response	Quotation
Porter is explaining that every text is connected to another text. No one text is original.	“Not infrequently, and perhaps ever and always, texts refer to other texts and in fact rely on them for their meaning” (87).
Porter defines iterability as repeatability and presupposition as assumptions the text makes.	“We can distinguish between two types of intertextuality: iterability and presupposition” (88).
Writers use language and phrases that will apply to the audience. They are writing for the readers expectation.	“That, in essence, readers, not writers, create discourse” (91).
They approve the facts and establish the text and style.	“A ‘discourse community’ is a group of individuals bound by a common interest who communicate through approved channels and whose discourse is regulated” (91).
Porter is describing how to pick the topic of the text and finding “evidence and validity” for the text.	“’Acceptability’ includes, but goes well beyond, adherence to formal conventions” (9).

Dialectical Notebook for Lamott, King, and Diaz

Lamott

Response	Quotation
I totally agree with this. This shows the reader that you NEED to write more than one draft, more than two drafts. Every time the paper gets better and more understandable.	“A friend of mine says that the first draft is the down draft-you just get it down. The second draft is the up draft-you fix it up. You try to say what you have to say more accurately. And the third draft is the dental draft, where you check every tooth to see if it’s loose or cramped or decayed, or even, God help us, healthy” (303).
This is a great exercise. You need to get rid of the imaginary people in your head, so it’s just your voice. Then you can write.	“Close your eyes and get quiet for a minute, until the chatter starts up” (304).

King

Response	Quotation
I like this quote because I have never thought of telepathy in that way before. To me it explains the relationship between the writer and the reader at different time periods. Almost everyone pictures the same thing as long as there is a good description.	“All the arts depend upon telepathy to some degree, but I believe writing offers the purest distillation” (305).
I love this. King is proving his point that telepathy happens every day and I think he’s being a bit cocky while saying it. Makes me smile.	“I didn’t tell you. You didn’t ask me. I never opened my mouth and you never opened yours” (307).

Diaz

Response	Quotation
This quote is describing writers block. It happens to everyone at some point, and everyone has to dig themselves out of it.	“It was like I somehow slipped into a No-Writing Twilight Zone and I couldn’t find an exit” (319).
Diaz is saying that no matter what, no matter if it’s 2 years, a true writer doesn’t give up on something good. Even if it is only 72 pages.	“You see, in my view a writer is not a writer because she writes well and easily, because she has amazing talent, because everything she does is golden. In my view a writer is a writer because even when there is no hope, even when nothing you do shows any sign of promise, you keep writing anyway” (320).

Elbow Reading Response

Before You Read

2. If I were able to use first person in my research papers I believe the paper would be more of my opinion and my argument would be stated clearer. But I do think that a third person paper is more authoritative than

a first person paper.

Summary

In Peter Elbow's "Voice in Writing Again: Embracing Contraries" he talks about using voice in writing. He compares using voice and not using it to find the advantages and disadvantages. He explains that there are times to use voice and times not to. For example you would try to use little voice in a scientific research report. But in most writings Elbow says to use voice and to not use voice. Voice is important in text because it determines the way the reader interprets it. It is important for students to know this, so it is important for their teachers to teach them where to use voice and where not to use it.

Synthesis

This reading discussed voice. Elbow explains when to use voice and when not to. His ideas are much like Kliene's article. Kliene tells us to find our specific voice and Elbow tells us when to use it. Both writers believe you should put yourself into your writing and connect with the audience.

Thoughts

I thought this article was very important. I benefited form this because it relates to my essay topic. I agree that it is very important to put voice into almost everything you write, one of the exceptions is instructions. I also agree that more people need to know where to put voice and where not to put it in an essay.

Questions

1. I define voice as your personality or view on the topic coming out through your writing. The different definitions I have heard in the past have been like a little bot of someones self is in their writing. Elbow's definition of voice is how the reader interprets the writing. It is the way they feel when they read it.

4. Elbow is playing his game. He tells both sides about voice being in papers because he believes both sides are valid in some way. The affect of this is that he doesn't come off very biased. He thinks its important to not resolve the tension because it is the writers choice and depends on what they are writing about and who they are writing to.

2. When you listen to a passage you take more in and understand it better. "Ear training" has affected my comprehension by helping me understand what I read. I think it should be used while reading more personal/opinion writing.

1. Yes, it does go along with Allen's myth. 

MM. Yes, I believe it is possible. Elbow wants us to use voice in certain parts of our works and to not use it in other parts of it.

Allen Reading Response

Before You Read

2. I do know professional writers have to go through the same processes that normal writers have to go through, but I think professional writers add their own "steps" in as well. I definitely know that professional writing is not easy, its very hard! Its hard because they have the "professional" expectation. And if they accidentally plagiarize they will "Go to jail. Go directly to jail. Do not pass Go and do not collect $200."

Summary

In the reading "The Inspired Writer vs. The Real Writer" Allen compares professional writers to normal writers, such as college students. Allen's purpose is to prove those who think professionals have it easy wrong. Allen explains how professional and scholarly writers also have writers block and forget to add certain things and so on, just like normal people do. Her point is that everyone has room to improve their writing. 

Synthesis

This article is explaining that professionals too have problems with writing. Berkenkotter and Murray may agree with this, but Murray does not want writers to copy his way of writing. He wants them to find their own writing steps/skills. Allen explains that this is the way others learn how to find their own strategies. 

Questions

2. Allen wants real writers to practice inspired writers skills and strategies to improve their writing. She calls this connection.

3. I think collision is you and the person revising your paper agreeing on the problem that is being revised. I do not think this is plagiarism. I do think your person revising your paper and then you leaving all of there revisions without collision is plagiarism. You are having your paper revised by someone, that doesn't mean they are right. And if someone goes through your paper and fixes things and adds their own sentences without your collision, that is plagiarism.

2. I do agree with Allen that all writing is connection. I think scholars would suggest that everyone can improve and learn. I think they would say writing is something that is always changing and always will.

Thoughts

I thought this reading was very beneficial to people who think/thought professionals had it easy. The truth is that people who become professional writers were normal college students once too, they just tried really had and improved the best they could to get where they are now. And those achieved professional writers are still improving and learning.