- When Dethier writes, “… For most of us revision is the only road to success,” I think hes saying that no ones first draft is ever perfect. Everyone has to revise their writings or the text wouldnt be good. There are very few people who can write one draft and have it be perfect, and I believe this is what Dethier is trying to say. I find this to be very true. I know from my own experiences that my first drafts are usually terrible. I usually end up scratching the whole text and rewriting it entirely. To have a successful piece, there must be a revision process.
- I can compare revision to practicing for a sport. For example, once you learn a new play in football you have to practice it over and over to make it the best it can be. Players dont run through a play once and say, “alright, thats good, see you guys at the game,” they have to rehearse it over and over until there are no mistakes, making sure everyone takes the best routes possible. This is similar to revising. You need to look over your work again and again to make sure everything is written to the best of your abilities.
- Donald Murray writes, “Good writing is essentially rewriting.” I think what he means by this is that a piece is truly never done, you can always go back and edit it more to make it better. To have a successful piece you must revise and rewrite many times. This relates to what Dethier says, “revision is the only road to success”. No ones first draft is ever perfect, you must look back and take apart the text to find stronger words to use and to throw away anything that isnt needed.
Identity, Rhetoric & Propaganda in the "Fake News" Era
ENG 2100: JMWA f18 Baruch College
