Bringing in Other Voices (10-15 minutes)
I’m texting some friends to make plans. My one friend tells me the following:
“Yeah it would be great to get together, it’s been a while. I could make next Saturday work, but if not next Saturday then I don’t have any free weekends until November. Would a lunch on a weekday work or is that too tricky with everyone’s job? My life is a black hole where all plans I have are sucked into its gravitational pull and destroyed.”
Here are some possible texts I write. Note my choices and what you think the pros and cons of them are.
Text 1: Mrugesh was reaching out to see if we could get together but he’s pretty busy and is frustrated. He wants to see if either next Saturday or a lunch could work.
Text 2: Mrugesh said “I could make next Saturday work, but if not next Saturday then I don’t have any free weekends until November. Would a lunch on a weekday work or is that too tricky with everyone’s job?”
Text 3: Mrugesh said he could either do next Saturday or lunch on a weekday.
Text 4: Mrugesh wants to meet up but he said that his “life is a black hole where all plans I have are sucked into its gravitational pull and destroyed.” Could next Saturday work or maybe a lunch during a weekday?
Text 5: Mrugesh wants to do next Saturday or a lunch on a weekday. I feel like he’s saying he prefers something during the week because Saturday is on such short notice, not sure he wants to actually do that. Let’s just figure out a weekday? What do you think?
In Discord under “# oct-14-2021” write which one you like best and why.
For a quick identification of what is happening here when using Mrugesh’s voice in the writing of my text message, we can quickly go here: The Writing Center | Quotation, Paraphrase, Summary, and Analysis | Guides (gmu.edu)
Purposes of Two Main Ways of Integrating Multiple Voices in Speech and Writing (10-15 minutes)
This resource talks about ways to paraphrase and quote, especially with attention to signal words/phrases:
paraphrasing_and_quoting.pdf (apu.edu)
And, how mixing things together can help make your writing flexible:
Why use direct quotes? Why use paraphrase? When should you summarize and what is the difference?
Here is one perspective: Paraphrasing and Direct Quotations – The Scholarship of Writing in Nursing Education: 1st Canadian Edition (ryerson.ca)
Is anything missing? What else might be important about paraphrasing and quoting? What about summarizing? When and why would you do that? Write in # oct-14-2021 about any thoughts you have in response to these questions.
The Writing Around Your Paraphrases and Direct Quotes (20 minutes)
Let’s read this sample paragraph together from page 9 of Kathleen Blake Yancey’s book, Reflection in the Writing Classroom:
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John Dewey has written extensively about reflection, most explicitly in How We Think: A Restatement of the Relation of Reflective Thinking to the Educative Process. Here he defines reflective thinking as “the kind of thinking that consists in turning a subject over in the mind and giving it serious and consecutive consideration” (3). Reflection, he says, is goal-driven; since there “is a goal to be reached,…this end sets a task that controls the sequence of ideas” (6). Put definitively, reflection is the “Active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusions to which it tends” (9). Reflection is defined here as goal-directed and sequential, controlled by the learner because he or she wants to learn something, to solve a real problem, to resolve an ambiguous situation, or to address a dilemma (14). It relies on a dialogue among multiple perspectives, as the learner contrasts the believed and the known with presuppositions and necessary conclusions.
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In groups, think about the following questions:
How are the quotations blended into the author’s own writing and language?
Do you think there might be a rhetorical reason for using the paraphrase toward the end?
Generally, the rule is to not use too many direct quotes because it can read awkwardly (trying to blend your voice with someone else’s). Why do you think there might be so many direct quotes here?
What impact does the first sentence have on the rest of the paragraph?
What else do you notice or have questions about? Could be about rhetorical strategy here, MLA formatting questions, etc.
Let’s paraphrase and quote in MLA format (20-30 minutes)
One of your classmates wrote the following in the second draft of their Rhetorical Analysis assignment:
***************
I feel that Chana was arguing many things in this episode. One being that not knowing
happens a lot with white parents. Rob was deemed by one parent as a “professional fundraiser. (21:28)” He saw it as an opportunity to do fundraising for the school and he ran with it. While this is great and all, he never communicated with the PTA about doing this. Because he never communicated with them, it led to awkwardness and confusion during the PTA meeting. Rob raised the money under the umbrella of PTA, yet the money he raised was really just for the new dual language French program. Members of the PTA were questioning if the $18K could be accessed “for Mr. Negrone, who wants new gym uniforms. (20:37)” What was supposed to be a kind gesture on Rob’s part, turned into an unnecessary problem that divided the old parents and new parents even further. It was Rob’s, a white parent, not knowing that led to the confusion.
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Let’s say this person is rhetorical scholar Kenneth Burke (don’t want to out author if they don’t want to be!). This happens on page 3.
You have information here that you need along with information in links above along with an example paragraph in MLA format by Kathleen Blake Yancey above.
Here, too, is a list of signal words and phrases for APA and MLA (remember: we voted for MLA): Signal and Lead-in Phrases // Purdue Writing Lab
Another good source: The Writing Center | Signal Phrases | Guides (gmu.edu)
Using signal phrases and words, you and a partner will either paraphrase or write a direct quote based on the bolded part of the above paragraph to support an interpretation of Nice White Parents you hold (about 2-3 sentences).
Format according to MLA rules for in-text citations (remember the author’s name here is Kenneth Burke and it is on page 3). Here is more on rules for in-text citation: MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics // Purdue Writing Lab.
When you and a partner are ready, post your passage of about 2-3 sentences that contains a paraphrase or direct quote to “# oct-14-2021” on Discord.
It might be useful for you to both try something on your own and compare versions OR have one person do a first draft and then you talk it out together. Then, post when you are both good with what you have.
Work-Plan Partners (30 minutes)
For formatting your “works cited” entries for your Reflective Annotated Bibliography due tonight, see this resource: MLA Works Cited Page: Basic Format // Purdue Writing Lab. Make sure you consider what kind of source you are doing: book, something on a website, online news article, academic journal article, podcast, social media post, etc.
Navigate throughout MLA Formatting and Style Guide // Purdue Writing Lab for various guidelines for MLA format as you work on your Research Project.
Follow these four steps:
- Give an update about where you are at with your research project.
- Tell your partner what your goal is for your time working together.
- Work for a solid 15-20 minutes.
- Check in with your partner at the end and talk about
[As you work, let me know about questions; I’m going to come around and check in with each pair]
Close Out (2-5 minutes)
-Using other voices in our writing and speech is very common. To keep track of chains of reasoning and argumentation, there are different documentation styles that establish rules to make clear who is talking and when. Two tools–paraphrasing and direct quotation–help adapt other voices to your own voice.
-Make sure you keep up with your research project. The Reflective Annotated Bibliography is due by tonight.
-The Synthesis Paragraph is due Tuesday, October 19 (this will just be a paragraph that you choose to share that includes paraphrases and/or direct quotes so I can give you some feedback ahead of your first draft–more information about this on the Labor Instructions for October 19).
-First draft of Research Project is due October 21.