1.) In chapter one of David Rosenwasser’s Writing Analytically he introduces what his book will try to explain and says, “This book is primarily about ways of using writing to discover and develop ideas. Its governing premise is that learning to write well means learning to use writing to think well.” I believe with this statement he sets the tone for the reader so that they know what to expect in his reading. Rossenwasser then goes on to explain why his book is about analysis. Rossenwasser says “We have seized upon analysis as the book’s focus because it is the skill most commonly called for in colleges courses and beyond.” I agree with this statement because so far in the courses I’ve taken, in depth analysis is asked for by my professors more than it ever has been in my whole life.
2.) Rosenwasser says that there are five basic moves for courting ideas analytically. The five moves he explains are to: suspend judgement, define significant parts and how they’re related, make the implicit explicit, look for patterns, and keep reformulating questions and explanations. A particular move which i found insightful was move four which is to look for patterns. This move basically states that you should look for patterns such as repetition, contrast, or something out of the ordinary when analyzing something. He explains that the details coming from patterns like these usually are more important, in a sense, than other details from something you’re analyzing. I personally never thought of these things when I go into analysis of something and I will definitely use this move in the future.
3.) Another move which i found particularly interesting from Rosenwasser’s five moves was move number five which is to keep reformulating questions and explanations. Rosenwasser says that analysis requires a lot of experimenting and there are three groups of questions that a writer should ask themselves when writing analysis. The questions he says that writers should be asking themselves are questions I often ask myself during writing analysis such as “What does the detail mean?” This move is one I find particularly interesting because it is a move a usually take when writing analysis, and I wasn’t even aware of it until now. Move five, like the other five moves, is very informative and I will try to apply it, along with the other four moves, to my future writing.
Romin K.
I too believe that looking for patterns when analyzing something is extremely useful and interesting. Even though it seems hard to believe, I think that those patters are there for a reason, and if examined correctly, can be very useful memorization or comprehension tools as they will be able to point out various important points and emphasis.
Great introduction to Rosenwasser’s ideas, and your explanation of what ideas were new to you. Looking for patterns, and formulating questions and explanations are very new ideas to me as well, and I agree that they could be useful. However, in your first paragraph you did not really say what was new to you, rather you summarized the article and agreed with the statement, so in the end that are two and not three ideas which you discussed. Otherwise, a great post.