Rest / PB2B

Many of the following moves are commonly used in everyday writing. I, myself, can reference many times in which I have used these types of moves in order to better my writing. However, there are also many other movies characteristic of specific authors. I have spotted a few just from rereading these articles.


Indicating Who Cares

All of us, as students, learn new things every single day. However, have you ever thought about why any of this matters? This is something that Carroll keeps in mind in Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis when writing about “how [...] this [matters] outside a college classroom.” (Carroll 57) Then, she gives us thorough and satisfying answers. We can use rhetorical analysis in order to more effectively read a textbook, in order to dissect a scholarly article, when watching a video, as well as in everyday life.

Embedding Voice Markers

“Here I offer my definition..” (Boyd 100), Boyd begins. This is typical of a voice marker, in which the author takes advantage of the opportunity to give their own advice. This is easily recognizable since many who do this switch from an objective tone to a first person point of view almost immediately.

Agreeing and Disagreeing Simultaneously

“Or perhaps you, like Chelsea Vick…” (Boyd 99) Boyd states. Prior to this, she writes an entire paragraph discussing her own opinion, which very much differs from Vick. However, she begins this new paragraph by giving the reader some space to breathe and actually think about the ideas that have been laid out in the paper. Boyd gives the reader an in, allowing you to possibly agree with Vick. Along with that, she elaborates on behalf of Vick to aid the reader in understanding both sides of the argument.

Explaining Quotations

In order to further elaborate on information provided by a scholar, Bunn begins an analytical sentence with, “As Walker suggests…” (Bunn 78). This follows a direct quote from Walker, insinuating that sentence after is a further explanation of what Walker meant to say.

Capturing Authorial Action

Often, authors use words such as concedes, demonstrates, believes, etc. in order to assert what they believe is happening or is being implied. Such a statement is present in Dirk's Navigating Genre, in which he states that, "Carolyn Miller argues..." (Dirk 252), followed by her definition of what genres should be. Here, Dirk illustrates Miller's stance prior to that of his own in order to demonstrate discrepancies among writers and genres.

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I Wonder if Your Shoes Fit…

Often, authors of essays and articles attempt to relate to their reader. In Steps Toward Rhetorical Analysis, Carroll does exactly this when stating, “You’ve probably been in a situation where you arrived underdressed for an occasion.” (Carroll 55) She goes on to speak of the feelings of discomfort and slight isolation this must have brought about as the night dragged on. This is a move that many authors use. They want to step in the reader’s shoes in order to connect with the audience and engage with them by bringing up circumstances they recognize. In doing so, the audience will in fact be more engaged, allowing the main point of the article to reach its readers more effectively.

Trust.
When introducing other sources, Dirk establishes credibility by giving a brief academic background of the source. While referencing Amy Devitt, he is sure to mention that she is “a professor who specializes in the study of genre theory.” (Dirk 252) Dirk does the same for Carolyn Miller, who we are told is “a leading professor in the field of technical communication." (Dirk 252) To be frank, this move seemed quite trivial at first. With further analysis though, I do think it is effective.  Acknowledging their achievements and mentioning the disciplines they practice increases the validity of what they have to offer. We are able to put more faith in the words of these sources once we learn their roles in these fields of study.

Are you thinking about this? You should be.

Rather than waiting for the reader to recognize the main ideas and pose their own questions, Bunn brings up his own questions. Separated by bullet points, you can find questions all over How to Read Like a Writer. He plants questions everywhere in order to keep your train of thought on track. I do feel like this is an effective way to convey your purpose and prevent misinterpretation, but part of me also feels like this inhibits the reader. Reading is all about interpretation! It’s about navigating yourself and your thoughts through all the rhetoric.

Death by Example
What I have noticed from many of these authors is the ridiculous amount of examples they happen to use when they want to emphasize something. Bunn spends an entire paragraph drilling example after example of ways in which we read for information (Bunn 74). Though this appears to be effective by providing an endless amount of examples we recognize, it can be rather boring after the first ten examples.

Dots! Dots! Dots!

Transitioning between subjects is a hard thing to do. Authors who have had years and years of practice still have problems with this. Rather than struggle with this, Bunn has a straightforward, fuck-the-system solution: dots. When jumping from an analysis to a story, from one subject to another, etc., Bunn uses these intervals of dots that span from a single line to several. This is a great way to break up not only the monotony of all the text, but also to provide some sort of organization. When you see those dots, you know to expect something new. To me, this seems like an innovative and effective way to alert the readers of a sudden change in direction without disrupting the flow.
(Also, bonus points for anyone who got the HIMYM reference.)