The Art of Quoting
Chapter 3 in They Say/ I Say is all about quoting. Graff and Birkenstein, not only explain to readers the correct and incorrect way to quote a text, but also why it’s important to use quotes the right way. The authors insist that, in order to successfully compose an effective argument, the writer needs to incorporate what others have previously said into their own text. By doing so, it enhances your creditability, while at the same time makes sure your writing remains fair and accurate.
According to Graff and Birkenstein, some of the most common mistakes made when quoting an another author include not quote enough or at all, over quoting, and lastly thinking that there is no need to explain the meaning of chosen quote. They
Chapter 5 of They Say I Say is a very interesting chapter because it talks about improving your writing. In the chapter, they talk about learning how to state your own opinion without sounding biased. I believe that one great example of this is when the author exclaims, “I have a problem with what liberals call cultural differences.” This type of writing is important because you can express your own views and opinions without sounding biased. This type of writing only works if you can integrate parts of their argument into your own. Another method discussed in this text was using references to things you said prior to that. One good example of this could be when it states that,“ We would argue that voice markers we identified earlier, are extremely
The population declined by half because of disease and as the Sioux pushed west, they defeated weaker opposition. Cheyenne warrior anguished, disease shifted balance of power |
I’ve made it through Part 1 of They Say I Say, and I have to say that it’s one of the most readable writing texts that I’ve ever read. It’s not as good as Anne Lamott’s Bird By Bird, but that’s my all-time favorite. The authors lay the foundation of the book’s premise that good argumentative writing begins with a reaction to (or acknowledgement of) existing arguments. The start of the section featured an anecdote about a presenter’s lauding of Dr. X’s research. The authors (who were in the audience) appreciated the information, but there was the nagging “So what?” question. The authors go on to suggest that much of the academic writing assigned to students reflects scenario.
They Say I Say is extremely useful in learning how to write argumentative papers because the authors discuss the “I say” of an argumentative paper by providing many real life examples and templates for new writers to experiment with. For example, on page 60, templates are provided for disagreeing with an argument and using reasoning. One of the templates reads, “X claims that ___ rests upon the questionable assumption that ___”(Graff). On page 62, templates for agreeing are presented, one of which is, “X is surely right about ___ because, as she may not be aware, recent studies have shown”(Graff). It is also expressed in this chapter that students feel uncomfortable agreeing with arguments made or disagreeing. On page 63 the authors also recognize
The first part of They Say I Say focuses on how to properly introduce what others are saying and stresses the importance of providing context for one’s own argument. The authors explain how the context and purpose for the writing needs to be established, preferably early on, in order to interest readers to about an argument (20). By giving the readers background information, the readers will have a much easier time relating to the author’s argument. After demonstrating the need to provide the “they say” portion of an essay, the authors move on to how exactly one can introduce others’ arguments. The three main ways of introducing others’ ideas discussed throughout the first part of the book are paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting. For each of the three, the authors discuss pitfalls that writers should avoid and strategies that writers can use to improve. An example of a pitfall when summarizing is how many writers can accidentally create a “list summary”, which does not differentiate the information in the original work that is
In chapter 4 of They Say I Say, Graff, Birkenstein, Durst focus on the strategies in offering the writers’ response to the other’s idea. Generally, the three most common attitudes of response are agreement, disagreement and combination of the former two attitudes. Since a disagreement to someone’s idea means a new argument in the essay, authors claim that the writer who shows a disagreement to someone’s idea should continue providing a reason or explanation. Equally, writer who shows a combination attitude to someone’s idea should continue stating the part that he/she disagree and the reasons of this attitude. Besides the strategies, authors also provide the templates in clearly responding the “they say”.
One topic that went quite unexplored during the Socratic Seminars was how we all individually incorporated quotes seamlessly into our essays. As a result, I would like point out that there are multiple ways to seamlessly fit quotes into sentences, such as informing the reader about how the character feels about the event, what exactly the character is talking about, and beginning the sentence containing the quote with paraphrasing. For example, I included as an example in my essay, "Secondly, Ashleigh questions her father's plan on page 4 of Ashes, ' "That's a lot of money. What if Mom finds out?" ' " I inform the reader as to how Ashleigh is feeling about her father's plan. It's simple for the reader to see that Ashleigh is skeptical about
The art of quoting and summarizing an argument is one of the main skills to acquire when it comes to writing a successful piece of work. In the book, They Say I Say the art of inserting quotations is mentioned to be one of the highest mistakes made by writers. Many insert a quote that has no frame of introduction or background information which is considered a “hit and run quote.” Readers need to be able to comprehend not only the writings, but the background information and quotes from another author writing in order to have the whole work cohesive. Dire necessity for the writer is to go back to the initial text and truly understand the background from which they are quoting to make sure their audience understands the quote and why
Words quoted
Normally in an essay or article you give people evidence as to why what you say could be true, one way people do this is to use quotes from people that are known by everyone as very knowledgable professionals on the topic the writer is
The author uses figurative language to describe to the reader how the characters are feeling, by giving multiple actions and examples in the author’s writing. “A final, soaking farewell was let go of, and they turned and left the cemetery, looking back several times.” (Page 24.) This evidence supports my answer by giving a setting of the “soaking farewell,” showing how gloomy it was and the passage describe how Liesel didn’t want to let go of her brother.
By putting the information from your research into your own words, you can show that you have a deeper knowledge of the material. Furthermore, papers overloaded with quotations may distract your instructor from your own ideas and writing. Use a quotation from a source only when there is absolutely no better way to present the information. A well-written paper balances quotations and paraphrases with your own interpretation of the research.
Moral decadence At the beginning of The Tragedy of Macbeth, William Shakespeare describes Macbeth as a brave and recognized hero, but when we actually meet him, we can analyze the way he thinks. The soliloquys and asides are the key to understand this character since he thinks at loud we are able to determine what he really seeks. We realize that his perception of things changes quickly, and he is easily manipulated. The witches introduce Macbeth to his fate, he does not need to become king but when he hears that he is capable of achieving this rank, something in his mind woke up and he begins a new face in his life.
In this research, the researcher discusses the figurative language based on Perrine’s perception. According to Perrine (1977:61-109), figurative language consists of 12 kinds, they are: simile, metaphor, personification, apostrophe, synecdoche, metonymy, symbol, allegory, paradox, hyperbole/overstatement, understatement, and irony.
“Ali, stay with Marry and Christine at all time; never wonder-off by yourself. Okay?” Mom says as she unlocks the car door and puts some chocolate bars in Ali’s backpack.