abstract

Linda Daly

Dr. Souder

English 501

27 April 2010

Title: The Reticent Writer, Invention and Social Consciousness

Abstract:

This paper seeks to challenge and engage the reticent writer . Many of the theories of Mike Rose are used to develop cognitive inquiry and scaffolding strategies needed to become a confident writer. Collaborative strategies are explored in assisting the reticent writer to engage in what Carter and Rickly term as “recursive, reflective meta-cognition to solve problems (131).

There is a discussion of the cultures of reticent writers and developing critical consciousness, as the ideal philosophical instructional stance to teach composition requires a knowledge of rhetoric and a critical eye aimed toward the concerns of mankind and morality. It is suggested that setting up a research design that is authentic, verifiable and convincing promotes engagement along with a social construct, which is meaningful to the student and promotes critical inquiry. The reticent writer is therefore assigned a writing assignment using a social construct involving ethnographic writing . The reticent writer is asked how they can answer a call for freedom when confronted with disenfranchisement in the common-place narrative, or traumatic narrative of a cultural grouping. The narrative may be defined by symbols, products, oral handed down stories, values, beliefs or patterns of behavior (Boivin 128-180). The reticent writer brings their own world-view and interpretation to the narrative, which they then use as they write about their investigation, with both expressive and social discourse.

Bringing elements of a disenfranchised community into the classroom or the classroom into the community, involving a carefully planned expansion of the collaborative aspects of discourse, may further add to the structure and dynamism needed to engage the reticent writer in the composition classroom. Imagination and originality become possible, as true dialogue, involving discourse with reflection offers surprises and unexpected alliances with others. Critical consciousness may be awakened, along with a possible call to action.

Works Cited

Bishop, Wendy. “I-Witnessing in Composition: Turning Ethnographic Data into
Narratives.” Rhetoric Review. 11.1 (Fall 1992): 147-158. Print.

Bishop, Wendy. Released Into Language: Options for Teaching Creative Writing.
Urbana, IL: NCTE, 1990. Print.

Boivin, Nicole. Material Cultures, Material Minds. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 2008. Print

Burns, Hugh. “Four Dimensions of Significance: Tradition, Method, Theory,
Originality.” (Class Handout.)

Carter, Locke and Rebecca Rickly. “Mind the Gap(s): Modeling Space in Online
Education.” Online Education: Global Questions, Local Answers. Amityville,
New York: Baywood Publishing Company, Inc., 2005. 123-139. Print.

Cooper, Marilyn M. “Postmodern Possibilities in Electronic Conversations.”
Hawisher, Gail E. & Cynthia Selfe, eds. Passions, Pedagogies and 21st Century
Technologies. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press 1999. 140-160. Print.

Eldred, Janet M. “Pedagogy in the Computer-Networked Classroom.”
Sidler, Michelle, Richard Morris, and Elizabeth Overman Smith, eds. Computers
in the Composition Classroom: A Critical Sourcebook. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin’s, 2008. 239-250. Print.

George, Ann. “Critical Pedagogy: Dreaming of Democracy.” Tate, Gary, Amy Rupiter
& Kurt Schick. A Guide To Composition Pedagogies. New York: Oxford
University Press 2001. 92-112. Print.

George, Diana and John Trimbur. “Cultural Studies and Composition.” Tate, Gary,
Amy Rupiper and Kurt Schick. A Guide to Composition Pedagogies. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2001. 54-70. Print.

Gorzelsky, Gwen. The Language of Experience: Literate Practices and Social Change.
Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2005. Print.

Howard, Rebecca Moore “Collaborative Pedagogy.” Tate, Gary, Amy Rupiper and Kurt
Schick. A Guide to Composition Pedagogies. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2001. 54-70. Print.

Hull, Glynda, Mike Rose, Kay Losey Fraser and Marisa Castellano. “Remediation as
Social Construct: Perspectives from an Analysis of Classroom Discourse.” Ede,
Lisa, Ed. On Writing Research: The Braddock Essays, 1975-1998. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin’s 1999. 284-311. Print.

Mayers, Tim. (Re)Writing Craft: Composition, Creative Writing, and The Future of
English Writing. Pittsburgh: The University of Pittsburgh Press 2005. Print.

Mutnick, Deborah. “On the Academic Margins: Basic Writing Pedagogy.” Tate, Gary,
Amy Rupiper and Kurt Schick. A Guide to Composition Pedagogies. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2001. 183-202. Print.

Ohmann, Richard. “Literacy, Technology, and Monopoly Capital.” Slider, Michelle,
Morris, Richard and Smith, Elizabeth Overman, eds. Computers in the Composition
Classroom. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. 20-34. Print.

Peck, Wayne Campbell, Linda Flower and Lorraine Higgins “Community Literacy.”
Miller, Susan, Ed. The Norton Book of Compositions Studies. New York: W. W.
Norton & Company, Inc. 2009. 1097-1116. Print.

Rose, Mike. An Open Language: Selected Writing on Literacy, Learning, and
Opportunity. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006. Print.

Shankman, Steven. “Creating a Culture of Dialogue and Peace.”
The University of Oregon Conference. UO Channels. The Promise of Reason,
2008. Web. 04/01/10 http://www.uoregon.edu/channel/?p=154

Slider, Michelle, Richard Morris and Elizabeth Overman Smith, eds. Computers in the
Composition Classroom. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. Print.

abstract

Linda Daly

Dr. Souder

English 501

27 April 2010

Title: The Reticent Writer, Invention and Social Consciousness

Abstract:

This paper seeks to challenge and engage the reticent writer . Many of the theories of Mike Rose are used to develop cognitive inquiry and scaffolding strategies needed to become a confident writer. Collaborative strategies are explored in assisting the reticent writer to engage in what Carter and Rickly term as “recursive, reflective meta-cognition to solve .problems (131).

There is a discussion of the cultures of reticent writers and developing critical consciousness, as the ideal philosophical instructional stance to teach composition requires a knowledge of rhetoric and a critical eye aimed toward the concerns of mankind and morality. It is suggested that setting up a research design that is authentic, verifiable and convincing promotes engagement along with a social construct, which is meaningful to the student and promotes critical inquiry. The reticent writer is therefore assigned a writing assignment using a social construct using ethnographic writing . The reticent writer is asked how they can answer a call for freedom when confronted with disenfranchisement in the common-place narratjve, or traumatic narrative of a cultural grouping. The narrative may be defined by symbols, products, oral handed down stories, values, beliefs or patterns of behavior (Boivin 128-180). The reticent writer brings their own world-view and interpretation to the narrative, which they then write about their investigation, using both expressive and social discourse.
Bringing elements of a disenfranchised community into the classroom or the classroom into the community, involving a carefully planned expansion of the collaborative aspects of discourse, may further add to the structure and dynamism needed to engage the reticent writer in the composition classroom. Imagination and originality become possible, as true dialogue, involving discourse with reflection offers surprises and unexpected alliances with others. Critical consciousness may be awakened, along with a possible call to action.
Works Cited
Bishop, Wendy. “I-Witnessing in Composition: Turning Ethnographic Data into

Narratives.” Rhetoric Review. 11.1 (Fall 1992): 147-158. Print.

Bishop, Wendy. Released Into Language: Options for Teaching Creative Writing.

Urbana, IL: NCTE, 1990. Print.

Boivin, Nicole. Material Cultures, Material Minds. Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press, 2008. Print

Burns, Hugh. “Four Dimensions of Significance: Tradition, Method, Theory,

Originality.” (Class Handout.)

Carter, Locke and Rebecca Rickly. “Mind the Gap(s): Modeling Space in Online

Education.” Online Education: Global Questions, Local Answers. Amityville,

New York: Baywood Publishing Company, Inc., 2005. 123-139. Print.

Cooper, Marilyn M. “Postmodern Possibilities in Electronic Conversations.”
Hawisher, Gail E. & Cynthia Selfe, eds. Passions, Pedagogies and 21st Century
Technologies. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press 1999. 140-160. Print.
Eldred, Janet M. “Pedagogy in the Computer-Networked Classroom.”

Sidler, Michelle, Richard Morris, and Elizabeth Overman Smith, eds. Computers

in the Composition Classroom: A Critical Sourcebook. Boston: Bedford/St.

Martin’s, 2008. 239-250. Print.

George, Ann. “Critical Pedagogy: Dreaming of Democracy.” Tate, Gary, Amy Rupiter

& Kurt Schick. A Guide To Composition Pedagogies. New York: Oxford

University Press 2001. 92-112. Print.

George, Diana and John Trimbur. “Cultural Studies and Composition.” Tate, Gary,

Amy Rupiper and Kurt Schick. A Guide to Composition Pedagogies. Oxford:

Oxford University Press, 2001. 54-70. Print.

Gorzelsky, Gwen. The Language of Experience: Literate Practices and Social Change.

Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2005. Print.

Howard, Rebecca Moore “Collaborative Pedagogy.” Tate, Gary, Amy Rupiper and Kurt

Schick. A Guide to Composition Pedagogies. Oxford: Oxford University Press,

2001. 54-70. Print.

Hull, Glynda, Mike Rose, Kay Losey Fraser and Marisa Castellano. “Remediation as

Social Construct: Perspectives from an Analysis of Classroom Discourse.” Ede,

Lisa, Ed. On Writing Research: The Braddock Essays, 1975-1998. Boston:

Bedford/St. Martin’s 1999. 284-311. Print.

Mayers, Tim. (Re)Writing Craft: Composition, Creative Writing, and The Future of

English Writing. Pittsburgh: The University of Pittsburgh Press 2005. Print.

Mutnick, Deborah. “On the Academic Margins: Basic Writing Pedagogy.” Tate, Gary,

Amy Rupiper and Kurt Schick. A Guide to Composition Pedagogies. Oxford:

Oxford University Press, 2001. 183-202. Print.

Ohmann, Richard. “Literacy, Technology, and Monopoly Capital.” Slider, Michelle,
Morris, Richard and Smith, Elizabeth Overman, eds. Computers in the Composition Classroom. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. 20-34. Print.
Peck, Wayne Campbell, Linda Flower and Lorraine Higgins “Community Literacy.”

Miller, Susan, Ed. The Norton Book of Compositions Studies. New York: W. W.

Norton & Company, Inc. 2009. 1097-1116. Print.

Rose, Mike. An Open Language: Selected Writing on Literacy, Learning, and

Opportunity. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006. Print.

Shankman, Steven. “Creating a Culture of Dialogue and Peace.”

The University of Oregon Conference. UO Channels. The Promise of Reason,

2008. Web. 04/01/10 http://www.uoregon.edu/channel/?p=154

Slider, Michelle, Richard Morris and Elizabeth Overman Smith, eds. Computers in the

Composition Classroom. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. Print.





































writer

Our professors and how they relate

I was assigned to Dr. Souder and was looking at Hugh Burns and the Dadalus Group in particular, while Autumn researched Dr. Greer and Dawn researched Dr. Keating. I learned lots of fascinating facts about Dr. Burns and his work and gained a better sense of the Dadalus group and the relationships with Dr. Kinneavy. It seemed that Dr. Keating and Dr. Greer have had more direct influence on Dr. Souder, as each has chaired her separate dissertation work in English and Women's Studies (which I believe is still in progress). Bakhtin seems to be the philosopher who has impacted Dr. Souder the most,as she referred to him as her philosopher king once in class and he was the subject of her dissertation, along with a English female poet named Felicia Hemans. The influences of Boothe, Plato and Aristotle seem to impact Kinneavy, Burns and Greer. I am not sure about Keating.

Burns' recognition by UNESCO and his statements about the people he met in Saudia Arabia, when doing work for his Fulbright, reminded me of the philosophical stance of Perelman and the Dali Lama,regarding "responsibility not rights" and "our enemies being our friends". Dr. Burns said "Even in a strange land there are no strangers." He also talked about how to truly belong and making that land your land--somewhat like a recoginition of the otherness Perelman was concerned with in his work at UNESCO. Dr. Souder's interests, as reflected in her publications,reveals a wide range of interests. I do get the sense that Aristotle's work has influenced her beliefs about argumentation. But Dr. Burn's openness to new ideas and other people is what knocks me out and I believe is Dr. Souder's outlook as well, especially considering her role in the study abroad program.

In considering the other professor's influences, we really are a Marxist looking department and it seemed that Norm Chomsky was more of a presence for several of the professors. The creative writing teacher's ties to Elbow and others bore a striking separateness from the other professors, which disturbed me, as I would like to see more connectedness between creative writing and the rest of the department.

I really liked the ties I saw between Trujillo and Souder. I was not quite sure how our chairman's influences fit so much in with the rest to the staff. There are a lot of philosophers and educators whose work I have not really explored yet, so I know that I have a lot to do work yet in this regard.

And I thought that our board was very successful, as it was attractive, and had a definite story to tell!

What Difference Does It Make?

In the article on authorship,it is asked "What difference does it make who is the speaker"(12)? Supposedly the author has died and yet there remains differences of opinions about that thought. The text can be examined "through its structure, its architecture, its intrinsic fom and the play of internal relationships" (203). This suggests that the role of author is not vital, as the author "appropriates" other's material and resides in absense to the text itself. I know that one can look at text in this manner but I would content that we choose a text often by our experience with the author, what the author is known for,the awards an author has received, the place the author hails from, the expertise known of the author, etc. There remains an interplay between the author and reader, however much one might want to deny it. The fact that the author "limits, excludes, and chooses, by which one impedes the free circulation, the free manipulation, the free composition, decomposition and recomposition of fiction" certainly suggests that the author is alive and well (119). What difference does it make? Their voice represents a voice of a certain community, a time in space of a whole civilization, experiences unique to a particular life. A text can be understood both through the text itself and through the author's life, influences and beliefs. It is like the right and left side of the brain--one can attempt to understand a person through cognitive and rational thought but the emotional side, of dreams and mystery is just as real and necessary in the understanding of the whole person. Just as blogging is a social action,"...allowing people to experience the plasticity and multiplicity of self"and to ..." construct an identity that is real," the author has desires and multiple uses of expression in text that could include a desire to express an identity within the text for themselves, becoming integral with the story, literally and figuratively (Miller and Sheppard 1469).

Miller, Carolyn R and Dawn Shepherd. "Blogging as Social Action: A Genre Analysis of the Weblog." Miller, Susan. The Norton Book of Composition Studies." New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009. Print. 1450-1473.

"What is an Author?" Print.101-120.

Synthesis

The history of composition revealed how much composition has been taken for granted as a skill unworthy of college coursework until recent years. When it was begun to be taught, it was often taught in conjunction with literature, as it was at my college for many, any years. Writing centers have been established at many colleges to further assist students in the composition process on a cross disciplinary basis. The infusion of students with open admissions from all walks of life brought students with uneven preparedness for college life bringing many studies on how to best intervene on behalf of these students and led to special classes for students who did not perform well on a admissions tests. Rhetoric in composition has not always been taught and when it has been, various philosophers have held sway. Classic rhetoric is as much alive today it seems as in ancient Greece and Roe but the ideas of philosophers since the renaissance such as Hume, Locke, Kant and others have had much more import than is widely acknowledged. The turbulent 20th century has seen the rise of modernism, post modernism, feminism, queer theory, post colonial theory, after theory, etc. The call for action by social theorist has led to a revival of personal research in composition and a look at wider issues of morality and questions of audience. Technology has interjected new arguments into the study of composition as well. Whether one looks at of specific strategies for invention, arrangement, revision, etc., or the use of technology in the classroom, the field is continually evolving. From teacher centered to peer centered classrooms an argument continues today on the place of authority in the classroom, assessment and importance of the final product. Creativity, original thought and unique research methodologies are all elements of how today's composition class is ultimately judged. The argument can be wide or narrow,but depth is generally favored over breathe and an argument is imbedded into the compositional process where previously it did not exist,

Burke and Dewey

It is interesting that Burke was inspired by Dewey in his educational philosophy in his attention to progressive education as they were both considered progressive but in such different ways(Enoch 277). His jump to theoritizing on ways that "...education could promote peace and mitigate war," mark him as a man of his times in a post World War II time, encouraging criticl reflection, rather than argumentation(Enoch 279). Burke would encourage "...distrustful admiration of all symbolism, and ... questioning "...the many symbolically-stimulated goads that are now accepted to often without question" (286). He seems to asking students to observe, distance themselves and respond to text and real life situations with great care. While this would seem to imply an inability to act Enoch says instead that "Reflection is a way to act on and approach the world" (291)). The attitude of "patience and withdrawal"that he advocates seems contradictory, yet wise.

I prefer Fulwiler's approach to education because Burke's wisdom only goes so far. It just seems like a first step. Fulwiler says "Expressive writing and speaking continue[s] to make passive classrooms active" (handout on Toby Fulwiler with excerpts From Writing Across the Michigan Tech Curriculum, 1). In a related sense, Palmquist, Kiefer, Hartvigsen and Goodlew found that students in a computer classroom had more action going on than a traditional classroom, with "a higher level of interaction with students"... and these interactions were "initiated by students and focused directly on their writing" (258). This shows that a value is placed in pedagogy on active participation of students physically and socially. I like John Dewey's focus on education having "psychological insight into the child's capacities, interest, and habits, as a "process of living" but find that like Burke's reflection, it is a limited philosophy in terms of action to prevent wars, as was his ideal (handout on John Dewey with excerpts from My Pedagogic Creed [1896},1). Dialogue such as United Nations events, Presidential Summits and media debates on policy seem to shape opinions moreso. Berlin points out that "The business of cognitive psychology is to enable us to learn to think in a way that will realize goals, not deliberate about their value" (672). This certainly suggests that the psychology of learning when cognitive might be able to be goal oriented, perhaps a goal of action to prevent wars, rather than deliberate on the rightness or wrongness of war. I believe that argumentation at some point, accompanied by and interspersed with reflection, will produce better results, as it more interactive and goal oriented than simply reflection on a position.

Berlin, James. "Rhetoric and Ideology in the Writing Class." Miller, Susan Ed. The Norton Book of Composition Studies. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2009. 667-684. Print.

Enoch, Jessica. "Becoming Symbol-Wise: Kenneth Burk's Pedagogy of Critical Reflection. College Composition and Communication, Vol. 56,No. 2 (Dec., 2004). 272-296. Reprinted by NCTE with JSTOR.

Palmquist, Mike, Kate Keifer, James Hartvigsen and Barbara Goodlew. "Contrasts: Teaching and Learning about Writing in Traditional and Computer Classrooms." Sidler, Michele, Richard Morris and Elizabeth Overland Smith, eds. Computers in the Composition Classroom: A Critical Sourcebook. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins,2008. 251-270. Print.

coleridge and the philosophical perspective

Today the center of audience in discourse is difficult to dispute, as the field of rhetoric embraces "what Lynn Worsham terms our field's modernist commitment 'to the Enlightenment dreams of communication and consensus, emancipation and empowerment"in Lunsford and Ede'a article in the Miller text (820). This suggests the importance of expressing our goals, as well as how they are affected by the place of others, culture and institutions in creating communication to address and persuade an audience. As the writer moves to shape themselves within a rhetorical tradition, there is a call on our memories, identifications,experience and knowledge base, which Lunsford and Ede suggest, creates "a way of being in language and a way of both inhabiting and shaping knowledge structures, ways that strive to be critically self-reflective, multi-perspectival, and complex"(821). The authors in this second description of how writer's shape themselves, seem to be calling on Coleridge's philosophy derived from Plato, which Veeder describes as follows: "the purpose of the dialectic (and its social counterpart, dialogue) was to reconcile opposing views and to inform the composer rather than convince others of a preconceived truth" (24). The role of audience was not the issue-- it was convincing oneself as a writer of the rightness of their position that was important for Coleridge. [Coleridege apparently] "agreed with Plato's claim that the purpose of argumentation was to help the composer to be 'throughly convinced that things were so"and "was the required 'philosophical attitude' necessary for sound composition"(24).

However,the exploration of opposing viewpoints and multiple perspectives,in the development of our own compositional philosophy can contribute to a modern day writer who is more open to contradictions in shaping a philosophy embracing community and future unknowns. The audience might not only be in our thoughts to communicate with and persuade but to reflect in conjunction with that audience. When we engage in collaboration, "human conversation takes place within us as well as among us, and that conversation as it takes place within us is what we call reflective thought" according to Bruffee (548-549). He seems to be saying that our internal thought process and social learned information play equal roles in the development of learning and certainty of knowledge. In fact, he suggested that "The most sophisticated scientific knowledge is established and maintained" through a collaborative learning process, joining "'the conversation of mankind'"(555).

Today we have more access to global ideas through technology, as we reach out to our classmates worldwide. Through file sharing and other methods of sharing information, such as You Tube, the audience can participate not only in pre-writing idea sharing, but in revision and turning "writer based prose into reader based prose" in a 'public forum' (Eldred,246-247). So while Coleridge's ideas are intriguing, they seem to describing only a partial view of how the writer can go about developing their philosophy, more accurate in an pre-technology age.

Bruffee, Kenneth A. "Collaborative Learning and the 'Conversations of Mankind'". Miller, Susan, Ed. The Norton Book of Composition Studies. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2009. Print. 545-562.

Eldred, Janet M. "Pedagogy in the Computer-networked Classroom. Sidler, Michelle, Richard Morris and Elizabeth Overman Smith. Computers in the Composition Classroom: A Critical Sourcebook. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2008. Print. 239-250.

Lunsford, Andrea A. and Lisa Ede. "Representing Audience: 'Successful' Discourse and Disciplinary Critique". Miller, Susan Ed. The Norton Book of Compositional Studies. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2009. Print. 813-823.

Veeder, Rex. "Coleridge's Philosophy of Composition: An Overview of a Romantic Rhetorician. [Class Handout] Print. 20-28.

Hugh Blair & charles Bazerman

Can Hugh Blairs's work be applied to our current day studies in composition? While there was much discussion in the class and handout on Hugh Blair of his artificial system. Yet the article also state under Lecture XII as follows"A florid style implie excess of ornament..They forget that, unless founded on good sense and solid thought, the most florid style id but a childish imposition on the public" (2nd page of handout titled "Summary of lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres"). This would suggest that Hugh Blair valued what we now think of as critical thinking, reasoning and a well grounded argument. He also is cited in the same handout on page 1 under Lecture X Style-Perspicuity and Precision that "This (perpicuity) must be our first object, to make our meaning clearly and fully understood, and understood without the least difficulty". This would seem to indicate that Hugh Blair also valued simplicity, chronological, line ordered presentation with the argument written in language that is commonly known. Neither statement is stressing beauty or style, as much as a reliance on reason and simple language. Charles Bazerman's article suggests that in the writing of scientific texts the author is influential versus the rhetoric per see, as "they interpret and attempt to realize his [the scientist] ambitions in their writing"(509). This further suggests that the writers thoughts become central. The subject gives the scientist eminence, as their thought becomes the subject. Hugh Blair says"...it is to the intercourse and transmission of thought, by means of speech, that we are chiefly indebted for the improvement of thought itself" ()page one, Lecture I Introduction of Summary of Lectures on Rhetoric and Belle Lettres). Both articles are foscued on thought and reason, as the role of the author and audience are considered, in a argument based on logic.

Persuasion and Passion

Walzer tells us that Campbell's position is that "The dispositions are formed states of character in virtue of which we are well or ill disposed in respect of the emotions; for instance, we have a bad disposition in regard to anger if we are disposed to get angry too violently or not violently enough, a good disposition if we habitually feel a moderate amount of anger..." (77). Another example of disposition might be the the character whose innate cautiousness restrains them from immediate happiness at good news and keeps them in check in a situation where fear might take over, as they apply reason to control their fears, not willing to give into unreasoned emotion. This same character might otherwise be considered to have a good position because they might not be as prone to develop quickly into anger. Another might consider this disposition to be dour and pessimistic, therefore not a particularly good disposition. When it comes to persuasion,Waltzer describes Campbell's belief that disposition is very important as it "...represent[s] the values that constitute character"(77). So a cautious character might well value careful investigation, thinking things through, not making assumptions without additional evidence. As Walzer says of Campbell's ideas these dispositions represent "motives to action, being equally capable with the passions of giving impulse to the will" (77). In rhetoric then a speech displaying dramatic emotion might be received coldly by such a character, in the absence of facts and convincing argument founded in reason. The speaker must find a way to engage the imagination, as well as reason in order to persuade an audience. As Walzer points out of Campbell, he is "describ[ing] the process as 'an artful mixture' of appeals to reason and passion, in which the argumentative and pathetic are 'incorporated together'(4), as distinguished from a sequence". So the cautious character upon hearing that a disabled vet was evicted from their residence for failure to pay the rent because the federal government failed to send the disability check that month might find the will to complain to their wife about the failure of government. If also shown pictures of a number of other disabled vets being evicted because they did not get their checks, along with pictures of their courage in the field, the cautious character might at that point write an email of complaint to their senator because the evidence presented, while not factual proof of the government having failed in sending out checks to disabled vets, has a probability and plausibility of being true, given the number of other vets allegedly experiencing the same alleged problem. It is the "probability and plausibility" that can arouse passion according to Campbell (82). The speaker who is able to speak about the sacrifice in the field, the injuries suffered and the diminished economic opportunities one has with such injuries further engages the audience, including the cautious character, especially when the opportunities awaiting non-injured vets in the current job market is presented with information on the unemployment statistics in the city. Campbell embraces the "mimetic and imaginistic powers of language," as a "psychology" of persuasion; rather than a reasoning process based on purely logic (84). The imagination of the cautious character is engaged, as the speaker describes the hardships endured through injury and the bravery under fire to save others, including perhaps the cautious character from facing the enemy at home. The memetic idea that a nuclear bomb might have fallen on the home of the cautious character, if not for the disabled vet is further brought into the speech, an inflamatory statement that evokes guilt and anger, although there is little evidence of this being a factual reality merges with the other information to become a plausible event, moving the normally cautious character to consider donating some money to the local vet who has been evicted, as the cautious character's own safety and existence of everything they value seems owed to the ve.

Fish and this week's presentations

The presentations that we had this week were very impressive everyone! Great graphics, audience engagement activities and handouts. See my previous blog last week on Hume, Vico and Locke, which I wrote by error instead of focusing on Enos and Moss. I did the right one on Monday. Incidentally it was on p. 100 of the article by Kaneavey in Moss's work that he states grammar was the study of literature, as distinguished from logic and dialectic, although all three he felt were distinguished from rhetoric. If anyone ha any ideas about what this means I would love to hear it? I had to agree with Fish that a writing course that does not focus on anything else has a certain appeal, but then so does cros-curricular knowledge building (4). Still,I would think one ight well go before the other one go before the other. He says that such a course must be devoted to "grammar, style, clarity, and argument" (2). The reality of the matter is that middle schools feel that the teaching of grammar belongs in elementary school. If it is being pushed off at that level, it is being pushed off in most high schools, and many colleges as well. It is a skills that needs review, drill, discussion and critical feedback throughout the educational life of a student on an elementary and secondary level,for an adequate foundation to have been laid. Even so, reviewing in a college level course may well be more fruitful than previous reviews, as the student should have the maturity and hopefully the motivation within to absorb the information that they may have lacked previously.

Enos and Moss

I agree with Enos's citation of the elements Barnett Baskerville"s essay, which appeared in the April 1977 issue of the Quarterly Journal of Speech, "Must We All Be 'Rhetorical Critics"' (12). Baskerville complained that the fashionable critical work was taking students away from the laborious but valuable need for historical scholarship, which Baskerville defended this quote of Donald C. Bryant that "rhetorical criticism must depend almost entirely upon historical knowledge for its effectiveness" (12). Enos goes onto discuss non-literary sources and actively produce research, going beyond the speculative to viewing works"...not as isolated and autonomous events but as intertextual,..." as he maintains that even discrete texts are part of a diachronic chain of being. Enos practices what he preaches in his article on Rome, as he examines the architecture of classrooms, public rhetorical events, drama, libraries, the use of scribes in creating books, etc., to document the rise and fall of sophistry in Rome, paralleling the historical lessening of importance of Greece, as well as the wars lost and economic deterioration of Rome. I loved his description of locating a once published speech, as well as a tape of the speech and the original written speech with handwritten notes, as a way to create original research (19. I know that I personally respond much more to works that trace historical ethnographic developments, geographical, economic, sociological and anthropological developments, in critical analysis of literature, as well as within the literature itself.

Moss is the editor of Rhetoric and Praxis: The Conteribution of Classical Rhetoric to Practical Reasoning. It includes chapters by Edward P. J. Corbett (43-57), which examines Topoi; Maxine C. Hairston's chapter on Aristotle's Enthymeme in the classroom (59-77); and James L. Kinneavy's chapter on the importance of Kairos in classical rhetoric (79-105). I thought that the quote of Grimaldi saying that "the special topics yield subject matter or content for arguments and that the common topics represent patterns of forms of inference" (46) was helpful, as I believe that the process of writing tends to involve examining patterns and universals, more often than specific subject matter. Kenneth Pikes tagamemic method of invention which Corbett dscusses, along with the neo-classical invention, Kenneth Burke's dramatistic method, D. Gordon Rohman's pre-writing method all suggest patterns, whether journalistic self-actualization, problem solving, the marshaling of computer resources, examining Aristotle's non artisitc proofs, brainstorming,or using linguistic concepts of contrast, range of variation and distribution in conjunction with particle, wave and field perspectives to retrieve, organize and analyze, as well as discover ordering principles, which include"to help one discover features of the audience which facilitate communication. I particularly relate to the tagamemic method, as I have used it in several lesson plans around character development in creative writing made understandable through the visual and oral rhetoric of film, using Dramatica tool and Inspiration software to brainstorm, create, structure and organize ideas about universal themes and archetypes. It includes a square broken down into a number of squares within it in a three dimensional model using principles of physics, psychology, contrast, range of variation and distribution, often pairing characters in roles that support or oppose one another. For more information go to my website information at http://freewebs.lindadaly.com.

Hairston's chapter in Moss's book on Aristotle's Enthymeme centers on persuasion, not creating absolutes, centering on human affairs with the goal to establish probability (68). Here we are taking a particular subject (Dramatica theory for example) [even though it is based on many universally accepted concepts] to which we are convincing a particular, rather than a universal audience about character development in Star Wars, Jaws, Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea and To Kill a Mocking Bird. That audience is particular because they either buy the Dramatica software, views my You Tube and/or the lesson plans on my website, as well as reading and viewing the involved novels and films. The argument would otherwise be meaningless to those unfamiliar with the Dramatica tool, as well as the Inspiration tool, which I used to lay out Dramatica principals in a graph format utilizing graphics, as well as signifying words and names. So I really agree with Hairston's citation of Perelman's description of using Aristotle's Enthymeme's utilizing a "practical intellect," which focuses "..on the realm of human activity, the world of the contingent, the uncertain, and the changeable" 967). For example, using the Dramatica tool, there are various possibilities and outcomes using human archetypes and action to develop and change one's interpretation, as well as in the creative writing process. I also deeply respect "Aristotle's quest for human happiness and justice" being associated with the usage of the Enthymeme (68). Kenneavys charge that to view Aristotle's Enthymeme, only as a simplistic, or invalid syllogism as a "deeply antihumanistic view" certainly warrants the sincere attention of the composition community. While I have always tended to favor the expressionist approach to writing, now that I am considering other points of views, Faigley's social view of composing warms me, as he sees "..the writer at the center of a discourse community and holds that the composing process is largely determined by the demands of that community" (72). Certainly that would be more in keeping with Perelman and Moss feels Aristotle would "be more comfortable with this school of composing"(72). As I see writing as a persuasive process, whether a creative, legalistic or non-fiction narrative, audience does play a huge role, as they are persuaded by the ethics, emotions and logic demonstrated by the writer.

I also thought Hairston's idea to have teacher's "...point out how differently students would have to structure the argument if they postulate a different audience and purpose" was brilliant and really underlines the importance of audience and topoi, if not enthymeme. The Rogerian or nonthreatening argument,in which "...a writer can make good use of the enthymeme to discover what premises he or she shares with the audience and what common ground exists that can form the basis for communication and change," is certainly supported by communication and psychotherapy change theories, while the Toulmin logic in a legal atmosphere may hold sway in that arena (76). Both speak of the audience, and fitting your persuasive argument to a particular audience, and likely a particular topoi as well.


Kinneavys chapter on Kairos was also compelling, as the audience to me is part of a context. For example, consider Kinneavy's statement's as follows: "Justice was defined as giving to each according to merit, that is, generously to those who had worked hard and parsimoniously to those who had shirked. Justice, therefore, was determined by circumstances: justice was kairos"(87). Certainly one could not write a compelling argument about circumstances, without considering the audience. Are they members of the elite, the poor, the working class or the unemployed and how would that affect their understanding,logical, ethical, as well as emotional? It is my opinion that the art of composition, utilizes principles underlying argument and persuasion, as well as justice and that those principles include the use of topoi, enthymeme and kairos, all of which involve consideration of the audience. Kairos is not only concerned with justice or truth, but beauty, virtues, and knowledge. In Greece, even the word Kairos was associated with not only justice, but virtue, education and the concept of humanity, as Kinneavy tells us that the importance of the city or polis was tied to the idea of humaity (92). He illustrates this when he says that "Since freedom and the ability to persuade and be persuaded are the essence of the polis, it is not surprising to see the education to the life of the polis grounded in persuasion and to see this closely related to the notion of kairos. The audience not only of the writer but the educator is pointed out by Kinneavy as having centrality to kairos, as we are urged to have a composition program "based on the current life situation of the writer," once again showing that the audience is central to the context.

As an aside I was interested in Kaneavey's concept of grammar as the study of literature, as distinguished from logic and dialectic, although all three are distinguished from rhetoric ("persuasion in this narrower sense") (100). Rhetoric is said by Kinneavy to link humanities to the common citizen more than literature or the grammar and logic of the tradition" arts (100). In my opinion, Kinneavy's idea that "a liberal education should teach "expository to sharpen scientific thinking, "persuasive prose" to sharpen rhetorical thinking and "literary analysis" to sharpen aesthetic thinking and that "all three thinking skills were essential to a kairos program as a liberal arts program in the historic sense of the term" is certainly a pedagogical statement regarding the role of composition in education, which should be included in some way in all composition teacher's pedagogical beliefs (104-105). This is because thinking skills, or critical inquiry is at the most basic goal of education as a part of the acquisition of knowledge, not based on rote memory, but problem solving, ingenuity and ideas founded on reason.

Locke , Hume & Vico

John Locke's position to from persuasive dicourse alone to expository and didactic discourse seems to make him in many ways one of the founding fathers of composition theory, as he established that knowledge is built upon experiences of "operations of the mind on images already perceived through the senses" (426). His focus on rhetorical proofs based largely on inductive reasoning embraces a logical, clear form of writing and argumentation devoid of imaginative and figurative language elements, which involve appeals to the emotions in making a persuasive argument. His writing approach fits the writing required in legal, political, business and scientific rhealms.

Like Hume's effort to "separate myth from fact" in his use of proofs, both authors write of questions of fact. His arguments focus more in the government questions of commerce, taxation and politics. He also discusses the reliability of sources and a reexamination of historical truths through critical thinking about factual events that "provided decisive evidence for the claim that modern civilization was superior to ancient" (288). His work could be said to have set the ground for the New Historian approach to critiquing narrative works and seemed very very persuasive. I loved his assessment of historians as "the true friends of virtue," and his concern that history was central to contemporary culture (282). We may or may not learn from history but history does influence culture and archetypal human drama that underlies our collective psyche as well.

Vico's concern with both the mind and the soul being involved in the acquisition of knowledge through virtue and wisdom, takes a somewhat different path. In the development of knowledge he seemed to see it as a process, as Maiulari points out that the student "must rediscover his soul himself, and must seek the connection between human nature and the Divine" (1). His was an interdisciplinary approach that embraced not only history but anthropology, in his concern for culture as a "human community" (2). Even more than Hume, his work examined history, culture and mankind. His concern was with goodness and honesty leading one to knowledge and particularly "knowledge of oneself"(4). I have to admire his thoughts on knowledge of the self and the process of acquisition of all knowledge, as an evolving process. As much as Locke may be a founding father of composition theories, Vico is apparently a founding father of education, in his concern with human sciences, the understanding of a person mattering as much as knowledge of natural sciences. His concern not just for knowledge through the scientific processes of critical analysis, mathematics and technology usage, but with wisdom and it is awe inspiring. The study of composition afterall is at the base of this as an aspect in the search for knowledge and betterment of the human community

Perelman

I wholeheartedly agree with Perelman's premise that "the development of argumentation is a function of the audience to which it is addressed and to which the speaker must adapt himself" and that this has vastly more applicability to social theory than demonstrations founded in formal logic. It is this interaction between the speaker and the audience that produces an understanding of the limits and edges of acceptable mores, as one strives to persuade people to a particular point of view. If one is a member of the group or not a member of the group changes how one is accepted and one's approach to the audience, or group, to gain acceptance. We can socially condition an audience within the framework of the argument to accept certain preconditions or ideas. A demonstration based in logic suggests passivity while an affirmation supported by history in society, or a precedent,brings out the strength in culture by affirming traditions and the rule of justice. As Perelman says "These precedent, just like the models by which a society is inspired make part of its cultural tradition,which can be reconstructed on the basis of the argumentations in which they have been employed"(254). Perelman states that when form and style are the main goal society is less apt to be concerned with diversity and opposition, while a search for the truth and an emphasis on the importance of argumentation in rhetoric seem to be accompanied by periods in history focused on the development of democracy and knowledge, such as the Renaissance. Thus being aware of one's audience includes being aware of the times, place and history of the audience.

Bibliography

Perelman,Chaim. "The Social Contexts of Argumentation." Miller, Susan. The Norton book of Composition Studies. NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2009.

A Blog on Using the Practical Intellect in Composition

Linda Daly

Dr. Donna M. Souder

English 501: Theories of Writing

01/27/10

A BLOG ON USING THE PRACTICAL INTELLECT IN COMPOSITION

All of us know that it takes dedication to become an effective writer.
Using Perelman’s ideas about effective composition, it is important to
identify a subject that the audience can relate too. An example could
be that students today must learn to write effectively to be successful
in the workplace. Most of these students will soon compete for positions
and promotions in the workplace, which among other things,utilize skills
in composition. Because of this need to write effectively, students today
are taught skills in writing. The highly impacted job market requires
even a greater sense of urgency about the importance of composition
writing in education.

At primary and secondary school districts today, the Six Traits of
Writing and Step Up to Writing principles are often used in the
development of a rubric used to assess a student’s composition. The
rubric categories are generally identified as follows:original ideas,
organization, voice, fluid sentences, word choice and grammar
conventions. Given that most of the current children in the K-12
grades of America are educated in schools utilizing a similar rubric for
their composition students, it might be assumed that today’s students
are better writers than those students who were educated in schools
not utilizing such a rubric.

However the principles of argumentation, which Perelman favors in
teaching composition, is not an argument for the truth of the matter,
utilizing the principles of logic. Instead he believes in the importance
of “practical argument and debate, in solving immediate problems and
formulating workable policies” in teaching composition (Hairston 67).
Therefore whether or not today’s CSAP test results show that such a
rubric has produced better writers than in the past is not the real
question at hand, as the focus is not on proving the truth of this
question. This is because Perelman’s focus in teaching composition
is not on “scientific and philosophical discourse,” or using tools of
deduction, induction and dialectic,” which “have been presumed to be
exercising speculative intellect,” (Hairston 66).

The crux of Perelman’s focus is on the ability of the student to
formulate a coherent argument in their compositions about practical
problems that Americans face everyday in society and in the workplace.
Furthermore, there is an expectation that the student’s argument
revolve around an actively effective debate regarding the pros and
cons regarding how to resolve such practical problems, based on
evidence that can be cited and evaluated. The argument needs to
address and engage the audience. The conclusion should include a
consensus regarding workable ideas that can be implemented as an
effective policy. Perelman believes that composition should use
“persuasive discourse and use (of) rhetorical tools of the enthymeme”
with examples taken from “experience or human observation,” which
presumably involve “using the practical intellect” (Hairston 66).

Given the premise of Perelman that composition should use the
practical intellect, I believe that the rubric for effective
composition needs to include the principles of argumentation. The
CSAP results alone do not identify a practical problem at hand. The
task at hand is to capture the ingenuity of the American people to
resolve identified problems in society and in the workplace in order
to achieve full employment. The state of full employment is the hoped
for evidence requiring evaluation and analysis by composition teachers
and policy makers today and tomorrow.



Bibliography

Hairston, Maxine C. “Bringing Aristotle’s Enthymeme into the
Composition Classroom.” Moss, Jean Dietz Ed. Rhetoric and Praxis:
The Contribution ofClassical Rhetoric to Practical Reasoning.
Washington, D. C.: The Catholic University of American Press. Print.

(Note year was not provided on the handout given to the class.)

Writing Theory Course with Dr. Souder

It was fascinating reading this week. I had never really known that English literature was not a well accepted course of study even after Shakespeare, Chaucer and Dante made their appearances. I had known that it was mandatory to study Greek and Latin. I know my high school in rural 1960's Kansas only taught Latin. My husband went to Hotchkiss, a very elite private school in Connecticut on a parr with Choate, Kent, etc., feeder schools for Harvard, etc. and he had to study Greek, Latin, French and German in high school. My brother took four years of Latin in college, while I switched to Spanish.
Nevertheless, I always conceived of German, French, and Spanish as languages as important to a well rounded education, as any other language. Considering that Latin is a dead language and the relatively small population of Greece, I would not have conceived of these languages, as more important than other languages currently being spoken in the world. The idea that literature world wide was not considered as important, as that of Greece and Roman times seems absolutely astounding. But then as I read further I came to understand not only the entrenchment of tradition, but the lack of regard for modern literature as folk stories, rather than meaningful literature, contributed to this position. Furthermore the emphasis on the law, politics and scientific persuasion apparently eclipsed the world of fiction, as a lesser form of scholarly work.
The study of composition as a separate area of study was also interesting. Certainly when I was at the University of Kansas many years ago, composition was very important, as three course were required for all liberal arts graduates in a combined course called Composition and Literature, while rhetoric was placed in a required Speech course and Philosophy in three required courses on Western Civilization. I conceived of Composition, as being able to use Grammar effectively and learned at KU the idea of making an argument through Composition.
In the nineties when I got a degree in English specializing in Creative Writing at Mills College, there was no talk of Composition, although there may have seen a freshman requirement that I was not tuned into. There was also no emphasis on Theory, Research or Literary Criticism. It was considered important to know about the times and place of the literature and to have background information about the author. Writing about the literature was centered on the students own analysis. If a critical viewpoint was considered,New Historicism, Marxism, feminism, multiculturalism, modernism and post modernism were discussed, largely from the point of view of history, structure and grammar.
When I was in high school I wrote a few book reports but did not write any other papers. In college I wrote papers for a variety of courses, but particularly in my social work, speech, history, psychology and art history classes, as well as English. Last year when going through the teacher eduction program and teaching middle school English, it became clear that all teachers were to teach reading, writing and vocabulary, not just the English teacher. Apparently from our readings, England today expects college students to be taught Composition, as a part of all college classes, rather than having a requirement for freshman composition. Even in this school of graduate English at CSU Pueblo, there appear to be differences among the faculty, as to their approach to Composition, as the Reading Theory teacher spent very little time going over what made a paper particularly strong and gave vague feedback, while the professor teaching Toni Morrison, assigned many papers and gave detailed feedback and opportunities for revisions, to help the student really focus on the writing process.
I do believe that having a freshman composition course is a good idea, in order to continue to build writing skills and a uniform understanding of the writing process. I know in my work as a social worker, writing has been incredibly important, whether writing adoption home studies or court reports to terminate parental rights, I have needed to be able to write with clarity at least. My husband has a master's degree in chemistry and works in safety and industrial hygiene, however he believes that his major job duty is writing extensive reports. To be able to write is a necessary part of employment in many jobs today, so colleges have an obligation to teach Composition for the working world that students will eventually join. Making a factual argument is an essential ability in the work world.