Writing Rhetoric/Writing & Reflection

1. Writing Rhetoric

(4 pages) (APA format) (in-text citations are a must) (No Plagiarism) (No Use of Artificial Intelligence) (Week 2 annotated document below)

Must cite in Reflection assignment: Kennedy, Krista and Rebecca Moore Howard. Collaborative Writing, Print to Digital. A Guide to Composition Pedagogies, edited by Gary Tate, Amy Rupiper Taggart, Kurt Schick, and H. Brooke Hessler, 2nd ed., Oxford UP, 2013, pp. 37-54.

Writing Assignment

Context: This weeks collaboration will give you some synchronous and asynchronous options to either workshop one anothers previous work in this class so far or generate work together through synchronous prompt activities. You also have a small reflection to turn into the assignment dropbox. See directions for reflection below.

Option 1: Post a word document of up to four pages of your work you have written so far in this class in the discussion called Alternative Workshop Discussion and comment on two others works.

For literature students, this can be your visual art pieces from week 2 or your annotations so far.

Description:

Here are Peter Elbows rules for workshopping from his work Writing Without Teachers.

The expectations are that students

• Should do some writing for themselves that they dont show to others. (journaling, free-writing, brainstorming, etc.)
• Should share some writing with others in a supportive atmosphere, often with no response other than appreciation, (to heighten their experience and enjoyment of the fact that others are hearing what they wrote).
• Should get responses from readers based on the readers efforts to understand the writing and enjoy it and tell the story of what was happening in their minds as they were readingrather than trying to judge it and figure out how to make it better. When the process is useful, the benefits seem to come not from hearing right reactions or getting good advice from readers, but rather from being understood and from hearing readers experience of ones words and trying to have their experience.
• Should not quarrel with each other over their dispirited readings or experiences of a text. Different readings help the writer see their text through more lenses (78-9).

Please treat everyones work with respect. Instead of adjectives, try to describe what the work does for you as the reader. What movie does it create in your head?

You may want to highlight what you think the theme is, what kind of plot points moved you, where you stumbled or didnt envision what was happening, what kinds of things you heard, saw, touched, tasted, or felt (tactically).

Delivery: Please select one option to participate in the workshop as instructed. For options 2 and 3, please post your work by Wednesday and comment on two students work by Friday midnight.

Reflection Assignment

After you complete this week’s writing assignment, you will also need to complete a written reflection. Submit your reflection into the corresponding assignment portal in WorldClass by Sunday midnight.

Literature: Choose from the additional reading, A Guide to Composition Pedagogies reading, or conduct your own research on collaborative approaches to creative nonfiction, and the workshop. You may entertain either the position of the doubter, discussing the pitfalls of writing in first person, or any other literary element as applied to any of the readings this week. One page.

Works Cited

Elbow, Peter. Writing Without Teachers. 2nd ed., Oxford UP, 1998.

Key Jesuit Values. People for and with Others. Accessed on 23 April 2021,

Vass, Eva, Karen Littleton, Dorothy Miell, and Ann Jones. The Discourse of Collaborative Creative Writing: Peer Collaboration as a Context for Mutual Inspiration. Thinking Skills and Creativity, vol. 3, no. 3, 2008, pp. 192-202.

Image source: Illustration by Joon Mo Kang (Source: Stanford Literary Lab) and Pixabay

Assignment 1: Annotated Document

Annotated Bibliography

Munro, Alice. What is Real? The Broadview Anthology of Expository Prose, edited by Laura Buzzard, Don LePan, Nora Ruddock, and Alexandria Stuart, 3rd ed., Broadview Press, 2016, pp. 320323.

What is Real? is an essay by Alice Munro that discusses the connection between fiction, memory and reality. Munro considers the point that writers make ordinary events into stories that have meaning, and that sometimes the truth in fiction is mostly emotional and more than real. Reality is not always straightforward or permanent, as people remember and interpret things differently over time, and give them different meanings (Munro, 2016). Munro explains how observation and imagination can contribute to the act of writing, and how fiction can convey emotional truths even with the modification of details. Her essay is primarily for readers who are interested in literature, storytelling and creative writing. It also reaches readers who are interested in the process of writers making their personal experiences into narrative art. The discourse community respects honesty, introspection and careful observation of human action. This community of readers typically thinks that literature should portray a deeper sense of reality rather than merely facts, and that this is their right to expect. The text is measured and contemplative, offering ideas to readers at all levels. Her readers are probably readers of literary nonfiction who appreciate good writing and discussion on writing and memory. The essay asks readers to engage in a thoughtful analysis of the elements that make a story authentic and why such stories are not necessarily built from personal experiences.

Munro’s essay is very similar in theme to Vivian Gornick in The Situation and the Story. According to Gornick, there is a difference between the situation and the storythe situation is the event itself, while the story is the emotional understanding that comes from the event. This idea is backed up by Munro’s reflections, which she says that fiction isn’t a copy of reality but a way of finding meaning in experience. One of her most notable strengths is her emotional insight, rather than dramatic plot, in her writing. Munro’s style is more about remembering, thinking, and using the details rather than about rapid action and conflict. Her essay implies that writers need to mold experience in order to bring out influences and realities that are greater than first impressions about people and relationships. She also demonstrates how subtle moments can be filled with significance by telling well. This method follows Gornick’s concept of storytellers who don’t just report but interpret and see through another lens. A simple style of language is another craft feature that is important to note in Munro’s writing. She has clear sentences that are emotional and complex. She doesn’t over-describe, letting the subtle details tell instead. The essay also illustrates an example where reflective nonfiction can make the distinction between autobiography and fiction disappear. Some things are always different in memory, and writers always shape reality in some way, Munro concedes (2016). The addition of this idea complicates the essay, and negates the assumption that truth is always literal. In this reflective framework Munro demonstrates how writers can evoke emotional truth even when memories are incomplete or in some way unclear.

Reading Munro’s essay did something to my thinking about truth in writing and storytelling. Prior to reading the essay, I had long thought that realism in writing was largely dependent on accuracy. I felt I understood something about emotional honesty and sometimes it’s more important than the details from Munro’s reflections. Her discussion of memory reminded me that people do not remember things perfectly or objectively. Instead, memories are influenced by feelings, time and interpretation. This concept got me thinking about how my own experiences and how I share them with others are understood. I also liked Munro’s concentration on everyday life. She demonstrates that a meaningful story is not necessarily a dramatic one and that significant truths about identity, family and what people do are sometimes revealed in little moments. Such a viewpoint caused me to reconsider the importance of the mundane. Secondly, Munro’s essay made me think about the duties of writers. The role of the writer is not just to record events, but to create meaning through language, structure and reflection. This realization helped me to get a better idea of how two people can describe the same experience differently, yet both expressing some truth. The essay was also personal and sincere due to its calm and thoughtful style by Munro. She doesn’t make the reader reach a conclusion, but rather leaves him to question and reflect. Overall, What is Real? is good because it mixes literary reflection with personal insight. The essay prompts readers to reflect on issues of memory, storytelling, and fact and emotional truth in literature.

References

Munro, Alice. What is Real? The Broadview Anthology of Expository Prose, edited by Laura Buzzard, Don LePan, Nora Ruddock, and Alexandria Stuart, 3rd ed., Broadview Press, 2016, pp. 320323.

2. Writing Rhetoric

(4 pages) (APA format) (in-text citations are a must) (No Plagiarism) (No Use of Artificial Intelligence) (Week 2 annotation document is attached)

Must cite in Reflection assignment: Kennedy, Krista and Rebecca Moore Howard. Collaborative Writing, Print to Digital. A Guide to Composition Pedagogies, edited by Gary Tate, Amy Rupiper Taggart, Kurt Schick, and H. Brooke Hessler, 2nd ed., Oxford UP, 2013, pp. 37-54.

Writing Assignment

Context: This weeks collaboration will give you some synchronous and asynchronous options to either workshop one anothers previous work in this class so far or generate work together through synchronous prompt activities. You also have a small reflection to turn into the assignment dropbox. See directions for reflection below.

Option 1: Post a word document of up to four pages of your work you have written so far in this class in the discussion called Alternative Workshop Discussion and comment on two others works.

For literature students, this can be your visual art pieces from week 2 or your annotations so far.

Description:

Here are Peter Elbows rules for workshopping from his work Writing Without Teachers.

The expectations are that students

• Should do some writing for themselves that they dont show to others. (journaling, free-writing, brainstorming, etc.)
• Should share some writing with others in a supportive atmosphere, often with no response other than appreciation, (to heighten their experience and enjoyment of the fact that others are hearing what they wrote).
• Should get responses from readers based on the readers efforts to understand the writing and enjoy it and tell the story of what was happening in their minds as they were readingrather than trying to judge it and figure out how to make it better. When the process is useful, the benefits seem to come not from hearing right reactions or getting good advice from readers, but rather from being understood and from hearing readers experience of ones words and trying to have their experience.
• Should not quarrel with each other over their dispirited readings or experiences of a text. Different readings help the writer see their text through more lenses (78-9).

Please treat everyones work with respect. Instead of adjectives, try to describe what the work does for you as the reader. What movie does it create in your head?

You may want to highlight what you think the theme is, what kind of plot points moved you, where you stumbled or didnt envision what was happening, what kinds of things you heard, saw, touched, tasted, or felt (tactically).

Delivery: Please select one option to participate in the workshop as instructed. For options 2 and 3, please post your work by Wednesday and comment on two students work by Friday midnight.

Reflection Assignment

After you complete this week’s writing assignment, you will also need to complete a written reflection. Submit your reflection into the corresponding assignment portal in WorldClass by Sunday midnight.

Literature: Choose from the additional reading, A Guide to Composition Pedagogies reading, or conduct your own research on collaborative approaches to creative nonfiction, and the workshop. You may entertain either the position of the doubter, discussing the pitfalls of writing in first person, or any other literary element as applied to any of the readings this week. One page.

Works Cited

Elbow, Peter. Writing Without Teachers. 2nd ed., Oxford UP, 1998.

Key Jesuit Values. People for and with Others. Accessed on 23 April 2021,

Vass, Eva, Karen Littleton, Dorothy Miell, and Ann Jones. The Discourse of Collaborative Creative Writing: Peer Collaboration as a Context for Mutual Inspiration. Thinking Skills and Creativity, vol. 3, no. 3, 2008, pp. 192-202.

Image source: Illustration by Joon Mo Kang (Source: Stanford Literary Lab) and Pixabay

Assignment 2: Annotated Document

Annotated Bibliography

Kincaid, Jamaica. On Seeing England for the First Time. The Broadview Anthology of Expository Prose, edited by Laura Buzzard, Don LePan, Nora Ruddock, and Alexandria Stuart, 3rd ed., Broadview Press, 2016, pp. 419428.

In the essay, On Seeing England for the First Time, Jamaica Kincaid discusses the impact of colonial schooling and British imperialism on a young girl in Antigua. Kincaid describes how she was introduced to England as flawless, strong, and better than any other place before she had ever actually been there. She recalls her time at school, her clothes, her food, maps, and history lessons, to demonstrate the extent to which English culture dominated daily life in Antigua (Kincaid, 2016). The essay alternates between childhood experiences and grown-up contemplations, enabling the reader to grasp the extent to which colonial thinking was a part of her very identity. Kincaid’s audience consists of history, post-colonial, education, and personal narrative reading students. It also resonates with those who might not have a complete grasp of the emotional impact of colonization. The community of discourse emphasizes thinking critically, being historically aware, and talking about identity and power. Readers are urged to challenge the impact of dominant cultures on language, education and self-image. Although the writing is emotional, Kincaid’s is also analytical, meaning that both academic and general readers can understand the essay. The mood shifts from admiration to anger and disappointment, revealing her evolving sense of England throughout the piece. The essay is still relevant as it reveals psychological effects as well as political ones of colonialism on the human beings.

Kincaid’s essay resonates with much of what has been mentioned in Vivian Gornick’s The Situation and the Story. Personal writing is meaningful when the writer creates a deeper emotional and intellectual story out of experience, Gornick explains. Kincaid does so carefully, morphing experiences of childhood into a reflection on colonial identity and cultural loss. The situation she describes in the essay is her life in Antigua under British rule, and the story is the idea that England’s strength was based on making the colonized feel inferior. The repetition of the words, Made in England emphasize the influence of the British colonialism on her life, in particular in her everyday existence (Kincaid, 2016). This repetition is designed to create a rhythmic flow and it also focuses on the emphasis of control. Her imagery is also very effective. The language of description suggests that England is a sort of fantasy land with beauty, order and significance; Antigua is described as ignored and devalued. This difference between the envisioned England and her real-life situation enhances the essay’s central theme. The long reflective sentences, reminiscent of memory and emotional strain, are another element Kincaid employs. The essay doesn’t have a traditional plotline, but it does grow logically because her perception shifts from admiration to resistance. The personal first-person point of view lends the essay honesty and a personal touch, and the historical information contributes to the essay’s broader significance. Kincaid’s skill is to be able to combine memory, politics and emotion in a natural and convincing way in creative nonfiction.

Reading Kincaids essay made me think more carefully about the connection between education and identity. The most compelling concept within the essay is the notion that the culture can be taught while the value of one’s own culture is being forgotten. In school, Kincaid learned English history, English customs, and English values, but not much about her culture or history (Kincaid, 2016). I particularly remembered that because education is often perceived as neutral, when really there is the potential to impact how people see themselves and others. I also got to meet Kincaid’s thoughts on the distance between imagination and reality. She was almost in awe of England before she was even there because of the stories and pictures she had been brought. Later she discovers that the truth is quite the contrary. That got me thinking about people’s tendency to form their own perfect pictures of a place, culture, or a system, without getting to know it before they become entrenched in it. The essay further prompted me to consider the role of language in the dynamics of power. For Kincaid, English wasn’t only a subject taught in school, it was a sign of power and domination. She helped me realize the relationship between culture and education and being confident and belonging. Overall, Kincaid’s essay is a memorable one in that it is both personal and political/cultural. It invites readers to critically examine the perspectives of history, identity, and the legacy of colonization.

References

Kincaid, Jamaica. On Seeing England for the First Time. The Broadview Anthology of Expository Prose, edited by Laura Buzzard, Don LePan, Nora Ruddock, and Alexandria Stuart, 3rd ed., Broadview Press, 2016, pp. 419428.

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