Reading Response #7

Summary: In his article "Voice in Writing Again: Embracing Contraries," Peter Elbow attempts help us learn to adopt contrary stances toward voice. He argues that voice is very powerful and that it is a hard concept to grasp when writing. He also talks about how readers are more likely to be drawn to read a specific writing if the voice is audible because it makes the text easier to understand.

Synthesis:

This article compares to Margret Kantz article, "Helping Student Use Textual Sources Persuasively" because they are interconnected. Kantz's article discusses the idea of writing persuasively and getting the point across to the reader. Elbow's article then talks about how important voice is and how writing with good voice gets the message across better to the reader. Therefore, by using good voice when writing persuasively you are able to more easily get the reader to understand what you are trying to say.

Before you read:
My writing would be different if you were able to use the first-person within this assignment because then I could use more of my own voice. Just like we just read we that it is hard to concept to grasp when writing. Writing in first person can be advantage to some people it just depends on their voice and how they like to write. 

Questions for Discussion and Analyzing:

1. When you listen to a passage rather than reading it is that it is easier to get a sense of what the author wants you to understand. This is because by listening to the words rather than reading them you understand the tone of voice better. "Ear training" has affected my comprehension of something in the past because during high school, my class read a book called "The Heart of Darkness." That book was very hard to read with big words and hard concepts. When we listened to the tapes it was a lot easier to understand, not because of the content for which they were reading, but the way it was being read. Based on this, I do believe that it is a tool you should use when struggling with hard concepts to read about.

2. Within Elbow's strategy of arguing, he is playing his "doubting and believing game." The effect of giving a full airing of each side of debate is that the reader gets a better feel of voice in the argument. He thinks it is good to not completely resolve the tension because it gives the reader a chance to decide for themselves.

Applying and Exploring Ideas:

1.I am a better reader when i read things aloud just how Elbow says. "Ear Training" has effected me in a positive way, I am a visual learner, and I like to be hands on and hearing a textbook out loud can help me better understand what I am reading. I think it is a tool you should use because it can really benefit you and help you better understand. You should use this all the time when you are reading, if you don't like this technique then find a different one that will help you learn better and make you smarter. 

2. I am struggling with this question, and this shows that with my writing I need to find a technique that helps me and lets me know what to do. A one sentence definition is hard and there could be many different meanings to resonance and sincerity.

Meta Moment:

I believe you just have to compromise and see what technique works best for you. It will be difficult and it may not be possible because you have to find it, and for some people it will be hard to find.  

Thoughts:

I thought this article was very interesting but made me a very confused about my voice at the same time. I don't quite understand what he is trying to pull off. I do agree with him that reading aloud to another person does help me understand what I am reading better.