Elbow Reading

Before You Read:

1.       Facebook is made to be a design of you. A profile that is only you, a way to connect with friends, share pictures and meet new people. You can add pictures, where you went to school, things you like, sports you’ve played and endless possibilities. The difference of who you are on Facebook and who you are at home can really be two completely different people. If you are a shy person sitting behind a computer at home, Facebook is an opportunity to be anyone you want to be. You could be a singer, actor, even a superhero! Your identity could actually be two completely different people.

2.       Throughout high school, I was faced with this construct in almost every single paper. I never understood or questioned the outlaw of the use of “I”. It was just something I thought I was supposed to do. Not until I got to college I realized how important “I” really was. It truly is the only way to put yourself into a paper, to fully grasp and make your paper your own. “I” is how you state what you want your audience to know, an direct view into your thought process. If you constantly worrying about going around the word you begin to focus more on the structure than the content.

Questions for Discussion and Journaling:

1. I define voice as basically your own personal "I". To write a paper you have to put creativity into it and put your own opinions into it to make the paper yours. Voice is your thoughts, ideas, memories, opinions, emotions and reasons all spilled out onto a paper. It is individual, it is so important. I also think every person's definition of voice is different because it is something that only belongs to you. In my opinion, Elbow's definition is slightly different than mine. He says it is more about how a person sounds and the ability to make the writing feel audible to  your audience.

Applying and Exploring:

1. Sincerity is a soft way in approaching writing in which you show caring and thoughtfulness. Resonance is a piece of writing, piratically small that adds a change or special thought to a piece. I have never even heard of these two types of writing styles so it's hard to tell if I fully understand them, which I'm pretty sure I don't. I do struggle with the grip of them, therefore I can say I don't think I have used them unless it was by accident. Although as Elbow explains that resonant can be a hole or crack in writing, it could be a good thing I don't know what these are because I've never been confronted for them.

Connecting to Other Readings:

1. Kliene says that he did approach his writing at one point as a scientific approach, he did the research, he got the results and realized the implications. He also argues that when you approach writing through this scientific voice your in a gathering mood, constantly learning as you gather new information and creatively research. When Elbow says that voice is inherently rhetorical and that we use it to make specific arguments, he's saying that we use our own voice to guide us through our writing. It helps your learn about yourself and enjoy your writing so you can write a paper that truly gives your own voice.