Reading Response: Elbow

Elbow Questions

Summary

            In his article “Voice in Writing Again: Embracing Contraries” Peter Elbow attempts to advocate voice as a crucial and universally individualistic piece of the writing process. He argues that employing strong, sincere voice while writing will improve you as a writer drastically and that this should not be overlooked. Detractors and skeptics of voice suggest that voice is far too hard to display with sincerity. Even if there is voice in a piece, it is not the author’s true and honest one, they argue. Elbow argues that the goal of teaching writing is to develop the self, and not the writer. By becoming a better person, your writing becomes better as well.

Synthesis

           

            This article also reminds me of Greene’s theory of argument. With this idea of voice, and that it is idiosyncratic and different for every writer, I’m reminded of the listener sitting in the corner of the parlor, eventually graduating to the role of participant in the argument he’s been listening to so intently. He’ll bring a fresh perspective to the conversation, and he’ll present that perspective in a voice all his own. His ideas may share similarities with some of his peers, but the way he’ll convey these ideas will be different from everyone else in the room.

Pre-Reading

Option 2:        If I were permitted to write in first person for an academic assignment, I’d probably reach completion more quickly than if I were writing in third person. I’d be less concerned with the framing of each sentence, because writing in first person comes a lot more naturally than the removed, calculated third person format. It’d be easier to get my thoughts across in the way that they come to me originally, instead of having them, shaping them into a third person mold, and then constructing them textually.

Questions for Discussion and Journaling

1)        I define voice as the personal tinge, the subtle suggestion of individual opinion as a writer details the facts and happenings going on in his piece. In the past, I’ve encountered definitions of voice that basically touch on the same ideas as my definition. The common idea being that voice is the personal integrating with the concrete in order to form an intriguing, convincing and factually accurate argument. Elbow’s definition contains this idea as well.

2)        I believe that there are different types of infographics. Maps, for example, aren’t particularly personal. They simply display the location of things and how to get there. However, they can be personal, or contain personal agendas, if they are maps for business commodities, such as malls or multi-story buildings. They could lead you to parts of the store that have very high sales. I don’t agree with Elbow’s statement. Voice should be an integral part of the class, and should be practiced heavily.

Applying and Exploring Ideas

1)        Sincerity is the complete and undeniable clarity of one’s intentions or feelings.

            Resonance is the unadulterated way you feel about something, the sincere emotional affect something has on you, free of tampering or cloaked appreciation.

2)        When reading a piece of writing, tone has to be paid more attention to simply because you’re doing all the work: both reading and interpreting. Interpreting what’s being said and HOW it’s being said. When you listen to a piece of writing, you’re free to interpret more easily and thoughtfully. This is partly because tone is conveyed more easily when audible. There are cues in the voice of the reader that let you know how to feel. I feel that it is a tool one should implement when comprehending a piece of writing. Thinking about it, this argument for reading aloud advocates the medium of film, where tone is conveyed instantly, simply due to its audible and visual components.

Meta Moment

            I think that voice must be subtle. It has to be an undercurrent. If the voice in a piece is overly-present or too loud, it can distract the reader, and think that he’s reading someone’s opinion and their opinion only. This could lead to the reader being in a state of skepticism, even when reading cold, hard facts.

Personal Opinion

            The article was interesting to me because voice is something I need to read more about. For what I wish to do with my future, creating a voice that is strong and identifiable is essential. So reading these different opinions of voice proved to be quite helpful. That being said, I know this will come off as a little confusing, given what I just said immediately before this acknowledgement of my contradictory opinion, but this article also suffered from length. Maybe it’s just me, but these articles certainly seem to drone on as page after page is turned.