They Say, I Say Reading Response
In They Say, I Say, Chapters Two through Four, the focus on some of the skills of academic writing, specifically summarizing, quoting, and responding. Chapter Two, "Her Point Is" - The Art of Summarizing, suggests presenting others' arguments before offering a response, thus showing respect for the original text and the writer's own perspective. Chapter Three, "As He Himself Puts It" - The Art of Quoting, discusses the strategic use of quotations to strengthen arguments by choosing quotes judiciously and framing them in a way that supports the writer's thesis. Chapter Four, "Yes/No/Okay, But" - Three Ways to Respond, introduces the idea of nuance in responding to others' ideas by agreeing, disagreeing, or both, suggesting that complicated arguments can require one to see the merits of opposing viewpoints. These chapters overall indicated a need for a kind of dialogue with the text.
As I read these chapters, I was struck by the emphasis on this dialogical approach. The idea that good writing would involve a conversation with others' ideas was an "Aha!" moment for me, as I never really thought of it that way. These chapters got me to rethink how I engage with sources in my writing. Instead of simply citing them and moving on, I could be a better writing by actually engaging with them and talking to them as it were. It was particularly helpful to see how the authors recommend managing agreement and disagreement with sources.
Questions to ask are:
1. How can writers balance the need for respect and critical engagement when summarizing others' arguments without oversimplifying or being too deferential?
2. What strategy can be used to make sure quotes are effective and not just arbitrarily used?
3. How can writers use logic to point out holes in opposing arguments when the arguments are complexi.e., where do you start?
