They Say I Say Pg. 139-159

Summary: In chapter 11 of "They Say I Say" the authors educate us on how to have a proper and valuable in class discussion with our peers. The authors provides us with techniques to frame our comments in ways that refers to the person who spoke before and us and give opportunity for people to speak after us. When joining an in class discussion it is important to connect what you have to say to what your peers have already said. It is a good idea to refer to the person specifically when responding to a comment. Another way to add to the class discussion is to potentially change the subject completely. When doing this, you need to make it clear to the listeners that you are about to talk about a topic that has not been brought up. You also need to find a connection between the previous topic and your topic so the listeners will not see your comment as irrelevant. Chapter 12 of "They Say I Say" talks about what motivates an authors writing and the argument they are portraying. It is suggested that we read an authors argument as a response to other arguments and provokes more arguments to come. This helps the reader think critically and absorb the information even more. To decipher what exactly the authors argument is you must figure out what views the author is responding to and what their own view point is.

Quote #1: "Particularly important for class discussion is the point that our own ideas become more cogent and powerful the more responsive we are to others, and the more we frame our claims not in isolation but as responses to what others before us have said" (Pg 141).

In class discussions would not work without the meaningful comments from the students in the class. Contributing an opinion on a topic or presenting a new fact not previously mentioned in the discussion is crucial for creating a conversation. Responding to your peers is equally as important. This generates a conversation with the class and gives more opportunities for more opinions to be heard and potentially new information to be brought up.  

Quote #2: "Instead of thinking of the argument of a text as an isolated entity, they now thought of that argument as one that responded and provoked other arguments" (Pg 146).

I believe this is how everyone should interpret an authors argument when reading academic writing. Usually, arguments are a response to recently talked about subjects. An authors argument will provide the reader with background to that already talked about topic and present their own views and opinions. The argument is basically an author adding to a conversation.

Quote #3: "In other words, imagine the author as participating in an ongoing, multisided, conversation in which everyone is trying to persuade others to agree or at least to take his or her position seriously" (Pg 147).

I completely agree with this statement. When reading academic writing, keep in mind that the author is responding to an already talked about topic. They did not invent this topic but is just responding to the views and opinions of authors.

Questions: 
1. What if you want to talk about a completely new topic that no one has talked about yet? How do you present that argument?
2. Do you have to reference the specific arguments you are responding to in your own argument?
3. Are all academic writings an argument that responds to a larger conversation?