PB2B- Moves, What Are They?

Moves, What Are They?

The moves one makes in writing gives the piece a certain style, tone, and effectiveness. By examining the different moves authors use one can identify what works, what doesn’t and from their one can implement those strategies into their own work. Arguably, one already has some established preferences for their writing, but by diving to the why other moves work it might change one’s opinion and enhance their writing in the future.

The They Say, I Say template sheet there were many moves that I was able to identify in work but with some level of difference. For example, the template states “On one hand, I agree with X that…But on the other hand, I still insist that…” In Navigating Genres, Dirk uses a similar move when he writes “True, genres often have formulaic features, but these features can change even as the nature of genre remains (Dirk 253).” Dirks choice of agreeing with the previous statement from a different author instead of blatantly disagreeing with their opinion shows that Dirk is able to “compromise” with others ideas. This can make Dirk appear more knowledgeable because he can combine two ideas into one and share it in a collective way. I would say that is mildly effective because when reading the paper someone may agree more with the guy that he is arguing against instead of taking Dirks point of view.  

One of the moves that I noticed Dirk uses a “casual” tone in his piece. He uses phrases that would not necessarily be considered professional like starting a sentence with “And now for some bad news: (Dirk 255).” This colloquial saying works for this piece because of its intended audience, college students. This laidback approach to reach his audience can also be seen with his use of humor like when he relates to those who need to “bear with him” when he addresses country music. I would call this informality move “College Kickback” because this style of writing is appropriate in a setting for a chill audience compared to, let’s say, family dinner with the neighbors next door.

“Standard Views” as They Say, I Say calls it can be found in Teaching Two Kinds of Thinking. Elbow introduces the common view that “For one of the main things that hold us back from being as creative as we could be is fear of looking silly of being wrong (Elbow 61).” This follows the templates layout “It is often said that…” I really like this move because it brings attention to something that people do know but they may not consciously be aware of. The only drawback I could think of would be that since it is not back up with empirical data that it could easily be argued.

            A move that Elbow uses that I appreciate is how he defines the terms he uses within his text rather than them being asterisks that lead you to the bottom of the page. Early on in his essay he gives the definition of both first-order and second-order thinking (Elbow 55). I like that this is in the text because it makes the flow of the paper smoother because I get a solid idea of what he is talking about and can continue on with his piece that leads into his argument. If the definitions were at the bottom of the page it would have interrupted my reading. I would call this move “Avoid the Fine Print” because if this was a fine print I probably wouldn’t have read the definitions. By having the definitions in the text Elbow probably gets more people to read what he is saying.

            One of my biggest concerns while writing is pointing out the opposing point of view, in Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis Carroll is able to assert her knowledge while recognizing there is more than one side to her argument. I would say this falls under the category of “Agreeing–With a Difference” in They Say, I Say.  Carrol adds to statements that she agrees with but thinks there is more to it or varies depending on the situation like when she states “On the other hand, successful discourse often responds very well to the context (Carroll 55).” I find this move effective for me because I feel like it meets my needs of addressing as many issues as possible, but I can see where this could complicate the point one is trying to make by almost “proving” other people’s arguments.

            A move that Carroll does that I am not the biggest fan of is what I call “Hidden Treasure”. This piece was very helpful for me in WP1, it did so with the questions she asked within the text. I think these questions should have been the highlight of paper and separated from the paragraphs. I felt like I had to dig them out of the text in order for me to use them. There are questions spread out throughout almost all the paragraphs. The questions she included were effective but having them kind of embedded in the text made them difficult to use effectively.

            The essay “So What? Who Cares?” Saying Why It Matters by Seven includes many quotes from various authors Seven does a good job “Explaining Quotations” as They Say, I Say labels it. Instead of him just repeating what the quote is he refashions it and explains it so that it’ll work with the argument.

            Like I mentioned earlier I try to address the oppositions in almost everything I write and I would say Seven is preoccupied with this as well. I noticed that he includes varying phrases with the word “however”. For example, “Consider however…(Seven 94)” or “All too often, however…(Seven 92) and “In fact, however…(Seven 98)” I would not call these excessive because they serve a purpose but the fact that I was able to find that many examples are a little repetitive. I would call this the “I Want to Make Everyone Happy”.

            They Say, I Say has templates for “Disagreeing, With Reasons” one of which can be found in Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking.) Boyd follows the pattern of “By focusing on …, X overlooks…” when she is describing how her students were too focused on gory details of a coroner’s report instead of looking at the basic details (Boyd 92). I think this tool is effective because it tells the reader why it is wrong/causes problems instead of just blurting out their perspective.

            One quality about me that I believe I lack is creativity, which is found everywhere in Boyd’s piece. The most creative move I admire in her essay is the titles for her sections. I think my favorite title is “Learning How to Say Goodbye” (Boyd 94). I would argue that creativity is a quality everyone values and finds effective. The author states that she intentionally made the piece funny and informal and it is evident in the titles. This humor appeals to her intended audience of college students, but it also just makes the piece overall more enjoyable. I would call this move “DIY”.