Week 4
Activities for the week:
~Reading about reading and writing, specifically about annotation and quoting.
~Reading articles, then quoting and connecting them, putting the info about quoting into practice.
Reading about reading and writing (Part 1):
Watch: On Annotation:
Read and annotate (see video above on annotation to review what this means):
- They Say I Say Chapter 3 about The Art of Quoting. (Find under the resources tab)
- Chapter 3 “Exploring Connections Through Reading” p. 7 in the book
What good advice might you try? I want you to use the advice about using a “relationship ‘signal phrase’” to lead into quotes.
- Read more on signal phrases: suggested ways to introduce quotations
Putting the info about quoting into practice (Part 2).
Remember to read for:
What? (what the author is saying, what is going on etc. This is also known as summary)
How (how is the author writing and getting his/her message across also known as rhetorical or genre analysis ) and Why? (why the author is writing and what the purpose is). You can also think about Who? Who is the author writing to? Why do you think this?
READING
1) Read and annotate:
“The Anatomy of The Other”
by former MMC instructor Matthew William McCarter. (Notice my short introduction of him, which included: the title, a bit about him and his name!)
Read: more on McCarter here (a short preview about him to give you some context):
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1212594.William_Matthew_McCarter
Can you see anything in his background to help you see why he cares to write and think about “the other”? What is he saying is the problem with othering?
2) Read:
The “Other Side” is Not Dumb
by Sean Blanda
What is his message? Why is he writing? How did he get his message across? What appeals did he use? What did you notice that relates to last week?
WRITING
Discussion Forum.
Write: A few paragraphs in which you summarize and respond to Blanda and McCarter. What can you say about their ideas? Also, can you connect them in some way? Yes, they both used the word “other” but can you go beyond that? Why is this an important enough concept for the authors to write about? Why should people in the world care about this?
Things to do:
- Include quotations, with signal phrases.
- Summarize (can do within paragraphs. In other words you do not need to have a summary paragraph, then a response paragraph, you can blend this together)
In the summary, try to explain what key idea each author is working on with a short summary of the purpose…why the author wants readers to hear or what he wants readers to do with his idea. Remember, to introduce the authors and articles, which we read about above.
- Respond: Include your thoughts and responses to make a point of your own. Try to have a couple of points of response. Try to start a paragraph with your idea instead of with an idea from an author
—————————————————
Respond to two others:
1- The Other Side
by
Taniya Laury
– Saturday, September 26, 2020, 3:41 PM In my opinion, yes, both articles include their definition of “other”. But the meaning of it is deeper than it just being a verb. Reading between the lines of the context in “The Anatomy of the Other” it speaks in terms of different types of us vs. them. Such as racial, ethnic, social statuses, gender, and sexual orientation. For example, with me being an African American woman I find it easier being friends or even finding partnership within my own race and I can only assume it’s the same with other races as well.
On the other hand, “The ‘Other Side’ is not Dumb” is more of a you vs. me environment. Author Sean Blanda used an illistration for more understanding of his “other”. It shows similar castles, buildings, and boats but one side see’s their side as a lower degraded version when the other side see’s it as better and very rich. But why ? I assume the author wanted us to imagine that people could have unexpected feelings on certain things withtin their circle of people they normally hang out with, which should be perfectly fine right ? in some casses it isnt .
In conclusion both authors have a huge concern with their “other”. In terms of “Anatomy of the Other” I believe this is a global issue when it shouldn’t be. Author, William Mcarter belived this was more stereotyping than anything. “The Other Side is not Dumb” is more focused on the other peron not being aware of the damge they could cause just because theybcant agree on one thing. I agree with both authors and I enjoyed how they both came arcoss within their articles .
2-
Other Ways to Say Otherby
Kody Blades
– Tuesday, September 22, 2020, 10:42 AM
As I was reading “The Other Side Is Not Dumb” written by Sean Blanda, at first I was shocked with her choice of words. She uses words we really wouldn’t here in a regular article and I believe that is what made her article really connect and stand out to me more than the other one. Blanda explains in her article how we may look at things differently than someone else might and our first thought is we shouldn’t ignore them we should listen and see what they have to say. I agree when she states in paragraph 7 that “When someone communicates that they are not “on our side” our first reaction is to run away or dismiss them as stupid”, beacuse that is true for example, with the election coming up everyone is either pro Trump or pro Biden but I believe the voters rather there republican or democrat dont listen to what the other side has to say. As people we can have our own opinion but we should at least hear what the other person or side has to say before we start treating them any differently. Another example is people who support cops and those who don’t, someone may say they don’t support them and we are fast to defend them but they might have a reason that could make sense to the other side but we are so quick to judge people that we don’t know where they are coming from.
As I was reading “The Anatomy of the Other” by William McCarter I noticed a whole different word choice. I noticed how McCarter put more explanation in his article rather than Blanda. I believe McCarter was trying to tell us that the term “Other” has more than just a definition of difference. I do agree with McCarter when he states that “The Other is defined by difference” because everyone knows if there a difference then you believe one thing while “another” believes different. I think this concept is important to write about because we have a lot of disputes in the world right now and I believe it would be a great topic for students to research and realize there is a lot of differences in the world that we may not be able to see.
TH REE
“As HE HIMSELF PUTS IT”
The Art of Quoting
—@r-
A KEY PREMISE of this book is that to launch an effective
argument you need to write the arguments of others into your
text. One of the best ways to do so is by not only summarizing
what “they say,” as suggested in Chapter 2, but by quoting their
exact words. Quoting someone else’s words gives a tremendous
amount of credibility to your summary and helps ensure that it
is fair and accurate. In a sense, then, quotations function as a
kind of proof of evidence, saying to readers: “Look, I’m not just
making this up. She makes this claim and here it is in her exact
words.”
Yet many writers make a host of mistakes when it comes to
quoting, not the least of which is the failure to quote enough
in the first place, if at all. Some writers quote too little
perhaps because they don’t want to bother going back to the
original text and looking up the author’s exact words, or because
they think they can reconstruct the author’s ideas from mem
ory. At the opposite extreme are writers who so overquote that
they end up with texts that are short on commentary of their
own-maybe because they lack confidence in their ability to
comment on the quotations, or because they don’t fully under
4 2
The An of Quoting
stand what they’ve quoted and therefore have trouble explain
ing what the quotations mean.
But the main problem with quoting arises when writers
assume that quotations speak for themselves. Because the
meaning of a quotation is obvious to them, many writers assume
that this meaning will also be obvious to their readers, when
often it is not. Writers who make this mistake think that their
job is done when they’ve chosen a quotation and inserted it
into their text. They draft an essay, slap in a few quotations,
and whammo, they’re done.
Such writers fail to see that quoting means more than sim
ply enclosing what “they say” in quotation marks. In a way,
quotations are orphans: words that have been taken from their
original contexts and that need to be integrated into their new
textual surroundings. This chapter offers two key ways to pro
duce this sort of integration: (1) by choosing quotations wisely,
with an eye to how well they support a particular part of your
text, and (2) by surrounding every major quotation with a frame
explaining whose words they are, what the quotation means,
and how the quotation relates to your own text. The point we
want to emphasize is that quoting what “they say” must always
be connected with what you say.
QUOTE RELEVANT PASSAGES
Before you can select appropriate quotations, you need to have
a sense of what you want to do with them-that is, how they
will support your text at the particular point where you insert
them. Be careful not to select quotations just for the sake of
demonstrating that you’ve read the author’s work; you need to
make sure they support your own argument.
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T H 1< f. E "As HE HIMSELF PUTS IT"
However, finding relevant quotations is not always easy. In
fact, sometimes quotations that were initially relevant to your
argument, or to a key point in it, become less so as your text
changes during the process of writing and revising. Given the
evolving and messy nature of writing, you may sometimes think
that you’ve found the perfect quotation to support your argu
ment, only to discover later on, as your text develops, that your
focus has changed and the quotation no longer works. It can be
somewhat misleading, then, to speak of finding your thesis and
finding relevant quotations as two separate steps, one coming
after the other. When you’re deeply engaged in the writing and
revising process, there is usually a great deal of back-and-forth
between your argument and any quotations you select.
FRAME EVERY QUOTATION
Finding relevant quotations is only part of your job; you also
need to present them in a way that makes their relevance and
meaning clear to your readers. Since quotations do not speak
for themselves, you need to build a frame around them in which
you do that speaking for them.
Quotations that are inserted into a text without such a frame
are sometimes called “dangling” quotations for the way they’re
left dangling without any explanation. One fonner graduate
teaching assistant we worked with, Steve Benton, calls these
“hit-and-run” quotations, likening them to car accidents in
which the driver speeds away and avoids taking responsibil
ity for the dent in your fender or the smashed tai llights, as in
Figure 4.
On the following page is a typical hit-and-run quotation
by a writer responding to an essay by the feminist philoso
4 4
The An of Quoting
DO~’T 8E AHIT-AND-RUN QUOTER.
If.:
~ ~ ‘;.~~ ~ \”i\>
~~~-‘~:?~~
~
GG
FIC;URE 4
pher Susan Bordo, who laments that media pressures on young
women to diet are spreading to previously isolated regions of
the world like the Fiji islands.
Susan Bordo writes about women and dieting. “Fiji is juSt one exam
ple. Until television was introduced in 1995, the islands had no
reported cases of eating disorders. In 1998, three years after pro
grams from the United States and Britain began broadcasting there,
62 percent of the girls surveyed reponed dieting.”
I think Bordo is right. Another point Bordo makes is that….
Since this writer fails to introduce the quotation adequately or
explain why he finds it worth quoting, readers will have a hard
time reconstructing what Bordo argued. Besides neglecting to
say who Bordo is or even that the quoted words are hers, the
writer does not explain how her words connect with anything
he is saying or even what she says that he thinks is !,O “right.”
He simply abandons the quotation in his haste to zoom on to
another point.
4 5
1 ” 11 I “As HE HIMSELF PUTS IT”
To adequately frame a quotation, you need to insert it into
what we like to call a “quotat io n sandwich,” with the state
ment introducing it serving as the top slice o f bread and the
explanation following it serv ing as the bo tto m slice. The intro
ductory or lead-in claims should explain who is speaking a nd
set up what the quo tation says; the fo llow-up statements sho uld
explain why you conside r the quotation to be important and
what you take it to say.
TEMPLATES FOR INTRODUCING QUOTATIONS
• X states, “not all s terOid s. s.h91,Jld Q~ b~ nnecj frQm .spQrts.”
• As the prominent philosopher X puts it, U
• According to X, U
• X himself writes, ”
• I n her book, , X maintains that”
• Writing in the Journal Commentary, X complains that ”
• In X’s view, ”
• X ag rees when she writes, ”
• X disagrees when he writes, ”
• X complicates matters further when -s he writes, ”
TEMPLATES FOR EXPLAINING QUOTATIONS
The o ne piece o f advice about quo ting that o ur students say
they find most helpful is to get in the habit of follOWing every
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The Art of Quoting
majo r quotation by explaining what it means, USing a template
like one of the ones below.
• BaSically, X is wa rning that. the proposed solution wi ll on ly make
th~. J?rQblem worse.
• In other word s, X believes
• In making this comment , X urges us to
• X is co rrobora ting the age-old adage th at
• X’s point is that ____.
• The essence of X’s argument is th at
When offering such explanatio ns, it is impo rtant to use lan
guage that accurately reflects the sp irit of the quoted passage.
It is quite serviceable to write “Bordo states” o r “asserts” in
introducing the quotation about Fiji. But given the fact See pp. 39-40
tha t Bordo is clearly a larmed by the ex te nsio n of the for a list of
media’s reach to Fij i, it is far more accura te to use lan- action verb~
“B did I ” for summanz· guage t 1a t I reflects her a Iarm: o r 0 is a anne t 1at . h
” . d ‘ b db” ” I ‘” mg w ato r [s [stur e y or comp all1s. others say.
Consider, for example, how the ea rlier passage o n
Bordo might be revised using some o f these moves.
The feminist philosopher Susan Bordo deplores Western media’s
obsession with female thinness and dieting. Her basic complaint is
that increasing numbers of women across the globe are being led
[0 see themsel ves as fat and in need of a diet. Ci ting the islands of
Fiji as a case in point, Bordo notes that “until television was intro
duced in 1995, the islands had no reported cases of eat ing disor
ders. In 1998, three years after programs from the United States
4 7
-H ‘ “As HE HIMSELF PUTS IT”
and Britain began broadcasting there, 62 percent of the girls sur
veyed reported dieting” (149-50). Bordo’s poim is that the West
ern cult of dieting is spreading even to remote places across the
globe. Ultimately, Bordo complains, the culture of dieting will find
you, regardless of where you live.
Bordo’s observations ring true to me because, now that I think
about it, most women I know, regardless of where they are from,
are seriously unhappy with their weight. . ..
This framing of the quotation not only better integrates Bordo’s
words into the writer’s text, but also serves to demonstrate the
writer’s interpretation of what Bordo is saying. While “the fem
inist philosopher” and “Bordo notes” provide information that
readers need to know, the sentences that follow the quotation
build a bridge between Bordo’s words and
those of the writer.
The reference to 62 percent of Fijian girls dieting is no longer
an inert statistic (as it was in the flawed passage presented
earlier) but a quantitative example of how “the Western cult
of dieting is spreading … across the globe.” Just as impor
tant, these sentences explain what Bordo is saying in the
writer’s own words-and thereby make clear that the quota
tion is being used purposefully to set up the writer’s own argu
ment and has not been stuck in just for padding the essay or
the works-cited list.
BLEND THE AUTHOR’S WORDS
.WITH YOUR OWN
The above framing material also works well because it accu
rately represents Bordo’s words while giving those words the
writer’s own spin. Notice how the passage refers several times
4 8
The Art of Quoting
to the key concept of dieting, and how it echoes Bordo’s ref
erences to “television” and to U.S. and British “broadcasting”
by referring to “culture,” which is further specified as “West
ern.” Instead of simply repeating Bordo word for word, the
follow-up sentences echo just enough of her language while still
moving the discussion in the writer’s own direction. In effect,
the framing creates a kind of hybrid mix of Bordo’s words and
those of the writer.
CAN You OVERANALYZE A QUOTATION?
But is it possible to overexplain a quotation? And how do you
know when you’ve explained a quotation thoroughly enough?
After all, not all quotations require the same amount of
explanatory framing, and there are no hard-and-fast rules for
knowing how much explanation any quotation needs. As a gen
eral rule, the most explanatory framing is needed for quotations
that may be hard for readers to process: quotations that are long
and complex, that are filled with details or jargon, or that con
tain hidden complexities.
And yet, though the particular situation usually dictates when
and how much to explain a quotation, we will still offer one piece
of advice: when in doubt, go for it. It is better to risk being overly
explicit about what you take a quotation to mean than to leave
the quotation dangling and your readers in doubt. Indeed, we
encourage you to provide such explanatory framing even when
writing to an audience that you know to be familiar with the
author being quoted and able to interpret your quotations on their
own. Even in such cases, readers need to see how you interpret
the quotation, since words–especially those of controversial fig
ures–can be interpreted in various ways and used to support dif
4 9
1-1 f? r “As HE HIMSELF PUTS IT”
ferent, sometimes opposing, agendas. Your readers need to see
what you make of the material you’ve quoted, if only to be sure
that your reading of the material and theirs is on the same page.
How NOT TO INTRODUCE QUOTATIONS
We want to conclude this chapter by surveying some ways not
to introduce quotations. Although some writers do so, you
should not introduce quotations by saying something like
“Orwell asserts an idea that” or “A quote by Shakespeare says.”
Introductory phrases like these are both redundant and mis
leading. In the first example, you could write either “Orwell
asserts that” or “Orwell’s assertion is that,” rather than redun
dantly combining the two. The second example misleads read
ers, since it is the writer who is doing the quoting, not
Shakespeare (as “a quote by Shakespeare” implies).
The templates in this book will help you avoid such mis
takes. Once you have mastered templates like “as X puts it,” or
“in X’s own words,” you probably won’t even have to think
about them-and will be free to focus on the challenging ideas
that templates help you frame.
Exercises
1. Find a published piece of writing that quotes something that
“they say.” How has the writer integrated the quotation into
his or her own text? How has he or she introduced the quo
tation, and what, if anything, has the writer said to explain
it and tie it to his or her own text? Based on what you’ve read
in this chapter, are there any changes you would suggest?
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The Art of Quoting
2. Look at something you have written for one of your classes.
Have you quoted any sources] If so, how have you integrated
the quotation into your own text? How have you introduced
it? Explained what it means? Indicated how it relates to your
text? If you haven’t done all these things, revise your text
to do so, perhaps using the Templates for Introducing Quo
tations (p. 46) and Explaining Quotations (pp. 46-47) . If
you’ve not written anything with quotations, try revising
some academic text you’ve written to do so.
5 1
1 Vii r . “HER POINT Is”
had equated “patriotism with shopping. Maxing out you r credit
cards at the mall wasn’t se lf indulgence, it was a way to get
back at Osama bin Laden.” S loan’s summary leaves no doubt
where he stands-he considers Bush’s proposal ridiculous, or at
least too simple.
USE SIGNAL VERBS THAT FIT THE ACTION
In introducing summaries, try to avoid bland formulas like “she
says,” or “they believe.” Though language like this is sometimes
serviceable enough, it often fa ils to reflect accurately what’s been
sa id . In some cases, “he says” may even drain the passion Out of
the ideas you’re summarizing.
We suspect that the habit of ignoring the action in what we
summarize stems from the mistaken belief we mentioned ear
lier that writing is about playing it safe and not making waves,
a matter of piling up truths and bits of knowledge rather than
a dynamic process of doing things to and with other people.
People who wouldn’t hesitate to say “X totally misrepresented,”
“attacked,” or “loved” something when chatting with friends
will in their writing often opt for far tamer and even less accu
rate phrases like “X sa id .”
But the authors you summarize at the college leve l se ldom
simply “say” or “discuss” things; they “urge,” “emphas ize,” and
“complain about” them. David Zinczenko, for example ,
doesn’t just say that fast-food companies con tribute to obesity;
he complairu or protests that they do; he challenges, chastises, and
indicts those companies. The Declaration of Independence
doesn’t just talk about the treatment of the colonies by the
British; it prOtests agairut it. To do justice to the authors you
3 8
The An of Summarizing
cite, we recommend that when summarizing—or when intro
ducing a quotation- you use vivid and precise signal verbs as
often as possible. Though “he says” or “she be lieves” wi ll some
times be the most appropriate language for the occasion, your
text will often be more accurate and lively if you tailo r your
verbs to sllit the precise actions you’re describing.
TEMPLATES FOR INTRODUCING
SUMMARIES AND QUOTATIONS
• She advocates a radi,ca l revisi.on of th,e juvenile j!)stice system.
• They celebrate the fact that
• , he admits.
VERBS FOR INTRODUCING
SUMMARIES AND QUOTATIONS
VERBS FOR MAKING A CLAIM
argue insist
assert observe
believe remind us
claim report
emphasize suggest
VERBS FOR EXPRESSING AGREEMENT
acknowledge endorse
admire extol
agree praise
3 9
http:revisi.on
r v,,’ 0 “HER POINT Is”
VERBS FOR EXPRESSING AGREEMENT
celebrate the fact that reaffirm
corroborate support
do not deny verify
VERBS FOR QUESTIONING OR DISAGREEING
complain qualify
complicate question
contend refute
contradict reject
deny renounce
deplore the tendency to repudiate
VERBS FOR MAKING RECOM M EN DATIONS
advocate implore
call for plead
demand recommend
encourage urge
exhort warn
Exercises
1. To get a feel for Peter Elbow’s “believing game,” write a sum
mary of some belief that you strongly disagree with. Then
write a summary of the position that you actually hold on
this topic. Give both summaries to a classmate or two, and
see if they can tell which position you endorse. If you’ve suc
ceeded, they won’t be able to tell.
4 0
The Art of Summarizing
2. Write two different summaries of David Zinczenko’s “Don’t
Blame the Eater” (pp. 195- 97). Write the first one for an
essay arguing that, contrary to what Zinczenko claims, there
are inexpensive and convenient alternatives to fast-food
restaurants , Write the second for an essay that questions
whether being overweight is a genuine medical problem
rather than a problem of cultural stereotypes. Compare your
two summaries: though they are about the same article, they
should look very different.
4 1
Developed by Amanda Hardman for the Writing Center @ RRCC, 2019 1
What is quotation analysis?
Quotation analysis refers to the process of fully integrating source material into our own writing by (1)
signaling to the reader that source material is coming; (2) providing the source material; and (3)
interpreting or analyzing the source material to make meaning. Using full quotation analysis ensures that
we are balancing source material with our own authorial voices and helping our readers understand how
the source material fits into our overall argument.
Process
There are three steps to quotation analysis.
Step 1: Introduce and provide source material (quotation).
Lamott, for one, calls perfectionism “the voice of the oppressor” (28).
Step 2: Explain the quotation in your own words (comprehension).
In its revulsion to making mistakes or offering arguments that don’t ultimately pan out,
perfectionism can actually be harmful to the writing process.
Step 3: Respond to the quotation (full integration into your point via explanation).
There is reason to be wary. . . . Its “oppressive” nature chokes out experimentation of both ideas
and language that would encourage and even elicit our best ideas in drafting.
Complete Example with MLA Citation
Some people take pride in perfectionism, but there is reason to be wary; Lamott, for one, calls
perfectionism “the voice of the oppressor” (28). In its revulsion to making mistakes or offering arguments
that don’t ultimately pan out, perfectionism can actually be harmful to the writing process. Its
“oppressive” nature chokes out experimentation of both ideas and language that would encourage and
even elicit our best ideas in drafting.
MLA Works Cited entry:
Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Pantheon Books, 1994.
Developed by Amanda Hardman for the Writing Center @ RRCC, 2019 2
Analyze Process
It is important to follow the quotation analysis process and provide credit to your source whether you use
a direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary. To practice, use the instructions below to analyze (= break
into parts) the examples of quotation analysis that follow. Can you identify all three steps of quotation
analysis? If you have trouble, check with a tutor for further support.
Step 1: Introduce and provide source material (quotation). [ . . . . ]
Step 2: Explain the quotation in your own words (comprehension). ( . . . . )
Step 3: Respond to the quotation (full integration into your point via explanation). 😊😊 . . . . 😊😊
Example with MLA Citation
Direct quote: Seth Godin writes that “[p]ersistent people are unable to visualize the idea of light at the
end of the tunnel when others can’t see it. At the same time, the smartest people are realistic about not
imagining light when there isn’t any” (55). That is, success has a lot to do with accurately reading a
situation to determine whether continued efforts will pay off. In the home stretch of a semester, it is
tempting to give up, which makes it essential to remember that Week 13 is almost 90% of the way
through the journey. The light at the end of the tunnel is in sight.
Paraphrase: According to Seth Godin, tenaciousness is about keeping sight of the finish line, even when
that end point is not clear to other people; however, it’s also important to be honest with oneself about
how close the finish line actually is (55). That is, success has a lot to do with accurately reading a
situation to determine whether continued efforts will pay off. In the home stretch of a semester, it is
tempting to give up, which makes it essential to remember that Week 13 is almost 90% of the way
through the journey. The finish line is in sight.
Summary: In The Dip, Seth Godin argues that success is about discerning the right time to quit and the
right time to push through an obstacle on the path of achieving a goal. That is, success has a lot to do with
accurately reading a situation to determine whether continued efforts will pay off. In the home stretch of a
semester, it is tempting to give up, which makes it essential to remember that Week 13 is almost 90% of
the way through the journey. The finish line is in sight.
Source citation:
Godin, Seth. The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick). Portfolio, 2007.
Challenge for Drafting:
Create a citation for one of your sources:
Quote and page # (if you paraphrase, you still need to cite the author’s idea):
Your quotation analysis example:
- Quotation Analysis for Source Use
What is quotation analysis?
Process
Complete Example with MLA Citation
Analyze Process
Example with MLA Citation
Challenge for Drafting: