Blog Post 4

I. Summary

Margaret Kantz creates a hypothetical character named Shirley. Shirley is a sophomore in college who is very intelligent, but like many other undergraduate students faces difficulties in writing original arguments. Shirley is assigned to write an original argument and receives a C-. She is not happy with her grade so she consults a friend named Alice. Alice excels in english therefore she can give Shirley helpful tips to writing an effective paper. She explains to Shirley that writing an original argument is not just presenting the facts, but you always have to talk about the sources or the material to make an original argument an effective one.

II. Conversation 

Like the first article we read in class, Kantz and Greene see argument as conversation. They both talk about the importance of knowing how to argue to make valid points when writing a paper. One must be able to receive feedback from the readers and provide further information to back up and validate there argument. So in this respect Greene and Kantz view argument as a conversation between two or more people and the two authors share the same underlying theme in their articles.


III. Assigned exercises

1.) Q: Kantz writes that Shirley "believes that facts are what you learn from text books, opinions are what you have about clothes, and arguments are what you have with your mother when you want to stay out late at night" (paragraph 28). What does Kantz contend that facts, opinions, and arguments actually are?

A: Kantz contends that facts are a claim that the audience will accept as the truth without requiring proof , although they may ask for an explanation. An opinion is a claim that an audience will not accept as being true without proof. Even after proof is established the reader may have facts to debate the opinion. Argument, according to Kantz "may be questioned by the audience and must be supported with further argument".

2.) Q: Make a list of the things Kantz says students don't know, misunderstand, or don't comprehend about how texts work. Judging from your own experience,  do you think she's correct ? How many of the things she lists do you feel you understand now?

A: Kantz feels that students do not know how to read looking past the story. In other words we are not getting all the information out of the texts that would could be getting. She also thinks that students disregard factual differences and falsely conclude there is only one right answer. Finally, Knatz thinks that students don't understand the concept behind the writers motive to why it is they are writing what they are writing. I do feel she is correct. In my personal observations I find myself reading text as a story and look for the main idea,  and the topic of the text. I also find my self just reading the words without getting anything out of the text.

 3.) Q: As its title indicates, Kantz's article has to do with using sources persuasively. Did her article teach you anything new about the persuasive use of sources to support an argument? If so, what?

A: Kantz's article enlightened me in many different ways. Reading sources rhetorically gives students like and my peers a very persuasive analysis on the subject matter. Reading rhetorical analysis allows us as students to actually understand the sources and  the subject matter instead of just summarizing the main points of the sources and the reading.


4.) Q: Do you think Kantz contradicts herself when she says that we should think of sources neither as stories nor as repositories of truth? explain why or why not.

A: Kantz does not contradict her because when she says that we should think of sources neither as stories nor repositories of truth because Kantz wants to get across is that sources are not just informative, they need to be looked into with more depth and detail to pull out information that is not just presented to you.You have to dig and search deeper to find important information to use in your original argument.

5.) Which of the students in Kantz article do you most identify with, and why?
A: I would identify myself to be like Shirley. I, like Shirley am a very intellectual person. But i understand that I still have a long way to go in growing as a writer, reader, and overall student. I came to college to further my education and to become a more rounded individual by being in a more diverse school filled with different people and different experiences. Like Shirley I tend to not think as deep as Alice. After college is over I hope that I can say differently.

6.) Q:

A: Kantz ideas and tips about using sources have changed my approach to researching and using sources effectively. This article makes me want to dive deeper into my reading. Instead of just skimming the "top" of the information presented to me i will dig and find new information from the text that I other wise would have never thought to do.


IV. Reflection

I found Kantz article to be somewhat helpful. I think that hearing about different ways to use sources effectively to write original arguments is an important tool to have when writing a paper. I also found this article to be related to one of the previous articles we read by Greene. Kantz and Greene both speak of argument as a type of conversation. Using sources effectively to show your stance in an argument throughout an entire paper can make any argument much clearer and valid. Connecting to your reader through these sources can also play a big role in the effectiveness of you paper and argument.