Reading Journal #2
Citation
Gee, James. “What Is Literacy?” Journal of Education, vol. 171,
no. 1, 1989, pp. 18-25.
Summary
The narrator, James Gee, is a linguist with distaste for the common accepted meaning of the word “discourse”. He explains that discourses are like specific sub-sections of society or certain groups of identities. One must be of specific ideological stance without doubt to be a part of a discourse. Gee then makes an important distinction clear regarding acquisition and learning. Learning allows someone to be able to teach what they have learned to another person while knowledge obtained through acquisition isn’t easily taught. With acquisition an individual is unable to explain exactly how they do something. The most accepted definition of literacy is being able to read and write. Gee closes by stressing the importance of allowing children to gain skills and knowledge through acquisition as it allows them to have useful applications of their skills rather than verbal but not cognitive intelligence.
Important Terms or Concepts
Discourse: a socially accepted association among ways of using language, of thinking, and of acting that can be used to identify oneself as a member of a socially meaningful group or “social network”
Acquisition: a process of acquiring something subconsciously by exposure to models and a process of trial and error, without a process of formal teaching
Learning: a process that involves conscious knowledge gained through teaching, though not necessarily from someone officially designated a teacher
Oral mode: the way we speak to people we are close with, determined by our cultural background
Literacy: control of secondary uses of language
Dominant Literacy: control of a secondary use of language in a “dominant discourse”
Powerful Literacy: control of a secondary use of language in a secondary discourse that can serve as a meta-discourse to critique the primary discourse or other secondary discourses, including dominant discourse.
Connections
This reading passage connects to the passage “Inviting the Mother Tongue” by Peter Elbow because the different “tongues” that people speak in, due to the way that they were raised and how they are taught, are themselves discourses. They are ways of thinking and presenting oneself which is sectioned off by culture and various other characteristics of one’s background.
Extra notes regarding the Reading Journal 2 summary:
My process for reading journals is typically to cite the source first, read over all of the questions, and then complete the answers as I read through. In all of my reading journals, I have found that I summarize and analyze far too much and go way over the 150 word limit. Below is an unedited, uncut version of my Reading Journal 2 summary.
The narrator, James Gee, is a linguist with distaste for the common accepted meaning of the word “discourse”. I, for one, admit that I use the word discourse in a way which does not align with James’ definition. He explains that discourses are like specific sub-sections of society; discourses are certain groups of people or identities. Gee states that discourses have gate keeping built into them. One must be of specific ideological stance without doubt to be a part of a discourse. Discourses also rely on the presence of other opposing discourses to define themselves as a discourse. They also “marginalize viewpoints” of separate discourses and, lastly, can be separated by social standing or sophistication. Gee then makes an important distinction clear regarding the words acquisition and learning. Learning allows someone to be able to teach what they have learned to another person while knowledge obtained through acquisition isn’t easily taught. With acquisition however, an individual may not be able to explain how it is that they do something, but they will be better at the act than someone who was strictly taught. The most accepted definition of literacy is, as Gee points out, being able to read and write. People of different cultures and economic standing speak differently with people they are close with. After quite the preceding amount of information, Gee is able to claim that literacy is the control of secondary uses of language such as speaking to a professor or coworker, but not necessarily someone with whom you are close. Gee closes by stressing the importance of allowing children to gain skills and knowledge through acquisition as it allows them to have useful applications of their skills rather than verbal but not cognitive intelligence.
Extra extra notes
James Gee's piece What is Literacy has been the singular course reading which I have referenced over and over again. His definition of discourse has helped me to create my major papers, solidify my discussions, and make connections in future reading journals. I have used the term discourse countless times in this class using Gee's definition and it has helped me to analyze my own writing and the discourses that I participate in.
Reading Journal #3
Citation
Brandt, Deborah. “The Sponsors of Literacy.” College Composition
and Communication, vol. 49, no. 2, 1998, pp. 166-173.
Summary
Literacy is a part of our everyday lives and economy. Without what Brandt names “Sponsors of Literacy”, our own literacy tendencies would be drastically different. Sponsors of Literacy, regardless of their intentions, shape the literacy of all people. When Brandt interviewed people on their sponsors of literacy, she found that while many sponsors were family members or teachers, other sponsors were books, media, toys, and other commercial forms. In order to make a larger profit, companies were taking advantage of reading and writing. Literacy is a highly valued commodity which explains why parents and teachers go to such lengths to help their children be as literate as possible. Brandt then details the experiences of several individuals with their sponsors of literacy. While reading this passage, I thought back on my literacy sponsors such as a neighbor who used to give me stacks of books to read for different prizes.
Important Terms or Concepts
Sponsors of Literacy: any agents, local or distant, concrete or abstract, who enable, support, teach, or model, as well as recruit, regulate, suppress, or withhold literacy -- and gain advantage by it in some way.
Literacy’s Material: the things that accompany writing and reading and the ways they are manufactured and distributed.
Connections
This article makes an important point that ties into James Gee’s article “What is Literacy?”. While Gee emphasized that teaching children at a young age was of the utmost importance, Brandt recognized the different intentions from different sponsors which lead to learning of literacy in children.
Notes
Deborah Brandt's writing on sponsors greatly aided me in the production of my first major paper. Not only did I reference her often in class discussions and future reading journals, but I used her definition of sponsor to clarify a large portion of my essay. This specific course reading has been quite useful in application.
Reading Journal #5
Citation
Grant-Davie, Keith. “Rhetorical Situations and Their Constituents.” JSTOR, vol.15, no. 2 ,
1997, pp. 264-278.
Summary
In this article, the author analyzes the way that other writers have defined certain terms such as rhetorical situation or exigence. He analyzes the specific authors Bitzer, Vatz, and Consigny. The fact is, the definitions of such words are widely disputed amongst writers, rhetors, and audiences. The author then discusses how rhetors and audiences can affect a rhetorical situation and how in all writing, the author is on some level likely considering the audience as they write to speak to a specific group and achieve a specific outcome. Audiences can be unknown to the author at the time at which they are writing their piece. Lastly, Grant-Davie touches on constraints. The definition of constraints is also widely debated amongst writers as some believe strengths are solely negative and others posit that constraints can be positive. Grant-Davie expresses that he believes constraints can be both positive and negative.
Important Terms or Concepts
Exigence: the rhetor’s sense that a situation both calls for discourse and may be resolved by discourse
Rhetorical situations: the context in which speakers or writers create rhetorical discourse
“Compound” rhetorical situations: discussions of a single subject by multiple rhetors and audiences
Connections
Not unlike author James Gee who wrote an article titled “What is Literacy?”, Grant-Davie discusses the purpose of discourse and what discourse can achieve within specific rhetorical situations. In order for exigence to exist, there must be discourse or discourses.
Notes
This source has been a useful tool in the creation of my second major paper. Grant-Davie's explanations of constraints, exigence, and audience have helped me to synthesize a more thorough rhetorical analysis on my own previous writing.
Reading Journal #7
Citation
Porter, James E. “Intertextuality and the Discourse Community.” Rhetoric Review, vol. 5, no.
1, 1986, pp. 34-47.
Summary
The author opens his argument with an example from an age old story about the greatest library in the world which burned down. According to the author, the man in the story who collects the remnants of books from the fire is a writer himself and the fragments are words. He uses this to explain how all writing relies on other writings in what is referred to as intertextuality. Even Thomas Jefferson relied heavily on the works of others in writing the famous Declaration of Independence. Different discourse communities have different styles and guidelines for rhetoric. In many discourse communities, the texts which people publish and share within the discourse actually have the ability to create a change in the audience. Intertextuality within a discourse community is something which teachers and professors alike should focus on in their teachings. To be successful as a rhetor, one must gear their intertextuality to fit within the discourse. It would not be acceptable for a Geology student to cite Barney as a credible source because it does not fit within the standards of the discourse community.
Important Terms or Concepts
Intertextuality: all rhetoric is interconnected and forms a web or network of literacy
Iterability: the “repeatability” of textual fragments
Presupposition: assumptions the text makes about its rhetorical situation
Discourse Community: a group of individuals bound by a common interest who communicate through approved channels and whose discourse is regulated
Pedagogy: teaching as an academic means
Connections
This reading strongly connects to James Gee’s piece What is Literacy? Both of these writings discuss the different effects and uses of discourse in and around rhetoric and rhetorical situations. This reading also uses the evidence of appeals in analyzing intertextuality like in Rebecca Jones’ Finding the Good Argument.
Notes
It is almost ironic that Porter's writing on intertextuality has become intertextual within my future writings. In various in class discussions and writings, I have referenced the intertextuality which Porter describes to explain different concepts in my rhetorical analyses.
Reading Journal #8
Citation
Dirk, Kerry. “Navigating Genres.” Writing Spaces: Readings on
Writing, vol. 1, 2010.
Summary
The author begins their essay with a joke about country music and explains that if one does not know much about the genre, they will not understand the joke. They explained how country songs are structured and how they form a genre in and of themselves. The author then breaks the fourth wall so to speak by letting us know how it was that they formulated this piece of writing. I found it interesting that the author was doing research on how to appeal to comp 1 students because the first thing I thought about the writing style was that it was easy-going and almost comforting, just like they were going for. Dirk’s notes on the way that we as members of society use genres every day is reminiscent of the way that we use discourses every day to achieve similar goals. In more words, Dirk explained how genres can overlap and how two works in one genre can tend to look quite dissimilar. Genres also tend to follow formulas as Dirk mentioned in the beginning regarding country songs.
Important Terms or Concepts
Genre: a repeating rhetorical situation which can be used to help people achieve goals
Connections
This reading reminds me a lot of James Gee’s writing “What is Literacy”. The term genre reminds me a lot of the word discourse as they both section off a particular form of rhetoric from all other rhetoric. When Dirk spoke about how people base their present responses on previous responses by other speakers, it reminded me of intertextuality and the way in which Porter described it.
Notes
I very much enjoyed Dirk's piece on genres because he wrote in such a way that was quite comforting to the audience: Composition 1 students. His words were not excessively pretentious, he was generally explanatory, and he found a way not to speak down upon the audience as if they are inferior. Not that any of the previous authors created a sense of inferiority in the reader, but rather that Dirk successfully leveled the playing field so that the reader was more likely to grasp the concepts that he was speaking about.
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