Kleine

Before Reading

In high school, it was drilled in us that we are to make sure to site every source that we use. I compared my last writing assignment that included sources with one of my roommates, and we found that we both used a school search engine to filter and sort out the "bad" sites and were able to use more qualified information. It is interesting to see how many people did not even know what an MLA sited paper entailed. From my freshman year in high school, I was always taught MLA and was told that this will be very important, especially once I was in college.

Questions for Discussion and Journaling

1. The way that Kleine goes about explaining how one researches definitely is not what I was expecting. I have done many research papers over the years, but never have I thought that there was a certain formula behind just how I am conducting my research. Finding information and sources always seemed like a two step process, but after reading about the "hunters" and "gatherers" it did not seem that simple anymore. Before, I would not have thought that I put that much into finding information for my papers, but now that the process has become apparent, I see that I do some of the same things that he was trying to observe with the different colleges. I do tend to pre write and when it comes to finding information, I focus on one thing, and search until I find it.

3. All of the colleagues loved the research and found what they were doing to be very interesting, not something that they just had to do. They had no problem finding sources because they set out to find something that they were interested in. That is where the line is drawn for a good research paper and a great one. When one is able to write about something that they truly have an interest in, the paper is going to have a lot more time spent on it, with a writer is knowledgeable due to the fact that there was a want to find the information for the paper. As for myself, I find that when I am not interested in a topic, I tend to not look at the facts as closely. In the past there have been certain papers that I loved to find information on and write about.

4. If I were to do what Klein talks about, I would spend even more time on validating sources and understanding more what it takes to really research a topic well. A lot of the time while researching, I try and find what I am looking for instead of going above and beyond and trying to branch from the topic. In this case, it would be more a combination of hunters and gatherers.

Synthesis

There article that Klein read is very similar to Greene, for both are giving good information on how to write a good, solid paper. Both show good tools on just exactly how to construct the best paper.

Summary

In the article, Klein describes his theory on how there is a formula that people use without realizing it while conducting a research paper. He describes how there is more to researching than meets the eye, and different people research in different way. He describes the hunter/gatherer concept, on top of several other theories that he has.

Thoughts

I found the article to be very interesting. I never thought that there was so many steps when it came to writing a research paper. I think that a few of his thoughts were over the top, but for the most part I could definitely see just exactly what he was talking about.

Allen

Getting Ready to Read

The way I define argument is two people having different views and disputing over the facts that they believe are more significant than those of the other. A lot of the time, when people do not agree about something, they call something an argument without hesitation. Arguments can spark from almost anything, though I feel that when an argument has many shades of gray, it is going to be hard to ever find an end or solution to that argument. In a more academic setting, I find an argument to rely more on solid facts with backed up sources so to ensure that the conflict did not rely just on one's opinion, but good solid facts that really showed good things on both sides. I find the difference between the two starts with the setting of both arguments. In an academic setting, the manner in which the argument is conducted will happen in a more sophisticated manner, while when the argument happens in the outside world, it is more likely to get out of hand. An academic setting allows the argument to rely more on facts than opinions, like it would in the outside world.

Summary

The article had to mostly do with using a conversational tone to better relate ones work to those who read it. Not only was the article on conversational tones but also the use of arguments and how instead of being biased, they can create a more comfortable setting where the person is able to explain their stance without sounding too harsh.

QD questions

2. Using the quote helps to better back up his stance on conversations that center around different arguments. Restating the quote also helps bring back the original quotes and points that Kenneth Burke first made. The extended quote mainly focused on the fact that many arguments have been an ongoing thing. There is no way to settle them because of all the areas of gray and the differing opinions of people. Depending on the person, the views and the points that are brought forward are going to be different from person to person. Writing a lot of the time centers around the writers opinions, therefore it is easy to fall into an argument, especially one that has already been started.

3. Framing is the angle that the writer is aiming for. The writer chooses a perspective to write from and continues to write from that perspective throughout the whole entire piece. Framing is very helpful for it allows the reader to understand exactly where the writer is coming from, which may also allow the reader to better judge wether or not the information is both accurate or more opinion based. Greene uses it to setup his point more powerfully and is able to get to the point quicker. Framing quickly allows for the writer to declare exactly where they are coming from so that the reader is not lost at all.

Applying and Exploring Ideas

2. I feel that the article does represent a conversation. The way the words flow on the page suggest more of a conversational manner, which allows the reader to feel more comfortable and informed. He frames his argument throughout the whole passage by showing knowledge and using other sources to better further his side of the argument and show an even broader range of knowledge. In "Argument as Conversation" I feel that Greene was able to "practice what he preaches" by showing that he took a specific stance and stuck with it, which is exactly what he had been dealing with when talking about framing and such throughout the entire passage.

My Thoughts

I found the reading to be very informative and helpful. Before, I never looked at an argument so closely, especially when it was in writing. Of course there had been the times where I had written argumentative essays and would go ahead and use framing without even really knowing that I was, but after fully understanding just how to set up these passages now, it becomes much easier to understand. Also, the excerpts used from other works helped me see it in different ways, which made it easier each time to understand.