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In this chapter of They Say/ I Say they talk a lot about supporting your argument and how you should start off by doing so. There are many powerful and different ways of opening up an argument. One of the ways is by opening with someone else’s opinion, which is something I usually lean towards, as I’m sure as many others do too. However as I read on I found it interesting how they said it is better to open up by using an illustrative quotation or a fact/statistic. But when doing so it is important that whatever quotation or fact you use helps express your view. You want your thesis to be clear and stand out. You want to be able to support it throughout what you are saying. I found it interesting how when you are presenting your own claims you should keep relating to what you say back to what they say. You want your idea to stay motivated. That’s something I never really thought about. I thought it was important to keep what you are saying organized. Having that order allows for your audience to stay engaged and not get confused about what you are saying. I really thought the templates provided were beneficial. There are different ones for different circumstances. For example there are ones for introducing an ongoing debate, something implied/assumed, standard views, what “they say”, and etc. I think when you are stuck on what to say or how to start something off these would come into play and help out tremendously.

I think through out this drafting and revising process I spent a lot of time editing the body as well as the introduction. I felt like there were always things that could be changed to make it better. I wanted to make sure my thesis was strong so the reader didn’t have to question what it was. If I could go back and change some things in this essay it would definitely be the conclusion. After proof reading my essay in class I realized it needed some work. I don’t think I spent as much time on the conclusion as I would have liked to. I don’t think I related to my thesis well enough at the end, it needed to be stronger. I wish I could have added more to make it stand out. I think the way I drafted and revised this essay was very beneficial to me. I haven’t done it like this is the past. I found myself catching errors as well as flaws with my wording that I don’t think I would have caught before. Also not waiting till the last minute also really helped. I had plenty of time to work on it and didn’t find myself struggling to get it done.

Essay 1, Final Draft

Peer Review Comments:

Comments on Jack’s Essay

Comments on Colton’s Essay

Essay 1, Draft 2

Essay 1, Draft 1

I thought it was interesting how academic writing is considered to be argumentative writing. It is important to engage with other people’s point of view as well as listen to others around is and summarize their views in a way that we can respond our own ideas or opinions. You need to include more than just your opinion on things when arguing a statement. I really liked how they pointed out that traditional five paragraph essays typically leave out the importance of arguing and how we won’t argue unless we are provoked. So if we don’t argue unless someone’s said or done something to provoke us then why wouldn’t we do that on paper as well? It makes complete sense and its something I’ve never actually thought about. We need the views of others in order to support our point of view and argue it. I also found it interesting how they pointed out the “why are you telling me this” component of writing. When writing it is important to impact your reader by doing more than just making logical statements. You have to find of way to enter the conversation by giving the view of others. Basically saying what they say. The way to do this is by summarizing what they have to say then setting it up with what they want to say. If you don’t respond to what others have to say then your argument doesn’t have a point. Therefore it’s meaningless. When you include what they say we give the reader the opportunity to pick a side and agree on things whether that be from both sides or just one. Understanding the opinions of others gives us a reason to argue. If there weren’t critics or people who believed differently then us out there then there would be no point to argue.

In The End of Food by Lizzie Widdiecombs, we are introduced to Rob Rhinehart, a entrepreneur who is just barely getting by. Rhinehart was getting tired of his lifestyle and needed a change. He came up with a list of thirty-five ingredients needed for survival, which he then turned into the magical “Soylent”. Rhinehart created this product as a meal replacement. He goes on to describe this product as a magic potion with all the nutrients you need to survive. This Soylent product does wonders for your body. It helps clear up skin, improve physique, make teeth whiter, hair thicker, and more. What more could you ask for? It’s a cost effective way to obtain your nutrients while not spending a dime, it is what you would call a life hack. It’s not just a money saver but also a time saver. There’s no need to spend time cooking or preparing food anymore. You’re giving yourself more time in the day to do whatever you’d rather be doing. Rhinehart decides his product has potential and value and realizes he could make a company out of it. He went from a broke man to selling over 30,000 units of Soylent for $65 to consumers all over the world. Rhinehart goes on to say that this is the future of food, it’s the end of food.

Soylent may seem like a great product to have to some people but for most I don’t think they would want it. Sure this Soylent product may be all hype in the beginning but I know for a fact it wouldn’t last for long, like most things in todays society. Food is a big part of everyone’s day-to-day life. Everyone enjoys food. We like to be able to taste our food; we like to feel all the different textures and consistencies that food has to offer. I personally like to chew my food not drink it, it gives me more time to enjoy what I am eating. Food is a diverse and cultural thing so why would we give it up for a single meal replacement that has no meaning to us. Soylent may have great benefits but is it really worth it?

In They Say I Say, The Art of Quoting, Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, the authors of the book, point out some very useful and helpful tips when it comes to quoting. Quoting other’s work within your own makes the reader know that what you are stating is in fact true. Using quotes adds creditability as well as reliability, you can sort of serve it as evidence to your case. I found this to be a very helpful tip because I never really saw quotes that way, I never used them to back up what I was saying. After reading this text it made me realize I should incorporate them more into my writing pieces (without over doing it of course). Graff and Birkenstein also pointed out that whenever using quotes you must be sure to introduce the quote as well as explain why that claim connects with what you’re trying to prove. This is beneficial to know because you don’t want to drop the quote at the end of a paragraph and call it good. You want to back up the quote and show its importance to your writing piece. I also really liked how within the text they added little templates for introducing quotations. It’s very helpful, if you’re ever struggling to add quotes to your own work you can just reflect back on those templates provided.