1. Tobin
emphasizes the importance of helping students develop their own voices in their
writing. He argues that teaching composition is “not so much a matter of
teaching students new rules or strategies but of helping them gain access to
their ‘real’ or ‘authentic’ voice and perspective that traditional school has
taught them to distrust and suppress” (Tobin, 5). Should a teacher’s goal
always be to focus on the student’s individual voice, or are there instances
where more formal writing is necessary and can be beneficial for the student to
learn?
2. Bartholomae
describes an excerpt from an award-winning essay as “too good, too finished,
too seamless, too professional…organized to minimize human variability and
uncertainty in the production process” (Bartholomae, 13). Is this necessarily a
flaw in the essay? In other words, does an essay need a unique voice or some
mistakes in order for the writing to be considered good?
In regards to your first question, it’s my personal opinion that there isn’t really a one-size-fits-all solution to any of the questions that have been raised in any of these readings. I think the task of the teacher is to find a balance between the two opposing sides. It is extremely important for a student to develop their own individual voice. If everyone writes uniquely, then there is room for many voices and reason to read them all. If this individuality is stifled--as so many frustrated teachers might do in their insistence on following established styles, structures, and formats--then the result is that the discourse is flooded with interchangeable and forgettable writing. The task for the teacher then is to figure out how to encourage this individual development while still remembering that there are different audiences and rhetorical situations. A writer may have to engage in a more formal and “professional” setting, or they may find themselves in a more informal setting. Ideally, they should be able to adapt that individual style to every scenario. If a writer has truly “found their voice” then they will retain it across many different styles and situations. A good teacher should encourage the application of individual style to technical and rhetorical mastery rather than assuming that strong and important writing needs to be an assembly line product.
ReplyDeleteI tend to think you know good writing when you see it, just as much as bad writing. Unfortunately, often times I think simple, concise, material is regarding as bad writing while, hard-to-read difficult writing is considered just because most people don't understand it.
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