PB2B

Rockin’ Your Moves

Each author is gifted with a distinct method and way of thinking that can be seen throughout their literary pieces. Unless an individual has copied off another student, which is totally unethical and illegal, their piece of work will never be written in the same manner as another, even if the assignment and rubric is exactly the same. The steps and processes an author takes to write their piece is known as their “moves.” How an individual chooses to format, punctuate, state, elaborate, or argue their topic or ideas are all an essential aspect to their unique moves. Similarly to Jackie Chan’s move with the karate kick or Michael Jackson’s move with moon-walking and crotch grabbing, each writer approaches their different pieces of literature in their own distinct way.

In the appendix, “The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing: ‘They Say I Say,’’’ the authors Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst elaborate on some of the most common moves a writer utilizes when expressing and communicating their piece. The article, “Murder! Rhetorically Speaking” by Janet Boyd, used many of the same techniques Graff, Birkenstein, and Durst identified. One move that Boyd constantly used was “Making What ‘They Say’ Something You Say.” This technique was significant when Durst attempted to make his ideas and thoughts into a statement rather than an opinion. By attending closely to the author’s perspective and experiences, it allows the audience to understand more clearly the author’s arguments. The author’s point of view was a foundation and basis in which he was able to elaborate later on a more reasoned and evidenced-based perspective. Another move that was continuously implemented was, “Introducing Standard Views.” When the author states, “…Am I right that it starts with you arriving at the crime scene, and that you wrote in first person?” (86). The author elaborates on common situations most individuals experience and relates it back to the audiences’. This technique is used to conclude that not only does the person reading write a specific piece with similar conventions compared to the author, but so does all the other audiences involved. “Introducing Standard Views” standardizes certain writing procedures.

Another move that Boyd uses is, “Introducing Quotations,” and “Explaining Quotations.” Both these moves are most commonly practiced in academic writing. In order to provide evidence and argue your point accurately, you must provide research and data to support your claims. The author in, “Murder! Rhetorically Speaking,” frequently refers back to his student’s work to clarify his claim.  Introducing sources with phrases such as: “x states…, according to x…, or in x’s views…,” the author can effectively present who they are referring to. By explaining quotations with expressions such as: “x’s point is…, x is saying…, in other words x believes…,” the author can clarify the importance and effectiveness of the quote.  Finally, a common move the author uses is, “Signaling Who Is Saying What.” Relating back to introducing and explaining quotations, this method is crucial in referring back to who the quote pertains to. This builds ethos by crediting reliable individuals and allowing the audience to perceive that your argument is accurate and trustworthy.

Although the appendix “The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing: ‘They Say I Say’’’ provided a thorough list of moves that authors regularly utilize, there are numerous amounts of techniques each author uses that are harder to standardize. For example, in the article, ““Murder! Rhetorically Speaking,” the author made constant use of the italics to emphasize certain important terms or to define vocabulary. This move would be defined as “Diction Emphasis!” This technique is very effective, because it allows a way to stress or draw attention to the importance of the word or elaborate on a certain idea. It also permits the author to add his voice into the article, allowing the audience to better understand his point of view. Another move this author uses is constantly referring to the audience directly. For instance, the author stated, “Or perhaps you, like Chelsea Vick, felt mounting drama to be the most persuasive approach” (95). This technique, “The Classroom Method,” was used throughout the article and was very effective in allowing the audience to feel a deeper connection with the author as an educator. The whole article felt like a lesson rather than a literary reading. Although, as students, it was essential to annotate and evaluate this piece of literature, the author constantly referred to the audience, students, in second person, creating direct dialogue. Similarly, the move, “’Let’s Try This’ Exercises,” was a method the author regularly used to keep the audience active. Boyd’s technique was effective in keeping his audience attentive and active. As opposed to other boring and dull readings, the technique of keeping the audience active was much more unique and made the time spent reading interesting. He asked his audience to, “Visualize yourself in your new occupation, recall the “five facts,” and then take five minutes to write up your findings as a coroner would...” (87). Through this method, it becomes much easier to understand the author’s purpose and reasoning by applying it to yourself.

 Another move, known as “Review…Did You Know?” was used to allow the audience to see if they comprehended what was just explained.  He also used many rhetorical questions and elaborated on those thereafter. He asked questions such as, “So what did you include in your eulogy? Of the five facts, you probably mentioned…” (91). These questions were effective in expounding upon the topic. It gets the reader to think and compare their answers to the most common/frequent ones. It also gets an audience to think about the purpose of why a certain idea is being explained and what its purpose is. Finally, the author made use of subheadings to introduce the topics. This method, known as, “The Process You Will Be Familiarized With,” gives the audience an idea of what practices will be implemented and what the focus is of the next section. To be aware means to be educated!

Each author is distinct in their own way and this is shown through each of their textual literary works. Their distinctive actions implemented in their works are known as their “moves.”