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Threshold Concept - Rhetoric Situation

A rhetoric situation is being able to know how and when to use specific writing style to attend to the liking of the audience, or the people you’re trying to reach. This threshold concept asks you to change the format in which you write or even the language used. Straying away from the same idea of having “good” writing focusing on a formal piece with no grammatical errors and understanding the freewill we have as writers.

A writer that I have read is Sister Soulja. Her series of books have different perspectives of the characters, but one thing I noticed is she doesn’t write like other writers with this sophisticated tone. She makes it more relatable using slang and terms younger generations use. It is also books based on black people and how they live their lifestyle of being a family wealthy off of the sell of drugs. She describes her characters as people most black people are familiar with and addresses issues in the black community through these characters by freely writing. If I were to tell a story that way for an essay I would’ve been told it’s too informal and any slang used to place in “quotations.”

This concept is used daily in my life. For example, as I am writing right now I am ensuring that I am using specific choice of words to show my understanding of this concept and further analyzing its meaning. If a friend were to ask me through text the same question my response would be more of how I speak rather than how I write. The same way I write in my journal/diary is completely different from how I may type up my resume. It is also used when creating instagram posts. My captions are well thought out because I know which audience I am trying to attract. I use hashtags and words like dance, music, Africa and positive words to attract other dancers and artists.

I believe composing may be more connected to this threshold because as stated it’s all about how and when to use your choice of writing depending on the situation. Composing has a lot to do with how you write and the choices you make to send your message to your reader. Going over the idea once again that there isn’t a “perfect” or “good” writing piece. It always depends on the audience and with knowing that you will have your choice of writing style. Writers use what they already know, experiences, and what they are learning to write what they need to. As said before texting a friend sounds completely different from completing a resume, both getting better with practice. Composing a text message consists fo you knowing and learning new abbreviations. A resume helps you be formal, be straight forward and guide you through maybe an interview.

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My concept was Inquiry. “Meta-Concept: Writing is not just something people do, but something people study through inquiry” It is showing the importance of experiencing writing through not only doing it but by analyzing it and asking questions. It guides us to ask questions about how we are able to use writing in so many ways.

Sherman Alexis definitely showed that he not only wrote but studied and learned writing throughout his life, outside of school. When he was younger, he didn’t only read when he was in school. This would be bare minimum and something mandatory for a grade. Since his father was a strong reader who always had books around, he took advantage of the opportunity for exploration and growth on the subject. Although, He had been “picking up his father’s books before he could read … and still remember that exact moment when he first understood, with sudden clarity, the purpose of a paragraph.” (Alexie, p.129, 1997) He used this to strengthen impending reading skills. He used his knowledge on superman comics, although he still didn’t fully understand he used what he put together about paragraphs and combined that with the pictures to grasp the idea of text.

Although most schools don’t allow for learning opportunities and growth in creative writing, my senior literature teacher did a great job providing a space and platform. We were learning to write movies, plays, and scripts and before we would begin we would learn about the type of writing we were doing, the structure and history of it. This is a prime example of inquiry and the study of writing.

I feel as though composing is a threshold concept that connects well with inquiry. Inquiry isn’t just about writing but the actual study of it. Composing compliments inquiry because how well the thoughts are laid out on paper gives an idea on how well the ideas being presented will be perceived. Without the proper delivery of what you are trying to say, wires can become crossed and communicating is less efficient.

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1. The threshold concept I chose was writing is a process. This means as a student, you have to give yourself the time and space to work the writing process. Writing is process bound which means as a writer, your writing is constantly being molded and changed. For example, there are multiple steps you take when writing an essay. You start off with an outline to plan out your paragraphs, then you write your first draft, and then you go on to revise your essay by yourself or through peer revision. Without these multiple steps of the writing process, you wouldn’t be able to fully appreciate your final product.

2. I saw evidence of this writing threshold in Malcolm X’s autobiography. When Malcolm X was first incarcerated, he did not know how to read or write. He learned how to read and write by copying down each page of the dictionary. He outlined this process by explaining, “In my slow, painstaking, ragged handwriting, I copied into my tablet everything printed in the first page, down to the punctuation points. I believe it took me a day. Then, aloud, I read back to myself, everything I'd written on the tablet. Over and over, aloud, to myself, I read my own handwriting... Finally, the dictionary's A section had filled a whole tablet and I went into B's. That was the way I started copying what eventually became the entire dictionary," (X, 1965). This is an example of how writing is a process because there were multiple steps Malcolm had to take before he could fluently read and write. It started off with him copying one letter, then one word, then one page. His learning how to write was the final product of all of the time and practice he spent reading and re-reading pages from the dictionary.

3.  In my own life, I see this concept reflected in how I write for school. In prior English classes, I would use a four-step writing process. We did prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. Before I write an essay, I take notes, brainstorm, gather needed information, and create an outline to make the writing easier. Then I'll make a draft, which is when I put my ideas into sentences and paragraphs. In this stage of writing I don't focus too much on spelling, but rather this is primarily the time that I share what I think about the topic. Then I start the revising stage, which is the key to good writing. In this stage, my primary purpose is to make my sentences/ideas more concise and make the connections between ideas clear. The last stage in my writing process is editing where I look for grammar and spelling mistakes. In my own writing, I rarely read a prompt and just write and submit my work as-is. The writing process ensures that your writing is accurate and effective for the audience.

4. The writing threshold that relates to mine is that writing is impacted by identities and prior experiences. A writer’s identity is a foundational part of what makes their voice as a writer unique. One's experience with writing and literacy starts building as easily as childhood. Who a person is, where they've been, what they've done, and the type of technology they're exposed to in their environment all play a part in a person's writing practices, strengths, and weaknesses.  This relates to my concept because a person's experience with literacy affects their writing process. Each person is exposed to a different style of writing. Some people make an outline before each essay they write, while others may just start writing. Some people prefer to revise their own work, while others prefer another person to go in and revise their work.

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What style of wiring will you choose today?

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What style of wiring will you choose today?

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Writing has no perfect, concrete definition. Its meaning and ‘perfect’ form is accustomed to each and every person in their own way. As our experiences practicing writing defines what it truly means to us as we all come from different resources and backgrounds. Growing up as an actor and being exposed to Shakespeare in the 3rd grade, I’ve learned that it is pretty rare to find a style of writing like his. As he pretty much created his own style of writing and paved the way for modern English. As he added an estimated 1700 words to the English language vocabulary. Here’s an example from his late play,  Julius Ceasar,
Ye gods, it doth amaze me,
A man of such a feeble temper should
So get the start of the majestic world,
And bear the palm alone.
His use of language, separation, and punctation just shows how he followed his own way of writing and was confident in it, confident in it enough to where his audience loves and studies it centuries after and across the globe. Connecting back to the concept of our writing being impacted by prior experiences, this 100% relates to writing in a school setting. Working on expository essays for English and receiving tons of marks and corrections, molds a student into thinking about how next time they write, and how can they satisfy the teacher's needs and their style of writing as I have learned not one English teacher writes alike as there past experiences dictate what is A+ work. This concept goes hand in hand with the concept: ‘good’ writing is contextual. As high schools teachers believe there writing is the only we should write, using complete sentences, 0 grammatical errors and etc. It is only appropriate for that situation. As I can’t write a poem using the same rubric my history teacher gave me for a report. Or I wouldn’t my friends using a thesis and 3 supporting claims to back it up as it just isn’t appropriate at the time. Showing how there really isn’t “good” writing and that it’s all contingent upon the context of what and who we’re writing for.