12 thoughts on “JOURNAL # 14

  1. Jaidin Fuentes
    On page 90 of the book it says “We also recommend that you read your summary of opposing views with an outsiders eye: put yourself in the shoes of the person who disagrees with and ask if such a reader could recognize themselves in your summary”. This is personally important for me to remember because sometimes I forget to make a solid view of the opposing party. This makes so if someone with a different view tries to read my paper, they are intrigued because they actually feel heard. If they were to read my work and see that they are misunderstood and not heard, then why would they want to hear me out? By ensuring that my summaries of opposing viewpoints are fair and empathetic towards the reader, I invite constructive conversation and create a space for understanding. This approach not only enriches my writing but also makes a more inclusive conversation for everyone. Ultimately, if readers feel acknowledged and understood, they are more likely to consider my arguments seriously, paving the way for meaningful discourse.
    Question: How would one go about making someone of the opposite opinion feel heard and understood in their writing?

  2. this chapter was very helpful in many ways. one of the helpful things was that they made it aware that crisis and helpful tools to your writing is a really good thing. it was helpful to hear because sometimes it could hurt you as a writer because other people didn’t like that in your writing. One question I have is have you ever had a hard time telling someone you didn’t like a part of there conversation.

  3. This chapter had many helpful and interesting tips such as on page 86 it says “You might also leave important questions hanging and concerns about your arguments unaddressed. Finally, if you fail to plant a naysayer in your text, you may find that you have very little to say.” I feel this is very helpful to know how to plant a naysayer in your text.
    One question I have is, How would someone know when to plant a certain part in their writing?

  4. “We are urging you to tell readers what others might say against you, but our point is that doing so will actually enhance your credibility, not undermine it.” p 85 para 3.

    “…the more you give voice to your critics’ objections, the more you tend to disarm those critics, especially if you go on to answer their objections in convincing ways.” p 85 para 4. Having a good rebuttal is the key for this to work.

    “…If you don’t entertain counterarguments, you may very likely come across as close-minded, as if you think your beliefs are beyond dispute.” p 86 para 2. A good reminder of the consequences.

    “…if you fail to plant a naysayer in your text, you may find that you have very little to say.” p 86 para 2. Naysayers are a good way to stimulate ideas.

    The naysayer needs to be there for more than one sentence to have the correct impact. (p 88 para 1)

    “But the ideas that motivate arguments and objections can often…be ascribed to a specific ideology or school of thought…rather than anonymous anybodies.” p 88 para 3.

    “The way to minimize the problem of stereotyping, then, is not to categorically reject labels but to refine and qualify their use…” p 90 para 2.

    Would introducing objections informally be appropriate for these essays? Or should we stay with the formal templates?

    “…you need to do your best to make sure that any counterarguments you address are not more convincing than your own claims.” p 92 para 3.

    “Often the best way to overcome an objection is not to try to refute it completely but to agree with part of it while challenging only the part you dispute.” p 93 para 2.

  5. I learned the importance of incorporating others’ ideas/opinions and that without doing so “you miss an opportunity to generalize the importance and relevance of your work to some larger conversation” (Graff & Birkenstein 87). Meaning, by adding other opinions you’re adding importance and reason to why you’re saying what you’re saying and the relevance to it. This also allows you to add depth to your text making it stronger and more interesting. Writing is a process but with revision your text becomes stronger. I found it helpful to learn about using a naysayer in text to help me strongly format and communicate ideas together. “Once you see writing as an act of entering a conversation, you should also see how opposing arguments can work for you rather than against you”(Graff & Birkenstein 83). I learned that you can’t let these other arguments be better than yours but you can certainly use them to catch attention by answering their objection and starting a counterargument in a respectful way. In this chapter I learned helpful advice and templates such as ones for entertaining objections, naming your naysayers, and introducing objections informally. Helpful advice was to represent objections fairly, answer objections and “to read your summary of opposing views with an outsider’s eye” (Graff & Birkenstein 90). To represent an object fairly is to agree to disagree or agree to agree etc. with each group or person and the ideas represented in a respectful manner. In all I learned new techniques to inquire into my texts and the importance of opposing opinions.

  6. This chapter pointed out a lot of interesting things to me. One of these being that by including the negative things people may say against your argument you’re actually building your credibility. And also that by not including counter arguments in your writing you may come off as close-minded and think that only your beliefs are right. I think that the templates included for entertaining objections can be helpful when writing in the future.

  7. While reading this chapter, I found the templates to be helpful. Especially the templates for making concessions while still standing your ground. I think it would be a good thing to remember that if putting a naysayer “in your text forces you to change your mind, that
    ‘s not a bad thing” (page 94-95). I feel like they will help me sound like I have a stronger argument. What is a naysayer? I still don’t understand what the chapter was talking about.

  8. In They Say/I Say, I thought it was interesting that many think that adding a naysayer can destroy your credibility but in reality it enhances your credibility. It opens up conversation and gives a voice to the critics.

  9. In the chapter “Planting the Naysayer in Your Text From They Say, I Say the authors stress that including counterarguments strengthens your writing by make it more credible.what’s interesting is how they show that by addressing objections doesn’t weaken your argument but it will enhance it by demonstrating you’ve considered other viewpoints. In the chapter it also provides a template that is practical for smoothly introducing opposing views. One question I have is How can you balance addressing counterarguments without letting it overshadow your main point?

  10. In the chapter “Planting the Naysayer in Your Text” from “They Say/I Say,” the authors discuss the importance of addressing counter arguments in your writing. This chapter is interesting because it touches on how acknowledging and responding to opposing viewpoints can strengthen your own argument. By anticipating the devil’s advocate and the possible disagreements, you demonstrate a true understanding of the topic and are then able to show that you have considered multiple perspectives. This approach can make your argument more persuasive and overall stronger. Additionally, the chapter provides practical strategies that I found very helpful for introducing counter arguments smoothly into your writing, which can be very useful for improving the quality of your essays. A question that came up for me when reading this chapter is to what extent should you propose an alternate perspective without undermining your own argument?

  11. What I thought was helpful about this chapter was the anticipation of criticism. Graff explains that you should imagine what others might say about your writing before they’ve actually read it. I found this interesting because it is like making a counterargument before the argument begins, which makes the writer seem knowledgeable and credible.
    One question I have about entertaining a counterargument is how do you figure out what others will criticize? I feel like it is difficult to predict others’ comments on your own work unless you get someone to proofread it.

  12. I found it interesting that the chapter addressed stereotyping and how when used and done correctly can be useful to a persuasive piece. It was also helpful in explaining the significance of effectively adding in the naysayer’s perspective and anticipating what a critic might say in response to your claims. This will definitely be useful to my writing, in this class and in my academic future, as I will have to write many papers where I have to make a claim and defend it while keeping my audience engaged and including the naysayer will strengthen my claim when I refute it and allow the audience to be critically thinking and feel included in the discussion.

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