Yes/No/Okay, But and Yet-Whole/Parts

I chose to use the Aristotelian topoi of Whole/Parts to write about the TSIS reading because I think that this is what they are saying. The whole of the argument is that we as writers need to identify what we are arguing, whether we agree, disagree or both. We as writers need to make our positions known by making sure that we use proper voice markers, which is to me the part of the whole of the argument that Graff and Birkenstein are making.

In the writings that I have done I have always tried to make clear what my position is whether it is to agree or to disagree. I think where I have failed at times is in making clear voice markers in my writing. I had heard for years not to use “I” in my works, however how I make sure readers know my position without using “I” or statements like “my belief is”, etc. I was really glad to see that Graff and Birkenstein agree with this process.

Their overall argument is that we need to make our positions known for our readers. How we go about that is making sure that we are clear on what our voice is and what the “other”, that we are writing to or about, what their voice is. Confusion comes into the readers mind when these demarcations are not made clearly.