Research Methods for Professional Writers

Weekly Update

2011-03-26T07:16:00.001-07:00

For Monday's class. We will begin class in the Walb Union, G21-G21A, listening to Don Byrd, a poet and scholar who is part of our Visiting Writer's series. Please spread the word to your classmates.

Steve Amidon

From Mary:

1) “ellipsis” Per. 4 has 29 students, and Per. 7 fifteen.

2) “polyptoton” “Choosy mothers choose Jif.”

Here’s one from Shakespeare, Sonnet 116

“ . . . love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove . . . “

3) “erotema” from Patrick Henry’s Speech to the Virginia Convention:

“Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? . . . “

An emphatic “No” is implied in his question as he urges war against the British.

Leslie E. Mackey

Ellipsis: "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something"--Plato; Beauty is a plague on women; plastic surgery even more so.

Erotema: "Hath not a Jew eyes?/ Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?/If you prick us, do we not bleed, if you tickle us, do we not laugh?/If you poison us, do we not die?"--Shakespeare; What will order require us to sacrifice?

Polyptoton: "Choosy mothers choose jif!"; Stupidity in the hands of the stupid results in the stupidly disasterous.

Martha Eagleson

Erotema - Ellipsis - Polypton - Ellipsis:
What were you thinking . . . out all night! Your behavior is insufferable and you will suffer the consequences. If you think you won't be punished, you're . . . .

Okay . . . I just finished reading Virginia Woolf's "To the Lighthouse" and she uses ellipses in a variety of ways. SOMETIMES SHE USES ELLIPSIS POINTS, SOMETIMES NOT. If this very last sentence is a 'true' ellipsis (similar to Dr. Amidon's and my classmates' examples below), what do you call my three examples with the ellipsis points/dots?

Ryan Quandt

Ellipsis: It is absolutely necessary and absolutely not graded
Erotema: We will chase perfection, which is unobtanable, but along the way we will achieve greatness - Vince Lombardi
Polypoton: If they want a fight, then we will bring the fight to them. The best defense is a good offense.

Deakin Chipps

Ellipsis: The end is nigh, stop it.

Erotema: For what but war can endless war breed?

Polyptoton: Morality is moral only when it is voluntary.

Matthew Willits

Polyptoton: He had obtained the unobtainable.

Ellipsis: Don't do any of this, because it doesn't count, and you won't be graded on it; but also do it, because it does, and you will.

Erotema: How do you solve a problem like Maria? How do you catch a cloud and pull it down?

Andrew N Johnson

Erotema: Why would I care what she thinks?
Ellipsis: Sympathy won't make it any better, only time.
Polyptoton: Here is one my uncle told me once when I was driving too fast in a construction zone, along side those oraange construction-zone barrels: If we dont quit barrelin' ass, we are gonna catch some barrels in the ass.

Shem Hinkle

Polyptoton: Place the philosophical category into categories which are categorical. :)

Erotema: Getting a drug addict to kick the habit is near impossible: A horse can be led to water, but it cannot be made to drink.

Ellipsis: Some students don't have to study much to get good grades, but I most certainly do!

Tricia Day

Polyptoton- The army sergeant disarmed the armor from the soldier.
Ellipsis- Zeus was the King of all the gods, Hera the queen.
Erotema- Do you have to be so annoying?

Melissa Hirsch

Erotema: The disaster in Japan is horrifying! Can you believe it!
Ellipsis: My husband only has two pairs of shoes, and I have twenty! He wears the same pair of shoes every day, but I change.
Polyptoton: I wish I could believe the unbelievable new story I just heard on the news!

Carrie Brooks

Litotes: "She is not as young as she was."
Hyperbole: I had a ton of homework.
Assonance: Dead in the middle of little Italy, little did we know that we riddled two middle men who didn't do diddily.

Steve Amidon

Shem mentioned an academic article about Heraclitus which better described the Greek notion of Logos. I've put it on Blackboard in the readings. It is not required, but it is really good (though complex) reading!

Martha Eagleson

Hello, Spring Breakers - Since my first attempt was really a metaphor, here's another go at a METONYMY: I will be going to the Windy City for a conference.
Now with that done, I'm going to hit the BOTTLE (another metonymy?:))
Enjoy your week!

Leslie E. Mackey

The other day in class when Dr. Amidon was discussing American mythology and its importance on the individual, it made me think of these two books I read for an independent study a couple years ago: "The Myth of the American Superhero" by John Shelton Lawrence and Robert Jewett; "Captain America and the Crusade Against Evil: The Dilemma of Zealous Nationalism" by Robert Jewett and John Shelton Lawrence. I thought some of you nerdy people might be interested in checking one of them out.

Steve Amidon

I've e-mailed evryone a copy of the midterm review, in both PDF and Powerpoint formats. You can also find a link to it on my web page.

Steve Amidon

Midterm Review

2011-03-01T08:23:00.000-08:00

I've e-mailed everyone a copy of the review in both Powerpoint and PDF formats. There is also a link to it on my website. Just click on "Midterm Review" in the title to this post.

Update, Feb. 27, 2011

2011-02-27T06:58:00.001-08:00

Steve Amidon
OK team--because of various sicknesses, the ice, the roads tonight, midsemester malaise--I'm canceling class tonight. Go ahead and do the reading and writing for next week per the syllabus. We will move the midterm back one week. If you want, send me your papers which were due tonight by e-mail.
last Monday · · ·
Melissa Hirsch Did you have any figures/tropes for us to post on for Monday?
Friday at 10:29am ·
Carrie Brooks dont give him any ideas melissa
17 hours ago ·
Steve Amidon No-nothing--just the assignment from the book. We'll concentrate on the midterm review.
a few seconds ago ·
OLDER POSTS
Ryan Quandt
Irony: "Who lost the remote!?!?... Did you check your pocket?..."
I guess I lost it."
Parolipsis: You don't want to know what I saw last night, but your girlfriend's hair looked really cute.
Anadiplosis: It is by thought that we decide, by decision that we become impassioned, by passion that we act and it is our actions that we are judged by.
last Monday · · ·
Melissa Hirsch
Second: example of paralipsis
Watch the whole thing -- it made me laugh! :)
The Maddow Blog - Word of the day: paralipsis
maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com
Lots of examples here, but I think this demonstrates it well:
last Sunday · · · Share ·
Steve Amidon Nice example! Here's my favorite example of parallelism! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z4TSG2KcO0
February 21 at 11:05am · · 1 person
Martha Eagleson
Irony: She was ignored by her loved ones.

Paralipsis: I can't tell you my daughter's big secret, but I can tell you that I'm going to be an awesome grandma. (var. from "Steel Magnolias")

Anadiplosis #1: I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. (Paul Atreides - "Dune")

Anadiplosis #2: It is by will alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of Sapho that thoughts acquire speed, the lips acquire stains. The stains become a warning. It is my will along I set my mind in motion. (Mentat Mantra - "Dune")
last Monday · · ·
Deakin Chipps
Irony: "I'm aware of the irony of appearing on TV in order to decry it."

Paralipsis: "I know who did it, but I won't mention Bill's name."

Anadiplosis: "When I give I give myself." (Whitman)
last Monday · · ·
Melissa Hirsch
Another song about irony. Go ahead Shem Hinkle, and make fun of my Dave Matthews selection. :) Couldn't help it.
Dave Matthews Band - Funny The Way It Is w/ lyrics
www.youtube.com
dave matthews band funny the way it is with lyrics. song requests are accepted in the comments. this is my third lyrics video.
last Sunday · · ·
Shem Hinkle I actually don't mind Dave Matthew's Band. In fact, I burned the full discography for Amber and have it on my ipod still.
February 20 at 10:22pm ·
Melissa Hirsch Oh good! I thought it was you who had teased me before... must have been someone else. :) Ha!
February 21 at 7:08am ·
Shem Hinkle
Irony: The sharpest tools get more blunt the more you use them.

I found this and thought I would share... "Is it ironic that a website devoted to educating the public on the proper use of irony is full of examples the readers deem ironic, but has reached the verdict on nearly all of them that the examples are "not ironic"... or better stated, is it ironic that I must wait to see the verdict on this example to figure out if I know the definition of irony based on this website?..." (google site)

Paralipsis: I don't mean to sound harsh, but you have completely and utterly screwed things up!

Anadiplosis: "Information is not knowledge, knowledge is not wisdom, wisdom is not truth, truth is not beauty, beauty is not love, love is not music and music is the best." — Frank Zappa
last Sunday · · ·
Matthew Willits
Irony: "I'm not even angry.
I'm being so sincere right now.
Even though you broke my heart.
And killed me." (lyrics to "Still Alive" from Portal)

Paralipsis: "I'm not saying I don't trust you, but I don't." (Charlie Sheen, Hot Shots! Part Deux)

Anadiplosis: "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering." (Yoda)
last Sunday · · ·
Leigh Yerkes ‎"No more training do you require. Already know you that which you need."
February 21 at 12:38am ·
Melissa Hirsch
3rd: IRONY.
Ah, Miranda... what goes around, comes around. :)
Miranda Lambert - White Liar
www.youtube.com
Music video by Miranda Lambert performing White Liar. (C) 2009 Sony Music Entertainment YouTube view counts pre-VEVO: 152
last Sunday · · ·
Melissa Hirsch
I'm going to my posts a little different this week. I love music and have been listening to it a lot over the past few days while hanging out with my boys and writing some poetry for class. So -- I'm going ot use all musical examples. :)

First:

Anadiplosis: from the lyrics from the Jason Mraz song “Life is Wonderful”...

“It takes a crane to build a crane, It takes two floors to make a story, It takes an egg to make a hen, It takes a hen to make an egg, There is no end to what I’m saying”
last Sunday · · ·
Tricia Day
Ironic: the irritated couple sat down to have a friendly argument

Paralipsis: My teenage daughters often use the rhetoric tool of paralipsis- Mom wait before you say no. . . . (I will promise to clean my room or I promise I will never do that again.)

Anadipolsis: My conscience hath a thousand several tongues
and every tongue brings in a several tale
and every tale condemns me for a villian.
- Shakespeare Richard III
last Sunday · · ·
Carrie Brooks
Irony:as clear as mud
Paralipsis: Not to mention her family, of course.
Anadiplosis: "I am Sam, Sam I am." (Dr. Seuss, Green Eggs and Ham)
last Sunday · · ·
Andrew N Johnson
IRONY: Women seem to like me more when I am unavailable.
PARALIPSIS: I don't want to give away the ending, in case you may want to watch the show sometime in the future, especially if you like happy endings...
ANADIPLOSIS: Take Coliseum to State, State to Reed, and Reed to Lake.
about a week ago · · ·
Leigh Yerkes
Irony: My attempts at relaxation are often accompanied by the dulcet tones of my complaining teenagers.

Paralipsis: I don't like to discuss my political opinions on Facebook; like the one I have regarding the numb-nuts at the State House and some of their proposals affecting the Indiana educational systems.

Anadiplosis: With the toe bone connected to the foot bone, and the foot bone connected to the ankle bone, and ankle bone connected to the leg bone. Oh mercy how they scare! ~ James Weldon Johnson, "Dem Dry Bones"
about a week ago · · ·
Steve Amidon
I posted this to my writing instructors this week. I think it touches on many of the subjects we've covered in this course.

Some of you know I've been meeting monthly with the writing directors of all of the IU campuses. We've been discussing the first year course, trying to identify the common ground. As we've centered on the moves we want first year writers to make, I've though hard about our ENG-W131 course. Here are my thoughts--not policy, not the view of the composition committee--just my thoughts. I'd welcome your comments.

My view of the course is that it should start with a reflection of some kind, where the students can position themselves in relation to the subject of writing, and the instructor can begin to evaluate their student's individual needs. Many instructors find a memoir of some kind, or a literacy narrative as a good place to start.

The next move the course makes is into analysis and engagement with a complex nonfiction text. One cannot become a strong writer without becoming a strong reader. I personally think the text should be non-fiction, and it could be an assigned reading, or students could choose. I like to avoid scholarly articles here, because scholarly research is the focus of W233, and many W233 instructors have their students analyze scholarly articles. I know our move away from the scholarly research paper in W131 has caused some controversy, but what I usually observed in student research papers was simply a lot of library research, in the form of summary, quotations, and paraphrase, connected with transitions and some meagre arguments. In my view, our decision to focus on analysis and argument in W131 is because we felt students needed to be able to achieve competence in these areas before even being introduced to scholarly research. This why the rhetorical analysis is a required paper for all W131 classes.

The move into argument is a complex one. I know some people think argument is about taking a position and supporting it with expert testimony. Others think it is about formal logic--the enthymeme--or about Toulmin's theories.

My own view is that true argument is less about these moves (I rarely see Toulmin, or formal logic anywhere other than academic papers arguing about the subjects), and more about the writer placing themselves into the middle of the argument, analyzing the argument by identifying the stasis where agreement and disagreement exist, and supporting it with definitions, examples, personal experience, as well as the testimony of experts--Aristotle called these moves the Common Topics or Topoi because they were moves available to all writers and speakers. This move away from lots of quotations and experts is challenging, because students really need to learn to rely on their own wits! This is my view of what the required position paper in W131 should look like.

Finally, I think the class should end as it began, with reflection. I really want students to be able to talk about their learning, about the outcomes of the course.

Are these the moves your course makes? Please feel free to discuss the moves you think are important, and how you achieve them!!!!

Dr. Stevens Amidon, Director of Writing
Associate Professor, Department of English and Linguistics
Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne
2101 E. Coliseum Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499
260-481-6089
amidons@ipfw.edu
http://users.ipfw.edu/amidons
Web Page of Dr. Stevens Amidon
users.ipfw.edu
about a week ago · · · Share ·
Melissa Hirsch likes this.
Leslie E. Mackey
While I'm not an instructor yet, a lot of your course process reflect many of my own thoughts on how to develop first year writers' skills. From my own experience as a student and then as a writing center consultant, I've seen the struggle ...See More
February 19 at 12:13pm · · 1 person
Mike Brewer
One day I'm going to take the time to do a Marxist reading of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I'm intrigued by the idea that this work is an allegory of late-19th, early 20th-century populist politics and monetary policy--full of symbolism. The idea is that each character is a metaphor for relevant people, groups, ideas: such as Midwestern farmers (Scarecrow), urban industrial workers (Tin-man), Emerald City (Wash. D.C.), Yellow Brick Road (the gold standard), Wicked Witch of the East (industrial giants and eastern financiers), etc. Of course I read it many years ago, but not through this lens. Fascinating!
about 3 weeks ago · · ·