Saturday, February 6, 2010
Inventing the University
I liked Bartholomae's paper on "Inventing the University". He brought up interesting examples of student essays and how they have to be specific or "specialized" in their writing to satisfy academic standards (p. 511). I agree that students have to mimic professors and write the same language as their discipline to be "members of the academy". "I think that all writers, in order to write, must imagine for themselves the privileged of being "insider"--that is, of being both inside an established and powerful discourse, and of being granted a special right to speak" (p. 516). This quotation made me think. I can relate to these students who are trying to please their professors. I had myself so many times wrote just for my teachers. Through my years at the university, I believe that most of my papers were empty, just words put together to satisfy the number of pages required to pass the exam. I recognize that this approach is wrong and i've never thought much of it before, but Bartholomae almost convince me that to be successful and truthful to my writing I must write as a writer who knows her topic as much or more as my audience, I have to extend myself through my writing to reach my readers.
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ReplyDeleteI, too, got the same sort of message out of Bartholomae's essay "Inventing the University" - that writing is meant to be read and therefore should be thoughtful with yourself and your audience in mind. I'm pretty sure many students "bullshit" their way through writing in school to get the grade, to grab the A, and then put the letter on a shelf for others to view. It's sad that we want to earn more for less work. Why should people be able to squeeze through doorways with the others who have passion and knowledge leaking from their writing? Shouldn't there be some sort of extra acknowledgement for those who truly press their keys with feeling?
ReplyDeleteBut then again, some people just have a way with words. Some are granted topics in school that they love, while others are stuck with topics they could not care less about. So how can you show passion if you can't make yourself care about your assigned topic? It's complicated, but I think it can be done. Maybe we don't always have to bullshit our ways out...
Thinking about this, I've come to the conclusion that if you don't care about what you are writing, you should as if you were somebody else; write as if you were the reader, the person that cares about the topic. Become that reader, learn what they know, and participant in what they do. Maybe if we temporarily become our readers, we can write something passionate. Just because something is not passionate to you, doesn't mean it's not passionate to someone else.
Who knows... I enjoy contemplating over this though... It's complicated, but in a whole different way than a long math equation is complicated. There are many many interpretations, tactics, and answers...
I did make this comment in response to someone else's response to a blog, but I feel compelled to make it again... Writers, that is "real" writers find a way into every assignment. They find something that does interest them instead of using that (lack of interest in the topic) as an excuse for not writing well.
ReplyDeleteI feel that most writers tend to find the easy way out and find a safe commonplace to to write. Like David Bartholomae stated," That kind of writing is writing that comes through you, not from you". It is also a safer way and an excuse for not writing well.
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