PB2B: “Moves”

     When most people hear the word moves, they think of physical activity and getting active. Many people overlook the fact that writers also have their own moves and that by tracing their moves, we learn to adapt some of these ideas for our own writing. Looking back through our course reader, it becomes apparent just how much effort an author has to put into his or her word choice in order to evoke a certain emotional response from the audience. For example, in Navigating Genres by Kerry Dirk, the author uses the move mentioned in They Say, I Say called “introducing” ‘standard views.’ Kerry Dirk begins his writing piece by telling a country music joke that creates a certain reaction from the audience because, “in order to get this joke, you must know a little something about country music in general” (Dirk,249).  In this moment, readers become aware of how author’s rely on the audience’s general information of the world to connect with them. Another move mentioned in They Say, I Say is the “introducing what” ‘they say,’ which is used within Alex Reid’s, Why Blog? Searching for Writing on the Web. Reid relies on the expertise of, “Malcom Gladwell and others have observed…” (Reid, 302) to give himself a sense of credibility and gaining the readers’ trust that his information is accurate. “Making what ‘they say’ something you say” (Graff, Birkenstein, Durst,24-25) is another move that Reid utilizes by mentioning how, “obviously this is a generalization that provokes as many questions as it answers…” (Reid, 302). Reid has gained the attention of the audience now by questioning the accuracy of a reliable expert.

      Exploring movements more into depth, Laura Carroll’s Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis, uses the move I like to call, “setting the mood.” She does this by making her audience, “imagine the first day of class in first year composition at your university” (Carroll, 45). The author revokes the emotions of her audience and to draw generalizations, so she can then gain he trust of her audience and explore her own beliefs. Another move I have discovered is the “stirring up controversy” move, which is mastered in So What? Who Cares? By stating opinions such as, “baseball is the national pastime” or “Bernini was the best sculptor of the baroque period,” (Seven,92) the audience is already rallied up. Some people may agree with the statements, while others may strongly disagree. A conversation between the reader and writer has now begun. Another move used in this article I call the “templates for success.” Throughout the article, precise examples of how to answer the who cares and so what question are given, such as, “at first glance teenagers might say blank. But on closer inspection blank (Seven, 96). Readers are given advice that is useful and will help them improve upon their own writing skills. Another move used in this article is the “advice section.” Here, the author is able to elaborate on how and why it is crucial to answer these two questions in one’s own writing. For example, the author asks,” Isn’t it obvious that everyone cares about such problems? Does it really need to be spelled out?” (Seven, 100) He is then able to elaborate on why it is so important so writers to ask themselves these questions and to then answer them.