The first part of the reading addresses how to two different sides of an argument in the same paper or which information to use. If you have two reliable sources on your topic but each talks about the opposite side of the argument which do you choose to use? I think since we’ve talked about that we should address both sides of the argument why not use both sources. It would be a great way of introducing the opposite side of your argument if you had a great source with firm information that the reader could take seriously. You may use it and then contradict it with your argument or “politely disagree” with your source you’ve just used. Just because they’re a source doesn’t mean you have to agree with what it says. In fact this may be the reason you choose to use it is to have the reader understand what you’re apposing and why you’re doing so.
The second half of the reading deals with starting your draft and what approach to take on it. There are many ways to do that and as he says it’s probably the hardest part of the whole paper. After completing the opening you’ve finished 90% of your paper. It is after you think about it sort of true because if our opening is supposed to inform the reader of where the paper is going you almost have an outline for yourself after writing the introduction. But it also starts out your writing voice as Ballenger states we need to have. So thinking about it the introduction truly is the most important part of your paper but I try not to think about it otherwise I’m scared to start writing. I just have to start by putting words on the page and then gather my thoughts from there and brush them up to make my point clearer. After I write my intro it’s so much easier to write the next few paragraphs because I’ve started a direction for my paper and I try to stick with that part of my topic till I’ve run out of things to say on it. Then I move to the next point. He also reminds us that we shouldn’t just plop down the facts of our paper and exactly everything we will say right at the beginning of the paper because then there’s no more imagination for the reader. I like his examples of the whale story and how the first one says here’s what I will say, and the second one tells a story that inquires your curiosity for resolution to the problem. Think about the color you want your paper to paint in the readers mind and how you will convey that through your intro before you just write an announcement type intro.
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Nice job of giving an overview and analysis of the [optional] reading. Though optional, it was a good one, and you helped bring out those key points in this response. Nice work, Callie.
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