Why Write?

Why Write?By John T. Gage

BibliographyFrom The Teaching of Writing, edited by Anthony Petroskey and David Bartholomew, first published in 1986Often referencedCommonly read in Freshman and introductory-level composition courses

BiographyProfessor of English, University of OregonFields of researchRhetorical theoryComposition pedagogy20th century American poetry

PublicationsThe Shape of Reason: Argumentative Writing in CollegeAn Adequate Epistemology of Composition: Classical and Modern PerspectivesRhetoric and Dialectic in Robert Frosts A Mask of Reason

The QuestionPedagogical inquiryIf we assume the answer, we are in danger of forgetting that justifications for writing depend on different assumptions about what education is for, and these will yield different pedagogiesMethodologies = Ideologies

Discussthe following:For what other reasons is this question of the motivations behind writing important? Do the reasons differ dependent upon the context? If so, how and why?

Ancient Theories

SophistsFrom the Greek sophos, meaning wisdomTraveling teachers of various subjectsRelativistic views of truthConceived of rhetoric as epistemicArt that creates rather than reflects knowledge

SocratesTeacher of PlatoPhilosophy represented in Platos dialoguesViewed sophistic rhetoric as false artAbsolute view of truthDialectic in place of rhetoric

AristotleStudent of PlatoRhetoric(360-334 BCE)Positive aspects of rhetoricCreates community and goodwillExpository rather than dialogicTreats specific casesRelies on psychology as well as logic

Discuss the following:What answers might we attribute to the ancient Greek thinkers in response to the question: why write? Or, perhaps, in reference to certain thinkers, why not write? How much validity do these responses possess in terms of a contemporary dialogue?

Contemporary Theories

PedagogiesCompetencyassumes that writing can be mastered by learning what the attributes are and by practicing them in exercises, apart from real writing situations.Process-approachemphasizes the stages of composing by offering students procedures that will help them in choosing topics, gathering information, organizing their thoughts, composing and revising.

Discuss the Following:It is apparent in Gages discussion of these two models that there is something inadequate in their pedagogical approach. Outside of the classroom, what effect do you think these pedagogies might have on the writing students will have to produce in the workplace, etc.?

Utility Vs. ResponsibilityTwo primary questionsIf technical approaches to writing are justified by the goal of competency, what justifies competency as an end of education?If competency is not a valid end of education, and instead the idea garners primacy, what makes an idea good?

Restructuring Pedagogical Approaches

IdeologiesRelative nature of truthWriting as thinking-made-tangibleWriting as process of discovering and structuring ideasEthicsWriting is the search, not only for the right words in the right order, but for the right reasons.

Pedagogical ReformsWriting class must be a place where students encounter ideas and where they are free to respond to them honestly and critically.Students must know that they do not write exclusively for the teacher.Thoughtful revision should be taught as a writers responsibility.

Discuss the following:These pedagogical reforms fundamentally alter the traditional approaches to teaching writing. How do you think these pedagogical changes will affect the writing done by students outside the classroom?

So returning to our original question.Why Write?

Why write?...because writing, more than any other task brings one face to face with important human responsibilities. These include the responsibility to clarify and structure ones ideas. More importantly, these include the responsibility to continue the inquiry and argue, toward the truth as we are able to discover it through the shared means of discourse, even while knowing that the whole truth will always be beyond our means.