Distinguishing Voice and So What? Who Cares?

Distinguishing Your Voice

"Readers need to be alert to the often subtle markers that indicate whose voice the writer is speaking in" (73)

"We are all middle-class," or so it would seem. Our national consciousness, as shaped in large part by the media and our political leadership, provides us with a picture of ourselves as a nation of prosperity and opportunity with an ever expanding middle-class lifestyle. As a result, our class differences are muted and our collective character is homogenized.

Yet class divisions are real and arguably the most significant factor in determining both our very being in the world and the nature of the society we live in."

Gregory Mantsios example

with voice markers on p. 73

Done through voice markers:

• quotation marks
• mentioning authors by name
• key words
• transitions
• clearly identifying your argument or view

Example Without Voice Markers (75)

We are all middle class...We are a nation of prosperity and opportunity with an ever expanding middle-class lifestyle...

Class divisions are real and arguably the most significant factor in determining both our very being in the world and in the nature of the society we live in

Templates for Signaling Who is Saying What

in your own writing (76)

Although X makes the best possible case for universal, government-funded health care, he/she overlooks___________.

Adding to Hutchinson's argument about Arty turning cult members into "essentialized beings who...are defined by their use-value" (46), I suggest that is also the case with his father and his children.

Templates for Signaling Who is Saying What

in your own writing (76)

My view, however, contrary to what X has argued is that ____________.

According to both Rarick and Krause Grenouille is motivated by __________________. However, both fail to recognize_______________________.

Another Trick (77)

Instead of writing: "Most humans believe that teeth need to be maintained using dentistry. However, I have a problem with this view as I believe alien magic works. "

You don't always have to be so direct and use "X argues" all the time (or direct quote).

You can also embed a reference to X's argument in your own sentence

You might write:

• I disagree with human dentistry.
• I prefer alien magic for dental health.
• There is a significant problem with the human argument concerning dental best practices.

Voice-Marking Devices: Final Thoughts

"When readers cannot tell if you are summarizing your own views or endorsing a certain label, they have to stop and think:

"'Wait. I thought the author disagreed with this claim'" (79).

Voice-Marking Devices: Final Thoughts

As I've said before, the responsibility is always on the writer to provide clear voice, clear argument, and clear logic (and don't build towards it. Start with it and prove it).

Therefore, using these voice markers regularly prevents confusion by clarifying your meaning and argument.

Readers need to know what is at stake (96)

What lesson are you trying to provide?

"Why should they care?" (96).

"Writers and speakers often assume audiences know the answers already or will figure it out on their own"

Why does your argument matter?

Don't Make the reader guess why it matters

Maybe you don't have an answer when you start writing, but you need to find it by the end (or pretend like you do).

Are you:

changing a belief?

challenging a stereotype?

diagnosing a character's problem differently?

providing a warning?

arguing for a solution?

offering a real-world consequence?

So What? Who Cares? (97)

Similar questions in that they both get at "the relevance or importance of what you're saying."

Different in important ways:

"Who cares" asks you to identify a person or group who cares about your claim(s)

"So What?" asks about the real-world applications and consequences--what difference would it make if they were accepted?

Who Cares? Denise Grady Example (97-8)

She's addressing a scientific community and "implicitly acknowledges that her text is part of a larger conversation"

Scientists used to think...

But within the past decade research has shown...

In recent years...

"inert" vs. "active...potent stuff"

Templates for indicating who cares (99)

This interpretation challenges the work of those critics who have long assumed________.

Many read ___________ as a novel about________; however, it is valuable to see it as__________________.

Templates for indicating who cares (99)

These findings challenge the argument made by__________ in that______________.

Recent studies like these shed new light on_________, which other researchers have overlooked.

Templates for indicating who cares

Sometimes it's good to refer to certain people or groups who should care (100)

If researchers of American cults stopped to think about it, many of them might simply assume that the most notorious cult leaders______________. However, Scholar X argues______________, which means______ for Survivor.

The novel's conclusion challenges American literature scholars' understanding of ________, which matters because__________.

Who Cares: Creating Drama

You need that clear contrast between others for logical clarity and so your reader doesn't have to re-read sections to understand your position.

You also benefit from doing so because it creates "a dramatic tension or clash of views in your writing that readers will feel invested in and want to resolve" (100)

So What?

Establish who should care about the argument, but also be clear why it matters that you're right.

In the Grady example: why does it matter that some researchers think fat cells are active while others think they're inert? (101)

Literature Disagreements

So what if some scholars disagree about Huck Finn's relationship with the runaway slave in Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? (102)

So what if some scholars believe Grenouille in Perfume is Machiavellian and others do not?

So what if some think pineapple on pizza is an abomination?

What appeals to the audience?

Pick a narrow, specific focus on the topic, something you know your reader may find important. For example, directly respond to arguments already made about Perfume (your goal in Essay 2).

If the course is about Transgressive Fiction, perhaps an argument related to that genre will appeal to your reader, the prof who picked the topic of the course.

What appeals to the audience?

In the Huck Finn example, instead of talking about the relationship in general (which is tough to do and come up with a relevant argument), a writer could focus on how the established arguments about the relationship "shed light on whether Twain's novel is a critique of racism or is itself marred by it" (101)

Even better: see what two or more sides of the debate are saying and argue why it's better agree with one side over the other or argue why it'd be best to listen to your better argument.

Back to Grady's example

In the fat cell research example, the So What? is related to wellness: "prevent obesity from destroying health" (102)

She then demonstrates "the broader relevance and urgency" (102), which is done by relating the argument to an international health crisis.

Doing this offers value to readers because it relates to everyday life. This is what I'm asking you do to in the conclusion, but it can certainly be used to inform the thesis.

Templates for establishing why your claims matter (102-3)

Huckleberry Finn matters/is important because it is one of the most widely taught novels in the American school system.

Although X may seem trivial, it is in fact crucial in terms of today's concern over________________.

These findings have important implications for the broader area of ______________________.

Templates for establishing why your claims matter (102-3)

Sometimes, give the So What? and the Who Cares? together.

While X may seem of concern to only a small group of ______________, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about__________.

Although Hutchinson's argument about American Psycho may seem irrelevant to Geek Love researchers, it is worth considering because the troubling way Patrick Bateman envies his co-workers' business cards (and other status symbols) is similar to Arty's constant need to renovate and redecorate his trailer. (an example from another course)

Saying Why it Matters: Final Thoughts

Remember, it's about hooking your reader and keeping them interested.

Yes, the thesis remains the most important part of your essay, but "you also need to frame it in a way that helps your reader care about it" (104).

If you're not direct with why it matters, it can make your reader "dismiss your text as irrelevant and unimportant" (104)

If you do include it, it's "like bringing a cheerleading squad into your text...when you step back from the text and explain why it matters, you are urging your audience to keep reading, pay attention, and care" (104).