The document provides guidance on how to effectively enter academic conversations and write responses. It emphasizes establishing the context of existing arguments before introducing your own ideas. Several templates are presented for agreeing or disagreeing with others' arguments in a respectful manner, such as "They say ___, I say ___" and referring back to the original context throughout the response. The goal is to acknowledge other perspectives while also contributing your own perspective to the ongoing discussion.

1. Entering the
Conversation

2. Think about an activity…
 Think about an activity that you do well—play
basketball, cook, even something like driving a
car.
 All of these activities require learning a series of
complicated moves, moves that may have been
difficult or foreign to you at first.
 The same goes for writing—good writers learn
a series of moves, which makes them strong
writers.
 Learning writers must learn these moves of
basic academic writing.

3. Stating your own idea as a
response to others
 “they say_____; I say __________.”
 This is the most important template we will
focus on
 It expresses not only where you get your ideas,
but where you are going with your own ideas
 Strong writers are constantly participating in a
discourse; this template allows us to
acknowledge what others have said

4. Establishing a context for the
thesis
 In academic writing, you are often asked
to respond to a particular text, argument,
etc.
 You may have to agree or disagree with
an argument, or extend or expand on it.
 No matter what you are asked to do with
an argument, you must always begin by
showing where your new ideas are
coming from. This is the polite and
academic thing to do.
May it
be my
turn to
share
an idea
please?

5. What is the context?
 The context is the background to your
argument.
 You need it as a springboard to launch
into your own argument.
 You also need it to show that you are
aware of the ongoing conversation
around you.

6. Figure 1
The characters in
The Sopranos are
very complex!
Why is he
telling us
this?
Yeah
so?!
Huh?

7. Figure 2
Some say that The
Sopranos presents
caricatures of Italian
Americans. However,
the characters in the
series are very complex!
Hmmm…
Good
point!
I never
thought of
that!

8. Excerpt from MLK’s “ Letter
from Birmingham Jail”
 MLK’s letter consists primarily of eloquent
responses to a public statement by 8 clergymen
deploring the civil rights protest he was leading.
 His letter is structured almost entirely of
summary and response.
 “You deplore the demonstrations taking place in
Birmingham. But your statement, I am sorry to
say, fails to express a similar concern for the
conditions that brought about these
demonstrations.”

9. Continued…
 His speech is so thoroughly structured,
that it almost plays out in this formula:
 King’s critics
 King’s response
 King’s critics
 King’s response
 And so forth

10. Example about American
patriotism
 Here’s an opening to an essay about American
patriotism by the social critic Katha Pollitt, who
uses her own daughter’s comment to represent
the national fervor of post 9/11 patriotism:
 “My daughter, who goes to high school only blocks away
from the former World Trade Center, thinks we should fly
the American flag out our window. Definitely not, I say:
The flag stands for jingoism and vengeance and war.
She tells me I’m wrong—the flag means standing
together and honoring the dead and saying no terrorism.
In a way we’re both right…

11. Ways of Responding
 From our textbook we will use a variety
of templates—ones that apply to
agreeing, disagreeing, and so forth.
 For example:
 She argues_______, and I agree
because_____________.”
 Her argument that ________ is supported
by research showing that___________.
 You will be expected to apply these
templates throughout your essays

12. It isn’t just a thesis statement
or part of your introduction…
 A good essay not only refers to the
author and text in the intro, but continues
to call back to the text/refer to it
throughout the entire essay.
 This shows that you are constantly
aware of your conversation, and that you
didn’t just waltz in and take over.
It’s all about me
and my
world!!!!You’re a
jerk!

13. Imagine how ignorant you
sound…
Amy Brown argues that it is
important to speak more than
one type of English. Great
idea Brown, thanks. Now
back to me…which reminds
me about me and this one
time me me
me….blahblahblahblahblahbl
albhalbhskfjslkajg…

14. Imagine how courteous and
smart you sound!
Brown argues that it is
necessary to speak more
than one English. That
reminds me of how I use
different Englishes when
I’m in different situations.
For example…
Hmmm…Brown also
mentions that the
language with her mother
is “intimate,” and even
how it has become the
way she speaks with her
boyfriend. I know I do the
same with my boyfriend.
For example,…

15. Wrap Up—Putting in your oar:
 As you can see, the point of establishing
the conversation gives you a place to
enter in a way that makes you seem like
a respectful and well read scholar.
 We do this as a way of agreeing,
disagreeing with others, or challenging a
standard way of thinking, or in other
words:
 TO START CONTROVERSY!!!