PB2B: "Moves"

PB2B: “Moves”

In the reading “Style in Arguments,” the author makes many “moves” and choices. One of the first choices I noticed was the “move” to put in pictures at the beginning. The author started off his/her argument by showing three images and describing them. The author described the pictures’ “unique styles,” which was a good hook to get the reader to be interested, and also a good introduction to the argument and main point the author was trying to make. It let the reader know that the reading was about “style” and the different ways to create your own style. In contrast, in the reading “How to Read Like a Writer” by Mike Bunn, Bunn begins his essay with a story. This was a different kind of hook, that I believe was more interesting and caught my attention more, but did not let me know in the first paragraph or so what to expect when I began reading.

On the other hand, Bunn does use this story he gives in the beginning as an example of his main points throughout his essay, while in “Style in Arguments,” the author does not reference the beginning pictures again. This is another “move” that both authors chose to make. Bunn chose this way to introduce his essay because he wanted the reader to read his story like they would read any story they were interested in, without thinking about anything else. The main point of his essay is to show the reader how to “read like a writer,” and to help the reader learn how to do so, he started the reader off with normal reading and then walked the reader through the steps of understanding the many choices made with sentence. So it makes sense why Bunn decided to use his introduction “move.” Conversely, the author of “Style in Arguments” used their introduction “move” as a simple hook and example of what to expect in the reading. They had many more pictures and examples they were planning on using, so they chose not to base most of their argument on their introductory example.

These two readings also have some “moves” in common. Both readings separate their main ideas by sections, and each section has a heading that leads the reader into what the main idea of the section is. Bunn begins each section with a question, and then spends the rest of the section answering the rhetorical question asked. In “Style in Arguments,” the author begins each section with a simple heading that includes a few broad keywords that the section is about. The author then goes into specifics and gives terms and examples of the terms. These “moves” are successful because they effectively separate the main arguments into “chewable” pieces so that the reader isn't trying to read one giant paper, and they allow the reader to know what to expect with each section title. 

 Both authors also use italics throughout their essays. The “Style in Arguments” author uses italics for terms that the author is describing, such as semicolon or exclamation point. The author also uses italics if he/she wants to point out specific words from an example. But he/she also uses bolds for examples/quotes used and for bigger terms such as parallel structures or anaphora. Bunn uses italics often throughout his essay for emphasis (“what would you call it?” or “try to answer before you start reading”) and when he references his introductory story. The only time Bunn uses bolds is for the headings of each section. These are successful “moves” because they help the reader understand the stress on certain words, which helps with the flow of the readings and helps the reader recognize that some words are terms or are emphasized when read.

One interesting “move” that the “Style in Arguments” reading has is that it has “respond” sections throughout. The “respond” sections try to give activities for the reader to do while reading and give the reader questions to answer. In one “respond” section, it asks the reader to work with a classmate. This “move” reminds me of a move often used in textbooks to try to involve the reader more in work that relates to the reading but is outside the normal style of classroom reading. Almost like giving teachers ideas for what activities the class should do for this assignment that could help them apply what is in the text. For example, another section asks the reader to “try writing a brief movie review” or to “use online sources [ . . . ] to find the text of an essay.” I thought this move was not successful, because many students do not like doing the “respond” sections, and while the “respond” sections are meant to involve the reader in outside activities, I believe these types of sections break up the flow of the reading and bring the reader’s attention away from the reading.

In his essay “How to Read Like a Writer,” Bunn also gives the reader questions, but the questions are more like teaching questions that are used to help the reader better understand the main points Bunn is trying to make in his essay. He tells the reader to write down certain questions as they are reading and writing and be to able to answer them. I think these questions are helpful for Bunn’s main point and help illustrate what Bunn means by “reading like a writer” and that this was a successful move.