Blog #13

I chose chapter nine of They Say/I Say. This chapter is entitled, “‘You Mean I Can Just Say It That Way?’ Academic Writing Doesn’t Mean Setting Aside Your Own Voice.” I chose this chapter after looking over the table of contents and deciding which one I struggle with most. This chapter discusses the problem that students can have when writing academically. Most often, students feel that they have to use the most advanced words in academic writing, but this can often leave readers confused. This chapter argues that students can actually use plain, everyday language; it is all about creating a nice mix of advanced ideas and words with simple language that we use all the time. I personally struggle with this in my essays. Although it mostly works out for me and my readers don’t get too confused, I find myself picking the “best of the best” words to use, when it could be said in a much simpler way. The chapter describes this process as, “creating a new voice that draws on the voice you already have.” This means that we, as academic writers, can still use our own voice within our writing. We should not write a piece that sounds nothing like us because we are constantly using the thesaurus.

Before: There are many things that science cannot answer, and Jonah Lehrer, author of “The Future of Science…Is Art?,” states, “It’s not that we don’t have all the answers. It’s that we don’t even know the question.” This means that scientists continue to develop theories and expand on research, however, we cannot receive the answers if we do not know the questions.

After: There are many things that science cannot answer, and Jonah Lehrer, author of “The Future of Science…Is Art?,” states, “It’s not that we don’t have all the answers. It’s that we don’t even know the question.” This means that scientists continue to develop theories and expand on research, however, we cannot receive the answers if we do not know the questions. Plainly put, we do not and cannot know everything.

Before: The concept of STEAM, science, technology, engineering, arts, and math, is more inclusive than the previously accepted concept of STEM, science, technology, engineering, and math. Yo-Yo Ma explains the idea behind this art integration, that “collaboration, flexible thinking, and disciplined imagination” all can “lead to the capacity to innovate.” If the ideas within the arts and sciences were to collaborate, it could provide a more inclusive learning environment for students.

After: The concept of STEAM, science, technology, engineering, arts, and math, is more inclusive than the previously accepted concept of STEM, science, technology, engineering, and math. Yo-Yo Ma explains the idea behind this art integration, that “collaboration, flexible thinking, and disciplined imagination” all can “lead to the capacity to innovate.” If the ideas within the arts and sciences were to collaborate, it could provide a more inclusive learning environment for students. Essentially, Yo-Yo Ma argues that adding art to the mix can give something to students that they did not have before.