4 Chapter 4: Response (continued)
In the previous chapter, we talked about how complex quotes require clear interpretation, digging deeper with analysis, and only then can a thoughtful response happen. In this chapter, we’ll talk about some options for that response. Whenever we use ideas and/or concepts from a source text in our own writing, we have many options for how we respond to them. Below, you’ll find descriptions and examples of extending a source text’s ideas, countering their argument, and uncovering the significance of their point.
Extending
Extending: When you borrow a term or idea from a source and use it in your own thinking. You extend the sources ideas to new situations and use them to find new insights.
Example –
In the following passage notice how Postman (2005) uses Barthes idea of “myth” and extends it to apply to television:
Television has achieved the status of a “meta-medium” – an instrument that directs not only our knowledge of the world but our knowledge of ways of knowing as well. At the same time, television has achieved the status of “myth”, as Roland Barthes uses the word. He means by myth a way of understanding the world that is not problematic, that we are not fully conscious of, that seems, in a word, natural. A myth is a way of thinking so deeply embedded in our consciousness that it is invisible. That is now the way of television. We are no longer fascinated or perplexed by its machinery. We do not tell stories of its wonders. We do not confine our television sets to special rooms. (p. 14)
Countering
Countering: When you question a sources claims or ideas to show another perspective on a topic. You counter their thinking with complicating evidence or uncover assumptions that the source leaves unexamined.
Example –
In the following example, notice how Bok (1998) introduces an argument that “Rulers” and “The Powerful” make just to argue against it by “assum(ing) the perspective of the deceived”:
Rulers, both temporal and spiritual…have propagated and maintained myths, played on the gullibility of the ignorant, and sought stability in shared beliefs. They have seen themselves as high-minded and well-bred – whether by birth or by training – and as superior to those they deceive. Some have gone so far as to claim that those who govern have a right to lie. The powerful tell lies believing that they have greater than ordinary understanding of what is at stake; very often, they regard their dupes as having inadequate judgment, or as likely to respond in the wrong way to truthful information… If we assume the perspective of the deceived – those who experience the consequences of government deception – such arguments are not persuasive. We cannot take for granted either the altruism or the good judgment of those who lie to us no matter how much they intend to benefit us. (p. 143)
Uncovering the Significance
Uncovering the Significance: When you reveal the greater significance of a source’s idea that they didn’t point out themselves. You answer the questions; so what, what’s at stake here, why is this important, why should we care about this issue?
Example –
In the following passage, notice how in interpreting the quote, Gage (1989) uncovers “What is hard for many people to accept about this definition”:
In an essay that argues for critical judgment as the principle aim of education, Wayne C. Booth offers this definition: “To be genuinely critical – to judge on the basis of thought – is to have no easily predictable relationship with belief or doubt, with yes or no, with joining or splitting. The critical mind does not know in advance which side it will come out on.” What is hard for many people to accept about this definition is that it really means that the critical habit of thought requires two very difficult attitudes: it requires the willingness to take responsibility for thinking for oneself, and it requires the ability to live with the perpetual condition of uncertainty. (p. 97)
Additional Examples
The following examples all use the same quote from Stephen Marche’s text, “We Are Not All Created Equal: The Truth About the American Class System”. The interpretation and analysis stay the same as well, but the response changes. These examples should help clarify the distinctions between extending, countering, and uncovering the significance.
Extending
Marche (2014) argues that the US has adopted a “new social order, one not defined by opportunity but by preexisting structures of wealth” (p. 257). In other words, Marche believes that the economic status one is born into determines their fate more than any other factor. That is, society is structured to keep those with money in power and keep those without money from getting it. Indeed, economic barriers do seem to maintain the existing economic disparity between classes in this country. And although there are exceptions to this rule, they are just that: exceptions. How does this “new social order” play out in the job market? Higher paying jobs often require an expensive education. Unless one is willing to go into student loan debt, they need money to get their education. We also cannot ignore the benefit of connections. Having parents with well paying jobs often gives one access to people and opportunities in high paying industries.
Countering
Marche (2014) argues that the US has adopted a “new social order, one not defined by opportunity but by preexisting structures of wealth” (p. 257). In other words, Marche believes that the economic status one is born into determines their fate more than any other factor. That is, society is structured to keep those with money in power and keep those without money from getting it. However, it seems like we can find endless exceptions to Marche’s claim, and these exceptions demonstrate that factors like access to education can largely overcome economic barriers. Take Malcolm X for example…
Uncovering the Significance
Marche (2014) argues that the US has adopted a “new social order, one not defined by opportunity but by preexisting structures of wealth” (p. 257). In other words, Marche believes that the economic status one is born into determines their fate more than any other factor. That is, society is structured to keep those with money in power and keep those without money from getting it. This reality is important because most people still believe in the ‘old social order’, where anyone can get ahead with hard work. These beliefs keep us striving to move up in the world instead of questioning the ‘new social order’ and trying to change it. As long as we believe that all it takes is hard work, then we only have ourselves to blame when we don’t succeed.