"They Say, I Say" Blog Post; 8 "As a Result"

 Upon reading the eighth chapter of They Say, I Say, I found that the content has and will assist me in bettering my writing. Most notably, transition phrases that both introduce new information and refer to older evidence brought forth in my writing. The chapter addressed these issues as well as the common mistakes made when speaking on a new matter within the same text. To represent this, Gerald Grath utilized an analogy of a student who was incapable of properly including two countering notions within close proximity. To fix this, the authors introduced a series of phrases that can be used to lessen the validity of the prior generalization. For example, "The dog was great. He had fleas". Reading such a clause would lead the most sensible readers to conclude that the author was out of their mind as they tried to link both notions together. Instead, using literary techniques that counter the prior statements would be much more apt. "The dog was great. Although, he had fleas". And while still, this may not be a greatly written statement, it conveys the point of the benefits which phrases can have on your writing. That being said, the entire purpose of our reading was to then answer two exercise questions regarding how another author and we, ourselves, utilize introductory phrases to better our writing. The first exercise which focused on the former of the two, had us read George Orwell's' The Road to Wigan Pier and mark any usage of connecting devices, transitionary phrases, and lastly key terms. All of which, undoubtedly came in an abundance depending on which perspective you took while reading. As for the latter exercise, we were instructed to choose one writing of our own that we would be able to mark-up as we had done with George Orwell's writing. As one would assume, I chose my most recent writing, which was a collaborative effort, and decided to reference my own excerpt in order to be the most critical I possibly can be. Both exercises are explained below and conducted below: 

1. Upon reviewing George Orwells' writing, I found a surplus of literary techniques that needed to be found, certainly, an excerpt purposely included for that reason. Nonetheless, I found his writing was interesting, not only in the ways in which George Porplerly utilized the proper literary techniques which I just learned but the content as well which spoke of coal and its relation to being mined and used. Some of the terms used include, but are certainly not limited to encouraged, except, at, on, for instance, important, opposite, this, because, deafening dip, again, underneath, and so. Each term, within its' respective scope, assisted George in furthering his writing by reaching back, extending forward, and highlighting key terms.   

2.   With respect to reviewing my own work, or rather my excerpt in a group essay, I found multiple occurrences of proper usage of literary techniques though I find I could've better implemented said strategies. Below I include both my original work as well as the terms which I've substituted with provided literary techniques found within They Say, I Say. 
            

Original Copy: 

Among the many demographics impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic and its associated procedures, none

have been as neglected as young academics who require a constant stream of education to improve

development. Through means of civil discourse, debate, and even protests, parties that hold a stake in

whether students are able to return to in-person school have voiced their concerns. In doing so, these

groups typically disregard the proper decision for those who are undergoing the harshest of times, students. Instead, stakeholders such as teacher unions, board directors, parents, and even employers tend to decide

what’s best based upon their individual needs as opposed to listening to the students who are rarely given a

platform to adequately voice their concerns. In an effort to limit the drastic harm which the ongoing

pandemic has caused, it is essential that in-person learning environments be reintroduced to students as

they require an education that provides a sound gateway to mental stability, social skills, and school

welfare programs. While efforts have been made to incorporate said advantages into an online environment, these

incomplete solutions provide a foundation that can potentially harm the future workforce of the United States.

Revised Copy:

Among the many demographics impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic and its associated procedures, none

have been as neglected as young academics who require a constant stream of education to improve

development. Through means of civil discourse, debate, and even protests, parties that hold a stake in

whether students are able to return to in-person school have voiced their concerns. Ultimately, these

groups typically disregard the proper decision for those who are undergoing the harshest of times, students.

However, stakeholders such as teacher unions, board directors, parents, and even employers tend to

decide what’s best based upon their individual needs as opposed to listening to the students who are

rarely given a platform to adequately voice their concerns. To put it another way, to limit the drastic harm

which the ongoing pandemic has caused, it is essential that in-person learning environments be

reintroduced to students as they require an education that provides a sound gateway to

mental stability, social skills, and school welfare programs. After all, efforts have been made to

incorporate said advantages into an online environment, these incomplete solutions provide a foundation

that can potentially harm the future workforce of the United States. 

With that said, I conclude my Asynchronous Blog Post. Thanks for reading and take care!