Georgia Lam

Professor Lasley
English 1A
25 September 2016

CRL #4: Robillard

I) Summary
It has become common today to dismiss the personal narrative, as first year composition
curriculums emphasize on the future-- not on the past-- to reflect middle class values. However,
not everyone fits the mold of the traditional student for understanding the values expected of the
students, especially those uncertain of their futures. In her piece Its Time for Class: Toward a
More Complex Pedagogy of Narrative, Amy Robillard argues that narration is essential for
students; it is a means to gain identity consciousness as it builds a meaningful connection
between their past and present. In the age of capitalization and a world moving in a rapid pace,
narrative is actually a means in establishing some kind of order and peace to our ever changing
and uncertain lives. Narrative establishes and develops our identity-- foremost class
consciousness. Personal narratives offers a link between the past, present, and future; all facets of
our multidimensional characters. She recounts her upbringing in a working class household,
constantly focusing on closure and the comfort it brought her. Robillard maintains that most
students -- especially the working class-- crave the same kind of closure in life that can be found
in writing personal narratives. Therefore, she proposes that teachers should value and incorporate
more of the personal narrative for students, so students are empowered and may develop
consciousness with their own identities and sense of their positions in life.

II) Main Ideas

Narration
The personal narrative is often discredited in the writing community, and is no longer focused
nor appealing in first year composition curriculums. Robillard discusses the misrepresentation
that the narrative is too simple and is dismissed as a lesser form than other writing styles. In a
time of chaos and uncertainty, narration acts as a force of learning, to evaluate our life events,
reveal meaning in our lives, and to understand and build bridges between the gaps in staggered
moments. Narration, in other words, is a security blanket; it offers a sense of control and grip on
the situations in our lives.
Time: Present, Future, Past

Robillard discusses how first year composition classes focuses on the present and future, but
disregards the past. Yet the past is integral in discussing our present and future; we draw from the
past to build and shape our identities. Narrative reflects the past, allows for us to draw from the
past, utilizing past experiences to reason or explain our position in the present day, gain and hints
at what the future holds.The past plays an integral role of how we become conscious of our class
status and the path of self-discovery. Only through interpreting the past of telling stories of
ourselves can we understand the present and gain consciousness of who we are in the present
day. Narrative connects the what happened with the what happens and the what may happen
(Robillard 80), blending the individual and independent pieces of stories which makes up the
fuller image: our identity.
Abstract, analytical writing vs. Concrete, Detailed writing
Concrete, detailed storytelling is discouraged in composition classes, despite that it is a critical
learning tool for students that allow them to express and cultivate their own identity. On the other
hand, abstract, analytical writing is highly regarded in first year composition classes. Some
dismiss concrete writing as not deep enough, which is why teachers dont encourage narrative
in essays-- because it somehow doesnt show depth unlike intangible concepts and abstracts. Yet
it sometimes the concrete events and experiences that hold that most memories, is expressive,
holds depth and intricacies which molds it as meaningful. Like other styles of writing, personal
narratives contains all essential aspects of writing and discourse- argument, rhetoric, and blends
in analysis. It is important to not dismiss narrative writing as a lesser writing style than others
such as research papers. There is a disconnect between most students (especially the working
class) and professors- concrete, detailed storytelling alleviates the uncertainty and instability in
their lives. Yet professors have not taken into consideration that students lack security and
knowledge, and thus abstract, analytical writing doesnt challenge students to explore the
unknown and to find meaningful life connections between various life events.
Class position
Robillard discusses a disconnection between first year composition writing curriculums and the
class status of students. We naturally assume the traditional student; the kind that holds and
practices middle-class values. Therefore, first year composition writing curriculums focus on the
middle class value of the building a successful future. But Robillard emphasizes that the current
writing curriculum is not universal because it excludes the needs of the students in the working
class. Time is responsible for the disconnection between identity and life experiences. In order to
build a connection between the both, storytelling is the key in developing social consciousness
and the realization that comes along with it. In addition, Robillard discusses the difference
between the working and middle class: The middle class, in relation to first year composition
classes, focuses on exploring the what if, while the working class focuses on having closure.

III) Quotes
1. My working-class upbringing and my obsessive relationship with time often
translate to an intense need for closure...This desire for closure, I argue, is a characteristic
of a working-class life filled with uncertainty and instability. I know that my own need
for closure could easily lead me to write trite narratives: and then and then and then and
then a happy ending (Robillard 90)
^ I like this quote because I find the aspect, need, and craving for control so strongly as well
2. Narrative is more than a simple chronological rendering of events. Narratives, says Sennett,
give "shape to the forward movement of time, suggesting reasons why things happen, showing
their consequences" (Robillard 76)
^ I like this quote because it reveals the intricacies of narration and its capabilities.
3. But don't we also want to encourage our students to create their own meanings from their
own histories, thereby allowing them to entertain some sense of control over their educations and
their lives? If so, we cannot so easily dismiss narrative in composition (Robillard 76)
^ I agree that narrative serves as a tool of empowerment