Sunny Simounet

Professor Grefski
ENGL 102*05
18 January 2017

Chapter One Journal

Chapter One, They Say, opened up with reference to a speaker at an academic

conference. What audience members found troubling about this speakers presentation was that it
lacked a proper thesis. The speaker delved into great detail about a sociologist and his work, yet
failed to provide a concrete argument or reasoning as to why he was speaking so profoundly on
this specific subject.

When composing a piece of writing, or speech, the author should clearly identify what his
or her thesis is. The author should also be able to state what said thesis is referring to. Authors
must assume that the audience isnt fully familiar with the subject matter, and thus be able to
properly insinuate to full extent what the thesis is in reference to, and be able to provide clear
and direct points which help support the thesis. The order in which things are said, and or,
written is very important. The author must be able to keep the audience engaged, and to do so,
the writer must state what it is that he or she is speaking in response to, whether this be before
the response, or very early on in the argument. If the audience is left a delayed explanation, or
without a pronounced thesis, the natural processing order of the audience is thrown off. The
audience needs to be given a clear point to follow, and if not, they are unable to fully
comprehend the ideas of the author or speaker.

The entire concept behind Chapter One is to inform readers how to properly and
effectively introduce the views an individual is responding to into a piece of writing. Many times
in the chapter, the phrase, they say is mentioned. They say, is what authors write in response
to, which is why it is very important to treat a piece of writing as if one were about to enter a
conversation. We wouldnt enter a conversation without first clarifying our reasoning behind
speaking. It is proper for writers to address and start with what others are saying before
introducing their own thoughts or constructing an argument. It is best to state what they say as
soon as possible in a writing or speech, and continuously refer back to what they say in
strategic points throughout the piece. After stating your own position, it is suggested to promptly
state the position you are responding to as well. First, briefly summarize ideas, and later on in the
piece, elaborate more upon the details spoken of earlier. You want to quickly give your audience
an insight into what you will be writing and or speaking of, without overloading them with too
many details right away. The argument behind a speech or piece of writing needs to be part of a
larger conversation, drawing in the arguments of others, and the ideas of which you support,
oppose, or can add to. By introducing what they say into your work, you are further illustrating
what you are speaking upon.