"Sommers"

1. Sommers says that the language students use to describe revision is about vocabulary, suggesting that they “understand the revision process as a rewording activity” (para. 9). How is that different from the way she argues that revision should be understood?

            Sommers says that the students tend to revise by asking themselves can they find a better word or phrase, a more impressive, not so clichéd, or less hum-drum word, and are they repeating the same word or phrases too often. She says that the students consider the thesaurus a harvest of lexical substitutions and that majority of problems in students essays can be solved by simply rewording. She feels that the students should discover using a thesaurus to have more word choices.

3. In her introduction and in analyzing students’ descriptions of revising, Sommers focuses quite a lot on the difference between speech and writing. In your words, what is she saying that difference is between the two, and why is the difference relevant to how we understand revision.

            The difference between the two is because speech constantly repeats because spoken words are expendable in the cause of communication and unlike writing, writing can be reread over and over. I feel that writing is the best because you can go back and critique but when you’re speaking, you tend to say the same thing over and over not switching or repeating the words over and over again.

5. What do you think Sommers means when she says that for experienced writers, revision is based on non-linear theory in which a sense of the whole writing both precedes and grows out of an explanation of the parts? What does she mean by “the whole writing”? What does it mean for writing processes to be non-linear (not a straight line of progress from beginning to end)? And why do you think that experienced writers see writing as non-linear but students see writing as linear (pre-write à write à edit)?

            When Sommers says that for experienced writers, revision is based on non-linear theory, I think she means that it’s not an easy or simple process and that the sorts of composition are based on the structures experienced what writers seek in their own writing. When she says “whole writing”, I think she mean by every detail, such as the flow or structure of the paper being written. For a writing process to be non-linear means to add or delete or reorder words or phrases. I think experienced writers see writing as noon-linear because they seek to discover and research or create meaning in the engagement with their revision and they seek to emphasize the differences of meanings and the dissonance.  

7.Sommers’s research says, makes her believe that a student revision practices don’t reflect a lack of engagement, “but rather that they do what they have been taught to do in a consistently narrow and predictable way.” Where do you think students got the idea that they should see writing transcribing and revising as changing words? Does this match what you have been taught about writing and revising? If not, what has been different in your experience?

            I think students got the idea from the ones who have taught them in the past. Students wouldn’t do it if they weren’t never taught it by that way. No, this doesn’t match what I’ve been taught about writing and revising. I was taught to reread over what I’ve done and edit it as well and critique it and rewrite my work all over. I’ll rewrite and brainstorm more ideas and rewrite again until I have enough detail and have my paper with something that makes it stand out