Abigail Littleton
Group Dynamics
February 20, 2007
Reading Response
Chapter 1-2, Sonja Foss
The most surprising element of either chapter occurred in chapter 1. It really shouldn’t be surprising, but it was. The chapter was only six pages long. Not that I’m complaining, but a standard chapter for a textbook is at least 15 pages. This is less than half that. At first this surprise disturbed me. How can someone write something of substance, when it only comes out to six pages. Then I remembered this assignment and how I was so sure of myself and my capability to write something of substance in two pages. That’s less than half of what Foss used to discuss what rhetoric is and how important rhetorical criticism is as a valid study.
So then, it occurred to me. Who am I to decide? Am I one of the elite we discussed in class? Am I an academic snob? Bel Hooks might be ashamed of me. I don’t roll my eyes at the uneducated. I don’t think my ideas are better than the next persons, just because I’ve had as much schooling as I have had. But apparently I discount the importance of what someone has to say on a piece of paper simply because they used less paper than I thought they should have. Yes, I think Hooks would point her finger at me and say, “see, that’s what I was talking about.”
Delmar would have something to say to me as well, I suppose. She would lament the woe of fragmentation I am causing here. Not just me. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not super important in the world of academic theory, yet. But when you think about it, I am discounting someone who may one day be my collegue, because she choose not to kill as many trees as I did. This implication of my discounting her writing is that I am fundamentally discounting her thoughts. I think I know better and only those that agree am I willing to take seriously.
Now these trains of thought really created a sense of cognitive dissonance I haven’t felt before and I really didn’t like it. I told myself I was just jumping to conclusions, so I read the chapter again. This time I would pay attention to what I was reading.
She’s concise. I’m jealous of how concise she is. Her direct style is much more applicable than the descriptive, repetitive style of many other textbook authors. Organization is a wonderful attribute of this chapter. Both chapters actually. They could have been one chapter, instead of two, but her decision to split them makes sense. Chapter one serves well as an introductory chapter, while chapter two serves well as a preview of application chapter. They have separate purposes, therefore should be separated.
In a nutshell, I must say I am an academic snob. I don’t like this at all, but I would have missed some valid information if I had followed my first instincts. Foss’s ability to talk in layman’s terms are wonderful. The readings are relatively easy. The format and style of her writing gives the textbook more of a self help book look. I would like to know what Delmar and Hooks thinks of Foss. I have some maturing to do before I am ready to sit in a room full of established thinkers.