What does it mean to have Authority? Some synonyms are power, command, control, and many other words. In academic writing, having authority propels the paper from being a novice looking in to expert on the inside.
Roger vs. Janet, what was the difference?
After reading the article, I can definitely say I had many realizations of my own writing habits that I learned. I saw my writing style a lot like Janet’s. The “information- transfer model” is very much drilled into my brain for every form of writing. Find the truth, very much like Janet, was and honestly, still is the main goal of every paper I write. Readings that I was given in the past were fact and I used them to prove my point. After reading through both sides of how each person conducted their process of writing their respective papers, here’s what I noticed.
When Roger wrote on the philosophical aspect of paternalism, I immediately thought he might have the upper hand because it was mentioned that he was getting his doctorate in that field, sorry Janet. Also, to steal an analogy from the reading, Roger had been steeped in the world of writing whereas Janet was at the very beginning. They both stand on opposite ends of the threshold of writing. I also noticed something that I could not answer for myself. In Roger’s paper he’d pit two authors together and let them have a conversation, whether contradict or not. He would then come and point out the inconsistencies between the authors. While Janet, who did also notice the inconsistences did not point it out in her paper, to then create her own definition. The way I read Roger’s process of writing with authority is, letting the two authors have a conversation, and then allow the reader to see into the thought process as to why inconsistences are arising. If this is correct, Janet failed to include this process in her paper because of the need to find the Truth. If it were True, everyone should agree.
So what does it mean to have authority?
By the end of the article, I felt like the lamp shade was taken off my eyes. In writing, to have authority or command of one’s paper does not rely on subject knowledge, but being in control of the events that happen within it, almost like an MC or Tyra on America’s Next Top Model. Instead of seeing one self as a student writing an academic paper, you should see yourself as the author of that paper. You are the captain, and you hold the cheat code. I used to think that when writing any academic paper, no one knows more about this topic than you, the writer. But after reading this article, it taught me that I am not the only one who has thought about or writing about this given topic. There is room for my “voice” and the voice of some philosopher 3000 years ago, to communicate in one paper.
Leave a Reply