Throughout Penrose and Geisler’s article, Reading and Writing Without Authority, I found myself interested in the differences displayed through both Janet and Roger’s writing despite their differing levels of higher education and their personal writing styles. With this, the demonstrated confidence and authority in each piece made each of them stand out, along with the usage of sources and types of thinking and approaches they displayed throughout their writing. Now, I must mention that I was expecting a distinct difference in the tone and information used when reading a college freshman’s work compared to a PhD student’s work- not just because of their differing levels of education but also because of their age, personal experiences, and access to quality sources that can support their claims and ideas.
Despite this preconceived notion, I had a mindset change by the end of reading this article. I was able to better understand the overarching importance of an author taking authority in their writing. This was confirmed at the very end of the article by Penrose and Geisler, where they stated, “Only when a student such as Janet sees herself and others as authors negotiating meaning will she think to acknowledge and build upon the inconsistencies she notices, to use her store of examples generatively, to examine and value her own responses to the claims of others” (p. 518). Not only does this sentence perfectly sum up the central message of the article, but it also proves that, even though Janet does not have as much higher education when compared to Roger, she must realize that she is an author. Once she is able to understand and apply that viewpoint when writing, she will then be able to grow as a writer, use her resources wisely, and appreciate her responses to the differing claims of others. This is something that all young college writers could benefit from hearing and understanding, as making an effort to display confidence and authority in our writing will ultimately strengthen our pieces, our claims, and our credibility as writers.
Leave a Reply