Identity is knowing where I would stand on the activity theory and being able to properly integrate myself into that community. Wardle states that “Joining a new workplace is, then, not simply a matter of learning new skills…” it is also about “…fielding new calls for identity construction.” Among other things, a new job is about finding an identity in the community. Authority can be bestowed upon a person and ripped away just as fast. Wardle says that authority can “just as easily be withdrawn by those same institutions or its members and must be maintained through appropriate expressions of authority (Bourdieu).” In order to command authority a person must act and speak with it. Alan is a computer supporter specialist. At his job, Alan began to feel as if he was not getting enough responsibility compared student workers. He moved on to work in the academic department in the same position. At this new job he felt as if everyone besides the boss was under him. I believe that Alan commanded authority, though he was not in the position of it. He alienated himself instead of finding out where he fit in the company.
Penrose and Geisler conduct a study of two individuals writing from different perspectives. At the time “Janet was a college freshman; Roger was completing his doctoral work in philosophy.” The two went about writing their paper in two different ways. Roger had experience with writing with authority, while Janet was new to the concept. Based on what Penrose and Geisler saw from the writing process, Roger “saw his task as one of examining a set of alternative positions which had been put forward by prior authors on paternalism.” He basically wrote his paper as if it were a conversation, he was debating the “claims” made by the authors. Janet had gone about writing her paper by labeling each “by topic…and only sporadically included authorship information.” She used the evidence and response method where she takes a claim made by any one of the authors and she comments on it. The difference of authority in writing is plainly obvious. Though, I do not believe that one is either right or wrong.
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