I Need You to Say I: Why First Person Is Important in College Writing by Kate McKinney Maddalena speaks about the appropriate times to use I in college writing. I grew up in the time where teachers taught students not to use “I” so much when writing. We were taught this in high school, many teachers led us to believe that I statements would weaken your argument and make it look like an opinion when you should be stating facts. “Avoiding personal pronouns allow you to be objective” (Maddalena, p 1). But the author refute those claims and gives many examples of when I statements help enhance your writing. I statements can be used in college writing but in moderation. When using I, one must consider the context, and how you would like your readers to understand what you have written, in other words consider your audience. The less you use “I” the more it keeps your writing objective (Maddalena, p 3) and keeping your writing objective avoid using personal experience to get your point across, but instead use facts or evidence The author then explains a few ways in which it is appropriate to use first person pronouns. She mentions, using I when taking a stance on an issue, it allows you to explain your stance. Using I for clarification and to separate your voice from the writer’s voice. For example, when you are responding to a text written by multiple authors it is easy to sound like one of the authors. But if you use, I statements in the beginning it gives the reader the understanding that you’re not apart of the group of authors, but you have something valuable to say. Another reason we should use I is when you are asked to by your professors. Summaries, analyzing and comparing reading all of these require first person pronouns to respond appropriately. Although many professors do not like I statements in college writing. It is important to remember to use it appropriately and in moderation.
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