PB2B: Moves

A move is a strategic way that an author can use to write. When you have a move that you can revert to, and that is yours it makes the reader notice the style of writing that you are conveying. You can tell when an author is using a specific move because that move is most likely always going to be in the writing, even if the topic is different from one another. In the two readings that we had to do “Style in Arguments” and “How to read like a Writer”, both of the authors convey their points in different ways but use specific moves in their writing to help them get there.

In both of these readings the authors start off the readings with strong hooks that help them lure the reader into the reading. In “Style in Arguments” the author puts three distinct pictures at the beginning of the reading. In most cases, when a reader is reading and he/she sees a pictures and words written under it they are going to be attracted to it. In the case of this reading, when I saw that move that the author made I was hooked into the reading and wanted to finish it. Not only did the author put pictures, but described the pictures “style” which was a move to get the reader to keep looking at the text. The main argument the author was about style and different ways that you can create style. This discussion was really relate able to reader. As a scholar I am trying to put in my style into the writing I am trying to make. In “How to read like a Writer” written by Michael Bunn, he begins the text with a essay. This is a very different way to bring the reader into your reading, a hook. I was not the biggest fan of this way to hook the reader. In my opinion, the author did not even give a hint as to what was going to be talked about in the reading, so I had no idea if this was going to be interesting or not.. but since I had to read it.

Bunn in his text refers back to the essay that he used to hook the reader throughout the whole text. Although in the first reading “Style in Arguments” the author only uses the pictures as a hook and then does not talk about them anymore throughout the whole reading. This is a move and choice that the author makes to not refer back to the pictures unlike what Bunn did. When Bunn makes the choice to refer back to the essay throughout the reading he is making a move that he decided is a good idea. In Bunn’s reading he poses a question to the readers, and then for the rest of the section he is explaining slash answering the question he asked. This is a move that Bunn uses that helps the reader understand how to read like a writer, which he is trying to convey throughout the whole reading. In the other reading the author for each section gives a couple of words and then for the rest of the section the author goes into the specific details about explaining those words and talking about it. This is a move the author poses to not be to complex in explaining style. The author does not want to confuse anyone, the author wants the reader to understand the importance of style and how to create a style.

One of my favorite moves that the “Style in Arguments” reading has are respond sections throughout the whole reading. A respond section is like a activity for the reader to do to understand what is being said by the author. It helps the reader to obtain the knowledge throughout the whole reading and it makes it clear with the activities on the side. This move by the author is used all over, if you are reading a passage for school your teacher most likely will give you questions that go along with it. It is like that, you read and then you have a activity to follow. In the essay written by Bunn he is making the reader think while they are reading. He is posing questions that the reader must answer before they move on to the next section.

Both of these readings had successful moves and unsuccessful moves in my opinion. The authors are trying to get the reader to think like they have, and ask questions so that they can understand what message the author is sending. I think both authors did a awesome job explaining the details of there readings. I thought both of the readings were interesting and both got the point across.