Writer's Notebook 2.2

THE ART OF QUOTING C R E A T E D B Y J U S T I N E W H I T E

ORPHAN QUOTES “In a sense, quotations are orphans: words that have been taken from their original contexts and that need to be integrated into their new textual surroundings” (Graff and Birkenstein 43).

COMMON KNOWLEDGE

• Common knowledge is information that does not need to be cited.

• Common knowledge is defined as words with no synonyms.

• It is information and ideas that you deem already known or understood by your audience and widely accepted by scholars, e.g. • It is common knowledge that Pearl Harbor was bombed on

December 7, 1941, so it does not need to be cited. • It can be found undocumented in many different

credible sources • It is listed in a general encyclopedia • It is considered factual and not controversial

COMMON KNOWLEDGE CONT.

• Common knowledge is influenced and changed by three things: • Age—Your common knowledge base increases as you get

more life experience • Education—Your common knowledge base increases as

you learn more • Field of study—If you are in an advanced course, your

instructor will expect you to know everything that came before that course. You will not need to cite it in a paper for that course. However, in another course, like English, you would need to cite much more!

• When in doubt, cite your source!

HIT-AND-RUN QUOTATIONS

The source material must be connected to what you say because

• without the proper framework, quotes are left hanging, their meaning is unclear, leaving the reader dazed and confused.

• it is better to risk over- analyzing or over- explaining a quote than to leave the quotation dangling and readers in doubt or suspense.

THE QUOTE SANDWICH

SUCCESSFUL INTEGRATION TIPS

• Blend your words with the original author’s words using language and tone that carefully reflects the original material.

• Avoid the he said/she said trap by using one of the following (there are more listed on the English Corner website):

Professor Smith criticizes… Critic Robert Black predicts that… Dr. Jones questions the usefulness of… Researcher James Reed complains that…

adds questions criticizes announces observes remarks declares responds retorts opines complains proposes

FIND THE PARTS OF THE QUOTE SANDWICH

• Parts of the quote • Introduction (the

bread) • Quote (the meat) • Interpretation (the

fixin’s) • Commentary (the

bottom bun)

The challenge, as college professor Ned Laff has put it, “is not simply to exploit students’ nonacademic interests, but to get them to see those interests through academic eyes.”

To say that students need to see their interests “through academic eyes” is to say that street smarts are not enough. Making students‘ nonacademic interests an object of academic study is useful, then, for getting students’ attention and overcoming their boredom and alienation, but this tactic won’t in itself necessarily move them closer to an academically rigorous treatment of those interests. On the other hand, inviting students to write about cars, sports, or clothing fashions does not have to be a pedagogical cop-out as long as students are required to see these interests “through academic eyes,” that is, to think and write about cars, sports, and fashion in a reflective, analytical way, one that sees them as microcosms of what is going on in the wider culture.

SUCCESSFUL QUOTING: THE BREAD

• The introduction or lead-in, introduces the speaker and sets up the quote.

• It gives credibility to the quote as well as the author .

• Blend the words of the original source with your words.

The challenge, as college professor Ned Laff has put it, “is not simply to exploit students’ nonacademic interests, but to get them to see those interests through academic eyes.”

To say that students need to see their interests “through academic eyes” is to say that street smarts are not enough. Making students‘ nonacademic interests an object of academic study is useful, then, for getting students’ attention and overcoming their boredom and alienation, but this tactic won’t in itself necessarily move them closer to an academically rigorous treatment of those interests. On the other hand, inviting students to write about cars, sports, or clothing fashions does not have to be a pedagogical cop-out as long as students are required to see these interests “through academic eyes,” that is, to think and write about cars, sports, and fashion in a reflective, analytical way, one that sees them as microcosms of what is going on in the wider culture.

SUCCESSFUL QUOTING: THE FIXIN’S

• The interpretation. • Explain or translate

what the writer means in easy to understand terms.

• Interpret the quote in relation to your argument. Not all quotes need to be interpreted.

The challenge, as college professor Ned Laff has put it, “is not simply to exploit students’ nonacademic interests, but to get them to see those interests through academic eyes.”

To say that students need to see their interests “through academic eyes” is to say that street smarts are not enough. Making students‘ nonacademic interests an object of academic study is useful, then, for getting students’ attention and overcoming their boredom and alienation, but this tactic won’t in itself necessarily move them closer to an academically rigorous treatment of those interests. On the other hand, inviting students to write about cars, sports, or clothing fashions does not have to be a pedagogical cop-out as long as students are required to see these …

SUCCESSFUL QUOTING: THE BOTTOM BUN

• The commentary relates the quote back to your central argument, reminding the reader what your thesis and purpose is.

…interests an object of academic study is useful, then, for getting students’ attention and overcoming their boredom and alienation, but this tactic won’t in itself necessarily move them closer to an academically rigorous treatment of

those interests. On the other hand, inviting students to write about cars, sports, or clothing fashions does not have to be a pedagogical cop-out as long as students are required to see these interests “through academic eyes,” that is, to think and write about cars, sports, and fashion in a reflective, analytical way, one that sees them as microcosms of what is going on in the wider culture.