Two Student Summaries

Summary is tricky and sometimes the lines between summary and commentary are blurred (intentionally or unintentionally).  Both summary and commentary are important tools in your writing toolbox, but it is good to know the difference as you make rhetorically strategic choices in your writing.  

A few strong summaries from classmates:

Section three of “Argument as Emergence, Rhetoric as Love,” goes into further detail regarding the clashing of narratives.  Corder describes a few of the different reactions people have when faced with a different way of thinking – a different narrative.  One of the choices he discusses is ignoring other narratives – pretending they do not exist.  A second choice he discusses is to learn to change our own narrative; Corder goes on to say that this is a rare occurrence.  He describes the option of arguing with newly encountered narratives as well as the option to let one’s own narrative fall apart.  Corder ends this section questioning how people can change their narrative.

At the beginning of the seventh section of “Argument as Emergence, Rhetoric As Love,” Jim Corder asks again how people can move past the seeming hopelessness of “steadfast” or stalemated arguments.  He then lists a series of situations in which there are two opposing views that may cause a rift between their respective holders.  He answers the previous question by saying that before we argue, we should learn to love and respect each other, to open up to one another, and here he states that argument is emergence.