Expository purchases at the drug store

Expository: sounds like something that is purchased in the drug store. I don’t really know why I like this statement as much as I do, but maybe because the term expository has been tossed around my four years of college far too much. Expository writing, what does that even mean?

According to Stanford University “expository writing” means: “a type of oral or written discourse that is used to explain, describe, give information or inform. The creator of an expository text can not assume that the reader or listener has prior knowledge or prior understanding of the topic that is being discussed. ”For being something bought at a drug store, Stanford University glorifies this $1.99 item. However when I read their version I didn’t feel as if I could purchase expository writing in any old store. Maybe it was the wording, using words like “discourse” or “prior understanding” that set their definition apart.

This makes me think from a marketing standpoint, it’s not the word or action but how you dress it up. For example thinking about a big department store like Macy’s, but we can think of them as Stanford, the store has cosmetics, shoes, handbags, clothing and some household items, that are all packaged beautify. There is an image that comes along with purchasing items from stores like this. However the same cosmetics, shoes, handbags, clothing and household items are sold in discount stores like TjMaxx. Expect this time they aren’t packaged beatify or laid out in an orderly fashion, but regardless of their packaging or display styles, it’s still the same Ralph Lauren Shirt. So after writing this I believe that expository writing is simply writing.

Here is a link to the Stanford writing page: 

http://www.stanford.edu/~arnetha/expowrite/info.html

Uptaught

“Surely they were learning great things from me. I was only a part-time instructor but felt the weight of the trappings of academic prestige and rank.”  (11)  I thought this line was really funny and interesting. He says with such confidence “surely” like there is no doubt that he is more knowledgeable than anyone in the class, and such confidence for a part-time instructor. He doesn’t call himself a professor but an instructor, and that makes me wonder if it is his ego that is telling him to call himself an instructor because he feels “young/ inexperienced” or if that’s how people referred to professors during that time?  And as I continued reading the rest of that paragraph I began to feel like it was more his ego; specifically from the line “I imagined all the students were looking at me and saying with awe, ‘He’s an instructor.’” Not only are the students saying, but he believes they were saying with awe, like there is some deity essence about him because he is a part-time instructor.

I feel like a change has happened by early May 1964: “I told my Advanced Writing class, ‘Go home and write anything that comes to your mind. Don’t stop. Write for ten minutes or till you’ve filled a whole page.””(20) There is a huge level of freeness within this assignment. It seems like Macrorie is releasing control and letting the students lead him, where as before he assumed he was the cat’s pajamas and that students looked up to him with awe. I feel like I am seeing a different side of Macrorie than we have so far in the book, a more creative side. But does he find this acceptable because the people writing this way are advanced students; they already know the rules of writing. Later on Macrorie was impressed when he gave this prompt to students in lower level writing classes, which I feel like should have been no surprise. Especially when students or people have the opportunity to write about something they know or that they are passionate about.  

I think it was this class that it was said: as an English major people expect you to be good at write or more accurately spelling and grammar. So when I came across page 66 and read Macrorie’s thoughts on They Need Correction I wasn’t shocked that this was how people viewed English teachers. I would say I have taken extra care of the language I use around professors, not just English professors. Also I try to pay attention to how I speak when I am talking to co-workers; I feel like I should because they all know I am an English major and thus I must speak elegantly.  But to tell you the truth grammar, spelling and overall proof reading is not one of my strong suits. And I absolutely hate being asked to proofread emails or long papers for group projects just because I’m an English major.

Blogs

I'm very sorry to everyone that is in my reading group, but I still have not gotten the books for this class. I will be posting as soon as I get my books from Amazon.