Paradox

Paradox - a statement that seems to contradict itself at first, but on a deeper level, leads to a sense of truth

Ex. You live to die.

Citation: American Rhetoric

Anadiplosis

Anadiplosis (an-uh-dih-PLO-sis): Figure of repetition that occurs when the last word or terms in one sentence, clause, or phrase is/are repeated at or very near the beginning of the next sentence, clause, or phrase.


http://www.americanrhetoric.com/figures/anadiplosis.htm

Appositio

When two words (nouns) that are next to each other are used to modify or elaborate on each other.

For example: In the phrase "My roommate, Matt, is watching TV." the words "roommate" and "Matt" are said to be in apposition because they describe the same thing

Dictinctio

Distinctio--the elaboration of or definition of a word or phrase, sometimes introduced by an explanatory figure.

Ex. When the class gave her blank looks after being assigned to write a Shakespearean sonnet, she replied, "and by Shakespearean, I mean a sonnet that has 14 lines, iambic pentameter, and three quatrains plus a couplet."

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/figures/distinctio.htm

Epistrophe

Epistrophe - the repetition of the same word or words at the end of a series of clauses, phrases, or sentences

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/figures/epistrophe.htm

Hypophora

A hypophora is almost like a rhetorical question.  The author proposes a question and then immediately answers it.

http://grammar.about.com/od/fh/g/hypophterm.htm

Asyndeton

Asyndeton: when conjunctions are purposefully omitted in a series of successive clauses for emphasis.

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/rhetoricaldevicesinsound.htm

Synecdoche

When a whole is represented by a part, or vice versa. Example: calling any brand of tissues Klenex, any cola Coke or adhesive bandage a Band-Aid.http://rhetoric.byu.edu/

Antimetabole

Antimetabole: when a phrase or clause is succeeded by an almost exact phrase in an inverse grammatical order for emphasis

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/figures/antimetabole.htm

Enumeratio

Enumeratio - a figure in which a subject is separated into several parts to created emphasis and add further details; usually in list form.

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/figures/enumeratio.htm

Exemplum

Exemplum: an anecdote that is short or long and is used clarify a point using an example.

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/figures/exemplum.htm

Epizeuxis

Epizeuxis:
The reiteration of the same words in immediate progression for emphasis.

http://rhetoric.byu.edu/

Anaphora

Anaphora: The repetition of a certain word or phrase at the beginning of successive sentences, lines, and the like.
http://rhetoric.byu.edu/

Anesis

Anesis: A statement that lessens or eliminates the effect of the statement that came before it
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/figures/anesis.htm

Conduplicatio

Conduplicatio: the repeating of a key word or phrase usually entered in the beginning of sentences or phrases


http://www.americanrhetoric.com/figures/conduplicatio.htm

Euphemismos

To replace a word/phrase having a negative meaning with a more positive synonym or phrase.

Example: using tenacious instead of stubborn to describe a person.

Source:
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/figures/euphemismos.htm

Sententia

Sententia:

The use of a cliche at the end of a paragraph that sums up the preceding content.

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/figures/sententia.htm

Catachresis

Catachresis:

-to misuse a word/ use a word in the wrong format

-a mixed metaphor: when two metaphors are put together 

http://www.encyclo.co.uk/define/Catachresis

Epanalepsis

When a phrase ends with the same word(s) it began with for emphasis. Example: "It is what it is"
Source:
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/figures/epanalepsis.htm

Caro-as-a-Writer

I'm Carolyn, and I'm the instructor of an incredibly intelligent, fantastically enthusiastic section of English 101: Introduction to Academic Writing (yes, I can tell these things after just one class!). I'm originally from New York City -- Manhattan, to be more precise -- and have lived in the DC/Maryland area for a year and a half. I'm a city girl at heart, but I've really enjoyed crawling out from under all those skyscrapers up north.

When most people think of "writing," they think* of important essays with deadlines, long nights toiling away at a desk, but the way I see it, writing's got a much more expansive definition. Have you ever written a "to do" list? Or a quick email to your friends, say, letting them know to meet you outside your dorm before dinner? If so, guess what?

You are a WRITER!

Anytime you set down your thoughts into words, you are composing, and as someone who happens to love to write (blog entries, essays, lists, notes, texts, emails, you name it) my hope is to help my students come to recognize themselves as authors (that means you out there, reading this!). It was when I learned to see myself as an author that I began to enjoy the process, and this is a big part of what motivates me as an instructor today.

One of my most recent writing challenges was putting together the syllabus for this class, because I wanted to include so much, yet I needed to keep in mind that there are other classes y'all need to read for. I also wanted to make sure to provide the tools you need to grow as writers. I just wanted it to be perfect, but as I know so well, there really is no such thing. Many notes, drafts, versions and revisions later, here we are, and I welcome comments and feedback on what's working and what's not.

(...actually, come to think of it, writing this post was also a little tricky, because I didn't want to ramble on for too long, but I had stuff to say... so I just let out whatever I wanted to. I encourage you to do the same!) 

I look forward to growing as a writer with all of you, and I especially look forward to reading all of your posts this Sunday :)


* Yeah, that's right. I've got a little "They Say/I Say" action going there.

Blogging Prompt #1: The Writing Autobiography

Using the "Writing Autobiography and Self-Assessment" (which you can find on Blackboard under "Course Documents") as a guide, blog about your experience as a writer. You had a chance to write and talk a bit about this in class on Tuesday; now's your chance to sit down, take your time, and just let out your thoughts about where you are and where you'd like to be by the end of the semester.

Start off by introducing yourself in whatever ways you like (since these are public, you can stick to first name). Who are you? What kind of writer are you? Do you love, like, or hate writing? Why? You don't have to answer all of the questions from the Self-Assessment in your post, but use them as inspiration. Use this as an opportunity to start cultivating your own voice. Grammar is not important for this post -- just do you. I'll post my own blog entry by Saturday afternoon. 

Your posts should be between one and two paragraphs, about 5-10 sentences, and are due by 9pm on Sunday on your individual blogs.

You must also comment on your group mates' blogs by 9pm on Monday. Comments should be substantial -- minimally 2-3 sentences long.

A lot of us are familiar with the commenting phenomenon generally -- on Facebook, on YouTube, on online forums -- so in a similar vein, respond to your classmates' writing by asking questions, pointing out where you agree or can relate, or where you respectfully disagree. Share your thoughts, turn this into a conversation, and feel free to respond to your commenters as well. I'll be commenting on your posts this week as well to model for you what I'm looking for and to provide feedback.

Why "Alchemical Compositions"?

Because recently, I've begun to think of writing through the metaphor of alchemy. 

What is alchemy? Great question.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary provides three definitions of "alchemy," each of which is relevant to the purposes of our course:

1 : a medieval chemical science and speculative philosophy aiming to achieve the transmutation of the base metals into gold, the discovery of a universal cure for disease, and the discovery of a means of indefinitely prolonging life 

2 : a power or process of transforming something common into something special

3 : an inexplicable or mysterious transmuting 

Source: "Alchemy." Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Web. 15 Jan 2011. 

Harnessing the aspirational qualities of alchemy --  its desire to transform the mundane into to the magical*, and its search for a cure for disease -- Alchemical Compositions will serve as a space in which we will expose the writing process for what it is, a process, and we'll be doing so by exploring texts written about health and disease.

My philosophy is that the more we show our work, the more we demystify writing itself. Don't get me wrong; there will still be magic. We'll simply have greater access to the magician's sleight of hand, which will help us become better writers.

*or rusty first drafts into sparkling, golden final papers

Welcome!

"Sigh" is right.

Welcome to Alchemical Compositions, the course blog I've created for ENGL 101S (1202): Introduction to Academic Writing!

Before I get to telling you about the purpose of this blog, I want to start off by keeping it real. Let's face it: most of us can probably empathize with Jorge Cham's comic depiction of what it's like coming back to school after a long winter break ("visually quoted" above). After that terrible race-to-the-finish of papers and exams in the Fall, we all needed a break to de-stress, and now it's time for the ice-cold return for the "Spring." Back in my day (not that long ago!), before laptops were common in class, I found myself barely able to hold a pencil right, let alone write anything coherent my first few day in school after vacation.  

Therein lies the purpose of this blog. 

Writing can be tough. In fact, writing can be frustrating, exhilarating, stressful, liberating, and many times, lots of fun. But as we've probably experienced before, the hardest part can often be getting started, and that's why we're going to be blogging throughout the semester as a way of starting up the writing process. 

At times I'll ask us (yup, I'll be blogging, too) to write about the challenges we face as writers or about the topics we're interested in exploring, all in order to get us thinking about where we want to be by the end of the semester. At other times I'll suggest more directly paper-related prompts, such responses to class readings, research logs, and annotated bibliographies, so that we practice fine-tuning our voices to fit the goals of each assignment.

So, as you can tell, we'll be doing a lot of writing this semester. It is my hope that by working at it together, we'll uncover the great fun of the process along the way. 


Source of Comic: Cham, Jorge. "Net Effect of a Vacation on Work Productivity." Piled Higher & Deeper, 10 Jan 2011. Web. 15 Jan 2011.