The Art of Quoting AKA: Metaphor Central
Quoting gives credibility to your summary Helps ensure that it is fair and accurate Don t quote too little/don t quote too much Major problem: assuming the quotations speak for themselves Orphan Quotations: they ve been taken away from their contexts, and need to be integrated into their new surroundings
Orphan Quotations: they ve been taken away from their contexts, and need to be integrated into their new surroundings =
Two ways to make those orphans productive members of society: 1. Choose quotations wisely based on your reason for using them (HAVE a reason!!) 2. Surround every major quotation with a frame explaining whose words they are, what the quotation means, and how the quotation relates to your text. Quoting what THEY SAY must always be connected to what YOU SAY!!
Choose Meaningful Passages Have a sense of what you want to do with them Make sure they are relevant to your work Have a reason for saying it as a quote instead of a paraphrase. If your text develops and they no longer fit, change the quotes
Build a frame around every quotation Surround them in a way that supports them and makes their relevance clear
Don t Be a Hit and Run Quoter!!
Example of Hit and Run Quote Susan Bordo writes about women and dieting. Fiji is just one example. Until television was introduced in 1995, the islands had no reported cases of eating disorders. In 1998, three years after programs from the united States and Britain began broadcasting there, 62% of the girls surveyed reported dieting. I think Bordo is right. Another point Bordo makes, is
Instead, make a quotation sandwich
The Top Bun Lead-in claim: explain who is speaking and sets up the quote. Accurately reflect the spirit of the passage As the prominent philosopher Peter Elbow puts it
The quote itself The Meat and Pickles Playing the Believing Game is vital to interacting with sources correctly
The Bottom Bun Follow up, explain why it s important and what you take it to say, or have to say about it. The essence of Elbow s argument is that
The feminist philosopher Susan Bordo deplores the hold that the Western obsession with dieting has on women. Her basic argument is that increasing numbers of women across the globe are being led to see themselves as fat and in need of a diet. Citing the island of Fiji as a case in point, Bordo notes that Until television was introduced in 1995, the islands had no reported cases of eating disorders. In 1998, three years after programs from the united States and Britain began broadcasting there, 62% of the girls surveyed reported dieting. Bordo s point is that the West s obsession with dieting is spreading even to remote places across the globe. Ultimately, Bordo complains, the culture of dieting will find you, regardless of where you live. Bordo s observations ring true to me because a friend of mine from a remote are in China speaks of the cult of
The feminist philosopher Susan Bordo deplores the hold that the Western obsession with dieting has on women. Her basic argument is that increasing numbers of women across the globe are being led to see themselves as fat and in need of a diet. Citing the island of Fiji as a case in point, Bordo notes that Until television was introduced in 1995, the islands had no reported cases of eating disorders. In 1998, three years after programs from the united States and Britain began broadcasting there, 62% of the girls surveyed reported dieting. Bordo s point is that the West s obsession with dieting is spreading even to remote places across the globe. Ultimately, Bordo complains, the culture of dieting will find you, regardless of where you live. Bordo s observations ring true to me because a friend of mine from a remote are in China speaks of the cult of dieting
Integrates, but also serves to demonstrate writer s interpretation of Bordo Show s that the quote has been used meaningfully to set up writer s argument.
Follow up sentences don t repeat word-forword: they echo while still moving in writer s direction Hybrid text Remember: audience needs to see how YOU interpret the text (quotes can be interpreted differently to support different agendas)
Exercise Find a text that quotes someone s exact words as evidence of something they say. How has the writer integrated the quotation into his or her own text? How has he or she introduced it and what, if anything, has the writer said to explain it and tie it to his or her own text? Based on what you ve read in this chapter, are there any changes you would suggest?
Exercise Look at an essay or report that you have written for one of your classes (Summer Synthesis Essay) Highlight your quotes/summaries in one color, your explanation/ connection in a second, and introductory information in a third. How have you integrated the quotation into your own text? How have you introduced it? Explained what it means? Indicated how it relates to your text? Write a paragraph of analysis about your quote integration. Choose one of your quotes and create a brief new paragraph that integrates it in a sandwich highlight your templates and signal verbs!!