Scott - Thankyou - it is so nice not to feel alone in this!!! And being so far away from 'meet the examiners' sessions I was not able to ask this myself at such forums so I appreciate you taking the time to respond. <br>
<br>Jen<br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">2009/3/5 scottlangan <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:scottlangan@girton.vic.edu.au">scottlangan@girton.vic.edu.au</a>></span><br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Hi Jenny,<br>
<br>
I too have been pondering this question of style. Like you, I have always discouraged any kind of inclusive language/voice in the Reading and Responding Text Response Essay. Yet, at the Meet the Assessors session in Bendigo last week, 'We' was used in the verbal examples given on every occasion.<br>
<br>
Personally, I find the royal 'we' and the second person 'you' the weakest writing style/voice - it is including and making assumptions about the writers audience (and assessors) that is unknowable and insupportable; which surely weakens any analysis rather than strengthens it? For an example, I will add my comments to your own example -<br>
<br>
Throughout the text (Inheritance) we [Who? All students?] are invited by Rayson to consider the not so pleasant aspects of our history [Whose? All Australians? Victorians? Whites?] through characters such as Nugget.<br>
<br>
Or, when a students writes that "You can appreciate that Rayson positions her audience..." surely they mean "I", so why use "you" and the statement form of this same sentence "Rayson positions her audience..." is more concise and conveys the same idea. Thus, this is the better sentence, demonstrating that the student has better control over language and written expression. Surely it will be graded higher than the first or second person style of essay? It is still their fresh, personal, unique interpretation - writing in third person does not detract from 'hearing' such a voice. The author of the essay's voice is implied in every sentence as it is they that choose and shape language to communicate their response to the topic. Why belabour this by say either "I believe..." or "We understand..." "You can acknowledge..." etc. in each and every sentence?<br>
<br>
Cheers,<br>
<br>
Scott Langan<br>
Head of English<br>
Girton Grammar<br>
<br>
-<br>
</blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Jen Gilbert English Teacher<br>Aka ‘nenifoofer’<br><br><a href="http://www.facebook.com/inbox/#/profile.php?id=634989807">http://www.facebook.com/inbox/#/profile.php?id=634989807</a><br>
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