MY REFLEXION ABOUT AN ACADEMIC TEXT

After having read the text "Why I write" By George Orwell, and taking into account my previous work and knowledge about general structure text, I did not recognize initially this writing as an academic text. At that moment, it was a logical decision to me, because the text does not have an obvious structure. For example, when we are tackling an academic text is normal to expect that its structure be clear. It means that we can easily identify its abstract, arguments, references, sources, logical connectors, etc., but, when we have a text that is subjective, with a personal writing style, that is not lineal, and with many other aspects that are apparently missing, so, it is possible to think hastily, that is not an academic text.

However, when we check this text carefully, we find that it has examples, arguments, a conclusion, a subject, some personal experiences as a writer, in some parts specific or technical vocabulary, a purpose, at the same time we can identify a managerial audience and a tone that is steady, among other elements that allow us to recognize that it is an academic text too.

Something that help me to do this reflections were the statements of Barbara Schneider and Jo-Anne Andre in their text “Developing Authority in student writing through written peer critique in the disciplines”, because they said that there is no one-style-fits-all discourse and that each discipline has its own set of conventions in which particular ways of constructing and communicating knowledge.

Two interesting links about Fahrenheit 451

I found these links too, the first one is about the book and the second one is about the author, check them, I think there is a good information.

http://www.bookrags.com/notes/451/

Author Biography / Context of the Work
One-Page Plot Summary
Character Descriptions
Object/Place Descriptions

Quotes

Topic Tracking
Topic Tracking: Fear
Topic Tracking: Indifference


Chapter Summaries

Part 1: The Hearth and the Salamander
Part 2: The Sieve and the Sand
Part 3: Burning Bright


http://www.neabigread.org/books/fahrenheit451/fahrenheit451_04.php

It is about the Author

popularization noun, 

from the verb:

popularize /ˈpɒpjələrʌɪz/ (or popularise) 

▶verbmake popular.

■ make (something scientific or academic) accessible or interesting to the general public.

Why I argue “Why I write” by George Orwell is an academic text

“Why I write” by George Orwell is an academic text because it develops an academic subject and because it satisfies the conditions to be a text of this type. The first condition to be an academic text is to analyze something and if you read in detail, the writer wants in this text to analyze motives to write. However, to develop this analysis, the writer uses two components very important: arguments to explain the four main motives that lead a person to write and statements related with his experience to support his arguments.
Secondly, to be academic, the text should have a structure. Somebody can think this text doesn’t have a structure but it has an argumentative essay structure. It is divided in: introduction, point of view or arguments, examples and a conclusion. In an argumentative essay isn’t necessary to present an opinion different to the writer, while in a contrast essay it is necessary.
Third, an academic text is intended for a particular audience. This text is intended for a particular group: people who are interested in writing (students, writers, teachers, man or woman of letters). It isn’t intended to engineers or architects.
Finally, people say this text is subjective and for this reason it isn’t an academic text. It happens is Orwell uses his literary stile to talk about a specific subject: writing. However, thus his brilliant career as men of letters, he also expresses his feeling, his anecdotes, and his fears. Also I think the reasons to write are personals and for this, this text can’t have the objectivity of a text about technology or statistics. It would be a positivist point of view. In spite of this, Orwell’s arguments about four motives to write can become widespread and some of these motives can identify in the work of all writers.

WHY I WRITE BY GEORGE ORWELL AS AN ACADEMIC TEXT

“Why I write by George Orwell” is a text about the author experience as a writer during his life and the reason why an author writes, using the word “I” most of the time during the text, so it is not easy to know if this is an academic text or not. However, there are some signs that show this text as an academic text.

In order to show why this text is an academic text, we need to define what an academic text is. It is the kind of writing that you are required to do in a college or university. It is a writing that develops some arguments with the purpose to build knowledge.

To know if a text is an academic text, we need to look some characteristics like: the text organization (how?), the topic (what?) and the audience who is directed that text (who?). Other important clue is the use of technical vocabulary, the use of examples and the use some definitions.

“Why I write by George Orwell” is clearly an academic text because it has some organization (introduction, arguments and conclusion) there is a main idea and some arguments that develop it, at the end, there is a conclusion. Besides, it is directed to an academic group as students, writers, etc.

During the introduction, the author uses his own experience as a writer in order to illustrate the main idea: “the experience of life influence a writer work”. So he develops some arguments as: the reason why a person writes and how difficult is to write. “I think there are four great motives for writing, at any rate for writing prose. They exist in different degrees in every writer…” in this way, George Orwell makes some definitions: “according to the atmosphere in which he is living. There are: sheer egoism, esthetic enthusiasm, historical impulse, political purpose” also, he uses some examples “let me give just one example of the cruder kind of difficulty that arises. My book about Spanish civil war, Homage to Catalonia…”

Finally the author writes a conclusion about the main idea: “looking back through the last page or two, I see that I have made it appear as though my motives in writing were wholly public-spirited. I don’t want to leave as the final impression. All writers are vain, selfish, and lazy, and at the very bottom of their motives there lies a mystery…”

“Why I write by George Orwell” has all the characteristics of an academic text, despite it is about the author experience, he is being objective from his subjectivity to make some knowledge about writing.

Is or not "why I write" an academic text?

Before the debate I thought this text was an academic one because although at the beginning the author uses ordinary words in a simple style of writing, in my view, from the middle of the text to the end he uses technical vocabulary. Besides, it has an essay structure. And although the author does not cite other authors, I have heard it is not necessary if the author is an expert in the subject.

However, after the debate and having listened the counter-arguments I admit they make me doubt and that is why I would like to know the professor's opinion.

FARENHEIT. AUDIOBOOK.. DOWNLOAD THE AUDIO

ok guys I found the audio to have a little more input and to improve our listening.

Here you can download the audio, it is in megaupload :

http://www.filestube.com/source.html?token=71826d094161413003e9