Blogger #2 - Hannahmarie Arcenal - Period 1 - 2/10/21 - Day A

 RL: Writer's Voice - Exploring "Voice" through Pizza

Aim: How can exploration of writers choices, and the literary devices used, introduce us to the concept of “voice” as it’s used in writing? 

Do Now: 

Describe all that comes to mind when you think of pizza? Write a paragraph describing pizza and showing your attitude toward it.

My Response: Pizza is one of the many foods I get when I go out. Although pizza is good, it's not my favorite. My favorite type of pizza is a vodka pizza. This is basically a pizza with vodka sauce, mozzarella, and chicken pieces. When I was younger, my dad used to buy pizza for our movie night but as I got older we moved onto other types of foods. Pizza reminds me of those days where I had no problems or responsibilities. What I hate about pizza is once you’re done eating, the smell still lingers. It’s not the same smell as when you first open the box.  It's an oily and disappointing smell that doesn't go away for a while. It smells like bad decisions.  

*We were able to share our answers at the end of class* 

 

Notes for the Day: 

Naturally, each person has their own opinions on every topic. This goes for pizza as well. Today we were asked to analyze a series of speakers on their thoughts on pizza. For each speaker, we had to record our inferences about the speaker, their diction, syntax, imagery, and tone. Before we get into the individual examples, we have to ask ourselves what is diction, syntax, imagery, and tone? We did some spirit reading on these topics but to basically sum it up:  

Diction- a speaker’s word choice

Syntax- the ordering, grouping and placement of words within a sentence

Imagery- language or figures of speech used to create convey a visual picture or sensory experience 

Tone- attitude of the author towards the reader or subject 

* Click the following image for more information

For the first speaker, we worked together as a class to fill in the table. Speaker 1 says “Eating pizza is rather like embarking on a transcontinental excursion. You embark on the journey without being quite certain of what you will encounter. A well-made pizza contains the aromatic essence of fresh basil, oregano, and garlic that beckons invitingly. Once you bite into a perfectly sliced piece of pizza, your taste buds awaken and celebrate. When properly prepared, pizza is an extraordinary culinary creation.” 

From this, we can infer that the speaker is an older person because of their level of vocabulary. In terms of diction and syntax, it is very formal and complex. They evoke an image in image in the reader’s mind by using phrases like “...embarking on a transcontinental excursion.” In addition, we know that the speaker has a praising tone due to the fact that they say “When properly prepared, pizza is an extraordinary culinary creation.” Based on the tone of the speaker, we can tell that the speaker really enjoys properly made pizza. 

Group Work: 

After finishing the first speaker together, Ms. Peterson sent us off into breakout rooms where we would do the same thing for the other three speakers. Once we were done collaborating as a group, we went back to the main call and these were our combined findings: 

	Inferences	Textual Evidence
Speakers	Inferences about the speaker (What might you infer about the speaker’s age, status, preferences?)	Diction (What word choices does the speaker make? Formal or informal?)	Syntax (Are the sentences short, long, simple, complex?)	Imagery (What words and phrases include sensory details to create images?)	Tone (What can you conclude about the speaker’s attitude toward the subject?)
Speaker 2	• the speaker is a younger person	•  the speaker was informal (uses words like “yummy”)	• the sentences were short and didn't use a high level of vocabulary	• “cheese is really gooey”	•They simply like pizza
Speaker 3	• the speaker is probably a vegetarian and a young adult	• the speaker was formal (“satisfying”)and informal (“gross, disgusting”)	• the sentences were neither too short nor too long. • sentences were simple	• “thin whole-wheat crust topped with imported cheese and organic vegetables”	• The speaker likes pizza but is very particular about what kind
Speaker 4	• the speaker is probably in high school/college	• the speaker was informal because they use a lot of slang (“Dude”)	• Run on sentences  • simple	• “hot steamy pizza dripping with cheese and loaded with pepperoni”	• The speaker likes regular pizza but love when there’s a lot of pepperoni

What Did I Learn? 

From the lesson, I learned how to discern many things about a person by analyzing their “voice.” Diction, syntax, imagery, and tone are what make up this “voice.” Just by looking at a person’s diction, you can figure out the person’s age range as well as their views on a topic. As a result of this lesson, I was also able to refresh my memory on diction, syntax, imagery, and tone. 

Why Did I Learn It? 

The reason for learning how to draw inferences from the author/speaker’s voice is to help you fully understand their purpose and where they are coming from. To add on, I was able to further develop my inferencing skills by taking into account the things that I learned in class. 

How Will I Use What I Learned?

I will use the new information that I’ve gained to help me fully comprehend future articles. By looking for the different components that make up the “voice” of the author, I can learn about their age, status, and preferences. Using this information, I can be aware of the reasons behind their writing. This will make it easier for me to answer any reading comprehension questions in class or on exams. Also, this will make me think about how to use the appropriate language to convey my message in my own writing.