Connors: The historical outline before the meat of Connors essay helped me out a lot. It was a good review for me, especially since I've been having trouble with these readings and the practice of teaching composition as a whole. Knowing where we've come from (in the most ancient sense) really gives me an idea of where we're going.
The "novelty" portion of Connors' address to personalism stuck out the most to me. Maybe that's what separates personal writing from academic writing, if any separation can be made at all. I don't know, I guess you can write for an academic purpose and make it new, at the same time. Hm, debatable.
It seems like we established in class the fact that there is no clear distinction to be made between the personal and the academic in writing. Writing can be glaringly one or the other, but will always contain elements of its opposite. Opposite is maybe not an appropriate term. Alternative...there we go. I agreed with Connors' conclusion: "...as teachers, we always have to encourage, even demand attempts at the next step - to go beyond merely personal accounts, either outside into encompassing the world in discourse, or inside into shaping our personal observations into the touching, deeply empathetic and finally metapersonal stuff of which the greatest writing is made" (181). AMEN! There can be a marriage of the two. Those kooky kids - Personal and Academic. They only think they don't belong together. We English teachers will be the high priests and priestesses that bring these star-crossed lovers together. High-five, Connors!
Okay, re-reading those last few sentences...it is clear that I have felt the full effects of losing one hour of sleep. Righto, nighto.
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