Read and Response for April 6th

Beyond Black and White: Document Design and Formatting in the Writing Classroom

By: Michael Klein and Kristi Shackelford

“This consistency allows readers to become accustomed to certain conven­tions and increases readability. When a professor reviews multiple pa­pers formatted in the same way, for example, she can easily find the author’s name and class section on all of the papers (Klein & Shackelford 343).”

I thought that this passage from the reading was one of the most important because this portion of the reading explains why we use particular design with our writing.  As a student, almost every teacher has a preferred way for their students to write papers and this passage clarifies why the teachers have certain formats.  It makes life easier for not only the teachers when they are grading the assignment but also helps the students when they are revising and writing the paper.  I thought of a somewhat interesting comparison to use when talking about formatting with your papers.  I went to a catholic grade school when I was younger and we were forced to wear uniforms to school.  Now at the time I thought that it was a big pain in the butt to have to wear the same thing every day to school and not be able to pick out what you want to wear.  However, when I started high school I attending a public school where no uniform was required.  I realized that having a set uniform to wear was actually convenient because there was never a question or concern about what I was going to wear to school that day.  In a public school where there is no dress code you have to make decisions about what you are going to wear or if your clothes are dirty which makes life a little harder on you.  In relation to writing, if you have a set style such as MLA format, you don’t really have to think about setting your format or choosing how you are going to format your paper which makes things a lot easier.

Klein and Shackelford argue that we should think about design in all our texts; do you agree? 

            I strongly agree with both writers about thinking about your design in all texts.  For anything you write, there is a purpose behind it whether it’s a paper for school, a memo to a fellow worker, or just plain fun writing for your own entertainment.  In all these cases, before you start writing you want to think about whose going to be reading your writing and what is the acceptable format to use for it.  The design of your writing is the key to writing something that is easy to read, looks properly put together for the situation, and is getting the point you want to make across to your reader.

Having studied a little design now, what is the rhetorical effect of MLA style formatting?

            The rhetorical effect of MLA style formatting is having a format style that is pounded into student’s heads enough where it becomes second nature.  Almost like even if the teacher didn’t ask for your assignment to be in MLA format, you still do it by habit.  MLA style formatting creates a basic standard for writing which makes sure everything is properly placed on your page and makes sure your writing is easily read and understood.  Having this format makes things easier for both the student and the teacher when they are reading through or looking for a specific thing in the writing.