They Say I Say Exercise 2

       In the introduction to "They Say/I Say" : The MovesThat Matter in Academic Writing, Gerald Graff and Cathy Birenstein provide templates to help people of all ages improve their writing skills. Specifically, Graff and Birkenstein argue that the types of writing documents offer "the importance not only of expresing your ideas, but presenting those ideas as a response to some other person or group" (Page 3), as the authors themselves put it "They Say and I Say." Although some people feel as if templates are only designed for children or people when they first learn something new, Graff and Birkenstein insist that these templates can help you "engage in kinds of critical thinking" (Page 3). In sum, then, their view is that templates can be used to "structure and even generate your own writing" (Page 2).
       I agree. in my view, the types of templates that these authors reccomend can be used as tools by people of all ages to help them become a better writer. For instance, these models display that you can better "develop your aguement by not just lookiing inward, but also looking outward" (Page 1). In addition, it is very important to "engage the voice of the other" (Page 1). Some may object to the thought of templates and claim that they know all that they need to know when it comes to writing, however I would argue that, "there is no major or disipline that does not require writers to frame their own claims as what others said before them" (Page 1). Overall, I belive that the templates offered in this book are a exellent way to improve ones writing ability.