Narrative Nightmare

Last semester my students had a great deal of trouble moving from the memoir assignment to the textual analysis. In fact, at the end of the term when I asked them pointed questions about course content and instruction, nearly every single student (even the more advanced ones) commented that the textual analysis was incredibly difficult for them and that they wished they had more time for it. And I knew this, but I was still surprised considering that I had made them write a full blown research paper and had made over half the class rewrite their research papers when they slaughtered MLA conventions. Even despite the major troubles so many of them had with MLA, they thought the textual analysis (which very few had to rework) was the most difficult.

In response to their feedback, I decided to put the textual analysis at the end of the semester. I decided to teach papers in this order: Memoir, Extended Definition, Research Paper(with an annotated bib along the way), Position Paper, Textual Analysis. My hope was that emphasis on style in the memoir, on critical thinking and importance of context to word meanings in the extended definition, on reliable sources and strong support in the research paper, and on effective argumentation in the position paper would all (trumpets sound) give the student a better background and repertoire by which to analyze texts.

As it turns out, these students seem to be struggling just as much with the extended definition essay as the others did with the textual analysis. And I do understand the inherent difficulties in writing a definition paper; it does take some critical thought. However, I would think that as I allow them to draw from personal experience and ask them to base their definition on personal opinion and perceptions, they would have an easier time than, say, having to analyze somebody elses writing--which takes not only critical thinking, but also critical reading skills.

I have come up with a few possible explanations for their struggles. 1) They're not all that bright. 2) I'm not all that bright. 3) It's only a bad dream; I'll wake up in a few minutes. 4) The extended definition paper is just as difficult as the textual analysis, but for different reasons. 5) Transitioning from narrative writing to more thesis based writing is not easy. Though I'd like to think reasons 1 or 3 provide my answers. I'm leaning towards 2, 4, and 5.

I think I've settled on 5: the narrative transition dilemma. In distinguishing between reader based and writer based prose, Linda Flower suggests that the unwillingness or inability of students to move away from narrative structures is a key indicator of writer based prose. Rather than keeping audiences in mind and offering well ordered arguments, writer based prose is often characterized by a sort of stream-of-consciousness rant rather than logically grouped ideas. It seems possible, then, that by starting with the narrative based assignment we are reinforcing habits of writer based prose. Sure, there is a lot about their memoirs that is quite audience based, but the narrative component, according to Flower, is writer based. Perhaps it isn't the extended definition essay or the textual analysis that is giving them trouble so much as it is the transition from narrative structure to a very different structure: moving from writer to reader based prose.

Hmmm....If I teach ENG 110 again, maybe I'll put the memoir later in the semester just to avoid mixed messages about writer and reader based prose at the beginning of the semester.