Blog #3: Let's Get Used to Subjective Writing!

The line of when to include your opinions into an essay vs. when not to has been unclear at times for me. As a sophomore in college I'd like to think I now can easily differentiate when and when not to, with objectivity the main goal of most my assignments. Writings allowing subjectivity are sparse in college. Therefore this transition from objectivity to subjectivity with the op-ed assignment will feel uncomfortable and unnatural for me. I will have to constantly check myself as I write to make sure I am consistently incorporating my own voice and opinions. I agree with Flewelling's quoting of Devitt stating, "when we take up a genre, we subconsciously take up the values reinforced with that type of writing." I believe this takes time with any new genre that a writer is learning. The more someone practices writing in a new genre, the more the values of the genre are reinforced and lamented into the writer's subconscious. 

Blogs respond to rhetorical situations in a number of different ways in which the authors' distinct voices are incorporated. Blogs can essentially act as a collection of opinion pieces, and can even be similar to op-eds. Bloggers often address current rhetorical situations taking place. For example, events in politics, music, art, sports, etc. They incorporate their opinions and views on the current topic, crafting a specific voice that allows them to seem relevant. Some current rhetorical situations I might respond to could be about the after effects of the government shutdown and different people declaring their plans to run in the 2020 presidential race. It can be any important issue, usually controversial, that the author wants to share their opinions about and persuade their readers.




There are many distinct features and guidelines of an op-ed. One of the articles from the Tips for Writing an Op-Ed section of the RWS 305 Blackboard from Harvard "How to Write An Op-Ed Or Column" (https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/files/hks-communications-program/files/new_js_how_to_oped_2_pgs_11_30_17.pdf) discusses some of these features. Some of them I listed on my common op-ed characteristics chart. The article explains the importance of having a topic and theme, researching, having strong openings and endings, and having a distinct voice throughout the op-ed. An article I found online (https://www.thebalancesmb.com/oped-what-is-it-and-how-to-write-it-1360714) discusses more features of an op-ed. The article discusses how "These opinion pieces are relevant articles written to address a piece of news or in response to another opinion expressed in the newspaper, or, online." They often respond to other opinion pieces, therefore op-eds are tailored towards specific audiences. Often controversial news topics will be discussed, with a conservative, liberal, etc. preaching to their own choir through their op-ed. Overall, op-eds allow for an author to write subjectively about a current issue through the use of their own distinctive voice.