Short Assignment 4

Part 1: In Harvey Daniels' article in "Forum: Is There a Decline in Literacy?," the meaning in which the audience perceives the text relies heavily on their form in writing. According to W. Ross Winterowd's article, "Dispositio: The Concept of Form in Discourse," Winterowd attributes the meaning of a text entirely to the writer's form. In utilizing Winterowd's concept of form altering meaning, the method in which Daniels addresses the issue of literacy greatly effects how the audience interprets his meaning. For instance, he immediately starts his article by listing out reasons to disregard the claims of a literacy crisis. By coming straight to his point, Daniels tells his reader that he means to get right to business and disprove the literary crisis. This creates an air of straightforwardness that tells the reader to take his words seriously, giving the article a factual meaning, rather than an opinionated one.

Ledbetter, J.T., and Harvey (Smokey) Daniels. "Forum: Is There a Decline in Literacy?" The English Journal 65.5 (Sep 1976):16-20.

Winterowd, W. Ross. "Dispositio: The Concept of Form in Discourse." College Composition and Communication 22.1 (Feb 1971): 39-45.

Part 2: I think it would be really interesting to research relationship between Greek communities and non-Greeks on college campuses in history and today. I would analyze the view of Greeks in universities and how they interact with the rest of the student body and the community as a whole. How past conceptions of Greek life have shaped a Greek stereotype, and the conflicts that arise between Greeks and non-Greeks due to these stereotypes, as well as from communication errors. How do popular websites such as collegeacb.com and totalfratmove.com perpetuate these stereotypes and further expand the Greek/GDI divide? I think that there will be ample information on the stereotypical Greek, however developing an understanding of the conflict between the two groups would be more difficult, and could possibly require me to create my own theory on the conflict.