Barclay’s Paragraphs – Natalie Guertin

CLAIM (main idea) – What’s the paragraph going to be focused on?

Prodigy narratives tend to also be victim narratives

INTRODUCE QUOTE – Establish a little context for the quote, through a full sentence introduction, a signal phrase, or a clause that works to set up an embedded quote. (Resources: TLS E4; TSIS, CH3)

Alexander describes different types of narratives in her work. She defines the types of narratives, including the victim.

QUOTE 1 – This is a quote from one of the scholarly sources we’re putting into conversation. If you use a signal phrase or seek an embedded quote, you’ll need to be sure the quote “flows” smoothly from the INTRODUCE QUOTE material above.

She defines victim narratives as “a victim of negative literary experiences, in or out of school; casts blame for negative literacy experiences; discusses how someone took the fun out of reading and writing.”

EXPLAIN QUOTE 1 – Elaborate/explain/rephrase Quote 1 above in a way that helps move the reader along towards the next quote. By doing this well, you’re establishing HOW this existing conversation works. Additionally, you’re positioning yourself in it through your effort to NAME the issue as one that’s important in the field of study.

Simply put, a victim narrative is about someone who had a bad experience with reading and writing, blames someone else for it, and now has some sort of contempt towards either reading and writing because of this experience.

TRANSITION TO QUOTE 2 – Establish a little context for the quote through a full sentence introduction, a signal phrase, or a clause that works to set up an embedded quote. (Resources: TLS E4; TSIS, CH3) Try to do this in a way that begins to signal HOW quote 1 and 2 relate. They may be saying very much the same thing; there may be some slight difference; there may be something else.

Similarly, Alexander defines prodigy narratives. Taking up about 11% of narratives that she reviewed, she defines it as,

QUOTE 2 – This is a quote from a DIFFERENT scholarly source than the one in quote 1, and it helps us build a paragraph that puts those texts into conversation. If you use a signal phrase or seek an embedded quote, you’ll need to be sure the quote “flows” smoothly from the TRANSITION TO QUOTE 2 material above.

“[The author] excels at reading and writing from an early age and is put on display for others to see his or her brilliance and intellectual acumen”

EXPLAIN CONNECTION/RELATIONSHIP – The entire paragraph is about advancing a point you’re making that relates ideas in two scholarly sources. You’re showing HOW a conversation exists between two texts. In this part of the paragraph, you explain what the source material shows us about the specific idea in play.

This type of narrative is about how the author grew up reading or writing often or well. These two types of narratives can overlap, because one talks about past experiences of literacy, while the other talks about a specific event that caused the author to quite dislike the subject of the narrative. I could argue that they are commonly written together, because a traumatic experience around something that a person cared about for a long time would be more impactful than one around a subject that the person has no bias towards.

Prodigy narratives tend to also be victim narratives. These two types of narratives are different enough to be able to be in the same narrative without causing conflict between the two. Alexander describes different types of narratives in her work. She defines the types of narratives, including the victim. She defines victim narratives as “a victim of negative literary experiences, in or out of school; casts blame for negative literacy experiences; discusses how someone took the fun out of reading and writing.” Simply put, a victim narrative is about someone who had a bad experience with reading and writing, blames someone else for it, and now has some sort of contempt towards either reading and writing because of this experience. Similarly, Alexander defines prodigy narratives. Taking up about 11% of narratives that she reviewed, she defines it as when “[The author] excels at reading and writing from an early age and is put on display for others to see his or her brilliance and intellectual acumen.” This type of narrative is about how the author grew up reading or writing often or well. These two types of narratives can overlap, because one talks about past experiences of literacy, while the other talks about a specific event that caused the author to quite dislike the subject of the narrative. I could argue that they are commonly written together, because a traumatic experience around something that a person cared about for a long time would be more impactful than one around a subject that the person has no bias towards.

CLAIM (main idea) – What’s the paragraph going to be focused on?

Alexandra White’s “Comfort” is a prodigy narrative.

Alexandra White is a college Freshman who published her literacy narrative on Raising Carin. She was a very literate child growing up. In her narrative, she says,

As a child I was surrounded by books. My Nana and Papa who lived in a big green house with a beautiful garden surrounding it, had a small book store on the bottom floor of their duplex house.”

This interaction with books as a child, this exposure to literature, made her more able to read more often, and at a higher level than most other children her age.

This fits with Alexander’s definition of a prodigy narrative. Alexander says,

“Includes tales of prolific reading, trips to the library or bookstore, abundant exposure to literature texts, and being read to by parents.”

Abigail White’s story about growing to learn to read is a prodigy narrative because of her abundant exposure to literature texts. In her house, the large room full of books, was her exposure as a child.

Alexandra White’s “Comfort” is a prodigy narrative. Alexandra White is a college Freshman who published her literacy narrative on Raising Cairn. She was a very literate child growing up. In her narrative, she says, “As a child I was surrounded by books. My Nana and Papa who lived in a big green house with a beautiful garden surrounding it, had a small book store on the bottom floor of their duplex house.” This interaction with books as a child, this exposure to literature, made her more able to read more often, and at a higher level than most other children her age. This fits with Alexander’s definition of a prodigy narrative. Alexander says that prodigy narratives “[Include] tales of prolific reading, trips to the library or bookstore, abundant exposure to literature texts, and being read to by parents.” Abigail White’s story about growing to learn to read is a prodigy narrative because of her abundant exposure to literature texts. In her house, the large room full of books, was her exposure as a child.