In the “Starting with What Others Say” section of “They Say/I Say”: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing, Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein emphasize the importance of introducing another argument than your own early on in your writing. They start with an example that I think everyone can relate to. They describe how when listening to a speaker’s lecture, they understood his claim, but it was not explained to them why he was making that claim. “Because our speaker failed to mention what others had said about Dr. X’s work, he left his audience unsure about why he felt the need to say what he was saying” (p. 20). The feeling of uncertainty felt by the audience is very relatable, it’s very confusing to be listening to someone making an argument that is quite clear without knowing why they are making it. It feels like you came into the lecture late and missed the main point of it, but understood all that followed, and then once you realize the main point it’s like all the pieces fall together. This was a great way to get across the importance of stating what others have said about the topic you are discussing early on in your writing. It gives better context and significance to what you say following it. The authors also explain how by introducing another person’s view early on in your writing allows you to be able to develop off of it more in depth later in your text. I like how the authors describe what others say as the “motivation” behind what you have to say in your writing. It makes sense to describe it that way, that what others say is the driving force behind what you want to say in your writing.
