- Imagine you could invite David Foster Wallace into the discussion in our classroom. What questions would you ask him about this essay?
- Use that experience to think about larger issues, specifically, what are the limits of a written discussion? How might you anticipate your audience’s questions when you write?
David Foster Wallace explains the controversy between animal rights activists and your average everyday Maine foodie. If Wallace were able to attend a freshman English composition class, it is easy to assume that there would be an abundance of questions regarding the debate. To name a few, what is the purpose behind putting unpalatable descriptions of the upbringing, preparation, and consumption of the lobster, but still pushing the argument that the Maine Lobster Festival has potential? Or, why make your opinion unclear to the reader by pushing two opposing clauses? Between the sensory details of all the commotion that the Maine Lobster Festival brings, and the harrowing truth behind most, but not all, lobster right activists, Wallace makes the readers struggle with a side. Why ask questions that cloud the reader’s ability to form a solid opinion? As an example, Wallace writes, “Is the whole thing just a matter of personal choice?” (Wallace 503). Does Wallace believe that including gruesome details about Lobsters feeling adequate pain will drive his readers to live differently? Or does Wallace believe that it is at capitalism’s hand on who these crustaceans are treated, prepared, and eventually pushed to their demise? All in all, the debate between what crosses the line for the consumption of lobsters, and the success of a Maine tradition leaves readers questioning morals. For that, Wallace could expect many whys, whats, and whos, if asked to join a discussion about his essay.
The act of performing a written discussion can provide many obstacles and limitation for not only the participants but for the individuals developing cohesive thoughts. The obvious downside of written discussion is the act of spontaneous additions to thought. People as human beings live through patterns, it is especially natural to build off of thoughts to create new persuasive ways of thinking, speaking and learning. Written discussion leaves it up to the individual to ponder and explain the author’s message cohesively. From an author’s perspective, it seems extremely difficult to anticipate what questions will hurdle towards pieces of writing. A few ways to try to best get across the meaning behind one’s writing and why someone might mean that is to simply be as concise as possible without being blatantly obvious. Explaining an argument, but leaving room for opinions, guessing, and learning. Answering questions before they’re even asked by using a factual backdrop to provide the reader with information before an opinion or argument is shoved down their throat. Following facts with the purpose behind their placement by stating the argument and sticking by it. Although it is near impossible to answer every question that an author’s writing brings, it’s possible to make one thing clear, the purpose. The purpose is a very important thing that makes the reader comfortable, but pushing their intellectual boundaries by questioning deeper into the text rather than the whys and whats of the writing. The author can anticipate more if they’re able to answer the questions themselves before putting together a cohesive piece of writing.
