They Say I Say

"They say, I say" Response In the small excerpt of They say, I say Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein both explain a very intelligent and easy way of communicating to others. Through their process, one may transfer ideas and opinions in a interesting and simple manner. Both authors mainly focus on the aspect of writing, however, their methods can certainly be used through speech and in any ordinary conversation. This process is used for argumentative writing in which you would agree or disagree with a certain topic. The perception of the topic by one person or group of people is introduced, also known as the "they say", followed by your opinion which is the "I say". Hence the title, and also simple templates are provided that follow this pattern. The purpose for this structure is to connect with the "they" by recognizing and responding to their statements. Whether you agree with their views or not, you use their words to jumpstart your voice and broach your mind on the subject. Moreover, there are always two sides to an argument, and the occasional neutral zone. Arguments seem to consist of each side trying to persuade the other to accept their viewpoints and prove they are right. They usually start with someone provoking another with their beliefs and the rest just becomes a verbal war. In school, the traditional five-paragraph essays are used to develop a position and support the that stance with evidence; however, it is not considered an argumentative paper because there is not a opposite side provoking the writer. It is not only how you prove your views, but how you can identify and challenge the contradicting arguments. There needs to be a matador that aggravates the bull. There has to be a "they say" in order for your argument to be understood. The content of your side would still be heard, but the purpose of stating it would be unclear. So the "they say" is used as the foundation which the "I say" is built upon, and therefore using others' voices to