David Bartholomae introduces multiple critical points in his article, through which we can understand the development of writers within a discourse. His initial reaction to the "Composing Songs" essay I felt was particularly important. Bartholomae writes of the student, "This writer is consistently and dramatically conscious of herself forming something to say out of what has been said and out of what she has been saying in the act of writing this paper," (521). The writer establishes her perspective on creativity by addressing a commonplace, the idea of being creative, challenging it and drawing conclusions regarding her initial statement. In her work she offers a common definition of creativity as the production of an "original creation", then continues by questioning whether or not she had been creative under this interpretation of the word. I believe the value Bartholomae finds in this essay is that the writer is challenging a commonly held belief by placing herself in a vulnerable state in order to draw new conclusions. By critically examining her own experience with creativity she is able to through the process of writing create a new personal discourse regarding creativity.
This relates directly to the next passage I wish to analyze in Bartholomae's essay. Later in the paragraph he writes, "the movement toward a more specialized discourse begins (or perhaps, best begins) when a student can both define a position of privilege, a position that sets him against a "common" discourse, and when he can work self-consciously, critically, against not only the "common" code but his own." (521). I feel that Bartholomae is trying to say in this passage that, "the movement toward a more specialized discourse" or learning begins with a student's ability to define their own thoughts or beliefs, and their ability to question those beliefs through a process of critical and/or scientific examination. For example you could view the "Composing Songs" essay as such. I hypothesize that creativity is the production of an original creation (commonplace). When tested against my experiment in generating music, the conclusions I have drawn regarding creativity are... that creativity is a result of the work and inspiration of the creator. The argument I believe Bartholomae is making with this statement is that, in order to further oneself within a discourse, one must place them self in a vulnerable position separate from common assumptions and attempt to challenge what they believe they already know.
I do feel that my own essay would closest relate to the "Composing Songs" essay I analyzed above. I do feel in retrospect that a possible flaw in my own response lies in my forgetting to formally define the commonplace I was trying to challenge. I presented a moment in which I had been creative, but did not directly define my understanding of creativity before moving on to analyze it. I do feel that I was aware of my audience, and I attempted to challenge my own idea of creativity by asking how we determine something as creative. I then tried to present questions regarding "creative purpose" and how it relates to valuing the creativity of a chosen work. After reading Bartholomae and rereading my own work I feel that I am beginning to travel towards a more specialized discourse, but I need to continue to critically analyze my own work as well as the educational texts placed before me in order to grow as a student of English.
