Rebecca Lagares

Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1102-017
8 October 2015
Write two or so meaty paragraphs summarizing Graff & Birkenstein's (from They Say, I
Say) argument. Include 3-4 direct quotes (put the page number in parentheses at the end of
each sentence).
To summarize the introduction of They Say, I Say, it is telling us about a different, more
structured way to go about writing. The authors suggest that writing about a debatable topic in a
conversational way keeps you from flat lifeless writingthat fails to answer what we call the
so what? and who cares? questions (8).
The authors introduced this idea of writing through the help of writing templates. These
templates help you make a host of challenging [literary] moves that further enrich your writing
and especially aid those who may not be so gifted in this area (9).
The templates also help you formulate your writing in what they call a they say, I say
formula. This enables you to deeply engage other peoples views and make your own writing
more interesting, as well as realistic. As they say, [you cant] argue effectively without being in
conversation with someone else (3).