Salvatori, M. R., & Donahue, P. (2005). The elements (and pleasures) of difficulty (p. 69). Pearson Longman.
Salvatori’s article provided some interesting insights in terms of difficulty and how that word can create some misconceptions for many students. The purpose of this article is to show how the term difficulty can actually become an encouraging aspect in regards to getting students to think more critically by asking themselves what from the text needs to be questioned more. That being said, there was a particular quotation from Salvatori’s article that I found some difficulty with. On page seven, Salvatori begins talking about voice in writing. She states “In the essays you write, that voice is the self you are attempting to capture, or project, or imagine. In lyric poetry, that voice may be the author’s persona (literally, a term that means “mask”) or that of the author herself. In narrative, it can be the voice of the characters or that of the narrator who unfolds the scene. In drama, it is the multiple voices of characters in dialogue” (7).
I guess what makes it difficult for me to understand that particular point Salvatori is trying to make is that it somewhat conflicts with how I view voice in writing. While I am aware that she’s only throwing in example of voice, I’m just curious to her choice of words when presenting these examples. For instance, I am curious as to why the notion of persona is only mentioned when referencing lyric poetry. I personally feel that an author’s persona exist in all forms of writing, even with essay writing. Since Salvatori believes that essay writing is from the self’s attempt to capture something, I feel that is an indication of persona as well. In a sense, an academic essay is an essence of the author’s persona as well since it’s the author’s attempt in adding to the conversation that exists within academia.
What also makes it difficult for me is the fact that Salvatori appears to unintentionally oversimplify the aspects of creative writing. For instance, a narrative can inhibit an author’s persona. Or it is through the persona that isn’t necessarily the author’s own but rather the persona of another whom the author is trying to project. Plus, with a drama, or a play, it can actually be read as poetry. It’s not just a written piece that consists of only dialogue amongst multiple voices. The aspect of voice within all forms of writing is truly a complex thing that isn’t just associated with the essence of persona.
Nevertheless, in regards to Salvatori’s text as a whole, I guess I can now understand with why she placed those examples in that context. I believe the whole point of her argument was to show that there is no right or exact way when reading and comprehending text. Difficulty papers are meant to be opportunities for students to explore ways in expanding their critical thinking skills. And so, perhaps I am at fault for overlooking at her examples of voice since I was relying on my own knowledge of voice and writing. With further reading, Salvatori appears to encourage uncertainty since it allows us to delve into the notions of a difficulty paper. So, even if I am still at uncertainty with voice and writing, I can still appreciate with the argument presented in the article and feel that it may help me with future students.
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