Nicholas Milem

Ms. Ingram
UWRITE 1101
10/26/14
Reader Response Letter 5
As a result of this reader response letter being the readers choice, I have deemed the
chapter, The Cupped Hand and the Open Palm, of particular interest to me. The
analogies describing group work is interesting and somewhat true. One such analogy
brings forth many key points why group work may not work. The analogy addresses the
problem of having leaders within the group or not leaders. If too many leaders are in a
group, the group tends to bicker or not accomplish the intended goal due to the lack of
ability to agree on a decision. Another problem pertaining to group work is the lack of
participation. This lack of participation in the group tends to place a larger, and
unwanted, load on the other group members leading towards a general apathy of hard
working students about the idea or notion of group work. However the writer also
addresses the advantages and reasons why group writing is beneficial to writers. Such
discussion addresses the fear involved with many students and their writing. The fear of
starting a paper is an apparent and lively fear that many students possess when trying
to get the ball rolling for their thesis and opening statements. Group work can allow
the writer to address what issues they have concerning starting a paper and get
feedback or help with the opening of the paper. Another fear writers often have is the
fear of stopping. The fear of essentially finding a good idea and beginning to exploring

the concept only to run out of ideas or content throughout the paper. This fear can also
be helped solved by the participation in group writing. The group may contribute new
ideas or facts the writer may not have considered to explore. The author of this chapter
does in great effect explain the advantages and disadvantages of group work in the
writing classroom.