"Forwarding"

Harris describes forwarding as a way to extend texts. You are taking the ideas in one text to support or advance your own texts. The four main ways “forwarding” is done are: illustrating, authorizing, borrowing and extending. Illustrating allows the reader to visualize and see an example that supports the text. Illustrating can be seen as creating metaphors for the reader while also drawing in the readers’ attention more. Authorizing is using another person’s text, who is knowledgeable in their field, to support and back up your own text. Citing a person of authority or well versed in your subject can validate your argument or point. Borrowing is using an idea of a text to advance your process of thinking through a topic. One can borrow an idea without coming to terms with an author’s entire piece, but simply understanding and correctly applying the borrowed idea. Extending is similar to borrowing except it expands on a larger amount of a text. A characteristic marker of extending is a substitution of a tern in the authors idea to support your own. The most effective forwarding is using these methods in combination with each other.


The Onion often forwards major news events through its blog. The Onion borrows a major point in its article seen here. It is an article around Mit Romney’s win in the Florida primary. Since the Onion presents its news in a satirical manor, it borrows only a small idea from a major news story, which can be seen covered by the New York Times here. The small-borrowed piece provides people with a minimal amount of current news, while the Onion satirically expands this news into a false story about a rave Romney threw. Informing people on Romney’s win remains the same through the forwarding, but all other facts about the primary full results of the election is lost.