At that point, I did not stop to consider what field I was getting my masters degree in. I had heard there was an overabundance of literature professors and and a scarcity of jobs, so I decided to try the writing side of English. Besides, I did not want to leave my home and family to study elsewhere, so I enrolled in the rhetoric and composition program. I am beginning to wonder whatI got myself into. From Gage's essay, it becomes clear to me that few people have a perfect grasp of these terms and their relationship with one another.
Gage goes on to suggest that rhetoric and composition share a coordinate relationship.
His diagran of circles helped me to better understand his argument. The two terms intertwine, yet remain distinct entities. On the surface this seems like a simple observation. I am still trying to unpack the nuances and implications of these two statements. I continue to unpack, too, and I first read the Gage piece in manuscript, in 1990.