Writing Style
What is writing style? I started out thinking that writing style is a personal thing and that all writers have their own style. But, this way of thinking is really just a simple way to answer the question. After more careful thought, I realized that style is actually quite the opposite of personal and original. Style is a form of standardization. As writers, we all follow certain rules and guidelines to make our point. Style is these rules and guidelines.
For a writer to better understand style, multitudes of books and helpful guides have been published. Many are written as lists of rules about word choice, constructions to avoid, common stylistic traps, and other such things. One of these is The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. Another type are the books that go into more detail that further explain why some things work in writing and some things don’t. Style Toward Clarity and Grace by Joseph M. Williams would fall into this category. Although written in a different manner they share the same goal; to present some of the most important rules in writing and style.
Some of the most essential elements of style are those that deal with commas. How to use a comma and where to place one can be quite confusing at times. With Strunk and White’s chapter 1 on Elementary Rules of Usage, they go into detail with examples for writers to better understand the usage of commas.
Rule number two exemplifies comma placement when dealing with three or more terms. Strunk and White say that in “a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last” (Strunk and White, 2). One example they use to demonstrate this is
“red, white, and blue” (Strunk an...
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...ter may use several words that can be grouped together into one word. An example of this would be :
“Carefully read what you have written,” which can simply be replaced with the word, “edit” (Williams, 123).
This is one of the most tricky concepts of redundancy because there are no general rules to help you compress several words into one word or two. A writer can only be alert to the opportunity to do so, or try.
One must remember that writing style is not something that just happens, but rather something that is developed. With the help of guides like Elements of Style, or books like Style Toward Clarity and Grace, one can begin to develop one.
Works Cited
Joseph M. Williams. Style Towards Clarity and Grace. University of Chicago Press, 1995.
Strunk, William and White, E. B. The Elements of Style (4th ed.). Allyn & Bacon, Boston, MA, 2000.
Crickett Sanz, Dave Morgan, & Steve Gulick. "New Insights into Chimpanzees, Tools, and Termites from the Congo Basin." The American Naturalist 164.5 (2004): 56-581. Article. 25 April 2014.
There was a war in Sierra Leone, Africa, from 1991 to 2002 where a rebel army stormed through African villages amputating and raping citizens left and right (“Sierra Leone Profile”). Adebunmi Savage, a former citizen of Sierra Leone, describes the reality of this civil war:
Harvard Medical Group “Best medicine: The science of exercise shows benefits beyond weight …..loss.” Harvard Heart Letter. 23(11) (2013) 6
"A Centennial Tribute to Langston Hughes." Library System - Howard University. Howard University, n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.
“Poetry is the rhythmical creation of beauty in words.” –Edgar Allan Poe. Poetry is one of the world’s greatest wonders. It is a way to tell a story, raise awareness of a social or political issue, an expression of emotions, an outlet, and last but not least it is an art. Famous poet Langston Hughes uses his poetry as a musical art form to raise awareness of social injustices towards African-Americans during the time of the Harlem Renaissance. Although many poets share similarities with one another, Hughes creatively crafted his poetry in a way that was only unique to him during the 1920’s. He implemented different techniques and styles in his poetry that not only helped him excel during the 1920’s, but has also kept him relative in modern times. Famous poems of his such as a “Dream Deferred,” and “I, Too, Sing America” are still being studied and discussed today. Due to the cultural and historical events occurring during the 1920’s Langston Hughes was able to implement unique writing characteristics such as such as irregular use of form, cultural and historical referenced themes and musical influences such as Jazz and the blues that is demonstrative of his writing style. Langston Hughes use of distinct characteristics such as irregular use of form, cultural and historical referenced themes and musical influences such as Jazz and the blues helped highlight the plights of African-Americans during the Harlem Renaissance Era.
When reading the literature of Langston Hughes, I cant help but feeling energetically charged and inspired. Equality, freedom, empowerment, renaissance, justice and perseverance, are just a taste of the subject matter Hughes offers. He amplifies his voice and beliefs through his works which are firmly rooted in race pride and race feeling. Hughes committed himself both to writing and to writing mainly about African Americans. His early love for the “wonderful world of books” was sparked by loneliness and parental neglect. He would soon lose himself in the works of Walt Whitman, Paul Laurence, Carl Sandburg and other literary greats which would lead to enhancing his ever so growing style and grace of oeuvre. Such talent, character, and willpower could only come from one’s life experiences. Hughes had allot to owe to influences such as his grandmother and great uncle John Mercer Langston - a famous African American abolitionist. These influential individuals helped mold Hughes, and their affect shines brightly through his literary works of art.
When it comes to interacting with the environment tool use by chimpanzees is very vital to differentiating their intelligent within their culture. Chimpanzees are some of the very few unique primates that use a variety of tools which makes them stand out as very proficient tool users besides humans. According to David Watts chimpanzees use the tools to enhance their way of living. “Chimpanzees at several well documented sites mostly use tools in extractive foraging, and extractive tool use can substantially increase their foraging efficiency. They also use tools for hygiene and for several other purposes, including attracting the attention of conspecifics, as in leaf-clipping” (Watts 2008, 83). Subsequently chimpanzees are intellectual enough to alter an object to create a tool, and then use the tool for a precise purpose. Then on the other hand chimpanzees use tools to overcome everyday obstacles. As expressed by Watts chimpanzee toolkits mak...
Rampersad, Arnold. "Langston Hughes and His Critics on the Left." The Langston Hughes Review 5.2 (Fall 1986): 34-40. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Deborah A. Schmitt. Vol. 108. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998. Literature Resource Center. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
This book reflects the Grimm brothers’ fairy tale, “Hansel and Gretel.” However, in Murphy’s parable, Hansel and Gretel are two Jewish children who are abandoned by their father and stepmother in order to save them from the Nazis.
“Style is how you write, and you write well when you are interested. A writer’s own interest in the story is the essential thing. If there is a flash of warmth in him it is repeated in the reader. The emotion is bigger than style.
Celli, Maura L., Satoshi Hirata, and Masaki Tomonaga. "Socioecological Influences On Tool Use In Captive Chimpanzees." International Journal Of Primatology25.6 (2004): 1267-1281. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
While there are people who love to read and write, there are others that do not. When a student is required to read a book for a class and that student does not enjoy reading, there are very few things they would rather do less. And when that book’s topic is about learning how to write that is the worst of it. When I was assigned to read Writing with Style by John R. Trimble, my immediate thought was that this book and assignment was going to be a struggle to get through. To my pleasant surprise, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Writing with Style provides the reader with a wide range of writing tips while being written in a fun, conversational style. This book provides easy to find writing tools that can be understood by people of varying
Rampersad, Arnold. The Life of Langston Hughes. Volume 1: 1902-1941. Oxford University Press, New York, 1986.
Richardson, D. (2013). A simple guide to help you gain a more effective style. Retrieved from http://eqi.org/eidefs.htm
Violence is strong and present in Hansel and Gretel. Taking into account the fact that the story begins with a stepmother who forces a father to abandon his children in the forest is itself already of certain violence. Stories like this have a greater impact for children who are not very familiar with the feeling that such events bring. Children who will be presented this story will probably feel an insecurity brought by this event, and tend to avoid moving away from the family home. Also, the outcome of the story is a pretty violent scene by the fact that...