...s educational system on traditionalism that focuses on fluency, appreciation, and comprehension. King states, “no one can be as intellectually slothful as a really smart person” (138). As a whole we are “creatures of habit”, thus resisting changes in the traditional sphere of academics. King uses his spin on popular culture to engage future readers and inspire the next generation of writers. “Some of this book—perhaps too much—has been about how I learned to do it. Much of it has been about how you can do it better. The rest of it—and perhaps the best of it—is a permission slip: you can, you should, and if you're brave enough to start, you will.” (King 269-270). “On Writing” is a poignant, educated, and inspiring book, a book that is sure to help hundreds of struggling writers and will motivate others who may pick up the book not for inspiration, but mere curiosity.
Schilb, John, and John Clifford, eds. Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. 866. Print.
“Your Creative Power” was filled with trick and strategies to inspire other individuals on writing and how to put your ideas into words. Osborn’s most celebrated idea was the one discussed in Chapter 33, “H...
Some people write for entertainment and some people write for fortune, but other people write to tell the world their story and enlighten us to life’s lessons. Literary fiction is created to do more than just merely entertain. It is created to tell a story, to take the reader from one mindset to another and bring about the reader’s understanding of the purpose. Literary fiction explores innate conflicts of the human condition through cosmic writing. Richard Wright chooses to use this kind of writing to reach the world. Wright grew up in a time where he was denied many privileges because of his color and he really made a point to express his feelings to us through his writing. His life, works and short story “A Man Who Was Almost a Man contribute directly to his literary style.
In this day and age, writing is being portrayed through various mediums, such as film and television. Some of those portrayals depict writing as both good and bad depending on the situation that is present. Authors such as, by E. Shelley Reid, Kevin Roozen, and Anne Lamott all write about important writing concepts that are being depicted in films, like Freedom Writers. The film Freedom Writers shows a positive and accurate portrayal of writing in the sense that the writers should have a connection to what they are writing about, writing is a form of communication, and that writing does not have to be perfect the first time.
A sword is no more than a sharp piece of metal, but a pen has power. A pen can argue; a pen can unravel complexities; a pen can persuade; a pen can teach; but most of all, a pen can create worlds. The gifts writing brings are almost innumerable. On par with every major study, writing – both persuasive and creative – is an incredibly valuable skill that all students should be pressed to learn, to love, and to enjoy. To allow some to find their voice while allowing others to discover who they truly are, while still generating a far more intellectual generation is certainly a necessary teaching.
The notion of writing has been defined in many different ways by writers. According to Byrne (1997), “writing is producing a sequence of sentences arranged in a particular order and linked together in certain ways”. In other words, a writing or a text includes sentences arranged in a coherent and grammatical way to connect the ideas together. In addition, writing is interpreted as the act of expressing ideas, thoughts, and feelings to other people in writing symbols so that readers can
Writing is a form of communication that can be expressed in various ways. The short story “On Keeping a Notebook” written by Joan Didion guides the reader through her thinking process as she tries to answer why and what it means to write in her notebook. Although, it can be difficult to follow and understand her thinking it fascinates me to see her thinking process come to a full circle. I felt a personal connection with her when she writes “We are brought up in the ethic that others, any others, all others, are by definition more interesting that ourselves; taught to be diffident, just that this side of self-effacing.” Didion’s statement made me realized the experiences one has can affect one’s perspective as one writes and reads despite how
This is where she uses ethos to provide the reader with an understanding that she is a credible writer. First she uses the National Center for Education Statistics information to provide a strong base of knowledge regarding the topic that is already available. The article from the National Center for Education Statistics includes a quote from a teacher stating “the use of acronyms and shorthand in text messages for students’ inability to spell and ultimately to write well” (pg. 2). She goes on to explain teacher’s viewpoints and their beliefs on the topic after seeing a decrease in writing abilities. There is a quote included by Naomi Baron, a professor at American University, in which states “so much of American society has become sloppy and laissez faire about the mechanics of writing” (pg.2). This quote provides evidence that everyone should be concerned about the effects because our society is facing the issues as well not only students. As she continues to provide a foundation for others ideas regarding the topic, she changes viewpoints to those who see the positives in texting. Cullington uses an author to elaborate on the positives that increased texting can have on individuals. David Crystal explains that students “sharpen their diplomatic skills . . . [because] it allows more time to formulate their thoughts and express them carefully” (pg.4). This is something that is important in today’s day and age where people want the short and sweet version, not something drawn out that can be hard to understand. In her background information regarding the positive aspects of texting, she uses emotions to connect with the reader when she discusses children who struggle with writing. Texting can help students “overcome their awkwardness and develop their social and communication skills” Crystal states (pg. 5). The use of emotion is key to capturing
Updike argues that the role of writers is to serve as instruments of expression within society, providing a means of communicating between writers and their audience. Updike, like many writers, dotes not on the context of the words in a language, but on their “potential...of becoming reality, of engendering out of imitation another reality, infinitely lesser but thoroughly possessed, thoroughly human.” (Updike “Why Write?”) The figurative language Updike uses illustrates the idea of words coming alive, and personifies language as possessing the ability to become a tangible representation of the individual.The power that language holds allows for the voice of an individual to be projected, and for society to articulate the voices of all individuals uniformly without censoring the voices of
Imagery is used by many authors as a crucial element of character development. These authors draw parallels between the imagery in their stories and the main characters' thoughts and feelings. Through intense imagery, non-human elements such as the natural environment, animals, and inanimate objects are brought to life with characteristics that match those of the characters involved.
Orenstein, Peggy. “What’s Wrong with Cinderella?” The New York Times Magazine. 4 Dec. 2006. Rpt. in Writing Communities and Identities. Ed. Cynthia Debes et al. 6th ed. Plymouth, MI: Hayden-McNeil Publishing, 2009. 50-54.
Although the greater picture is that reading is fundamental, the two authors have a few different messages that they seek to communicate to their audiences. “The Joy of Reading and Writing” depicts how reading serves as a mechanism to escape the preconceived notions that constrain several groups of people from establishing themselves and achieving success in their lifetimes. “Reading to Write,” on the other hand, offers a valuable advice to aspiring writers. The author suggests that one has to read, read, and read before he or she can become a writer. Moreover, he holds an interesting opinion concerning mediocre writing. He says, “Every book you pick has its own lesson or lessons, and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones” (p.221). Although these two essays differ in their contents and messages, the authors use the same rhetorical mode to write their essays. Both are process analyses, meaning that they develop their main argument and provide justification for it step by step. By employing this technique, the two authors create essays that are thoughtful, well supported, and easy to understand. In addition, Alexie and King both add a little personal touch to their writings as they include personal anecdotes. This has the effect of providing support for their arguments. Although the two essays have fairly different messages, the authors make use of anecdotes and structure their writing in a somewhat similar
Although the book was set in the 1930’s, it related to the 1990’s, and indeed still relates to 2014. It can be said that the influence of great writing can be substantial on the masses.
Another purpose for writing is to inform. Information is power. In today’s society people need a lot of information to perform, thus making information qui...