The Kids are ‘Alwrite’ was written by David Gold. The article was written by Gold to show students that every generation had trouble writing efficiently in their early years. Students are not supposed to be perfect writers and that is why they are students. This article should be published because it shows how to argue that every generation has issues with the oncoming generation’s writing style. Professors think this because their idea of a good writing piece is different from the students’ and different from what they are used to seeing. Gold gave an example of this by saying, “Each generation has produced its Chicken Littles claiming the sky is falling and setting off another round of national hand-wringing over another imagined crisis” …show more content…
In addition, every generation thinks they are the “golden age” of writing and every other generation after them is the end of good writing, as we know it. Gold writes that teachers say students, “churn out ‘illiterate or semiliterate scribbling’ when they do, and have grammar so ‘atrocious’ that their writing fails to meet the standards ‘once required of third-graders’” (792). This shows how much faith teachers/professors have in their students and their writing skills. Another example Gold gives of every generation thinking they are the “golden age” is when he writes: “Conveniently, critics of student writing locate the supposed Golden Age of Literacy at just about the time they we’re in school, safely before the advent of such corrupting influences as the Progressive Era, television, personal computers, “South Park,” rap music, and postmodernist professors” (792). The professors think that the distractions the students deal with today are the reasons they are incapable of writing proficiently. The reason the last generation is the “golden age” is because they did not have to deal with these …show more content…
The author explains the students’ position when he says, “Of course, students don’t write as well as we would like. They’re students! If they knew how to write well already, they wouldn’t need to take writing courses — and we English professors would find ourselves on the unemployment line” (Gold 793). Gold thinks that students are not meant to be perfect writers right away. He explains that if they were perfect writers, there would be no need for professors or teachers.
Therefore, this article should be published because it shows how to argue that every generation has issues with the oncoming generation’s writing style just because it is a little different from what they are used to seeing. Every generation thinks they are the “golden age” of writing, thinks every generation after them is the end of good writing as we know it, and technological distractions are the cause for these terrible writers. Therefore, with a little bit of assistance from teachers and professors, people will be amazed that students may actually be able to write after
According to Runciman, there are many plausible reasons that students and other people don’t enjoy writing. Evidence, assumptions, and language and tone are the basis for which Runciman makes his argument. Overall, this argument is effective because reliable and well known sources are used in a logical fashion. Also, the assumptions made about the audience are accurate and believable. Runciman used his assumptions wisely when writing his claim and in turn created a compelling, attention capturing argument. The article was written so that students and teachers at any level could understand and easily read it. This argument is interesting, captivating, relevant through its age, and can relate to students and teachers at almost every academic level.
The purpose of Baker’s essay and its placement in The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers is to encourage young writers to realize that writing truly is a privilege. It is also placed in the book to show college English students that writing does not have to be a grim task and that thinking of it in that manner will only make the student average.
In Downs and Wardle’s article, they argue and identify the flaws in teaching writing in college. Demonstrating the misconceptions that academic writing is universal, but rather specialized in each case. Citing studies and opinions from esteemed professionals, Downs & Wardle state their points and illuminate the problem in today’s many colleges.
In Patricia Limerick’s article “Dancing with Professors”, she argues the problems that college students must face in the present regarding writing. Essays are daunting to most college students, and given the typical lengths of college papers, students are not motivated to write the assigned essays. One of the major arguments in Limerick’s article is how “It is, in truth, difficult to persuade students to write well when they find so few good examples in their assigned reading.” To college students, this argument is true with most of their ...
“Although both articles are exploring writing and the change that needs to or that does happen, Peter Elbow’s idea of growth in writing is a more naïve and simplistic approach to writing, where as Somers and Saltz’s article, while still very general, takes a more realistic point of view at the writing experience for students and new writers”.
...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.
Several people have trouble writing college level essays and believe that they are unable to improve their writing skills. In “the Inspired Writer vs. The Real Writer,” Sarah Allen argues how no one is born naturally good at writing. Sarah Allen also states how even professional writers have trouble with the task of writing. Others, such as Lennie Irvin, agree. In Irvin’s article “What is ‘Academic’ Writing?” states how there are misconceptions about writing. Furthermore, Mike Bunn’s article “How to Read Like a Writer” shows ways on how one can improve their writing skills. Allen, Bunn, and Irvin are correct to say how no one is born naturally good writers. Now that we know this, we should find ways to help improve our writing skills, and
Thomas, C. (2011). Is the American Dream Over? They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing (2nd ed.). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.
Watkins, S. Craig. "The Young and the Digital." From Inquiry to Academic Writing: A Text and Reader. By Stuart Greene and April Lidinsky. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin 's, 2008. 505-15. Print.
Throughout my college career I noticed how different my form of writing has become. When I came to this realization, it made me wonder why this is so. Is it that I am simply just writing a lot more than I have in the past? Is it because I am simply maturing as a writer and combining all the techniques I am picking up on my own? All these questions, along with many more, rambled around my head sounding like a resounding gong struggling to find a true conclusion. As the school year went on I came to find out the truth about why my writing has changed, which brought me to a rewarding conclusion.
Attending college at an old age, writing an effective paper is a formidable task I am trying to overcome. Although English was taught in my native country, there were no proper guidelines on writing a paper; hence most submitted essays were mostly results of brainstorming and “free writing”. Embracing such things as MLA, grammar, and structure, and exploring the limitless boundaries of critical thinking, I developed an idea of what is considered as “good writing”. Most of my papers were edited with the help of the Writing Center. I took all suggestions by my fellow peers and professors into developing my skills as a writer. From writing an essay without topic sentences or proper thesis, I developed the skills and learned the guidelines of becoming a proper writer at a college-undergraduate level.
Being back in grad school has been an amazing experience because it has put me back in touch with my own process of writing; I am conscious of how I write in comparison to the way in which I expect my students to write. I find myself using the information that I share with them, although at times I feel the pressure that I must earn all A’s on my papers because if I haven’t mastered the process of writing, then I must be a bit of a fraud to be teaching it. But then I have to remember what I have learned about my own process, and what I continue to learn about my own writing process. I keep in mind the epiphany I experienced in graduate school, and I seek to share this information, for current or later use, with my students in the classroom.
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.
A large part of an English teacher’s job deals with helping students find their own voices amidst the many teachings of their parents and peers. A student’s voice can be their values, their interests, and their perspectives of the world in which they live. Their voice can be their critical questioning of the many situations they face, whether in a text, the school cafeteria, or a park after school. It is the job of an English teacher to aid in finding this voice through their writing. It is by putting words and thoughts down on paper that a student can sometimes feel comfortable enough to take risks and find their true voices. Although traditional grammar instruction has long been thought to improve this skill, this is no longer the case. Instead, by providing a classroom environment in which students are immersed in classic literature from many genres including poetry, short stories, and novels, students will learn how to harness grammar for their own purposes of finding their voice in their writing.
The use of technology has led more people getting information from blog, which has been criticized by many journalists who doubt the accuracy of the information; and also in this computer age, the use of print dictionaries is fast nose-diving towards oblivion, because every word that is needed is found online. The words are very precise with their examples and one does not need an editor to know what a word means because you can easily look them up online. Students have also learned to understand that they write to the audience and therefore, have to be more creative, persuasive and organizing in their writing in order to get their point across to the audience. It is believed that the previous generation rarely put up a paragraph of their own and most students then, needed an interview before they were able to write something. But with the continuous in class writing in school and online, it has made students become adept in writing.