Being able to write freely and express ourselves is a very important gift that we as Americans have. This use of the English language gives one the ability to express their thoughts and feelings. With this use of language there is also a risk that some writers may abuse it. In the words of George Orwell, proficient writing, “has nothing to do with correct grammar and syntax, which are of no importance so long as one makes one’s meaning clear.” That is, to use the English language properly, one’s writing must have a clear meaning. When this is fulfilled, grammar and syntax will become less important for the reader, as they are not the core of what language is. Clear and Concise writing is important because this is the only type of writing that will keep the reader’s attention. In Orwell’s essay, he states, “But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought” (Orwell?). This corruption can take place in many ways for the reader. For instance, an unclear essay, may bore and confuse the reader. The reader may become frustrated while reading because of lack …show more content…
As Orwell notes, “The whole tendency of modern prose is away from concreteness” (Orwell?) Without this concreteness, a writer’s purpose in their work will become vague to the reader. Any points or reasoning that a writer makes will remain ambiguous to readers. The reason for this downfall is that writing “becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts” (Orwell?). “Model writing at its worst does not consist in picking out words for the sake of their meaning and inventing images to make the meaning clearer” (Orwell?). “It consists of gumming together long strips of words which have already been set in order by someone else and making the results presentable by sheer humbug”
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.
Children were taught to speak in a proper manner and because they were taught to speak correctly they wrote in a proper way as well. As technology evolved and texting came more profound grammar was becoming a lost art. In Dana Goldstein’s article ,‘Why Kids Can’t Write’, she talks about what teachers are doing about grammar. The teachers are not doing much about the grammar issue in schools.
When Malcolm X feels frustrated about not being able to convey his passion in words towards a subject he feels strongly about, he decides to vigorously study the dictionary to expand his vocabulary and writing skills. He calls himself “one of the most articulate hustlers out there” (pg. 143), but is barely able to read the words of most book. After numerous tablets filled with millions of words copied from the dictionary, reading a book became less of a challenge. By learning how to adequately read and write, it was like a “new world had opened” (Pg. 144) for him. While imprisoned, reading became an escape for him allowing his mine to stay occupied in the months of his stay. In the last sentence Malcolm X states “In fact, up until then, I never had been so truly free in my life.” (Pg. 144) telling the reader that illiteracy can hold one back in life from being able to do something in which they feel strongly about. This essay is a great example of how language can be much more than just having the ability to speak it. Although someone may be able to speak a language with slang or other jargon, it is a real skill to be able to read and write. The 21st generation is filled with slang and improper grammar that many people look past, but when doing things like writing a letter or applying for a job, it can make or break you. When writing something, such as a letter, the
David Foster Wallace, author of the essay “Authority and American Usage*,” praises and advocates for “good” writers who have a strong rhetorical ability, which he defines as “the persuasive use of language to influence the thoughts and actions of an audience” (Wallace 628). To have a strong rhetorical ability, an author needs to be aware of whom their audience is, in order to present their information in a way that will be influential on their audience. Wallace recognizes that an author who applies a strong rhetorical ability will be able to connect with the audience so that they respond “not just to [their] utterance but also to [them]” (Wallace 641). An author needs to take into consideration not just content, syntax and grammatical structure (their “utterance”) but also how their character will be perceived by their audience. A positive tone will make the author seem more pleasant and relatable, whereas a negative tone connotes arrogance and pretentiousness. That is why it is crucial for an author to recognize that an audience will respond to “them” and not just their “utterance,” as an author’s appearance to their readers can also shape how impactful their writing is.
George Orwell’s essay, the Politics and the English Language, portrays inaccuracies associated with writing. He explores examples of poorly written sentences. He appeals, “Language as an instrument for expressing and not for concealing or preventing thought” (Orwell). The main points of his essay consist of writing clearly and honestly in order to accurately represent what the writer is intending their audience to understand. Orwell focuses on the reasoning for the decline of the language due to political and economic reasons. This reaffirms the necessity to simplifying language as opposed to complicating it in an effort to appear intellectual, respectable, or powerful. Outdated metaphors, extra or pretentious words added for the sake
In the article "Why Good English is Good For You," by John Simon, the intended audience is English speaking Americans. Simon stresses the importance of keeping good English alive, and spreading it. He explains how the influence of adults can greatly impact the future of the upcoming generations. Simon makes it clear to the audience, which consists of young adults, adults, and professionals, that language is a daily necessity that should not be used in a way that makes Americans appear illiterate. Simon uses many rhetorical devices such as analogies, personification, asyndeton, and anaphoras to demonstrate the importance of utilizing English in a proper manner. Those who use English must train themselves to exert the language in the correct
While preparing for one of his college lectures, Dennis Baron, a professor and linguistics at the University of Illinois, began playing with the idea of how writing has changed the world we lived in and materials and tools we use in everyday life. This lecture slowly transitioned into “Should Everybody Write?” An article that has made many wonder if technology has made writing too easy for anyone to use or strengthens a writer's ability to learn and communicate their ideas. Baron uses rhetorical strategies in his article to portray to his audience his positive tone, the contrast and comparison of context and his logical purpose.
This essay opens the minds of people to see that perfect writing is not always the perfect thing. Murray’s essay would interest almost every person who has been a student and taken an English class. Most
The title highlights what is believed to be academic writing, thus the purpose in academic writing becomes lost, since exaggerated analysis containing complicated and elaborate sentences still occur. Though the title states a problem in academic writing, indicating the function placed upon academic writing being at fault, the article itself counter-argues. It says, “…bullshit does not necessarily involve a misrepresentation of facts, but must involve a misrepresentation of the self – one's feelings, thoughts, or attitudes.” (Eubanks and Schaeffer 2008, 375) suggesting the problem is the writer’s incapability to writing properly, resulting in a disconnect between the coherence in the paper and its readers, either because the skills for academic writing were not achieved or a to comprehend its importance. This can be supported by AW, as it notes, “…writing as a thinking tool in the processes of, for instance, verbalising, discovering, understanding, and communicating ideas...” (Björk and Räisänen 2003, 16) meaning conveying thoughts and ideas are means to develop a deeper understanding of information thus gaining implements to a concise language and coherence. AW goes on by stating, “…it will help you not only to learn new things, but to discover things you did not know you knew. Writing also presents an opportunity for critical thinking…”(Björk and Räisänen 2003, 16), thus it illustrates how writing, in general, needs to be seen as a method to relay knowledge as much as a process to receive
Throughout this essay, Orwell acts as a teacher and does not ridicule the writers. His writing is to inform the reader of the problem, the reasons why the language has become ugly, and the bad habits of writing. He used specific examples and goes on to give his solution to bring English writing and speaking back to a clear, concise, honest work.
Humans have a reputation for wasting things: time, money, resources, and even words. When wasted words begin to distract from writing, it is called clutter. In “Clutter”, William Zinsser utilizes figurative language, ethical appeals, and arrangement to reveal the creep of cluttered language into writing and to persuade writers to avoid it.
Writing can be a very difficult process for those who do not know how to go about constructing
George Orwell’s essay, Politics and the English Language, first published in 1946, talks about some “bad habits”, which have driven the English language in the wrong direction, that is, away from communicating ideas. In his essay he quotes five passages, each from a different author, which embody the faults he is talking about. He lists dying metaphors, operators, pretentious diction, and meaningless words as things to look out for in your own writing and the writing of others (593-595). He talks about political uses of the English language. Our language has become ugly and the ugliness impedes upon communication. Ugly uses of language have been reinforced and passed down in the population “even among people who should and do know better,” (598). Ugly language has been gaining ground in our population by a positive feedback mechanism.
George Orwell’s 1946 piece “Politics and the English Language” acts as a critique towards the development of written English. The essay begins by stating that the expected decline in the intricacy of a language, will always have political and economic causes, although, the degeneration is accelerated due to the imitation of poor writing habits. Orwell then asserts that in order to control this slump, writers must be wary and conscious of the words they use and why they use them. The failure to do so, as Orwell notes, can lead to a lack of substance, and in place, unnecessary long-winded phrases, clichés, and insignificant wording. Five passages are presented each containing “staleness of imagery” and “vagueness” which are used to prove Orwell’s
Literature is rarely, if ever, merely a story that the author is trying to tell. It is imperative that the reader digs deep within the story to accurately analyze and understand the message the author is trying to portray. Authors tend to hide themselves in their stories. The reader can learn about the author through literary elements such as symbolism, diction, and structure. A good example of this is Robert Frost’s poems The Road Not Taken and Nothing Gold can Stay in which he uses ordinary language unlike many other poets that became more experimental (Frost, Robert. “1.”).