Fun While Writing? by Rex Runciman

865 Words2 Pages

Fun While Writing?

What about writing and the writing process makes it so disliked and, in some cases, even feared? “Fun?” by Lex Runciman, an English teacher at the Linfield College in Oregon, is an insightful article that explores why many people don’t enjoy writing. He is a very credible author because he has taught college English classes for many years and has written and published several books. His main claim throughout the article is that many people dislike writing and feel that it is frustrating because it is not perceived as or made out to be fun, enjoyable, or rewarding. Runciman wrote this article because, at the time, he felt that there was not enough being done to reverse the negative image that surrounds writing. He wants his readers to realize through his article that writing and the writing process can actually be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Runciman uses evidence, assumptions, and language and tone as a basis for his argument.

Many types of evidence are used throughout the article to support Runciman’s claim. The evidence used is of good quality because it consists of his personal experiences, fellow teachers’ writing, a school textbook, and even a Robert Frost poem. All of this evidence makes Runciman’s article credible because it comes from notable and well-known sources. For example, Runciman quotes The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing when backing up his claim that most people don’t like writing because it is not fun to them. He says: “[O]ne of our best textbooks emphasizes writing is “hard work,” that “sometimes the hardest part of writing is getting started,” and that “for most writers frustration in the early period of drafting is natural.” (158). He even states in his own words t...

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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.

Work Cited

Runciman, Lex. "Fun?" College English 53.2 (1991): 156-62. JSTOR. ITHAKA. Web. 27 Jan. 2014.

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