Subject: Re: an endlesss anaconda of undifferentiated wordss
From: Will Hochman (hochman@southernct.edu)
Date: Fri Jan 26 2001 - 23:56:02 GMT
Dear Andy, I'm feeling a bit like Buddy because I have 40 new
students to write letters to today. I want to respond to writing
they did about perceived strengths and weaknesses, attitudes toward
research, and to the fact that they are just beginning a required
first year writing class and they will need to teach themselves how
to learn to write. But instead, I'm responding to you...why?
Because there is sincerity in your words, there is honest
questioning, and that, my friend means you are already on a fine
writing path. It's a bit funny that as "Professor Hochman" I can
seem like an icon of proper English. I have overcome some dyslexia
and mastered English to a relatively acceptable point, but it took me
longer than most and I hope my students don't perceive me as a gloomy
grammarian because I don't think that good grammar, punctuation and
spelling make a writer good. However, I will tell you that improving
your skills with language handling is something we all work on all
the time, and that work can build on thinking skills in some powerful
ways.
We don't have to conform to conventions but when it comes to getting
good grades or getting work published, that's the game. Is that the
only game in town? Hell no...we all make our choices.
Regarding Bananafish writing, if you really want to know, I read and
enjoy the posts for what they say...email doesn't mean propriety to
me so much as communication. I will say that writing well (I do
recommend On Writing Well by William Zinsser for anyone wanting to
teach him or herself about writing) is a personal choice and that the
more it happens in all contexts, the more progress you just might
make...to that end I clap and offer this Salinger bouquet for your
screen performance today ((((()))))) will
>I have struggled, my Scottish mentor and confidant, for some time
>with the why of writing structure, and, probably for the same
>reason, the tendency of intellectuals (self-styled or otherwise) to
>analyze works of literature to death, and to nit-pick writers on
>form. It has bugged me for as long as I can remember that there is
>a certain way (sometimes with a few alternate choices) to present an
>essay, or a book, or whatever, and if you don't do it that way
>there's someone with a rule book shouting "Digression!!" at you
>until you want to strangle them. Personally I don't see how it
>matters so much how someone writes something, as far as
>capitalization and indentation is concerned, as long as it is
>understandable. I always use punctuation and spacing, but mostly
>for the practicality of it. If I only wrote in a long stream of
>letters, no one would bother to try to decipher it, since it
>wouldn't be worth the trouble. But if I don't use capitalization,
>so what? Why does anything HAVE to be capitalized? Why do we HAVE
>to indent paragraphs? Because Professor Hochman says so? I don't
>care what he says (just using your name as an example, Will,
>really), if I don't want to use capitals, they're out the window.
>You're the one who told me recently to "just write" and not worry
>about the rule book. Or is it just rule books written by others
>than yourself that you would like to ignore?
>
>Andy
>
>
>
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-- Will Hochman Assistant Professor of English & Composition Co-Coordinator Southern Connecticut State University 501 Crescent St, New Haven, CT 06515 203 392 5024
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b25 : Wed Feb 21 2001 - 09:44:22 GMT