Cyber-Assignment for Sept. 2, 2010
What are the qualities of good writing?
In a short essay, 250-500 words, discuss this topic using published writers, those you personally like and are familar with, along with those we have encountered this semester, Ronald Takaki and William Shakespeare (smile). You don't have to use Shakespeare as an example.
Post your essay here. Include citations in your essay (3): one free paraphrase, one block quote and one paraphrase. If the essay is too long to post, post it in two installations. Oh, don't forget to respond to a classmate's essay.
You should be able to do this assignment in an hour. The response to a classmate is homework. Next week we will read more of Takaki.
Continue to keep journals or logs on the Mirror readings. We are going to read The Tempest, over the next couple of weeks, continue to review writing concept like thesis sentences and incorporating citations smoothly into one's writing as we try to get up to chapter 6 by Thursday, Sept. 9.
What are the qualities of good writing?
In a short essay, 250-500 words, discuss this topic using published writers, those you personally like and are familar with, along with those we have encountered this semester, Ronald Takaki and William Shakespeare (smile). You don't have to use Shakespeare as an example.
Post your essay here. Include citations in your essay (3): one free paraphrase, one block quote and one paraphrase. If the essay is too long to post, post it in two installations. Oh, don't forget to respond to a classmate's essay.
You should be able to do this assignment in an hour. The response to a classmate is homework. Next week we will read more of Takaki.
Continue to keep journals or logs on the Mirror readings. We are going to read The Tempest, over the next couple of weeks, continue to review writing concept like thesis sentences and incorporating citations smoothly into one's writing as we try to get up to chapter 6 by Thursday, Sept. 9.
posted by Professor Wanda's Posse at 4:15 PM
18 Comments:
Rocio Gallardo
English 1A
Sabir
2 September 2010
Because I prefer to read fictional forms of writing, I believe that the qualities of good writing is when the story has a unique storyline, when the author has an interesting way of vocabulary, and when the story becomes exceptionally descriptive. If a story is well described, it makes it easier for the reader to understand how the characters are, how the setting is portrayed, and how the situation is handled. Some authors that I love to read are J. K. Rowling (who created the Harry Potter series), J. R. R. Tolkien (who created the Lord of the Rings series), Eoin Colfer, D. J. MacHale, Erich Remarque, Elie Wiesel, J. D. Salinger, and many others. The story from William Shakespeare that I like is Othello. “My wayward husband hath a hundred times wooed me to steal it, but she so loves the token…” This quote isn’t relevant to the topic, but it shows that even thought this isn’t the English we use today, Shakespeare’s writing was quite interesting to understand.
The books that we’re reading in class this semester are definitely not the type I’m interested in, nor would I be able to understand. Reading the first part of Ronald Takaki’s novel Different Mirror, it started to get confusing and the reading, unfortunately, is much too complex. Shakespeare’s The Tempest I’m pretty sure that I can handle, seeing as how I’ve been reading Shakespeare books in high school, and also the fact that you’ve given us the No Fear Shakespeare version.
Jacob Stabler
English 1A
Professor Sabir
2 September 2010
What defines good writing? Is it good grammar and punctuation or is it the ability of the writer to draw us in and make reading enjoyable. My assignment is on the practices of good writing with the intent to reference writers I would not have chosen on my own, along with my favorites that can really take me on a ride through their lives. Am I even qualified to write about such prolific authors?
Takaki is direct and to the point. His work reminds me of sitting in my 9th grade History class, staring out the window, wishing I were at the dentist or anywhere else but listening to this dry and monotonous narration of what supposedly defines my history. On the other hand, I should be interested in where I’ve come from and what events led up to making this country what it is today. Do we even know that this is an accurate portrayal of the events that defined this great nation?
Shakespeare is a writer I have always had a hard time following. Why is he so popular if his writings are often misunderstood? I don’t speak old world English, and need a decoder ring to figure out what he’s saying. His writings I do understand are poetic and colorful, but so intertwined with confusing rhetoric, making them frustrating and some times inaccessible.
Hunter S. Thompson is absolutely my favorite writer. What makes him so great? His uses of graphic and interesting ideas make for such an exciting read. His writings take me on a journey through his life, and what a life it was. Even as we press on with our own lives, we are reminded of the growing trend of people backing out of commitments and not following through. “Buy the ticket, take the ride.”(1) Hunter was always one to tell it like it was. Even His suicide note is an enthralling look into his mind:
What family and police describe as a suicide note was written by Thompson four days before his death, and left for his wife. It was later published by Rolling Stone. Titled "Football Season Is Over", it read:
"No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun — for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax — This won't hurt."(2)
So what do we define as a good writing? Do we look for excitement or for fact? Do we need to be entertained or informed? Can we have both or is that too much to ask? To me it’s all a matter of personal preference but, we can appreciate all types of writers for what they are.
Works Cited:
(1)Thompson, Hunter S. "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"
(2)Wikipedia
Frena Zamudio
English 1A
Professor Sabir
2 September 2010
What are the qualities of good writing? (PART 1)
I am not the type of person who reads random books, I usually ask friends for some feedbacks before I check out a certain book. I do not based the book by its author, although sometimes its good to read books from your favorite author because you already know his/her techniques about writing and it will be easier for you to follow the whole point of the story.
What are the qualities of a good writing? For me, a good writing must have a single clear main idea, so then the readers will not be confused from the start. They will know right away how the author’s feel while writing the book, and the main theme of it. It should also have a organized form and structure, which means the ideas are well arranged so they make sense and easy to follow through. Each paragraph throughout the whole story should be related and stick to the main topic. Language is also important, the word choice determines how much time and effort the writer spent to make the story sound good and interesting. It also helps readers imagine a picture in the reader’s mind while writing. Good word choice does not mean use of ‘big words’ but the capability of using good vocabulary at the same time words that are very descriptive so that readers will easily understand.
Some of the authors I truly admire are; Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook), Sara Zarr (Story of a Girl), Stephenie Meyer (Twilight Saga), John Steinbeck (Of mice and Men), Richard Wright (Black Boy), and many more. They are some of the authors who can create very big books, consist of more than 500 pages each but are very easy and interesting to read. It is like reading a great story that you are so attached to it that you cannot even put the book down and that you do not even realize that you are almost with the whole thing, interesting like that.
Frena Zamudio
English 1A
Professor Sabir
2 September 2010
What are the qualities of good writing? (PART 2)
I think “A different Mirror” is an interesting book as well, but I think it would be better if we read in class and stop for a second and discuss what we read as a group, so in that case, we will all share our ideas and feelings toward it. I have read a lot of Shakespeare’s’ novels, I liked most of them, especially after watching the movies and reading the modern English translations.
One of the Shakespearean novels I have read is “Hamlet”. “..Too much of a water hast thou, poor Ophelia, and therefore I forbid my tears..” that quote I found appealing because he emphasized the tears, which made me, as a reader feel how I would have been if I was there at that moment. I also find it fascinating when authors use different senses in their writing. It is a very unique technique that makes the whole story sound much interesting.
Maxx Bartko
English 1A
Professor Sabir
5 September 2010
Good Writing as Harmony of Intent
Good writing rests on the delicate balance between accuracy and brevity. Something worth reading can often be examined through a variety of lenses; through the natural ambiguity of language, it contains a degree of focus in the range of concepts with which it attempts to deal. However, good writing respects a reader’s time and dedication, proving its gratitude by making its points with only the necessary garnish. This balance is best illustrated in the words of Saint-Exupéry, describing the ‘simplicity’ of an airplane:
Have you ever thought, not only about the airplane, but about whatever man builds, that all of man’s industrial efforts, all his computations and calculations, all the nights spent over working draughts and blueprints, invariably culminate in the production of a thing whose sole and guiding principle is the ultimate principle of simplicity? [...] In anything at all, perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away, when a body has been stripped down to its nakedness (41-42).
In regards to accuracy, a good writer is a general: each strike is as comprehensive as necessary. They possess what Sartre refers to as ‘style’: without excluding brevity, on the contrary, it is mainly a method of saying many things at once ("Sartre at Seventy: An Interview"). Taking into account the subjective breadth of the human experience, postmodern literary theorists continue to challenge the notion that language can successfully broker its literal meanings, especially when connotation takes precedence over denotation. Even if one does not accept these conclusions, it is still paramount that ‘accuracy’ in good writing is not limited to word choice based on literal meaning and takes the writing’s own context into account.
In regards to brevity, a good writer is an economist: every investment should be as minimal as possible and produce the highest returns possible. Twain found that an addiction to description is a writer’s worst indulgence; using adjectives only when necessary maximizes the impact of each instance they are employed ("SLC to David Watt Bowser, 20 March 1880, Hartford, Conn."). For the same reason that context is to be considered when attempting accuracy in articulation, keeping language as concise as possible opens a piece of writing to the widest possible audience without sacrificing an ounce of intent. If anything, it does the words a greater service by expanding both their exposure and their impact.
Maxx Bartko
English 1A
Professor Sabir
5 September 2010
Good Writing as Harmony of Intent (continued)
I would again like to respond to Jacob’s post, where he cites the father of gonzo journalism, Hunter S. Thompson, as an example of great writing; on this account, I would have to agree (“What defines good writing?”). Despite Thompson’s tangential, often disorienting style, his streams of consciousness are incredibly accurate in depicting a tangential, often disorienting existence to both the ivory towers of academia and to the vernacular intellectuals who have become his most ardent supporters. While it may seem like heresy to describe Thompson as concise, his word clusters are exactly as long as they need to be to articulate his meanings.
Works Cited
Clemens, Samuel L. "SLC to David Watt Bowser, 20 March 1880, Hartford, Conn." Letter to David Watt Bowser. 20 Mar. 1880. Mark Twain Project. Web. 05 Sept. 2010.
Saint-Exupéry, Antoine De. Wind, Sand and Stars. Trans. Lewis Galantire. San Diego: Harcourt, 2002. 41-42. Print.
Sartre, Jean-Paul. "Sartre at Seventy: An Interview." Interview by Michel Contat. The New York Review of Books. 7 Aug. 1975. Web. 05 Sept. 2010.
Stabler, Jacob. “What defines good writing?” 2 Sept. 2010. Web. 05 Sept. 2010.
Ji Won Park
English 1A
Professor Sabir
5 September 2010
What are the qualities of good writing? Although many believe that what is considered "good" is all about spelling, grammar, and punctuation, those are equally important but not the main factors in which determines a piece of writing. There are many other importances in writing, such as addressing the point of the writing clearly, weaving in citations, organization, and a good direction of flow in the writing. If these factors are not considered when writing, the writer cannot achieve even close to receiving the title of having good writing.
In my shoes, there aren't much books I could necessarily choose as good writing due to the fact that many are fictional books I have read in my high school years. However, if I could give an example of an author and book I personally liked, it would have to be Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Despite it being one of the most popular books read by high schools for its easy reading, I believe that it has a lot of attributes which qualify for it to be considered good writing. Not only does J.D. Salinger have the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, have an adventure which flows naturally but is organized in terms of certain events happening at the time instead of him doing a million things in one chapter.
With Shakespeare's plays and novels however, it's hard to consider it "good writing" when he breaks the rules such as puctuations and grammar but I feel that he shows more by appealing through the elements inside of his writing rather than following the standard rules stated. One of my favorite quotes in his play As You Like It states, "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages." (Act II, Scene II) shows the depth and meanings of the quote rather than it being something important that the protagonist said.
Although I do contradict myself in what makes a good writing, I think for standards, all the key elements I stated in the first paragraph are important, the writing content itself also makes it a good writing.
Works Cited:
Shakespeare, William. "As You Like It"
Denise Martinez
English 1A
Professor Sabir
6 September 2010
Writer's Block
Good writing consists of a vivid description and leads the reader to understand the intention of the writer. A friend of a friend who is a writer said this “Show me, don’t tell me.” When I read something I like to feel like I’m there. A well written novel transports me into the story and accomplishes that goal.
Ellen Hopkins is my favorite author, her books embody all these qualities and she takes it a step further by writing poetically and including poetry in her books. Here is a quote from her book “Crank”:
Funny entity, your brain, /
how it always functions on one /
level or another. How, even stuck in /
some sort of subconscious limbo, it works /
your lungs, your muscle twitches, your heart, /
contained by fact, in symphony with your heart,allowing it /
to get the impression love. Pain. Jealousy. Guilt. I wonder if it’s the /
same for people, lost in comas. Is there really such a thing;..
Ronald Takaki does a good job of writing with detail so far what I’ve read in the book, his style is informative and boring. As for Shakespeare I’ve only read one of his books which is “Othello”. When I was reading it I had to keep going back because being that I’m from the 21st century and don’t speak “Shakespeare lingo” ,I didn’t understand it. Although when I saw the play I loved the story and what I got from his book was don’t believe everything you hear or trust somebody you’d die for because you’ll end up killing someone you love.
Works Cited
Hopkins, Ellen. “Crank”. New York: Oct. 2004
Rochelle Predovic
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
September 2, 2010
What are the Qualities of Good Writing?
The qualities of good writing depend on the kind of piece the writer would intend. For example grammar, a topic, and a thesis statement determine whether an essay is well written. However, it helps to have literary devices,when writing a novel.
In an essay, it is important for every writer (good or bad) to edit their piece. A revised essay can improve the reader's understanding. Also, while editing a rough draft eliminate generalizations, the thesis states an opinion. Reader's want to see that the opinion is proven in the body paragraphs. If the reader can see a clear thesis, and identify the writer's purpose, then the essay obtains the qualities of good writing.
"Beloved" by Toni Morrison is a good example of quality writing because of her style. A literary device called stream of consciousness is demonstrated in this piece:
"In the beginning I could see her I could not help her because the clouds were in the way[...] the shinig in her ears" (Morrison 211)
Although the thoughts appear random, with choppy sentences, the reader will notice that these thoughts tell a story. Even though the background information of the implied sorrow and guilt coming coming from Sethe's heart is known (Morrison 184). The thoughts are independent of consciousness.Eventually the reader pieces the random thoughts together, and can identify the purpose.
Works Cited
Morrison, Toni. Beloved: a Novel. New York: A.A. Knopf, 1987. Print.
Lucia Fallah
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
7 September 2010
What are the qualities of good writing?
The idea of quality writing is how well you constructing your thoughts, and how transforming your readers grasp the concept. Educational experience permit individuals notion that Good Writing only indicate writing that cover no mistakes.
That is, no errors of grammar, punctuation, or spelling. In fact, good writing is much more than just correct writing. It's writing that responds to the interests and needs of our readers.
In “A Different Mirror” the author point of view is simple and clear. Takaki provide detail that most people do not understand. Considering the fact that the United States is a multi-culture society, history in elementary to high school is only one sector of the truth. Takaki educate twenty first century, how our ancestors encounter life in America. ‘A Different Mirror” gives me more edge of learning more about African Americans and other cultures.
Shakespeare is difficult to read and understand, but the language is uplifting. I have read “Romeo and Juliet” and Hamlet. It’s hard to follow the concept of old English. I believe Shakespeare change the idea of quality writing; he has no grammar structure, punctuation, spelling check and sentence structure. Base on the old English mentality and his brilliant mind simple English rules doe not apply to his writing.
I love reading mystery novel and stories. “George Orwell 1984”. I found his writing brilliant, thoughtful and a mind capturing. His 1984 book is exactly what we facing today, according to BBC world news the average American are on camera two dozen times a day. “Big brother is watching you”.
What are the qualities of good writing?
The essence of good writing is attention to detail. For example grammar and punctuation also the way the authors get the reader attention from the beginning to the end of the story.
I also think that the detail of writing make it so easy to understand the author point view and it also help you relate character of the story. When the story has a lot of detail it makes good writing more interesting and explainable to the audients and the readers.
In other hand I believe that good writing has to have good structure and it has unique story line that is specific to main idea. For example when I read the book” The house on Mango Street”. I felt that Sandra Cisneros has all that in her story.
When I read “The House on Mango Street”. I understood the author point view and I learned something valuable to me. Cisneros say “the boys and the girls live in separate worlds”. (8)
I think that the qualities of great writing are when the author provides a unique thesis and specific, restricted. Also, when the story is well structure and have well organize to detail.
Work cited
Sandra Cisneros. The House on Mango Street. New York: Random house, 1984.
Takaki Paraphrase: chapter 1-5
Today our society racial community is changing the native people. Demography is indicating: not all of us came originally Europe! Recently, one –third of the American individual does not trace their back ground to Europe, in California the middle class have become the majority. They already predominate in major city across the country like Boston, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, San Francisco, and Los Angles. Society is becoming as America’s “Manifest destiny”.
Diallo Abraham
English 1A
Professor Sabir
What are the qualities of good writing?
The essence of good writing is attention to detail. For example grammar and punctuation also the way the authors get the reader attention from the beginning to the end of the story.
I also think that the detail of writing make it so easy to understand the author point view and it also help you relate character of the story. When the story has a lot of detail it makes good writing more interesting and explainable to the audients and the readers.
In other hand I believe that good writing has to have good structure and it has unique story line that is specific to main idea. For example when I read the book” The house on Mango Street”. I felt that Sandra Cisneros has all that in her story.
When I read “The House on Mango Street”. I understood the author point view and I learned something valuable to me. Cisneros say “the boys and the girls live in separate worlds”. (8)
I think that the qualities of great writing are when the author provides a unique thesis and specific, restricted. Also, when the story is well structure and have well organize to detail.
Work cited
Sandra Cisneros. The House on Mango Street. New York: Random house, 1984.
Takaki Paraphrase: chapter 1-5
Today our society racial community is changing the native people. Demography is indicating: not all of us came originally Europe! Recently, one –third of the American individual does not trace their back ground to Europe, in California the middle class have become the majority. They already predominate in major city across the country like Boston, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, San Francisco, and Los Angles. Society is becoming as America’s “Manifest destiny”.
Merty Brown
Professor Wanda
English 1A
7 August 2010
Good writing begins with interesting ideas. Focus on how clearly the paper presents and maintain a main idea, theme, or unifying point. Papers representing the higher end of the point scale demonstrate a consistent awareness of the topic and do not contain extraneous information. Ronald Takaki is a great writer, in his book “the different mirror”, he explains how African Americans, Asian Americans, Mexican-Americans lived in America. Reading his book makes you imaging everything that is going on in the book. In high school you only learn one side of the story.
Shakespeare is also a good writer but he writes in old fashion language. Have you ever wonder why so many people don't like Shakespeare? His plots abandon themselves to murder, revenge, love, the supernatural and more emotions in one page than a late afternoon soap opera. What deters many people is Shakespeare's writing style; the way he uses language feels like you're riding on the back of a whale. Hold on for dear life and do not let go! Yet, understanding four basic components of Shakespeare's writing style can make Shakespeare's plays and sonnets a ride you'll never forget. My favorite book is things fall apart.
My favorite all time character in my favorite all time book: Unoka, the great flute player and reviled father of the revered Okonkwo of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. I love Unoka. He was a dreamer who played his flute all day long. He was allergic to real work, proving that he was a very wise man. Who needs the stress? His farm was a disaster area because his crops refused to grow. They insisted on his presence in the farm. His crops were mean, needy and lazy; they demanded to be watered and nurtured and sang to. Unoka would only sing to them. For some reason, money and fame eluded him and he was unhappy about that and so he sang sad songs about a mean world through his flute.
Quan Lin
Professor Sabir
English 1A
9/2/10
Everyone has their own unique way of selecting what quality is in writing compared to what’s not. Writing is basically a form of story telling, and the better the writing the more vivid the story telling is. A great writer never needs to use words to describe what’s occurring; rather they paint a picture with the words. Writers are artists when it comes to words, they can create any abstract words and put them into sentences to create an image for its audience, to captivate them, guiding them to press on with the story and keeping them attracted along the way.
Taken AP English in my high school years, almost all the reading was regarded as good writing. From “The Odyssey” to the “Inferno” these good writing has been passed down from generation to generation with hopes of continuing to educate the future on writing. Even though the writing styles, dictions have changed, the concept of good writing still remains the same. And only one man was ever known as one of the best minds of his time, William Shakespeare.
Takaki himself is a great writer as he can flawlessly get his point on in the most majestic way without just saying it but rather paints it. He is quite similar to Shakespeare where as they both are great imagining storytellers. Some great pieces that Shakespeare wrote include Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. Shakespeare himself is the epiphany of a good writer, and or actually the best writer that has ever lived. To this day, many of this authors work are still well known and are taught throughout as a model of how great writing is produced.
With the new link of the cyber assignment you can find the nice step for your fun. Just http://www.paragraphchecker.com/check-my-paragraph-for-errors/ and enjoy your life with the nice effort. You can also get the special direction for the new events in this zone.
Cyber assignment is waiting for your best session with the help of which you can find the best conditions of the life. Just enjoy your life with get the facts and enjoy the really great and the good writing structures.
Astounding information about the riding and composing. On grounds, direction framework has no its adversary. On grounds, direction structure is sharp than https://www.paraphrasetool.info/summarizing-and-paraphrasing/ site online planning framework. Get making from us and improve your illuminating information.
Nice post, Guidance can make a man progressively gainful, wealthier and savvier. It expels all the astuteness from the general populace and makes a prosperous country. This click to read more for the all level of scholars. Anybody can have the high leveled blend material at a doorstep.
Post a Comment
<< Home