After reading Amy Martinsen's "The Tower of Babel and the Teaching of Grammar: Writing Instruction for a New Century" I felt a little relieved. In the essay, the author laments that grammar is not being taught in middle and high school like it once was. She wonders why this is and wonders what the future of writing instruction will be like if the trend continues. The reason I said I felt relieved is that I have always felt like I know how to speak properly and write proper English. However, whenever I take a course in writing or English, I feel pretty ignorant about the terminologies and the formal rules of grammar. Reading Martinsen's essay helped me realize that I am not alone.
In dealing with the problem of defing grammar, the author refers to the work of Bill Gribben, who arranges different definitions for grammar into 3 groups. Grammar I is what fluent speakers/writers unconciously/intuitively know about their language. Grammar II is the more formal knowledge of the rules and analytic techniques of knowing the language. Lastly, Grammar III is a sort of knowledge of appropriate usage. The essay asserts that most people are pretty good when it comes to Grammar I and Grammar III. It is in the middle category of knowledge that students are lacking. And this is where I find myself.
I also found the discussion of the psychology of grammar to be interesting. Studies have shown that students are afraid to break grammar rules and if they don't understand them well, then can regress to a more simplistic writing style to avoid any grammatical pitfalls. This saves them from looking ignorant or uneducated, but it paralyzes them from writing as well as they could. From my grades in literature and writing courses, as well as from feedback from co-workers, I know that I am a decent writer. However, if I did stop to think about what rules of grammar I do know, as well as fretting the stuff that I am unsure about, I can totally see how it would cripple me from ever writing a line again. At any rate, I hope that learning more about grammar will help me be a better writer and will give me more confidence it the realm of Grammar II.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Some Thoughts on Dillard's "Write Till You Drop"
After reading Annie Dillard's "essay entitled 'Write Till You Drop", I thought about what she means when she says at the beginning of the third paragraph--"Write as if you were dying." Certainly, if I were literally on my deathbed, I wouldn't want to be writing anything; I would want to be with my loved ones, enjoying time with them.
But in the context of the first couple of paragraphs I think I can see where she is coming from. In the beginning of the essay, Dillard talks about how each one of us is fascinated and captivated by a certain idiosyncratic slice of the whole continuum of possible things to know and experience. It is from that list of interests that no one else seems to have that a writer should search for subjects to write about. It is those things that a writer thinks should be said that no one else seems to be writing about that make good subject matter. She says that it is up to each individual writer to write about those things.
So in that context, the essayist is saying that if you died without writing about those particular things, perhaps no one else would. So her advice is not to write about subjects that a majority will love and be interested in, but write about those things that intrigue you.
Later in the essay, she says to go for it, give it your all, don't hold back. Don't save a line, a theme, and idea for some great work that you might write later. Use it in whatever you are currently writing. This made me think of how I get ideas when going about my business; driving to work, watching a movie, or even standing up on a pulpit next to my best friend as he exchanges vows with his bride. Many times in my life I have gotten a glimpse of something; an idea, a theme, a piece of doalogue and then have thought, "Man, I should write about that!" Sadly, what ususally happens is that I don't even jot the idea down in a notebook or anything, and just like Dillard said, it becomes lost to me. I really need to start keeping a small notebook with me for such times.
But in the context of the first couple of paragraphs I think I can see where she is coming from. In the beginning of the essay, Dillard talks about how each one of us is fascinated and captivated by a certain idiosyncratic slice of the whole continuum of possible things to know and experience. It is from that list of interests that no one else seems to have that a writer should search for subjects to write about. It is those things that a writer thinks should be said that no one else seems to be writing about that make good subject matter. She says that it is up to each individual writer to write about those things.
So in that context, the essayist is saying that if you died without writing about those particular things, perhaps no one else would. So her advice is not to write about subjects that a majority will love and be interested in, but write about those things that intrigue you.
Later in the essay, she says to go for it, give it your all, don't hold back. Don't save a line, a theme, and idea for some great work that you might write later. Use it in whatever you are currently writing. This made me think of how I get ideas when going about my business; driving to work, watching a movie, or even standing up on a pulpit next to my best friend as he exchanges vows with his bride. Many times in my life I have gotten a glimpse of something; an idea, a theme, a piece of doalogue and then have thought, "Man, I should write about that!" Sadly, what ususally happens is that I don't even jot the idea down in a notebook or anything, and just like Dillard said, it becomes lost to me. I really need to start keeping a small notebook with me for such times.
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