Posted: 10/31/2011 8:17:26 PM EDT
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What a joke. I've turned it into a fun class though  I wrote a haiku about getting the shits from Taco Bell, and now I wrote a "deep, thorough description" about a piece of blank paper I found on the floor with a pube on it. And my teacher just eats it up and calls me "insightful" It's nice to have an easy class for once
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Quoted:
What a joke. I've turned it into a fun class though I wrote a haiku about getting the shits from Taco Bell, and now I wrote a "deep, thorough description" about a piece of blank paper I found on the floor with a pube on it. And my teacher just eats it up and calls me "insightful" It's nice to have an easy class for once Uh huh. |
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Just because you are picking a random object or dull subject doesn't mean your writing is bad. A blank sheet of paper with a pube on it is no less worthy a subject than a flea ("The Flea" John Donne) or a fly in a house ("I heard a Fly Buzz when I died" Emily Dickinson) or trying to get laid ("To his coy Mistress" Andrew Marvell). Yet each of those is the subject of a poetic masterpiece.
Also, greatness needs not be intentional. Do you think Davinci tried to get that smile on the Mona Lisa exactly as he did, or do you think it was accidental? |
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You should not treat it so lightly. Your generation in particular suffers from poor writing skills. The formality of written communication once enforced both the written and unwritten rules of writing. The more casual approach being taught allowed for the last 35 years or so has caused a great deal of harm to the structured written word. You may currently be thinking that this type of humanity is not especially relevant to your primary coursework, but it's part of a well rounded education. It's true that most people don't 'really need' extensive writing skills to deliver a basic message. However, even at a basic level, credibility is generally enhanced by excellent usage and grammar. For complex issues, excellent writing skills are a prerequisite. Nobody is perfect, but there are many levels of imperfection. If you want to stand out from your peers, you need to write well. Many resumes have been tossed out based on ham-handed cover letters. |
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Quoted: You should not treat it so lightly. Your generation in particular suffers from poor writing skills. The formality of written communication once enforced both the written and unwritten rules of writing. The more casual approach being taught allowed for the last 35 years or so has caused a great deal of harm to the structured written word. You may currently be thinking that this type of humanity is not especially relevant to your primary coursework, but it's part of a well rounded education. It's true that most people don't 'really need' extensive writing skills to deliver a basic message. However, even at a basic level, credibility is generally enhanced by excellent usage and grammar. For complex issues, excellent writing skills are a prerequisite. Nobody is perfect, but there are many levels of imperfection. If you want to stand out from your peers, you need to write well. Many resumes have been tossed out based on ham-handed cover letters. Preposterous. GD has assured me that the world would be a better place if the only courses taught were technical ones. |
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Quoted: Quoted: You should not treat it so lightly. Your generation in particular suffers from poor writing skills. The formality of written communication once enforced both the written and unwritten rules of writing. The more casual approach being taught allowed for the last 35 years or so has caused a great deal of harm to the structured written word. You may currently be thinking that this type of humanity is not especially relevant to your primary coursework, but it's part of a well rounded education. It's true that most people don't 'really need' extensive writing skills to deliver a basic message. However, even at a basic level, credibility is generally enhanced by excellent usage and grammar. For complex issues, excellent writing skills are a prerequisite. Nobody is perfect, but there are many levels of imperfection. If you want to stand out from your peers, you need to write well. Many resumes have been tossed out based on ham-handed cover letters. Preposterous. GD has assured me that the world would be a better place if the only courses taught were technical ones. I guess the 'get both' mantra fails in this regard. |
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Also, greatness needs not be intentional. Do you think Davinci tried to get that smile on the Mona Lisa exactly as he did, or do you think it was accidental? 
DaVinci was a master at capturing human expression. Are you implying poems/stories don't? 
I love creative writing and wish I would peruse more time to commit to it |
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Quoted:
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Also, greatness needs not be intentional. Do you think Davinci tried to get that smile on the Mona Lisa exactly as he did, or do you think it was accidental?
DaVinci was a master at capturing human expression. I'm not answering the question; I'm asking it. I agree, he was a master. But does that mean he always knew exactly what he was going to do? Or did he sometimes get "lucky" as the result of perfectionism and hard work? Socrates himself said that the great artists didn't always know "how" they created their art; sometimes it just happened. ETA: I'd also point out that great artists sometimes don't know which of their art is best; Fitzgerald didn't particularly care for The Great Gatsby, and Hemingway thought Across the River and Into the Trees would be his greatest work, and most agree it was his weakest. Maybe this kid's pube paper haiku is fricking genius, but he's too stupid to know it. |
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I took a creative writing class once. My impression was that you could do no wrong. The teacher seemed to just want to foster students interest in writing. I understand that, and its great. But at some point shit is shit. Clawing my ears out when students would get on the whole mad, bad, sad land shit.
That being said I love creative writing and have books full of work. |
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Most - yes, most - Freshman college students these days have virtually no writing skills at all. I've seen some try to hand in papers with "text message abbreviations," including - I shit you not - the "@" symbol and so on. It's downright scary.
-Edit spellingk |