Writing Studies, like any other field, involves raising questions, testing data, building hypotheses, engaging with new knowledge, and solving problems. Your task here is to copy and paste an excerpt of writing into the original posting space. You can pick any piece of writing you like. For example, you might really think the lyrics of a particular song represents good writing. Perhaps there is a scene of a movie that has always captivated you. If so, find a copy of the screenplay and copy an excerpt to paste in. In sum, it doesn't really matter what you pick. Just be prepared to defend the piece of writing you choose as 'good writing'.
After you post your excerpt, be sure to reference the author, writer, or producer of the text.
Then, deliver a paragraph or two underscoring your reasoning for why it is good. Why do you believe this represents good writing?
*Note: This is not a test of your knowledge about what you have learned in the past about writing. I want you to present your opinion. Deliver reasons, details, and examples to help support your position.
-Victor Berrios-
ReplyDeletePoem: The White Rose
By: John Boyle O' Reilly
The red rose whispers of passion,
And the white rose breathes of love;
O, the red rose is a falcon,
And the white rose is a dove.
But I send you a cream-white rosebud
With a flush on its petal tips;
For the love that is purest and sweetest
Has a kiss of desire on the lips.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I believe that this poem "White Rose" is a great example of what good writing is because of the tone that the poet uses throughout his stanzas and the way he explains his feelings for his loved one through a simple rosebud. For example, John is using a soft loving tone to express his feelings by using words such as "whispers of passions" and "breathes of love". By using personification in this way the poet is able to touch the readers heart through their eyes and set a loving mood throughout the poem. Also, John Boyle uses roses to explain two different kinds of love. For example, he says" The red rose whispers of passion, the white rose breathes of love; O the red rose is a falcon, the white rose is a dove". John is explaining how the red rose is an example of fierce and lustful love. While the white rose is an example of purity of love. This is done through the comparison of the birds. The falcon represents a fierce love. The Dove which is used at weddings to signify pure love between two people is being used here to represent the same thing the poet feels for his lover. Now when John says "but i send you a cream-rosebud with a flush on its petal tips;" he is saying that his love for his significant other is pure and the attraction between the two is still the same. This is represented by the cream rosebud with "flush" or red petal tips. As it is obvious to say that a good writer is one who can set a specific tone throughout their writings and use creative ways to compare their emotions towards someone or something while still staying on topic of their writings.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhitney Barnes
ReplyDelete“You must decide if you are going to rob the world or bless it with the rich, valuable, potent, untapped resources locked away within you.”
― Myles Munroe, understanding your potential discovering the hidden you
________________________________________________________________________
Good writing is meant to inspire and motivate an individual to pursue an idea or goal. The best forms of writing are ones that are geared to informing the audience of a new perspective of how they can go about living. Dr. Myles Munroe does an excellent job of helping generate a new outlook in such a simplistic way. Simplicity I feel is an aspect that is lacking in writing today. Writing has become quite complicated and bogged down with an over abundance of adjectives and hyperboles that people often lose the point the author was initially trying to portray. For me to really be driven to read a novel it has to not only be relatable or personable but I need to be able to follow along from point A to point B with a smooth transitioning. Also, on a personal note this quote displays such selflessness stating that we must all contribute our gifts and abilities to society in order to improve it. Which is an ideal that I stand by strongly. As Mahatma Gandhi once put so plainly "Be the change you want to see in the World".
Stephanie Jones
ReplyDelete“You are the books you read, the films you watch, the music you listen to, the people you meet, the dreams you have, the conversations you engage in. You are what you take from these. You are the sound of the ocean, the breath of fresh air, the brightest light and the darkest corner. You are a collective of every experience you have had in your life. You are every single second of every single day. So drown yourself in a sea of knowledge and existence. Let the words run through your veins and let the colors fill your wind. – Author Unknown
____________________________________
I believe that this is an example of good writing because it actually makes me sit and think for a while, not only does it make we wonder but it also inspires me. It changes my look on how I should live my life. After reading something like this I want to get out in the world and experience new memories and make the best out of every situation. I think that some of the best forms of writing can stump the reader and change their perspective on the outlook of life. When I read this quote I try to imagine how I am like the books I read or the people I meet. When the quote talks about being “the brightest light and the darkest corner” I find it very relatable, although I am still young I have been through some very difficult times in my life, but having gone through those times I can also appreciate the amazing times that I have been blessed with. Good writing contains material that the majority of the readers can relate to based off their own personal experience. This quote captivates me because it is so complicated but yet so simple at the same time.
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go." - Dr. Seuss
ReplyDelete______________________________________________________________________
A good writing reminds us the simple things. We take the simple things for granted that we tend to forget them. We overthink and overestimate that we became over confident with the actions we take. A good writings pulls us back to the ground and reminds us to remain in control; sometimes overconfidence leads to uncontrollable behavior. Dr. Seuss wrote it perfectly; "And you are the guy who'll decide where to go." Today, with the help of media, companies can easily influence someone's thinking. But if we think of Dr. Seuss's quote we can decide where to go and what to influence us.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
ReplyDelete“The Great Gatsby”
Chapter 3 The Party
The large room was full of people. One of the girls in yellow was playing the piano, and beside her stood a tall, red-haired young lady from a famous chorus, engaged in song. She had drunk a quantity of champagne, and during the course of her song she had decided, ineptly, that everything was very, very sad—she was not only singing, she was weeping too. Whenever there was a pause in the song she filled it with gasping, broken sobs, and then took up the lyric again in a quavering soprano. The tears coursed down her cheeks—not freely, however, for when they came into contact with her heavily beaded eyelashes they assumed an inky color, and pursued the rest of their way in slow black rivulets. A humorous suggestion was made that she sing the notes on her face, whereupon she threw up her hands, sank into a chair, and went off into a deep vinous sleep.
________________________________________________________________________
I enjoyed The Great Gatsby completely when i read it in high school. To me, the way the writer made images come to life in my mind was what made the book wonderful. Good writing can paint pictures in your mind. Good writing can make you feel the emotions of the characters. Good writing can make you not want to put down the book because you feel like the story will go on without you. This is what Fitzgerald accomplished all throughout Gatsby. I chose this passage from chapter 3 describing a scene from one of his parties. When I read this, I can feel what that singer is feeling; an I can see what the other guests are seeing.
John Green
ReplyDelete"The Fault in Our Stars"
“There will come a time when all of us are dead. All of us. There will come a time when there are no human beings remaining to remember that anyone ever existed or that our species ever did anything. There will be no one left to remember Aristotle or Cleopatra, let alone you. Everything that we did and built and wrote and thought and discovered will be forgotten and all of this will have been for naught. Maybe that time is coming soon and maybe it is millions of years away, but even if we survive the collapse of our sun, we will not survive forever. There was time before organisms experienced consciousness, and there will be time after. And if the inevitability of human oblivion worries you, I encourage you to ignore it. God knows that’s what everyone else does.”
When reading any book by John Green you're in for sarcasm, love, heartbreak, and mainly reality. John is my favorite modern writer because he brings life to his books, it's as if the characters are real. I couldn't tell you how many times I've cried over this novel. The book itself makes you feel so many different emotions, and that's what I think makes for good writing. John is a beautiful writer, and all the sarcastic remarks he throws into his work just seem to make it even better. My favorite thing about John is that his books aren't always the fairy tale ending you hope them to be, he brings reality to the table. Even though reality can be heartbreaking, I think it makes for better writing.
He is my favorite author, too! Isn't he wonderful? This paragraph was in my top five that were being considered for this post, but I decided to go with the one from Looking for Alaska. I loved both of these books tremendously, though.
DeleteRobert Frost
ReplyDeleteThe Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost is one of the greatest poets of all time, with "The Road Not Taken" being one of his most famous and well written pieces. This poem is an example of good writing because it connects with the reader on multiple levels. Its use of imagery allows the reader to picture themselves at the two crossroads. The actual issue for the traveler is relatable to any reader. Everyone must make choices throughout life, and that is what the message of the poem is all about. Frost is able to connect with every person in the world, and that is what makes his poem an example of great writing.
“What is an "instant" death anyway? How long is an instant? Is it one second? Ten? The pain of those seconds must have been awful as her heart burst and her lungs collapsed and there was no air and no blood to her brain and only raw panic. What the hell is instant? Nothing is instant. Instant rice takes five minutes, instant pudding an hour. I doubt that an instant of blinding pain feels particularly instantaneous.”
ReplyDeleteJohn Green, Looking for Alaska
I think that good writing makes you think, question, and doubt things you have previously thought. Good writing intrigues you, pulls you in and makes you wonder. This excerpt from the book Looking for Alaska does all of those things. It makes you feel connected emotionally to the narrator, and to the girl he speaks of. It also makes you wonder exactly what he is talking about. You hear all the time that the girl died instantly in the car crash, but what is instantly? I think John Green touches on a lot of subjects that people never really think about but often agree with, and this is one of them. The whole book is phenomenal, but this is one of my favorite paragraphs and I definitely think it would be considered "good writing".
I bought a cheap watch from a crazy man
ReplyDeleteFloating down canal
It doesn't use numbers or moving hands
It always just says now
Now you may be thinking that I was had
But this watch is never wrong
And If I have trouble the warranty said
Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On
And it rained, It was nothing really new
And it blew, we've seen all that before
And it poured, the Earth began to strain
Pontchartrain leaking through the door, tides at war
If a hurricane doesn't leave you dead
It will make you strong
Don't try to explain it just nod your head
Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On
And it rained, It was nothing really new
And it blew, seen all that before
And it poured, the Earth began to strain
Pontchartrain buried the 9th Ward to the 2nd floor
According to my watch the time is now
Past is dead and gone
Don't try to shake it just nod your head
Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On
--Jimmy Buffet
__________________________________________________________________
The eighth grade was when I started to pay attention to the world around me, and the impact on the world left by certain events. My dad had just gotten a new album from one of his favorite singer/songwriters, Jimmy Buffet. I enjoyed sitting by the fire and listening to this collection of fun and catchy songs, but there was one track that had a notably different tempo. This was late 2008 and although I didn’t recognize the name Pontchartrain, I could still figure out that this song was referencing hurricane Katrina.
I had known that Katrina was a huge deal to the mass media, but I hardly had any scope of how devastating it truly was. When I found out just how much damage had been caused, I couldn’t believe it. It made me think about how lucky we Floridians were to have avoided such a catastrophe. It hit me that the lives lost could very easily have been my own friends and family. Being exposed to this song at such a crucial stage of my ideal-forming taught me to treasure every moment with the people I love. As Buffet says, “The time is now.” Know your blessings and be thankful for them, for they will not always be.
“Wavin Flag”
ReplyDeleteGive me freedom, give me fire, give me reason, take me higher
See the champions, take the field now, you define us, make us feel proud
In the streets our heads are lifting, as we lose our inhibition,
Celebration, its around us, every nations, all around us
Singing forever young, singing songs underneath that sun
Lets rejoice in the beautiful game,
And together at the end of the day.
We all say
[chorus:]
When I get older
I will be stronger
They'll call me 'Freedom'
just like a wavin' flag
and then it goes back, and then it goes back
and then it goes back, and then it goes . . .
Born to a throne, stronger than Rome
but violent-prone, poor people zone,
But it's my home, all I have known,
where I got grown, streets we would roam
Out of the darkness, I came the farthest
out of the hardest survival
Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
accept no defeat, surrender retreat
[bridge:]
So we strugglin'
fightin' to eat
and we wonderin'
when we'll be free
so we patiently wait
for that fateful day
it's not far away,
but for now we say:
[chorus]
So many wars, settlin' scores,
bringing us promises, leaving us poor,
I heard them say, love is the way
love is the answer, that's what they say
But look how they treat us, make us believers
we fight their battles, then they deceive us
try to control us, they couldn't hold us
'cause we just move forward like Buffalo soldiers
[Bridge]
[Chorus]
-K’NAAN
Good writing is writing that can relate to you in a personal way. “Wavin Flag” is one of the most inspiring pieces of writing that you can find. This song is about a country that is struck with poverty and violence and is still proud to call themselves citizens. They stand united and come together for ninety minutes to try to make the world see who they are through a sport. A sport might not sound like the best way to prove themselves as a country but it is all they have.
When I read this writing I feel inspired to give my very best at anything I am trying to achieve and make the most out of all my opportunities that were given to me. Good writing is more then large vocabulary and extravagant transitions, good writing gives you an emotion to feed off of. This writing has given me a fire and drive to succeed in the sports I’ve played especially through ice hockey knowing that the less fortunate have not had the chance to be on the ice and participate in the sport.
Blakley Wilcocks
ReplyDelete"Sitting there in the dark, I had a chance to think about a lot of things, including the nature of the world itself. And after lengthy consideration, I realized something; when all is said and done, the world is a very unknowable place. On the surface, all appears rational, orderly. But what truly lies beyond that thin veneer of reason? Stability and superiority? Or chaos and madness? What are we truly made of in the end? Is there truly any meaning to the lives we lead? Or are we nothing but hollow vessels? These are questions we can never answer, for we cannot see through the world's fragile layer of skin. So we live our lives filled with uncertainty, never knowing what we truly are or what the future may bring, all we can do is imagine. Life becomes an unsolvable mystery with any number of twists and turns at the end. And that's enough to fill any soul with terror!"
&
“Right and wrong are determined by the people who hold positions of authority, that's the way it has always been so how then can anyone know this truth you speak of? Don't you see that truth long ago became a shadow of itself, it's a mere echo of the past now... The world is one big moral gray area, it just makes you feel safer that it can be categorized into good and bad that's not actually how it works.”
-- Atsushi Ōkubo, from the anime/manga "Soul Eater," Quote 1 by a character named Asura and Quote 2 by a character named Stein
______________________________________________________________________
I recently just finished watching this anime not too long ago and let me tell you, it's a great one. The way that this anime was able to come across 2 philosophical problems that we have today in a complete different universe was genius. These 2 statements are completely true if you think about it. I know people think that anime is a childish thing but it's not really. They apply mature themes and intelligent writing that gets you thinking about your life, the people around you, and the world that you live in. That's why I think that this is good writing. Good writing is something that was written to get you to think about something far greater than just words. Good writing gets you to think and use your brain than letting it go to waste.
Christopher Parker
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone - if possible - Jew, Gentile - black man - white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness - not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way…
…Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people! Now let us fight to fulfill that promise! Let us fight to free the world - to do away with national barriers - to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s happiness. Soldiers! In the name of democracy, let us all unite!
*(Would’ve put the whole speech but it’s a little lengthy.)
--Charlie Chaplin Speech in The Great Dictator--
_____________________________________________________________________
This personally represents good writing to me due to the overall themes and messages that it puts forth. It seems that the speech’s sole purpose for creation was to spark change or at least raise awareness for change and to better the world. Charlie Chaplin speaks about issues and ideals from the time of the movie (nearly 75 years ago) that still hold true today. He showed people that there was still a chance for hope and good in the world when it had little. Charlie Chaplin realized the direction the world seemed to be turning by telling us that “The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.” The message of the speech as a whole is its best quality and a key part of good writing.
Daniel Healy
ReplyDeleteSo let us begin anew--remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.
Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.
Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms--and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations.
Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths and encourage the arts and commerce.
Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah--to "undo the heavy burdens . . . (and) let the oppressed go free."
- John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, Written by John F. Kennedy with help from Ted Sorenson (Kennedy’s chief speech writer)
____________________________________________________________________
In my opinion, good literature comes in many forms. The above speech is good literature but is not a sole example of what good literature can look like. I believe good literature needs to be captivating and inspiring to the audience reading it. Whether it is inspiring the audience to go out and do something or if it is inspiring the audience to support what is written or spoken. It should provide an overall point or moral. It should be grammatically correct. And it should make the audience want to read on and not become disinterested. The above excerpt is an example of good literature because of its powerful wordings and its straightforward point it makes to the audience. Repetition occurs as a way of emphasizing the significance that both sides have to do this together and work on their problem together. That neither will accomplish anything unless cooperation from both sides is achieved. When JFK states “Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.” he is inverting the first sentence in the second sentence. By rearranging the sentence the meaning is changed completely. By relocating the words to obtain a different meaning I found that to be intriguing and innovative. This excerpt is good literature because is it to the point of what the writer and speaker want to tell the world and country. This literature almost has a self confidence that is demanding they should work towards peace but at the same time doesn’t. The speech is a statement to all listeners and readers that is clearly defining what will be achieved but said carefully. Good literature is captivating, inspiring, has a point or moral, grammatically correct, pushes the audience to read more, and it is equally influencing on paper as off paper.
-Andre Diouf
ReplyDelete"The average runner runs
until the breath in him is gone,
But the champion has the iron will
that makes him carry on.
For the rest the average runner begs
when limp his muscles grow,
But the champion runs on leaden legs,
his courage makes him go.
The average man's complacent
when he's done his best to score,
But the champion does his best,
and then he does a little more. "
-Author unknown
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an example of good writing because the author tries to influence his readers through his words. He tries to motivate people through this quote. Any time an author can influence his readers through his words, I believe it is a good piece of writing. His writing is extremely simple also. Nowadays authors try to put so many advanced words in there writing that the people reading it don't even understand what the writer is trying to get across. That's another reason why I think this is a good piece of writing.
60. INT. D.E.F. FRONT OFFICE - DAY.
ReplyDeleteChristmas decorations. Klonowska at her desk, her eyes closed
tight.
SCHINDLER
All right.
She opens her eyes and smiles. Schindler is holding a poodle in
his arms. She comes around to kiss him. He sets the dog on the
desk. Stern, across the room, watches blank-faced.
GESTAPO (O.S.)
Oskar Schindler?
Schindler, Stern and Klonowska turn to the voice. Two Gestapo
men have entered unannounced.
GESTAPO
We have a warrant to take your
company's business records with us.
And another to take you.
Schindler stares at them in disbelief. Stern quietly slips one
of the ledgers on his desk into a drawer.
SCHINDLER
Am I permitted to have my secretary
cancel my appointments for the day?
He doesn't wait for their approval. He scribbles down some names
- Toffel, Czurda, Reeder, Scherner. Underlining Scherner, he
glances to Klonowska. She understands.
"Schindler's List" Screenplay by Steven Zaillian
______________________________________________________________________
I have watched Schindler's List multiple times and each time I take away something new. In my opinion this is because of good acting and good writing. The foundation of a movie is the screenplay, therefore the writing needs be good for the movie to become successful. The screenplay also tells the actors what to say and do during a scene as well as how to react. Schindler's List was an award winning movie, one of the awards that they received was for best screenplay. I think that this also proves what great writing the screenplay is. Another reason that the screenplay is good writing, is because it was a great adaptation of the novel. A few simple lines in the screenplay are able to convey so much about the characters reactions and thoughts. At the same time though, the screenplay adds to the complexity that is seen in the characters during the movie.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete“The claim that music perception and cognition are embodied activities also means that they are actively constructed by the listener, rather than passively transferred from performer to listener. In particular, the discernment of entities such as pulse and meter from a given piece of music are not perceptual inevitabilities for any human being, but are strongly dependent on the persons culturally contingent listening strategies. In addition, I argue that certain kinds of rhythmic expression in what I call groove-based music are directly related not only to the role of the body in making music, but also to certain cultural aesthetics that privilege this role. Some common kinds of subtle microrhythmic variation are shown to display systematic structure, which often carries an encoded sonic trace of the music-making body.”
ReplyDeleteWriter Vijay S. Iyer
__________________________________________________________________
The paragraph above comes from an abstract for a philosophical book on music and sound. I believe that it serves as an excellent example of good writing for a multitude of reasons. First, every sentence flows gracefully in the mind or off the tongue, even with the presence of large words. There are clearly plenty of substitutes for each word used in the paragraph, but writer’s careful choice of words greatly affects the fluidity of sentences for the reader’s comprehension. Second, the use of intellectual vocabulary is respectable and serves as a fundamental qualification of a writer’s knowledge on both the topic and the English language. Equally as important is the mastery of grammar and punctuation, which behold no flaws here. Finally, the effectiveness of the text on the reader’s mind is what especially counts towards good writing. A piece of writing must not only make sense, but it should invoke critical thought on a given topic. As I am personally attached to the field music, it was with ease that I could feel a mental connection to the content of this passage.
Ashley Cook
ReplyDeleteI'm like that boom box outside of your window
I'm that De Lorean blowing past 88
And where we're going girl,
Won't be needing roads 'cause,
This ain't no 50 first dates.
"Here Comes Forever" -R5
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an example of good writing for a couple of reasons. First, it is very creative. In each line, the artist references popular romance movies. However, he does not actually say the actual names of them (except in the last line). He uses descriptive words and phrases that allows the listener or reader to understand what he means. For example, "I'm like that boom box outside of your window" references the classic 1989 romance "Say Anything" where Lloyd is holding a boom box playing Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" outside of Diane's window. We know this because that is the most well known scenes from that movie and what the movie is known for. It is easy for a listener to reference it if they have see the movie before. Through this creativity and use of allusion, the artist wants this girl to know that their love is so much better than all of these iconic, romantic movies. He is able to convey his message well throughout the rest of the song by alluding to these movies in the song. Lastly, since the artist uses allusions instead of blatantly saying "We're better than this movie, and this movie, and this movie," the listener thinks more into the lyrics and can figure out what the artist is trying to say. This makes the lyrics more interesting and kind of, in a way, fun. People can listen to the song and be like "Oh, I know what he's talking about there. I've seen that movie!" It keeps the audience more entertained and hooked onto the lyrics rather than just a catchy melody.
"The River Of Dreams"
ReplyDeleteBy: Billy Joel
In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
From the mountains of faith
To a river so deep
I must be looking for something
Something sacred I lost
But the river is wide
And it's too hard to cross
And even though I know the river is wide
I walk down every evening and I stand on the shore
And try to cross to the opposite side
So I can finally find out what I've been looking for
In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the valley of fear
To a river so deep
And I've been searching for something
Taken out of my soul
Something I would never lose
Something somebody stole
I don't know why I go walking at night
But now I'm tired and I don't want to walk anymore
I hope it doesn't take the rest of my life
Until I find what it is that I've been looking for
In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the jungle of doubt
To a river so deep
I know I'm searching for something
Something so undefined
That it can only be seen
By the eyes of the blind
In the middle of the night
I'm not sure about a life after this
God knows I've never been a spiritual man
Baptized by the fire, I wade into the river
That runs to the promised land
In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the desert of truth
To the river so deep
We all end in the ocean
We all start in the streams
We're all carried along
By the river of dreams
In the middle of the night
_____________________________________________________________________
The lyrics of "River of Dreams" by Billy Joel, represents what good literature is to me. The words tell a story that everyone can relate to, and thereby is able to connect to and captivate a large audience. Using symbols like a river, which can represent a peaceful environment, or a huge obstacle, gives the audience a means to interpret the words differently. But there is a deep meaning to most everyone who analyses the passage that is powerfully put to music.
As a young adult, I interpret the song to mean that life is a never ending struggle and you have to be determined to push ahead and eventually break down the barriers to meet your goals. The barriers can be your fears, or life's obstacles that present themselves. While Billy Joel's words can speak about a universal concept, each of us have slightly different interpretations to the concept and he gets us to think about his message. To me, words that gets a large diverse audience to think about their meaning represents good literature.
-Charles Meissner
ReplyDeleteYou need not to climb mountaintops,
You need not to cross the sea,
You need not to find a cure for everything that makes you weak.
You need not to reach for the stars when life becomes so dark,
And when the wind does blow against the grain,
You must follow your heart,
You must follow your heart.
-Dallas Green, "City and Colour", Against the Grain
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good writing is writing that speaks to you. It invites a reader, or in this case a listener, to reflect and connect personally with the message the writer is trying to send. Good writing doesn't have to be fun and catchy to grasp an audience, it could also pull an audience in emotionally. Dallas Green uses descriptive emotion, underlying meanings and refreshing truth in order to grasp his audience. This excerpt from "Against the Grain" does exactly that. In this excerpt from this song, he makes the mood clear by his word choice. He uses familiar words such as mountaintops, sea, stars, wind, grain and heart, to comfort his audience. Dallas Green targets the emotions of people who may be too hard on themselves in a perfect manner. He sets a tone that is soothing, relieving, and lines up with the uplifting and inspirational message he conveys, making his lyrics good company.
“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”
ReplyDelete― Henry David Thoreau, Walden
_________________________________________________________
I believe this quote represents good writing because it inspires the intended audience to work towards their goals and aspirations through the use of figurative language. Henry David Thoreau published Walden in 1854 during a time of transcendentalism. Evidently, this quote reaches out to those individuals of this time period who strive to discover truth spiritually rather than scientifically. Thoreau accomplished his goal of inspiring his intended audience in 1854, and many still read Walden up to this date. Because this aphorism, after over a century, still encourages readers to keep building towards their dreams, I consider the work great writing. In addition to its continued fame, it also creates imagery through it's metaphorical comparison to a castle in the skies. Thoreau's utilization of commas, semicolons, and periods allow for the proper emphasis on each thought. His syntax nearly demands the reader to reach for the skies, which is why I see it as good writing.
“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”
ReplyDelete― Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I believe this is good writing for many reasons. To start it uses good grammar. Im not one to judge a persons grammar because I myself have horrible grammar but when it comes to professional writers who have published books, poetry, or any other kind of literature I believe grammar is important. Im not saying a character has to use perfect grammar when they talk because that would make them unrealistic to the reader but when it comes to the descriptions of the feelings and the locations of any event a misspelled or misplaced word can easily ruin the intensity of a moment. For example, he swept the hair off her shoulder gently as he brought his lips right up to his. She let out a breath of anticipation waiting for what she knew would come. When he he finally placed his lips on hers it was like nothing she'd ever felt before. As you see the extra he completely ruined the moment drawing attention towards itself rather then the moment that was attempted to be created. Which brings me to my next reasoning, the feeling. If a story doesn't create strong feelings of happiness, anger, sadness, love, or anything then the writer has failed. A good writer moves their audience. That does not just include fictional writers either. Any persuasive, factual, or informational writing should create a feeling in the reader otherwise whats the point of reading it. If a story does not create some sort of change in emotion or the reader then it has had no purpose what so ever. This quote is not only grammatically correct but provokes a strong feeling of pride for the character and sadness for his end without even having to read the entire story. This is good writing.