The Definitively Non-Standard English - Essay Example

The Definitively Non-Standard English Normally the mind has a lot to speak. It is able to think, plan, and store information to an extent. However, the information in the mind is just but a cloud of thoughts if not put into a form that can be referred to, at a later time and even accessible to others. Writing is part of the learning skills that enable one to put down the cloud of thoughts in their mind, into a paper or electronic writing platform. I must appreciate the fact that I’ve come a long way in developing my writing skills. When I began, during my first years in high school, I admired other writers’ pieces of work like the works of David Foster Wallace who is an essay writer. He gave me the urge to also learn how to write good pieces like he does. My foundation writing classes were very fundamental in developing my writing skills, even though most of the classes were not enjoyable and some tutors were discouraging. I realize how good foundation in anything will turn to be of a great help in the future. I have learnt and appreciated the use of Standard English Writing and this has greatly improved my writing skills. When used, Standard English Writing makes my pieces be liked by my peers and the phrases make the pieces hilarious, enjoyable and more persuasive. However, Standard English Writing does not hinder me from expressing myself in non-standard English writing, as this also has its significance in driving points home, even better. As a writer, I enjoy the freedom of using Standard English Writing as well as non-standard English writing and this is fun. However much my writing skills have developed, several challenges are involved in the writing field. One most important of such challenges is the choice of words to use. I always have it in mind that the pieces I do are read by different readers who have different interpretation ability. This poses challenges to me, and even to other writers, of being able to write about actions, situations or statements that might not be misinterpreted in a harmful way by my readers. Writers are required to follow certain principles when writing in order to overcome such challenges. Wallace (74) states that “But a guide to good writing is only as good as the principles on which it's based.” Therefore, good writing needs to be guided by certain principles. Some authors like William Powel in his book, The Anarchist Cookbook, discuss how to stir up chaos in the society using household equipment. This author openly exposes instructions to explosives and drugs to the public. He does not consider the impact of such information on the reader. In my research over the semester, I realized that William Powel’s Anarchist Cookbook has gross negative impacts to its readers, which triggers the need for this book to be banned. At the same time, there is a concern that other readers may need such kind material, even the future generations. This again triggers the need for the campaign against the ban of the book. The case about whether Powel’s book should be banned or not, has made me realize how much power there is in writing. I realized that writing and publishing books to others is like giving them instructions in a special way to act. The author communicates in a very special way to the readers of their books. I also learnt that readers have a tendency of experimenting with whatever they read in books and this impacts their lives either negatively or positively, depending on the nature of the information in the books. The society may give a written material a good or a bad reception depending on whether the information in it, negatively or positively impacts the reader. But why do authors write such provocative books? One thing I have learnt is that, some of these authors actually may not have heard the intention to expose such kind of information to the public, but circumstances might have led them to their regrettable acts. For instance, William Powel confesses that he was just 19-years old when he went to Vietnam to support a war that he never agreed with, he was mad, naïve and not informed when he wrote the book (Essay 3). The book was then copyrighted by the publisher; one thing that makes Powel to be unable to stop the book’s further publication. Powell himself regrets having this book in the public domain. There have been cases of readers experimenting with what they have read in books. For instance, as I quote from my Essay 2, page 4, ‘’there have been incidences where teenagers experimented with the instructions provided in the book, and made explosives, potent drugs and even tried credit card fraud;…’’ this shows how adverse the effect of Powel’s book is to the readers. Apart from these writings that are considered disastrous to the society, during the semester, I also learnt other different types of writing, for instance writing poems, inspirational books and children's stories. These types of writing have proved very helpful to the society. In most instances, they uphold good morals of the society. Graphics, email, texting, video and internet commenting are also other types of writing I learnt about this semester. The only difference these writings have amongst them is the platform on which they are written. My struggles of this semester have been to research about the effects of all writing to the society. In conclusion, I congratulate my tutor for making us build the grading criteria as a class. This criterion has helped me with review assistance from my peers. The feedback they give to me help me, I take positively to improve my writing skills. To a greater extent, this semester has been such a wonderful one as far as developing my writing skills is concerned. In fact, I have now learnt to uphold society morals when I write and always think about the impact of my written material on the lives of other people who will read it. I have realized that reading and writing are connected through the ideas just as the reader and the writer are also connected through the same ideas. The writer teaches the reader, since the reader is the receiver of the written information. Therefore, is better to disperse good teachings to our readers Works Cited Powell, William. The Anarchist Cookbook. El Dorado, AR: Ozark, 2002. Print. Wallace, David F. "The Morningside Review." The Definitively Non-Standard English by David Foster Wallace – The Morningside Review. Jack Kemplay, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. Other sources Quotes from my essays Read More