A Never-Ending Debate

       Robert Lane Greene and Bryan A. Garner provide a very interesting debate about how language is used and how it should be used. Most of the people take the usage of language for granted and do not really realize why they make mistakes or the actual reasoning behind making the mistake. Here is where the “descriptivists” and the “prescriptivists” differ. Although both of them acknowledge that their goal is the good of the language and its appropriate use, the methods by which they plan to accomplish this task vary a great deal. Greene exemplifies this by declaring, “…I would open fire by saying that you preach stodgy nonrules that most people don’t obey, and that people like you don’t understand that language must grow and change” (Greene). This is a very harsh attack on the prescriptivists, since they actually preach rules than many people follow. I agree there are some exceptions that do not follow the rules of standard English, but the vast majority do. I share most of the ideas proposed by the prescriptivists because I think that there should be a hierarchy in language usage. According to the descriptivists, the people decide how language should be used and what is right or wrong. If this takes place, then language would change very often and there would not be a defined set of accepted rules by which to decide if something is right or wrong. The rules of standard English would become very subjective.

       Both of the writers use logos as their main rhetoric mode. They appeal to logic and present their argument based on very well-known writers' ideas. Their points seem to be said as a sequence of arguments which lead to their conclusions either as descriptivists or prescriptivists. I would say that it is almost the same debate that has occurred between conservatives and liberals. The conservatives want to have a defined structure that is based on the traditional styles. On the other hand, the liberals want a structure that changes and evolves as time goes by and as society progresses. Although the descriptivists have a good point in stating that language must evolve along with the people that use it, it is more important that those changes take place gradually and without any sudden shift in the basics. If this does not happen, even more dialects than the existing ones will form and each time they will be more different from the original language. I agree with both of the writers in the sense that there should not be a big debate over very specific wording concerns. Garner depicts this when he says. “I’m happy to live in disagreement with you on that tiny point – given that we agreed on so much else” (Garner). He is implicitly saying that prescriptivists have many of the qualities of descriptivists and vice versa. However, in the very end, Garner recognizes the fact that the debate will never end that “the fighting must stop” (Garner). This is a never-ending debate in which there will be no defined winner, but I am hopeful that language will still be ruled by a clear set of traditional rules and that will only change when it is completely necessary and will do so in a slow and gradual manner.

Prescriptive: Sanctioned or authorized by long-standing custom or usage.

Descriptive: Of or relating to the study or the description of a language or a specific stage of a language, with emphasis on constructing a grammar without regard to historical development, comparison with other languages, or advocated norms for correct or proper usage.

Permissivism: Lenience toward or indulgence of a wide variety of social behavior.

Nonrule: A rule that states that a person cannot be held liable for a loss caused by his or her behavior if the loss would have occurred regardless.

Memoir Book

http://issuu.com/manuelandres95/docs/cassette_of_emotions/1

A Memoir Told From Different Perspectives

       Just having begun reading The Motorcycle Diaries, I was intrigued by the preface in the book. I thought this memoir would be a historic one, with the main topic being the famous political events and the role Ernesto “Che” Guevara played in them. However, this is not the case. According to Aleida Guevara, her daughter, the book will have a completely different approach. She states, “…I do not doubt that when you have finished the book you will want to go back to enjoy some passages again, either for the beauty they describe or the intensity of the feelings” (p. 1). The book will not be remembered by the importance of the figure it emphasizes on (“Che” Guevara) but by the way he is described and presented. It is very interesting to observe the way Aleida begins to briefly describe her father’s personality and mission in life. She is one of the persons that know him the most, which engages me to the text and makes me want to keep on reading. It is very different when a memoir is narrated from a third person point of view or by another individual, since the intimacy to the main character is never the same. Therefore, by being the daughter the one narrating the memoir, I seek to learn the details about Guevara’s life that are not commonly depicted in the news.

       The magnitude and importance of “Che” Guevara is pointed out from the first sentence in the introduction, which declares, “If there is one hero in Latin America’s struggle for liberation – stretching from Bolivar’s time until our own - … that hero is Ernesto Che Guevara” (p. 15). I really liked the beginning of the introduction, since it not only explains what the book is going to be about, but it provides clear examples of the main techniques that are going to be used for description. In addition, this imposing first line makes me reflect upon the fact that all great heroes in history had once been regular people with dreams. The desire to pursue those dreams and their determination is what made them heroes. In this book, the focus will not be to analyze Guevara’s life as a hero (which is what most historical books do) but to comprehend his early life as a motivated and goal-striving individual. What importance does the motorcycle adventures have in Guevara’s life? How did Guevara become the great hero we know today? I expect to answer this and other questions while reading The Motorcycle Diaries.     

Punctuation: A World of Causes and Effects

       I never thought quotations could have such a great impact of a piece of writing. After thoroughly reading Q As In Quotation, one can realize that the use of quotations, which is most commonly known to be very beneficial, is actually harmful in conveying a message. Usually, I thought of a quotation as a way to reinforce my point and provide evidence to make my text more profound and credible. However, when a quotation is inserted into a writing piece, “…another voice, a thinking significantly different from yours, will cast a shadow, making everything you’ve written so far as well as everything you will have to say in the future appear in a different light” (Q As In Quotation, p. 76). It is truly remarkable to analyze this perspective, since it contradicts many of the ideas that schools and other academic institutions instruct. The real challenge in writing a credible paper is being able to analyze the sources at hand and interpret them so they can be used implicitly in the writing piece. Placing a quotation simply tells the reader that the writer could not completely and profoundly analyze that important idea. The writer is in a sense submitting his perspective to another one that he may not necessarily agree with. Every individual is unique when it comes to proposing a point of view concerning a certain topic. Therefore, when two viewpoints (even if they are very similar) are joined in a piece of writing, neither of them is effectively transmitted to the reader, since he would not know which one to go with.

       In Survival of the Fittest, Nicholson Baker examines the nine most important marks of punctuation. Although they seem common since we use them daily, most of them have a history of evolution that is described in the essay. I found it very interesting to observe the concept that “pointing was viewed from the beginning as a form of ornament, as well as a means of what Parkes calls ‘disambiguation’” (Baker, p. 6). Punctuation serves the purpose of clarifying the author’s message in the sentence or paragraph. It is therefore essential for a well-written text to have correct punctuation, since it will allow the message to be clear and direct, without any room for misinterpretation. This relates a great deal to the topics being discussed in class. When learning how to deal with quotations, commas, and other punctuation marks, one is, at the same time, learning how to write effectively and not be subject to misunderstandings. In order to be an accurate writer, one needs to have the clarity to be able to avoid quotations or at least make excellent use of them and have the knowledge to visualize the effects certain kinds of punctuation marks have on the audience.

 

Breathtaking Ending

In the culminating portion of The Burn Journals, Brent’s attitude seems to change once again into a more hopeful and enthusiastic one. Although the diction used in Brent’s thoughts towards other people is harsh and wrathful, when he is reflecting upon his future, he feels like it is possible to go back to normality. Runyon’s word choice allows the reader to see Brent’s gradual mental recuperation from the incident. For example, when Brent reflects, “Okay, so I can use my hands, arms, and legs. I can think. I can walk. I can talk. I’m fifteen. I’m alive. Life’s pretty good” (p. 292). In this quote, one can see how Brent has started to reflect upon the good things he has and of the results of all his hard work, instead of only thinking about the negative aspects of his life. Although Brent has certainly not fully recovered, he is taking little steps on his own for a faster improvement. On one hand, I think it might be the fact that he has learned how to live in hospitals and deal with doctors/psychologists. This has made him more resistant to their continual direct interrogations, which previously had diminished his self-esteem and made him feel inferior. On the other hand, I believe that Brent’s reintegration to his normal life is a process that his parents have done very successfully. By not making him go back to Marshall High School directly after Children’s Hospital and having hired a home tutor to give him classes, Brent has gradually regained his regular routine without exposing him too much to the outside world.

The ending of the book leaves the reader with a lot to imagine about Brent’s immediate future. During the last section of the book, all the events were leading to Brent’s return to school. I expected the end to be the description of Brent’s entrance to the school, including his first day in it. This was not the case. The book culminates with the same image Brent draws after he sees his brother drawing. He states, “Jesus, the bus is stopped. I’ve got to get off the bus. I’m getting off. I’m walking up the steps. I’m opening the door. I’m standing in the doorway” (p. 319). The short sentences make this ending moment very exciting and breathtaking. The reader wants to know how Brent’s first day of school is. However, it is up to his imagination to picture this day, since the story ends in that moment. Runyon depicts Brent’s anxiousness throughout the ending of the book. Although he is very worried about going back to school, I believe that he is also excited about returning to his regular life, as it was before the horrible event took place. How will Brent manage to deal with the imminent comments that he will get upon his return to school? Will he be able to overcome them? My prediction is that Brent will have a very difficult adaptation in school and it will take some time for him to get used to Marshall High School. Nevertheless, in the end, Brent will go back to be the teenager he was before and although he will not forget about the incident, he will get emotionally stronger and demonstrate that he is able to strive for success.

 

 

Surprises and Frustrations

       Dennis Miller is coming to visit Brent. It is very interesting to observe how Brent changes his attitude completely when he hears this news. Runyon changes his diction to emphasize on Brent’s enthusiasm and emotion. This is demonstrated when Brent thinks, “Jesus, I can’t think of anything to say. I’m such an idiot” (p. 255). The reader can visualize the frustration Brent is going through at that moment. The use of the word idiot also grabs the reader’s attention and warns him that something is happening in Brent’s mind. It is important to highlight that Brent’s parents are doing a very good job in distracting Brent from his main problem. Although he is still getting frustrated with most of the activities he does, Brent is not thinking as much on why he got burned and the horrible scars he has around his body. Even though he has not completely forgotten about the incident, the big surprises his parents gave him have shifted his attention. Brent demonstrates this when he states, “Wow, that’s completely right. I never thought of that” (p. 263). Brent has gone, little by little, back to the life with his friends and outdoor activities. The diction used in the quote above also makes the reader see Brent’s surprise as this is the first doctor that he feels says something useful.

       When Brent goes into Dominion Hospital, he begins to feel that it is not the place for him. The word choice in this section of the book is also key in demonstrating Brent’s discontent and fury in the hospital. For example, when Brent thinks: “I can’t believe she asked me that. Do I look like a druggie? I thought it would be obvious” (p. 280). The fact that all the interns think he is a drug addict and treat him as one disturbs him. The first sentence’s diction is very clear in emphasizing his surprise and indignation at such a comment. I believe that Brent is beginning to regain the feeling that there is something definitely wrong with him and that he cannot live a normal life. He is at the point where he can believe in himself and, with the support of others, achieve his full mental recuperation or go back to feeling he is different from everybody else. Other situations shock Brent, such as the one where one of his best friends is going to move out just because his parents are too afraid that he might do something like Brent did. This kind of astonishments make him feel like he is responsible for the bad things that happen and will enter a profound depression. Runyon is able to demonstrate the struggle Brent is going through by his effective and detailed use of diction in situations where comprehension is key to understand the main character’s reasoning. Which path will Brent take?      

Complex Descriptions

Jobst Garments: (n) Trademark for a type of pressure wrap applied to control hypertrophic scar formation or lymphedema. p. 212

Corduroy: (n) A durable cut-pile fabric, usually made of cotton, with vertical ribs. p. 232

Smock: (n) A loose coatlike outer garment, often worn to protect the clothes while working. p. 247

Warped: (v) To turn from a correct or proper course; deflect. p. 248

Beret: (n) A round close-fitting brimless cap of soft wool material or felt. p. 248

Vamped: (v) To put together; fabricate or improvise. p. 252

Light-Headed: (adj.) Giddy; feeling faint or slightly delirious. p. 252

Hypertrophic: (n) A nontumorous enlargement of an organ or a tissue as a result of an increase in the size rather than the number of constituent cells. p. 237

Yammering: (v) To talk volubly and loudly. p. 221

Blanched: (v)  To cause to turn white or become pale. p. 222