Writing--the crisis

There’s a lot to digest in this second chapter about rhetoric, writing, and everything in between.

In my opinion, the theory behind T-units (p. 49) is indicates how good a person is at writing. Longer sentences typically mean the person has a larger vocabulary and that the person knows the structure and use of language. The fact that simply teaching structure didn’t improve the writing of students also shows more is necessary than just teaching rules of grammar and English. Drills, grammar rules, and practice are tools which can help one write and communicate, but they obviously can’t teach one to write. Perhaps because the way we think is naturally irrational or erratic and writing can make sense only if the right sequence and structure fell into the place. Writing also reminds me of math; no matter how hard you tried, you could never memorize every problem; thus, the only solution guaranteed to work was to be able to know or learn how to solve every problem. You can’t teach one to write because it’s impossible to know all situations (or processes since everyone thinks somewhat differently). Even supposing the situation is familiar, writing still may not work well. Why can’t people write? People can’t write because they can’t create the necessary structure, because they can’t internalize the processing, because they can’t communicate their voice effectively, because fundamental human consciousness doesn’t work that way, or because the audience is unreceptive and those writing never receive the right kind of necessary feedback to write effectively. I honestly don’t know the answer to why some write well and others do not, but usually do know when I see good writing.

Writing Across the Curriculum also holds potential, especially for those where emphasis is on content, rather than structure. I’ve seen many majors here at Penn State have W-suffix courses. Since I’m presently taking one, from what I see, the writing still seems the same only with differing topics from a typical English composition course. (Though information about the subject is being taught.) For those who have no background in grammar, WAC courses give opportunities for individuals to expand on already known content and possibly learn a few techniques along the way in terms of writing.

I remember seeing one of Oprah’s shows the other day about the state of education in the United States. Apparently, this generation of the United States is going to be dumber than the previous one, not only that, but the United States is falling behind other countries in math, science, etc. A lot of factors come into play, one being that the educational system had to “absorb” a surge for those seeking or needing education. Education in America in earlier colonial times used to be a community endeavor, now it’s state and federally controlled. Modernization has also changed education as computers were never used for writing til the past 50 years or so of human history that we know of.

I find it interesting that the book mentions the economic status quo. Many people try to get an education to get a good decent paying job, implying the writing they need is writing that will be used for a job. So the people who feel pressured to get the necessary writing often aren’t there because writing is enjoyable to them. The political, professional, and ideological status quo also play a significant role in education. Preparing to teach writing also mentions the role of the military-industrial complex. This may be a bit of a divergence of topic and relevance, but it reminds me of a PC game called Alpha Centauri where all that remains of humanity is a spaceship called Unity. Yet, even then, the different ideological views appeared and factions formed in crisis with each faction vying for control of humanity. The factions included scientists, religious fundamentalists, democratic humanists, military survivalists, atheist communists, corporations/industrialists, and environmentalists. These same ideological viewpoints sprung up in our history as well, Athens and Sparta is just one of many examples. All these views lead to the various differences of opinion as to which is best, some views are incompatible, or so it seems anyway. Industry flourishes at the cost of the environment, political control comes with the loss of political freedom, and secular science really does not flow with religious fundamentals. How should education be improved? More specifically and relevant, how do we fix the educational writing crisis in the United States? Some look at the school system and say, "There is no control in the school system anymore," others recall how morality was there and isn't now, and still others say, "No one is free, and freedom is the answer to our education problem." Money, power, and the status quo shape our society now more than ever. Never before in our history has history changed so fast, virtually at an exponential rate, which makes every individual action ever so more important.

The chapter ends with movements thinking writing is irrelevant or at least lacks importance. A lasting note is that the writing crisis should be setting off alarms across the nation, yet it's not. (p. 96) Why not? Is society being brainwashed and glued to their sensationalist television screens? Or is fear the force that prevents us from acting against the status quo of those with wealth and power? Maybe the government is failing to do its part, especially since public education became governmentally controlled in the first place. Maybe individuals need to change or be enslaved by this status quo forever. In any case, achieving excellence, particularly in writing, will not be an easy road, and persistence is the only solution I see to improve writing.