The act of writing is very personal, very frustrating, very intimidating. As a student, you are constantly worried about how the reader will judge you based on your creation, the more you write the more concerned you are of making sense. All of the texts on writing make it seems easy and something worth exploring. Yet, I doubt that many high school and middle school students understand the importance of writing. There are many forms of writing and most students are mainly exposed to essays and persuasive techniques in their English classrooms. It seems that special courses such as creative writing are taught in order to explore the other forms of writing, and this is a major issue.
Coming form an urban and underprivileged area, I know that most of my graduate class was not familiar with the standard range in writing for high school seniors is. Most of my graduating class was not able to express their opinions through writing, and this is a concern that many urban schools face. Writing is a personal experience that needs to be explored beyond the “standardized” essay and persuasive essay that is found in most standardized exams. Students need to be given a voice, especially, in settings where they are stripped of one.
In chapter three Lindemann states something that spoke to me, she says, “Rewriting requires us to shift perspective, which up to this point has focused on generating material and shaping a text” (29). Most people are afraid to write because they lack the material or knowledge of what it is they’re writing about. As I read this part of the chapter an idea for an assignment came to mind, what if students were given a story and told to “remake it,” “reshape it,” and essentially “retell it” in their own voice. It could be the story of Little Red Riding Hood or Cinderella, something that is simple but needs details. This, I would believe, would make it easier for students to focus on revising what is being said and how it’s being said; thus, allowing the student to develop a voice because no two students will have the same story. As the student’s write for themselves, meaning they are the intended audience, the pressures and anxieties that the process of writing entails will be less intense. Furthermore, this exercise can later in the course be transformed into some form of a standardized essay where issues are discussed and ideas are posed.
As I reread my post I felt that a purpose was missing, so I have decided to follow it up with my views on Shin's article since I believe they are about the same things.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading Shin’s article, mainly because he addresses issues on writing that have to deal with voice and cultural attitudes. Shin explains that learning to write in a new language, and essentially finding his voice through writing, has made him evaluate his ideologies. In the article Shin explains the differences between Western thought and that of his native country, China, and in doing so he opens up a discourse about writing. I found that this article was rich with topics on writing, mainly the one about the difficulties non-Westerners face when having to “be themselves” in a language that does not allow them to be themselves.
Shin thoroughly explains the differences between his “culturally-based conceptions” and his newly acquired ideals, and I found this to be an interesting concept that doesn’t get addressed in most writing classes (465). America, especially California for that matter, is a melting pot that houses many ideologies. With that said, I believe that when teaching a writing course, or teaching someone to write, that their cultural background be addressed. For Shin his modest upbringing has shaped him as a writer and having to become vocal and blunt about his opinions has been a great challenge. As I look back on those sample essays of the composition exam, I notice that most of those individuals have a problem with being accretive and direct. It may be due to their cultural background, to their upbringing in the home, or to their inability to use words effectively. Thus, I think that it is essential to discuss the importance of the self when writing. But as Shin explains to us, the self must first be discovered through writing and here is where Lindemann and Peter Elbow come to play. I’m sure if Shin read Elbow and applied some of his ideas, his transition between worlds would have been easier.