Watch \"All about Writing Style\" [10 min.] at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x
ID: 3488096 • Letter: W
Question
Watch "All about Writing Style" [10 min.] at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x957sn6rMX8 1. Compare and contrast the arguments/suggestions by White, Orwell, Vonnegut, and the presenter on Youtube. How are they similar or different from each other? 2. How do your own ideas about style differ from theirs, or what do you think they are right (or wrong) about, and why (or why not)? Respond to one classmate by politely disagreeing with his or her opinion on either question. Again, emphasis on being tactful.
Explanation / Answer
White advises writers to aim for moment of felicity, their work must please themselves first.
Orwell provides rules for effective writing style in his work "politics and the English Language" as mentioned below:
1. Never use metaphors or smiles.
2. Replace long words with short words wherever possible.
3. Try to cut the words if possible.
4. Never use passive voice where active voice can be used.
5. Try to use layman's terms rather using scientific or foreign terminologies.
Kurt Vonnegut advises to use simple language, try to cut the sentences to avoid redundancy, try to convey what needs to be convey, use own voice/style to convey messages. Also, Vonnegut used smiles and metaphors to evoke the emotions of the readers.
The video presentation is about effective writing style. Presenter emphasizes concise, clarity, crisp, direct writing style, and suggests avoiding redundancy. Presenter suggests to avoid clichés but tells writer can use own cliché according to suitability.
Orwell and Vonnegut are similar with regard to avoiding redundancy and deliver concise sentences, but differ with regard to usage of metaphors and smiles for effective writing.
White, Vonnegut, and Orwell are similar with regard to satisfying one's own before presenting to others and having clarity of the subject.
Presenter's views from video similar to the views of White, Vonnegut, and Orwell with regard to concise, simple, direct style of writing. Presenter further tells about avoiding clichés and metaphors, which in contrast suggested by Vonnegut to be used to evoke reader's emotion.
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