Natalie Goldberg's brief essay "Be Specific" argues for the use of precise language in all communicative endeavors. Just as one would not address a friend by the name of their gender, like "girl" or "boy," one should not describe the characters in one's writing so vaguely. Goldberg laments the information that is lost when communicators neglect to give things the "dignity" of their names. She gives an anecdotal example where she walked around with a botany guide and asked her neighbors to identify the very flowers and shrubs they were planting: most were unable to name them accurately.
Goldberg also gives the example of the poet William Carlos Williams, who exhorts writers to write what is right in front of them. This can only be done by training one's awareness. At the end of her essay, she applies her argument to group work, recommending that learners try to remember their peers' names as quickly as possible in order to increase attention.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
How would I write an essay response to "Be Specific" by Natalie Goldberg?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
What is the theme of the chapter Lead?
Primo Levi's complex probing of the Holocaust, including his survival of Auschwitz and pre- and post-war life, is organized around indiv...
-
Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that thrive in diverse environments (such as the ocean, the soil, and the human body). Various bac...
-
Note that these events are not in chronological order. The story is told by the narrator, looking back upon her life. The first notable even...
-
It seems most likely you are asking about Michael Halliday's theories of language. He argues children have seven main functions they use...
-
Under common law, any hotel, inn, or other hospitality establishment has a duty to exercise "reasonable care" for the safety an...
-
Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s long narrative poem "Christabel" presents the well-known theme of good vs. evil, but the poem ends with ...
-
Grover Cleveland is known as a reformer. The first Democrat elected after the Civil War, Cleveland has the distinction of being the only Pre...
-
The tension between the three world orders after World War II (1939–1945) manifested itself in territorial, economic, military, ideologic...
No comments:
Post a Comment