What do Others Think?

Seeing what others have written on a certain subject,and listening to their feedback one of your assignments can be very useful in to us in our writings. Also discussions about readings in class are very helpful to me in understanding them. There are times when I am doing my homework when I wish someone, in my class, was there to help me understand it, or to give me their thoughts about the readings. This assignment seems very interesting and it may give me a better outlook on Strunk and White and Williams.

While reading others thoughts of Strunk and White and Williams, I found that our thoughts were basically the same. Annika said, "Williams? He is some place where those that know go. I agree with her. As a writer in college you are already confused about your writings because so much, in writing, has changed since high school. His book seems to be for a more advanced writer, maybe ones who know everything about writing, but may need some guidance in putting it together. Annika also made a comment about the way Williams wrote his book. This comment has gave me an understanding of him and the way he writes. She said, " And actually, once you get thru some of the harder parts, Williams is actually conversational." Reading Williams' "Style" was hard for me. In some cases, I had to skip around some parts and read ahead, then go back and read what I had missed to fully understand the message that he was trying to get across in his writings. Annika's comment gave me a different perspective of how to read his book. Her thoughts of Strunk and White states the big difference between these writers.

Annika said, "S and W is geared towards the normal writer." I completely agree with her. When we write, we tend to focus more on our language then the order of our papers. We try our best to make our writings sound professionla and not how we may converse with others. In the process, we sometimes tend to make up our own words, without checking to see if the words really exist. Strunk and White focuses on the language and vocabulary of writing which is one of the most important things in writing. Williams' is written for those who know the proper vocabulary, but may not know how to arrange their sentences in ways that can be easily understood. Jennifer brings up an an interesting subject in her writing about Strunk and White.

You learn about the correct word usage as a child. Once it is processed in your head, you think that you will never forget it, but you do. Jennifer says, "The Elements of Style is a very useful guide. All students should keep a copy in their knapsack." She is right, as students our vocabulary is so disoriented that we do not worry about what is right or wrong. Carrying around this guide will be very useful to everyone in one way or another. His book refreshes our memory and tells us the correct and incorrect words to use when talking about different topics.
Carrying this guide around may even help us use the correct vocabulary when are just talking to others.

Reading others essays have given me a better outlook on both of these readings. I found that seeing what others think can give you a different view on things. It has also gave me a better understanding, now I do not feel as confused about the readings because I see that I am not the only person who may feel that way. I also felt as though I was "stupid" in a sense because I understood Strunk and White's book, more than I understood Williams', but Annika and Jennifer's thoughts showed me that I was not the only person who found Strunk and White much easier to read.

I would have enjoyed reading my other classmates thoughts, but unfortunately I was able to open their blogs.