Blog 3

In Robert Bringhurst’s article “Why There Are Pages and Why They Must Turn,” he describes how books have advanced in the way they are published throughout the years.  At the time the article was written electronic books were just beginning to appear.  Bringhurst believed, “[t]he forms in which books have thrived [included] oral poetry, the manuscript, letterpress and the lithographic illustrated book.” Being three years since Bringhurst wrote this article and the technology advancements that took place during that time we can safely add electronic books to the list of those that have thrived.  But is there a difference in the way these different forms of books have transitioned over the years?

I feel that the transition from storytelling to print was equally a detrimental step as well as an advancement for books. With the transition from storytelling to print, the writer’s emotions can be lost even though with the print the reader is encouraged to use their own imagination while reading.

  Storytelling is a gift that is placed upon an individual to share a story by bringing it to life for the audience.  The audience is allowed to paint a picture of the story in their mind; however, the expressions and emotions are set by the story teller.  The storyteller can exaggerate certain areas diminish others according to their audience.  With the transition from storytelling to print, the tone in which the writer wanted to present the book can be lost. 

As much as I enjoy hearing stories, I like to read them for myself as well.  The advancement from storytelling to print was a milestone in literacy and education.  Having a book in print was an encouragement too many to learn to read and having a printed copy would allow them to read over and over again.  It also gave individuals a chance to be creative in their reading by allowing them to choose which parts they wanted to emphasis and what tone they would read in. 

In my opinion, the transition from paper to electronic is much different than the transition from storytelling to print.  The transition from paper to electronic offers a variety of benefits to the reader while also being able to add back some previous benefits that were taken away by the print.

The electronic reading makes it easier for an individual to store books and have them more readily available.  Being able to read the electronic books repetitively and reading from your own perspective are also benefits to the electronic form.  For me the best part about the electronic books is that they can “be threaded with sound files” (Bringhurst 25).  Having an elderly grandfather who has almost lost complete eyesight has helped me to appreciate the new electronic books that have sound as well.  It allows individuals that cannot see a chance to listen and enjoy books. 

The changes in book forms over the years have offered advantages and disadvantages, but overall I believe that each form is still very appropriate in society today depending upon the situation and setting. 

Works Cited

Bringhurst, Robert and Heriot Bay.  “Why There Are Pages and Why They Must Turn.”  World

Literature Today.  Sep/Oct 2008, Vol. 82 Issue 5. pp 20-26. 23 February 2011.  <http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.ou.edu/eds/detail?hid=23&sid=0894d0eb-6d8b-4d1c>.

Blogging Response

In response to David Hudson’s articles on blogging he poses a very persuasive point and counterpoint.  In “School Officials Don’t Have Authority to Regulate Students’ Off-Campus Blogging,” Hudson’s main point is, students have a right to express themselves under the protection of the First Amendment without consequences from school officials.  In “School Officials Should Have Broad Leeway to Regulate Student Blogs and Student Online Speech,” Hudson counterpoints that if school officials aren’t allowed to regulate student blogs we will continue to see an increase in cyber bullying, violence and teen suicide.

I agree that we are all entitled to our right of freedom of speech as United States citizens.  I also agree and recognize that children are citizens and are entitled to these rights as well; however, I do not feel that children are mature enough to understand the complexity of this amendment and therefore should be monitored.  Most students understand that they have the right of freedom of speech, but I bet if you ask a student who has lost a law suit due to a threat they placed online, many of them will say they weren’t aware they were breaking a law.  If school officials aren’t allowed to monitor and punish students for inappropriate blogging relating to the school, think about the problems schools will start encountering as a result.  Schools will no longer be run by school administration or a school board; instead the students will be the one running the school.  If students are allowed to blog disrespectfully about peers and school administration without consequences, we will see a rise in the number of students that begin blogging this way.  After time it will turn into school administration fearing students and therefore a decrease in public educators. 

Parents and school officials have an obligation to teach children appropriate blogging for the safety of everyone.  Hudson provides Arapahoe High School’s blogging policy in his counterpoint to show schools are already stepping up to the challenge of addressing blogging before an issue arises.  To read the policy, visit the school’s website at http://arapahoe.littletonpublicschools.net.  Listed under curriculum is the school’s blogging guideline.  Each school should have a blogging policy that has been approved by the State Board of Education.  The policy should be specific about what instances are not tolerated and the punishment that will be received for such offenders. If states and schools will become proactive in addressing such instances, then most offenses will never reach a court. 

Hudson’s counterpoint that “School Officials Should Have Broad Leeway to Regulate Student Blogs and Student Online Speech” was more persuasive in my opinion.  Hudson provided more evidence that by not allowing school officials to regulate student blogging a larger threat was occurring to a majority of people.

In conclusion to my thoughts and response to Hudson’s articles, I would like to point out one final observation.  Students and parents who argue that schools shouldn’t be allowed to regulate blogs are merely thinking about themselves and their rights; however, those arguing that schools should be able to regulate blogging are thinking of a larger percentage of the population. These individuals are trying to prevent bullying, violence and suicide from affecting their community.

Works Cited

Hudson, David. “Blogging.” New York: Chelsea House: 2008. 8 Feb. 2011 <http://site.ebrary.com.ezproxy.lib.ou.edu/lib/sooner/docDetail.action?docID=10284452>.

First Blog Assignment

In George Orwell’s essay on “Politics and the English Language,” he explains how Modern English has developed bad writing habits that continue to spread.  He urges writers to take the necessary steps in preventing those bad habits from reflecting in their own writings; allowing a more accurate understanding.   Orwell argues that the English language has evolved into writings that leave the reader unclear of what is being said through the use of similes, metaphors and long “ready-made phrases.” 

I agree with Orwell’s argument about the overuse of metaphors, similes, “ready-made phrases” and long drawn out sentences with alternate meanings.  I do not recall a particular example, however, I remember times when I have read information and by the end of the sentence I was so confused I couldn’t remember the beginning.  I would always blame my lack of understanding on my lack of college education.  Thinking back about those times it makes me wonder if my lack of understanding was simply my lack of education or the writer’s use of the bad habits Orwell mentioned. 

Though I agree that politics has played an important role in the evolvement of the English language, I would like to present another possibility as well.  What if writers aren’t simply imitating the bad habits they view in other writer’s papers, but actually taught to write this way?  Although I was always taught to express my thoughts clearly in high school, I was also taught that the use of a good simile could be very effective.  Maybe the bad habits that Orwell wrote about in his essay began in politics, but suppose now this is simply the way we are teaching and being taught to write.  I understand that the writings we complete in high school are far less intellectual than the papers we complete in college, but doesn’t the way we learn to write in high school lay the foundation for college?  The bad habits of writing that Orwell wrote about may have been taught without an understanding that they teaching a bad habit. We see from Orwell’s examples that many profound authors include these bad habits in their writings and we can assume that if they were aware they were writing using bad habits that they would change their wording.

Perhaps if we want to see the English language restored, then we should make sure that our educators are aware that the bad habits Orwell wrote about are bad habits and should not be taught as a way of writing.