Summary Of On Writing Well By Stephen King
Stephen King’s On Writing and William Zinsser’s On Writing Well both focus on writing. King through his passage explains to his audience that writing is not an everyday task rather it takes serious thought and effort. Zinsser through his passage explains how to declutter your writing by avoiding and deleting unnecessary details. King and Zinsser both focus on writing and targets the same audience, aspiring writers, but both authors approach the subject differently.
Both passages have a similar purpose, to introduce writing to aspiring writers. Zinsser focuses on a rule for good writing. His message is to ‘declutter’, he believes “clutter is the disease of American writing” (Zinsser). King believes that writing isn’t just a task like washing
…show more content…
King uses a much more casual and non-chalant tone and believes writing has a magical power. He believes books are “uniquely portable magic” (King) and reveals the telepathic power of writing by doing a demonstration of telepathy in action. He effectively engages with the audience much more than Zinsser due to his use of 2nd person point of view. He begins his passage by revealing the telepathic powers of writing and introduces the audience into his mind set and sets a scene for his writing. In contrast, Zinsser’s passage is like a how-to guide for writing. His use of 1st person point of view makes it less engaging than King’s. Zinsser begins his passage by stating his purpose and its repeated throughout the passage, “clutter is the disease of American writing” (Zinsser) and “the secret to good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest component” (Zinsser). He teaches his audience how to avoid cluttered writing by avoiding unnecessary adjectives and phrases. He gives examples about decluttering just like a writing guide. Zinsser doesn’t try to engage with audience because his method, to teaching more about writing, is providing rules and methods. King on the other hand only states his purpose on the second to last paragraph because he spends a lot of time providing examples about the power of writing prior to blatantly stating out that it is an important and powerful process. King has to create
Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis Essay
866 Words | 4 PagesThroughout the text, King utilized the values of his audience to gain sympathy and later on support. His use of diction and syntax would align his mission to God’s, and show that he was in the right and the clergymen were in the wrong. In his letter, King effectively used an extended periodic sentence that consisted of more than 300 words. The sentence has an extreme appeal to pathos, with such vivid imagery
A Rhetorical Analysis Of Simplicity By William Zinsser
323 Words | 2 PagesThe author of "Simplicity," William Zinsser has discovered that writing frequently deals with clutter. He makes it obvious in his essay that writing "fuzz" and clutter can annoy and weary a reader. Zinsser emphasizes that clutter in writing not only frustrates readers but also obscures the intended message. He argues that simplicity is key to effective communication, as it allows ideas to shine through and resonate with the audience. Zinsser provides examples of how "clutter" or “fuzz” is harmful to both the writer and his audience, as well as a resource for messy writing.
Bonehead Writing Analysis
755 Words | 4 PagesAs I was reading Melissa Duffy’s “Inspiration, and Craig Vetter’s “Bonehead Writing,” I found myself connecting with Vetter’s paper more than Duffy’s. I found that the presentation in “Bonehead Writing” to capture my attention, and that Vetter’s feelings about writing was similar to my opinion on writing. Through his wording and humor, I think Craig Vetter wrote the best essay. I find that the wording and presentation of an article or essay influences my opinion of the writer, and it affects how I receive the idea they are trying to present to me. Craig Vetter uses a blunt approach to convey his idea that writing is nearly impossible to teach, and describes writing as “A blood sport, a walk in the garden of agony every time out.”
Russel Baker Becoming A Writer
268 Words | 2 PagesIn the two readings “Becoming a Writer” by Russel Baker and “Simplicity” by William Zinsser there are many things in common but there are also some differences in these two works “Simplicity” as a whole is stating that us as people and writers tend to use words of nonsense and “meaningless jargon” that do not need to be included in the writing to get your point across and are not needed to provide a positive reading experience for the reader. Zinsser is being a critic on writers and writing as a whole and he states a clear problem that he has with the way we write today. In “Becoming a Writer” Baker explains an experience that he went through while Zinsser did not provide such an example of why he feels a certain way about writing. The experience
Figurative Language In Letter From Birmingham Jail
688 Words | 3 PagesKing uses tone, literal and figurative language to establish structure and language in his letter. King’s use of tone in his letter was a great way to lay out the foundation of his letter and add structure. In paragraph 2 and 3, King explains in the “hard, brutal and unbelievable facts” of the actions taken toward blacks
Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King's 'Why We Can't Wait'
806 Words | 4 PagesRacism in America has been around for centuries however it was in the 1960's that the attitudes of many Black Americans started to quickly change and they realized they wanted equality. Out of this, The Civil Rights Movement emerged which was a peaceful social movement that strove for equal human rights for black Americans. The leader of the Civil Rights Movement is no one other than Martin Luther King Jr. In his book, Why We Can't Wait, King tries to convince Black Americans to realize their reality, remember their roots and important and mainly, to seek changes to social conditions and attitudes.
Writing To Change The World And Mary Pipher's Writing To Change The World
804 Words | 4 PagesAudience Analysis Essay The style of writing has changed drastically over the years; each person has their own technique of getting their point across or describing their story. There are many different styles of inscription and many different ways that someone can perceive the reading based off the author 's style of writing. An author can try to catch the reader 's attention in many ways. Authors tend to be more concentrated on what the reader wants.
Stephen King On Writing Rhetorical Analysis
496 Words | 2 PagesAccording to Lemony Snicket, “[You should] never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them” and writer Stephen King presumably would agree. In On Writing, pages one forty-seven through one fifty, King uses diction, critical and ardent tones and figurative language, to highlight the significance of reading and how it benefits a writer. King utilizes diction to persuade aspiring writers to read regularly. He writes, “I take a book with me everywhere I go, and find there are all sorts of opportunities to dip in.” (147) “Waiting rooms were made for books—of course!
How Does Sylvia Plath Use Simple Language In The Bell Jar
1202 Words | 5 PagesThe key to understanding a writer’s concerns is in their use of simple and straightforward language. Simple and straightforward language is not necessarily one with no figurative or deeper meaning, but is language that does not require extensive analysis to seek out its meaning. In her confessional novel, The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath describes Esther Greenwood’s journey of overcoming her mental illness, and through Esther, demonstrates her concerns about mental illness, the flawed treatments of the 1950s, and the stigmas regarding it. I strongly agree that in the case of The Bell Jar, simple and straightforward language is very important when understanding Plath’s concerns, as mental illness is a largely misunderstood subject, hence requires
The Passive Voice In Stephen King's The Body
1139 Words | 5 PagesAlthough prolific writer Stephen King is best known for horror novels such as Carrie and It, many say that his best work is his book about writing, aptly titled On Writing. On Writing is an instruction book of sorts. In it King explains his own life experience as a writer and gives advice to aspiring writers on how to hone their skills. He covers everything from his own Many professional writers say that they have followed the advice of Stephen King, but does Stephen King follow his own advice in his own works? Specifically, does he follow his own advice in his short story “The Body?”
Summary Of William Zinsser's The Transaction
472 Words | 2 PagesThere are a countless number of distinct writers, including myself, William Zinsser, and even Ronnie Scott. In Zinsser’s story, “The Transaction,” he describes the obvious components in how he and Dr. Brock stand nowhere near similar. Zinsser depicts the different writing styles between he and Brock with an intense comparison. For instance, Brock is a surgeon who only began writing as a career in a later stage of his life. Zinsser began writing in his early years and, in his point of view, encompasses a greater knowledge of writing, at least in context.
Stephen King On Writing Essay
450 Words | 2 PagesStephen King is known for his gruesome and horrific novels. In On Writing Stephen leans away from his horror stories to give advice to readers and writers. On Writing isn 't formatted to be a classroom english book, but it’s formatted as a memoir. He shares his story on becoming a world renowned author. Throughout the book, Stephen shares little everyday life stories that formed him into who he is today.
William Zinsser Simplicity Analysis
152 Words | 1 PagesIn William Zinsser's essay "Simplicity" he discusses and emphasizes the importance of meaningful writing. Moreover, Zinsser refers to American writing as "clutter" writing, due to "unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills, and meaningless jargon." In addition, Zinsser believes that ample wording may confuse the reader, and cause them to lose their ability to focus. Furthermore, causing the reader to become uninterested and unable to comprehend what they are reading. Similarly, Zinsser mentions that if the reader fails to read the entire article, essay, magazine, or book, that it is the authors own fault, not the readers.
Know Thyself By Mary Pipher Reflective Essay
895 Words | 4 PagesTill now, I 've been a writer who failed to acknowledge he’s a writer. I always considered myself a mathematician, someone who works well with number. The first few chapters of Mary Pipher’s “Writing to Change the World” helped change that perspective. As Flipping through, from the first to the 60th page, I expected a step by step guide for writing with a fancy title. This was not the case .
My Love In Writing
838 Words | 4 PagesThe Recalling days I would binge-read some of my favorite books, I remember how much my love for writing was incomparable to my love for reading; I could spend hours reading books but when it came to writing I always felt down. Maybe my inability to write in a similar or better way than the authors of books I read, provoked thoughts of a lack of imagination and strength to write anything that could be of interest to anyone. My confidence in my writing capability was at an all-time low. Slowly but surely, I pushed myself to practice more writing, using new words, learning more about punctuation I had assumed full knowledge of, and finally, though not at the level of my favorite books, my writing proficiency had experienced a noticeable improvement and so did my confidence in my writing.
More about Summary Of On Writing Well By Stephen King
Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis Essay
866 Words | 4 PagesA Rhetorical Analysis Of Simplicity By William Zinsser
323 Words | 2 PagesBonehead Writing Analysis
755 Words | 4 PagesRussel Baker Becoming A Writer
268 Words | 2 PagesFigurative Language In Letter From Birmingham Jail
688 Words | 3 PagesRhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King's 'Why We Can't Wait'
806 Words | 4 PagesWriting To Change The World And Mary Pipher's Writing To Change The World
804 Words | 4 PagesStephen King On Writing Rhetorical Analysis
496 Words | 2 PagesHow Does Sylvia Plath Use Simple Language In The Bell Jar
1202 Words | 5 PagesThe Passive Voice In Stephen King's The Body
1139 Words | 5 PagesSummary Of William Zinsser's The Transaction
472 Words | 2 PagesStephen King On Writing Essay
450 Words | 2 PagesWilliam Zinsser Simplicity Analysis
152 Words | 1 PagesKnow Thyself By Mary Pipher Reflective Essay
895 Words | 4 PagesMy Love In Writing
838 Words | 4 Pages