Towards Clarity and Boredom :: Writing Writers Education English Essays

Towards Clarity and Boredom Begrudgingly Admitting the Usefulness of Style Books When God stood over the Earth, rumor has it; he decreed that he felt the need to punish English Students everywhere. His response was swift and to the point: he gave the world Style Guides. Taking the big guy’s cue, William Strunk Jr, E.B.White and Joseph Williams all set about to light that path and frustrate writers and students everywhere. Mission accomplished. However boring they might be, they do, in fact, help light the path to writing and proper English style. In the end, while both books might be on the dry side, they both are great resources and often plug the other’s holes. Dealing with â€Å"The Elements of Style† first, it’s very clear to me that both Strunk and White really hated going over the same rules again and again year after year with each new crop of Freshmen every semester. That seems to be the overall tone of the book. You can almost see the kind of guy who wrote this: a foppish older book – possibly British – who stands over you and berates you over the â€Å"do and don’ts† of proper semi-colon usage. Sounds like a blast. While definitely not a rock and roll show by any stretch, â€Å"The Elements of Style† has several perks outside the content. First thing is that the book is only 85 pages. 85 Pages is something that, maybe, a student could read on a public bus on the way to an English class. It’s small, sleek, compact and easy to reference from. Also, it’s been written in a style that interjects some humor into the rather vanilla topic. Finally, Strunk and White keep it light. There isn’t anything more then the rule, a few examples and a brief passage about the rule. Nothing more, nothing less. Personally, there were a few rules from the list of several hundred that will benefit me in my present and future writing endeavors. â€Å"Do not break sentences in two† (Strunk and White 7) is a rule that is good to keep handy.