Thursday, February 11, 2010
Sentence Assignment
Textbook readings and long articles are often assigned to many college students as a way for them to obtain a better grasp on course material, but despite their purpose, the readings often do the exact opposite by using wordy, over complicated language that can either turn off a reader or just confuse him or her even more: instead the text could explain a point in a simpler more concise form that would more effectively present the bottom line.
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This logic assumes the “bottom line” is all a text has to offer the reader. In my personal experience getting the truth most times is not nearly as informative as deriving the truth. In fact, more often than not I simply cannot comprehend the bottom line, truth, facts or whatever you want to call it, if I haven’t been given the context offered through the sometimes tedious task of reading long complicated texts
ReplyDeleteThe result of being simple is not uncomplicated nor does it necessarily make something simple more effective at communicating a complex idea. When approaching a text as if it were an argument one can appreciate the level of academic prowess the text might require of its reader. By regulating the syntax of a text the author can in some way control how their work will be interpreted. By having both the author and the reader on a mutual level of knowledge it lessens the probability the reader will draw erroneous interpretations or understanding. This is the same reason why arguing politics to a five year old might not be the most productive pastime.
Being presented with difficulty doesn’t have to mean accepting defeat and refusing to appreciate the value of a work. Finding motivation in learning for the sake of becoming less ignorant can be a powerful thing. For example, complicated language for me is often the result of unfamiliar words. Instead of letting it go over my head; if the problem is simply a language barrier, then comprehension can be as simple as being able to use a dictionary.
Having confidence that a writer has a purpose for everything they put down on a page implies that there always exists something to gain by reading it. It is the reader’s responsibility to find that purpose. If something is complicated, wordy, and ambiguous then simply analyzing why it is gives immense purpose because it makes one less ignorant.
Language is the best tool man has invented that can convey complex ideas. Making the assumption that complex ideas are better presented using “simple” language is relative to your definition of simple. Even the most difficult to play Beethoven piano concerto invokes ubiquitously understandable human emotions. How can transcendent works of art like Beethoven’s 9th Symphony live on if it stops being performed and appreciated simply because there are other symphonies that are easier to play? What this periodic sentence implies is what I think Richard Hugo was referring to when he said, “Once language exists only to convey information, it is dying.”
I would implore you to read my economics textbook from last semester and I am curious to see if you would have the same opinion. It shouldn't be the reader's responsibility to read the exact same points repeatedly just written in different words. I understand your point but if your trying to make the argument that everything written is great literature and should be treated as such you are severely misinformed.
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