Category: Rhetoric

Burying a Buzzword: Is Anything Unprecedented?

2/1/2025

by Jamie M. Roes

Unprecedented means “unknown”: we have never done this before. We do not know how to do this thing and we do not know the level of success that lies before us. It is an intimidating word. Sometimes, we like this feeling of the unknown; it’s why mystery novels are so popular. Reading a mystery novel does not impact the larger areas of your life though. In 1927, writer H.P. Lovecraft stated, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest fear is the fear of the unknown.” This phrase was eventually reduced to “the fear of the unknown” and it is a fear caused by a lack of information and a low tolerance for uncertainty. Uncertainty does not allow us to predict an outcome, which means we can not make a future plan.

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I have a problem with timed essay-writing, and you should too

9/1/2023

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by Rebecca Green

In my College Composition I class last semester, I assigned a personal narrative essay to my students. When I initially reviewed the project guidelines, I was worried. What if they won’t gain anything from this essay? What if they struggle to connect sources to their own personal experience?

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

I was hesitant, but I knew my students deserved the opportunity to write about themselves, to be creative, to take risks and not feel restricted by strict project expectations. I prepared them as best as I could: we spent weeks close reading, responding to sources, discussing our topics, and partaking in creative free-write exercises as a class. We talked about writing as a process, instead of a five paragraph formula. When that fateful Friday night arrived in which students were expected to hand in their essays, I sat by the computer anxiously waiting for a disaster to take place.

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White Vernacular English: The Boss of Student Writing

6/1/2018

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Photo: 12news

I’ve taught freshman composition courses for almost two years now, expecting my diverse body of students from multicultural backgrounds to all coalesce and perform to one standard above all others: White Vernacular English (WVE) or White American Vernacular English (WAVE). As writers, we pride ourselves on being open-minded yet authentic, and we hope our students do the same—as long as they adhere to what we consider valid style of writing. Why have the rigid, outdated principles the foundation of college composition was built on not shifted to accept other vernaculars?

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Stop Hating on “They:” Language Evolution and Gender Pronouns

4/15/2015

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American English Grammar. A 300 level course. At 8:00 a.m. I took my seat, mid row, and looked down to find a single slip of paper on my desk. One sat on each desk and as each student filed in, a buzzing silence filled the room.

by Jessica O'Shea

Everyone wants a slice of cake for themselves.

The only text on the paper. The professor, a woman who had taught the course many times, took her position at the front. She asked us what, if anything, was grammatically wrong with the sentence. Silence reigned. One girl bravely raised her hand. “Nothing?” The professor’s smile was grim. Incorrect. You’ve failed. Return to grade school, do not pass Go.

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Obscenity In Modern Lit: Where Do We Draw the Line?

3/16/2015

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by Kaitlin Zeilman

Human beings are artistic and creative by nature. There always should be a conduit for fresh ideas not only to enrich the mind, but also to enlarge possibilities for the world in general. Limiting the options for the creative freedom of others never should be considered an option. Does anyone really think a law could have stopped Chopin, Huxley, or Salinger from writing some of the greatest works of our time?

Author Martin C. Dillon from SUNY Binghamton said everyone has different notions of what could be considered obscene. Authors depict or allude to the subject of sexuality or innuendo differently based on personal style, or per each individual body of work. Where do we draw the line for the sake of creative and artistic freedom? Classics such as Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Madame Bovary have been banned from some libraries and schools because of the sexual content, yet these books are considered by many to be highly respected literary art. Where does the gauntlet fall?

Should lawmakers and conservative groups be able to limit what might seemingly be uncomfortable to some, even if such literary works have a message that extends far beyond the face value of the content?

(Photos courtesy of Flickr and Wikipedia.)

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Burying a Buzzword: Is Anything Unprecedented?

I have a problem with timed essay-writing, and you should too

White Vernacular English: The Boss of Student Writing

Stop Hating on “They:” Language Evolution and Gender Pronouns

Obscenity In Modern Lit: Where Do We Draw the Line?

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