Responding to Kurt Vonnegut's "How to Write with Style"
Write a short, 100-word, paragraph response to one of Kurt Vonnegut's suggestions about style. Include at least one short quote from Vonnegut (not one of his rules; choose from one of the sentences instead) and be sure to incorporate it into your own sentence. Respond to what he says either positively or negatively and explain why you think that.
30 comments:
Since I am a teacher, I respond most strongly to Kurt Vonnegut’s comments related to teaching. He argues that students need to “write accurately, always selecting the most effective words.” It is a pleasure to read such writing. Like any other reader I “have a tough job to do.” Anything my students do to make my life easier by using simple language, by avoiding “Picasso-style or jazz-style writing,” by just being themselves, will make my reading tasks more enjoyable. For a teacher, Kurt Vonnegut provides advice that can both improve a student’s work and make a teacher’s job easier. —99 words
As we discussed and made a list of seven rules for good writing style in our group work, the last rule we made is the same with “How to Write with Style” by Kurt Vonnegut. The writers should “pity the readers” because they have to “make sense of” “little marks on paper”. The readers like “willing to simplify and clarify”. Keep in mind that the article is for the readers to understand and accept. Therefore, the writers should “write accurately, always selecting the most effective words” and keep the sentences simple. All in all, Kurt Vonnegut’s advice is very important for the students to improve their writing work.
112 words
Kurt Vonnegut's article, "How to Write with Style", is a strategic plan to help writers. Good writing emerges when we “find a subject [we] care about." However, a good piece of writing does not have to be filled with pretentious vocabulary. Kurt Vonnegut advises us to “keep it simple”. A famous line, “To be or not to be?”from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, is admired by many scholars because of its simplicity. Vonnegut’s most valuable advice to me is to write by “selecting the most effective words”. Efficient writing will deliver clear, engaging and meaningful statements to readers. After all, quality matters. -100
When I was in high school, I so wanted to sound like Canadians without making any silly mistakes. So, whenever my English teacher gave us the homework, I went straight to the internet and did—what nowadays call, copy-and-paste without realizing that it was plagiarizing. Now, I know that it was wrong for me to do it, and I’m struggling to sound like myself. I think it’s especially true when he said about “no matter what your first language is, you should treasure it all your life” because no matter where you come from, you should cherish your mother tongue.
-109 words.
For me being a scholar , I definitely embraced Kurt Vonnegut's suggestions about " writing with style " . According to him , a good writer need to " be precise , always selecting the most carefully chosen words " . It is delightful to read such writing . Like any other student , I " have a high expectation from my instructors " Any note and examples that are exceptionally clear , focused , engaging with relevant and a strong supporting details , will make my studying much easier . All- in - all ; writers need to " keep it simple " in their writing - for it will be easier for readers to clearly understand and enjoy reading it .
104 words .
In regards to Kurt Vonnegut’s How to Write with Style, the list of rules left me somewhat perplexed. I have always been a free writer enjoying the complexities of language. For the first time I find myself looking critically at my previous work and am somewhat afraid of ‘rambling on’. I did highlight one particular statement, “they hoped” -the teachers- “that I would become understandable - and therefore understood.” This to me holds a great deal of importance as I want nothing more than my readers to be able to relate to what I write.
-95 words
“How to Write with Style” by Kurt Vonnegut is extremely encouraging. I am always afraid of mentioning my opinions while writing. I feel that readers may not find my work interesting. Kurt says, “The most damning revelation you can make about yourself is that you do not know what is interesting and what is not.” Also, I know that an effective writer should be able to express their feelings in order to argue while writing. Keeping in mind what I need to improve on, I will make sure that my writing is based on my opinions.
As I read the essay by “Kurt Vonnegut”, I am astonished by the slander that is issued towards journalists and other writers. By saying that journalists don’t care about how they write and that they never put any character into their writing is wrong. I believe that if you care about the way you write the words, and carefully place them in a paragraph or essay then there is a sense of character in the writing. Although, I disagree with the way Vonnegut spoke of the journalists, I agree with him about the writing tools. Especially what he said “And there went my dream of doing with words what Pablo Picasso did with paint or what any number of jazz idols did with music.”
As I was reading Kurt Vonnegut’s article, it changed my way of thinking when it comes to writing. Throughout the five years of attending high school, teachers have always complained about the “simplicity” of the language I have used in my essays. However, I came across a quote in the article that caught my attention. Kurt had mentioned “Simplicity of language is not only reputable, but perhaps even sacred.” I thought to myself, “Simplicity should not an issue after all when it comes to writing.” Even Shakespeare himself used simple language, and he is very famous for his literature. As a writer, no matter what type of style you decide to write your essays in, it is important to be ourselves and ensure the reader that we know what we are talking about.
-133 words
After reading How to Write with Style by Kurt Vonnegut, I agree when he mentions, “I won’t ramble on about that.” If we want to show the quality of our writing, we have to follow this advice carefully. We need to stay focused in what we are trying to express, be specific and go directly to the point. As our main goal is to capture the attention of the reader, it is important to organize our ideas and select the ones that are related to the topic. As a result, our writing will be understandable and interesting to the audience.
- Word 100
As a conservative, I really like Kurt Vonnegut’s comment about the first language. He is encouraging writers by saying that “No matter what your first language, you should treasure it all your life.”
I wish all writers could keep this in mind and sound like themselves. I “believe a very good expression is the one inspired by the real feeling, from the bottom heart.” In this way, readers will obviously enjoy and be attached as it is a pleasure when reading and sound the writer in his original form. Kurt Vonnegut advice recommends self confidence to writers.
97 Words
Reading Kurt Vonnegut’s Article, on “how to write with style” was very different, which thought me a lot. One of the rules that he mentioned, was to “keep it simple”, which is quiet interesting, because I always thought the opposed. When I was taking English classes in high school, I would always make my writing assignments look complicated. He has clearly advised us through each one of the rules on “How to write with style” as they are very important to be followed in every writings in order to keep it interesting and having your readers to like it.
-99 words
As English is my second language, Kurt Vonnegut’s comments about expressing yourself in writing have attracted my attention. He says “No matter what your first language, you should treasure it all your life.” This is true; moreover, thoughts and expressions translated from the first language into English may differentiate your writing from the other works. Furthermore, he compares such unusual writings to “a very pretty girl with one eye that is green and one that is blue.” For ESL students, Kurt Vonnegut comes up with advice that helps students to make their writings fascinating and matchless. – 96 words
After reading Vonnegut’s thoughts about the writing style, I absolutely agree with him that the one’s writing manner is an “echo the speech you heard when a child.” Having been taught “to write like cultivated Englishmen,” I realize that I will never write as Vladimir Nabokov who wrote his first novels in Russian, and then he did the best books as an excellent English stylist. However, I hope that my first language helps me to write in English in an unusual and maybe attractive way. Amazingly, I have recently recognized that I understand and use my native language much better since I started to study English hard.
– 107 words
For me, Kurt Vonnegut is only the author of Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat’s Cradle (both are my favorite his books). However, this article gave me an opportunity to look at him as a perfect teacher. His advice is a useful guide for talented people. My favorite quote is “Simplicity of language is … sacred”. The writer, who can explain the serious and inaccessible issue using extremely simple words and structures, is a genius. “Sentences [which are] almost childlike” give the readers an enormous room to involve their imagination in reading process, thereby allowing the readers to be a part of the story.
-101 words
Kurt Vonnegut lists seven rules skilfully, and He persuades students to write clearly. He supports his ideas with excellent examples and experiences that encourage students to follow the rules to improve their writing. Caring about idea, don’t rambling and keeping it simple and short are those rules that I already knew, but the fifth rule “sound like yourself” is completely new because I always try to write exactly as I learned here. I felt more confident when I read that “I myself find that I trust my own writing most, and others seem to trust it most, “so I will trust my own writing in the future.
Basically, I understand what Kurt Vonnegut told in his "How to Write with Style", except “Sound like yourself". Coming from a non-English speaking country, I know that my first language is a "treasure". But I can't introduce it too much into my English writing because there is a wide cultural gap. I might need to spend a lot of words to introduce the cultural background to make my writting understandable. And then, it will be quite difficult to "keep it simple". Also, frankly, I can't see a girl "with one eye that is green and one that is blue" very pretty.
-101 words
After reading Kurt Vonnegut’s writing about “How to Write with Style,” has changed my mind. I always tried to make my writing perfect and interesting by using “fancy” words. On the other hand, Vonnegut says, “Keep it Simple,” so reader can understand you’re writing easily. No need to use long sentences if simple sentence works perfectly. Kurt Vonnegut says, “Scratch it out,” so no matter how good your writing is, always have the courage to cut out unnecessary words. Vonnegut’s suggestions about “How to Write with Style,” are very useful and easy to follow, if we want to improve our writing.
---101 words
I agree with Kurt Vonnegut’s “How to Write with Style” rules, however I find some of them really difficult to follow. As English is my second language, I know how hard to “sound like yourself” and “to be understood” at the same time. There's some special thrill when in English you can hear echo of native language, but not all the time. I think the native language will benefit your writing style only when English become the language what you think in. In this case “the result is usually delightful”.Therefore, I will work hard on my English, to sound like Russian.
- 101 words
Kurt Vonnegut explains his own seven rules on How to Write with Style. He also shares his ideas and provides us examples along with each rule. Sometimes, when I write, I create my sentences too long, by trying to add complex vocabulary. It gives my readers a difficult time to understand the message because it was not clear and simple. “To be or not to be?” asks Shakespeare’s Hamlet. “The longest word is three letters long.” At times, I will worry too much about organizing my sentences, that my subjects aren't thorough enough. That makes it complicated for my readers to identify the true meaning of the message. “William Shakespeare and James Joyce, wrote sentences which were almost childlike when their subjects were most profound.” The subject should be simple, direct and straightforward. That way, your idea won`t misguide and confuse your readers.
-113 words
After reading Kurt Vonnegut’s article, my views in good writing style has changed. I always thought that using more ‘fancy’ words makes sense, but I end-up on rambling because I don’t want my writing to be simple. Thanks to Sir Vonnegut, now I know that even the two great masters of language wrote simple sentences which made them successful; unbelievable! But I would not opposed because Kurt also said, “Simplicity of language is not only reputable, but perhaps even sacred.” True enough, because the more complicated sentences I used, the more mistakes I got. Now, I would rather keep it simple and easy to understand as Kurt’s advises.
108 words
I found "How to Write with Style" by Kurt Vonnegut, very usefull and I strongly agree with some of his rules. As his suggesion "keep it simple", his writing is also simple and easy to follow. I always try to write long, comlex sentence to sound more high level in English, but sometimes it doesn't make sence. It would make much more sence with short and simple sentence. Long sentence may sound very intelegent, but it's sometimes confusing; therefore, quality is more important than quantity. I also found fifth rule (sound like yourself) very helpful. As Engish is my second language, it takes time and effort to sound myself. I don't like to use same words over and over again (even though I do), so I used to impose on thesaures and dictionaries to find a new word, but sometimes the meaning of the words changes and iy doesn't fits on the sentence. However, Kurt's advise is very inspiring as he suggest " no matter what your first language, you should treasure it all your life".
170 words
When I read Kurt Vonnegut‘s article, I couldn’t agree more with his brilliant point - "simplicity of language is not only reputable, but perhaps even sacred". As with a lot of other ESL students, I used complicated words to try to impress readers or to show off my vocabulary. However, others would misunderstand my true meaning. As well, sometimes it even caused me to stray off my subject. Therefore, the best and the most efficient way to express your subject is to use simple but effective words. Remember, the white light was actually created by colors of the rainbow. ---99 words
Kurt Vonnegut pointed out eight valuable recommendations on how to write with style. However, it will take many writing practices to apply these advices freely to writing, especially the third tip, though “Keep it simple” sounds easy. Only writing veterans communicate the impressive message with simple words. Shakespeare’s “To be or not to be” can be on everybody’s lips is not just because of its simplicity; the literature master’s elaborate plot on the conflict of the character’s inner struggling contributes to its magic. Nevertheless, our writing skills will be undoubtedly improved if we adhere to Kurt’s advices and do not give up.
-102 words
Ok, where do I begin? A good writing style to me really depends on what your writing about. If I want Brad to give me good marks the I'm going to follow Kurt's writing style. What I like about Mr. Vonnegut's style is when he talks about having the gut to cut. In other words editing, I like this very much because it means i've finished doing the work now I can just sit around, have a cup of tea and make my work look more appetizing to read. If something is not working in whatever your writing you should "scratch it out," these are Mr. Vonnegut's words. Come on people it's easy like riding a tricycle.
-116 words
Reading Mr. Vonnegut's article I understood that there is an expectation from the reader that I may have not thought of before; "simplicity of language is not only reputable, but perhaps even sacred". My favorite rule is keeping it simple, in which we all agreed upon in our group. When writing is simple you allow the reader to participate in the story, using language that the reader can relate to. I had a positive reaction to the rule "say what you mean", you want the reader to react positive and be engage. I believe the writing style should help the reader and not confuse or mislead in anyway. I strongly agree with Mr. Vonnegut's rule "sound like yourself". Although, english is my first language I grew up with parents with strong Caribbean accents which has influence my speech, making it difficult to express myself when writing.
-146 words
After reading the article “How to Write with Style”, by Kurt Vonnegut, I found all of his rules very compelling. One quote I admired the most was in relation to the rule of speaking from the heart. He mention’s, “It is the genuine caring, and not your games with language”, when in doubt I believe this will benefit both the reader and writer –as he said this is the most seductive element in ones arsenal. I especially have reason to agree that if a subject or something has true means to you, and you care for it –most likely other’s will too.
~102 words~
“Say what you mean to say” it looks so easy, but actually so difficulty. For most of us students using English as a second language, writing is a tough job because it’s difficult to “write accurately”, and “selecting the most effective words.” When I check the dictionary, usually one word has several means; and oppositely, it's difficult to choose the effective words from Chinese translate to English. How to improve this skill? Sometimes I ask myself. I think maybe reading more and more whatever newspapers or novels. However, it’s also difficulty to do because it must have persistence spirit.
-99 words
After reading Kurt Vonnegut’s “how to write with style” I strongly agree with his rule “sound like yourself”. I feel people read your pieces of writing because it’s yours. They are choosing a specific author and reading their work. If writers didn’t sound like themselves I feel lots of people wouldn’t read, people choose you and that’s what they want. For example, “writing with style which is most natural for you is bound to echo the speech”. It’s like when people read a book it’s your voice echoing the story, if you didn’t sound like yourself then it doesn’t feel like your book. That’s my reaction reading Kurt Vonnegut’s “how to write with style”.
-114 words
Drop out rates are high in secondary schools and postsecondary schools for many reasons. For example, one of these reasons is lack of interest. If a student feels they are to mature or are just bored they may resort to skipping classes. If skipping classes does not give them a “thrill” then, usually students may not come to class at all. Another reason is if the student does not have enough money (postsecondary) to continue with their chosen courses. If this is the case students may end up not paying the total amount or showing up for class at all.
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