The people that read my research paper initially said it was really boring or not captivating at all. That's totally understandable. I am one of the few people who actually is super interested in politics and current events... it feels like. But still, it was kinda discouraging to hear. I thought my essay was pretty awful from the beginning.
So going in to see Dr. Ballenger, I was incredibly surprised when he high-fived me and said my essay was a fascinating read.
I'm not sure how I feel about the situation. On one hand, my teacher thinks I did a good job. On the other, my peers think I am boring.
I think it just goes to show that writing is subjective a lot of the time. I don't really understand how people can like Jane Eyre.... seriously, it's awful. I guess what I am left wondering is what is good writing anyways?
To be really honest, I think most of us are still at the point in our lives where we don't understand how crucial it is to be aware of what is going on in the world politically. Therefore, we don't have the proper mindset to actually appreciate the thought and effort you put into this essay.
ReplyDeleteDr. Ballenger has this awesome superpower of being able to appreciate our half-formed thoughts and subconscious ideas. If he liked it, then you must have something good going on!
I rather like Jane Eyre, but as you said, writing is subjective. :)
What is "good" writing is such an interesting question because it seems like the answer is fairly obvious: writing that is interesting to read. But it's not simple at all because "good" is entirely related to the rhetorical situation, don't you think. A text message might seem like "bad" writing because it uses weird abbreviations and includes misspellings and lack of punctuation. But it actually can be "good" in that rhetorical context. I'd love to have the rest of you weigh on in this question. What is good writing?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how to classify good writing because I feel like everyone has a different preference. I know people who love books or authors that I hate or have never had any interest in reading. Like in my personal opinion "The Grapes of Wrath" is the worst book I've ever tried to read, but I know many people feel like it's a great representation of what happened during the Great Depression. I don't think there is a way to define good writing other than what appeals to you as a person and what captures and keeps your attention.
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