In his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King says, “It is possible to overuse the well-turned fragment […], but frags can also work beautifully to streamline narration, create clear images, and create tension as well as to vary the prose-line.” (133) Though he doesn’t blatantly state it, King describes the use of constructive solecism. Constructive solecism can be defined as the use of a grammatical mistake in speech or writing in order to convey a message that wouldn’t get across if it had been written in the confines of proper grammar. Cage the Elephant, E.E. Cummings, and Daniel Keyes utilize the use of constructive solecism in their respective works, and by doing so they redefine the idea of having to have one’s work fit into the grammatical norm.
The song “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” by Cage the Elephant has an obvious use of solecism in the title, and its usage also continues through the song’s
…show more content…
lyrics. The song contains double negatives and subject-verb disagreement in the chorus, in which it is sang “Ain’t no rest for the wicked/ Money don’t grow on trees/[…] And ain’t nothing in this world is free.” (Champion, Parish, Shultz, Shultz, Tichenor) The grammatical errors in this song are considered constructive because they are used for an artistic purpose; the song’s meaning simply wouldn’t be the same if its writers had adhered to the rules of correct grammar because the diction of the song defines its meaning. The song’s genre is best described as a mixture of southern-rock and alternative rock, heavily characterized by twanging electric guitars, and sticking with the regional genre of the song, the colloquial dialect of the southeast region of the United States uses double negatives and subject-verb disagreement. When writing, songwriters often have to decide whether it is worth using lyrics that are grammatically correct if it risks distorting the significance behind the song’s lyrics. Furthermore, songs need to match their number of syllables and the phonetic stresses in the words to the rhythm of the instrumental music and in order to do that, the composers of a song often have to find the right words that will work without changing the meaning, which often leads to going against grammar guidelines. If the lyrics to the chorus of “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” were grammatically correct, they would read “There is no rest for the wicked/ Money does not grow on trees/[…] There is not anything in this world that is free,” and when put with the instrumental aspect of the song, the lyrics lose their musicality. That isn’t the goal of musicians, therefore constructive solecism is something often utilized by them, Cage the Elephant included. Another example of constructive solecism is E.E. Cummings’ avant-garde writing style in his poetry. Notorious for ignoring rules of syntax and capitalization in his poetry, Cummings pushes the envelope of the more classical style with his unconventional writing style. Capitalization was often ignored in words such as “I” or in the beginning of new lines and was only used to emphasize important words or phrases. In terms of syntax, Cummings was one to deviate from the normal way of writing poetry. His poem “l(a” exemplifies this well, and it goes as such: l(a le af fa ll s) one l iness; (“l(a”) This use of constructive solecism is once again another example of solecism used in artistic pursuit. When initially read, this poem often doesn’t make much sense, but it is in his eccentric writing style that helps him define the meanings behind his poems. When put together with spaces in between, it reads “l(a leaf falls)oneliness,” which depending on perception isn’t very poetic, but when written as Cummings did using constructive solecism, the significance of the syntax shines through. The poem contains two main phrases, “loneliness” and “a leaf falls,” and when written broken up, it adds an aesthetic to the poem that would not be there if it were written out straight. The use of constructive solecism is best illustrated through novels; this is the case of Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.
Charlie Gordon, who is a mentally disabled adult subjected to a surgery that increases his mental capacity, writes the novel in journal format. Throughout the first few chapters of the book, Charlie’s writing is comparable to that of a child first learning how to write: he uses run-on sentences and has trouble with subject-verb agreement. In order for the book to have been written with proper grammar, the narrator of the book would have had to been someone other than Charlie, which defeats the key purpose of the book, which is to understand how the surgery affects Charlie’s life. Keyes’ use of solecism juxtaposes Charlie before the surgery, post-surgery, and the deterioration of the beneficial effects of the surgery towards and during end of the novel. Without the use of solecism, the readers would not be able to fully understand how the surgery affected Charlie not only intellectually, but also socially and
emotionally. Solecism, though usually frowned upon, is sometimes necessary in order to convey a significant meaning to a piece of work.
“I have had a happy life and thank the Lord. Goodbye and may God bless all!”(199), these were the last words of Chris McCandless in a picture with him smiling and waving good-bye. Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer is an extension of an article first published in Outside magazine. In the book, Krakauer further explains the journey of Chris McCandless, while providing his own insight to provide the reader a better understanding of the McCandless reasoning. McCandless lived a nomadic life after he graduated from college, traveling from South Dakota to Mexico. However, his two year journey proved fatal when he took a trip to Alaska, his greatest undertaking. Among his remains several books were discovered, including a copy of Walden by Henry D. Thoreau
Faulkner allows these devices to explain for him the physical incapabilities of the then modern day writers to truly write, for " ...the young man or woman writing today has forgotten the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself..." This philosophical notion that allows the audience to feel a personal connection with the conflicts within this heart is then completed with a metaphor emphasizing the pressure and responsibilities of writers of the era, as " ... [the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself] alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about, worth the agony and the sweat." Although the act of writing may not be as toilsome as Faulkner insists, this metaphor allows the audience to understand his vision that writers alone can reinstall the previous truths of a world at
11. Through the shift from first to third person and vice versa the technique strengthens his essay. With Gould’s usage of nouns and pronouns which refer to himself, the audience's attention is directed to that idea or concept. Provided that the essay had instead just been in third person, the monotony would have been too overbearing to target and decipher the real purpose. Using first person adds in his personal aspect about this research, ultimately making him seem more relatable and understanding, instead of just the
Killer Angels, written by Michael Shaara, takes place in Gettysburg in the year of 1863. Prohibiting slavery in the states that did not yet become states triggered the start of the Civil War. Fort Sumter in Charleston Bay was where the war was triggered by the Confederate Army opening fire on the federal garrison and forced it to surrender. For three long years, Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia delayed attacks by the Union Army of the Potomac. All principal confederate armies surrendered by the spring of 1865.
Finally, within the syntax of the novel, Sedaris has interlocked various arguments together with the choice of his words. He skillfully crafts a very sarcastic and humorous piece through applying an argument that is intermingled with generalizations. Thus, it means that the syntax is direct and declarative. For instance, the author states that the teacher is exhausting him with her foolishness and is rewarding her efforts with barely anything but pain. However, the syntax that the author used in some parts of the essay can be said to be confusing because he is fond of changing the topics or employing a different approach of transition in order to make his point of view clear to the readers. This is evident because at some point of the story, he would insert the earlier events or apply metaphors to describe a given occurrence.
Mark Twain once stated, “You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus” (Brainy Quote). Despite the imaginative challenges children are faced with in reality, they are able to cope with the advantage of time and mental resilience. Stephen King in his essay, "My Creature from the Black Lagoon" from the Wake Tech English 111 Reader, compared the idea of imaginative strength in children and in that of adults to see who would better fit the horror genre audience. Stephen King recalls one particular time from his past that sends shivers down even the hardest of spines.
Many people think that reading more can help them to think and develop before writing something. Others might think that they don’t need to read and or write that it can really help them to brainstorm things a lot quicker and to develop their own ideas immediately (right away). The author’s purpose of Stephen King’s essay, Reading to Write, is to understand the concepts, strategies and understandings of how to always read first and then start something. The importance of this essay is to understand and comprehend our reading and writing skills by brainstorming our ideas and thoughts a lot quicker. In other words, we must always try to read first before we can brainstorm some ideas and to think before we write something. There are many reasons why I chose Stephen King’s essay, Reading to Write, by many ways that reading can help you to comprehend, writing, can help you to evaluate and summarize things after reading a passage, if you read, it can help you to write things better and as you read, it can help you to think and evaluate of what to write about.
The novel Makes Me Wanna Holler discusses the problems of the black Americans from an insider’s prospective. When I say black Americans, I mean from the cultural issues, fatherhood, family, and how blacks working class families are anything, but lazy. Nathan recalls his troubled childhood, rehabilitation while in prison, and his success with the Washington Post. The novel helped me understand the mindset of black males and why some choose to be affiliated with gangs. Additionally, I learned that bouncing back from a hardship time help you regain strength because Nathan went threw a lot. However, I did not relate to the novel, but I understood the concept of it. The title of this book speaks out loud about the inner struggle that he encounter.
In the short story “The Reach,” Stephen King addresses the fact that in life there is a constant fear of death, but when confronted with it is easier to accept when someone has seen many deaths and knows that they are dying themselves. The narrator of the story knows that she is dying and, being an elder, has seen many deaths. We reach this conclusion when she questions the love she has for others and no longer cries when others die around her anymore. She has seen many deaths in the years and can only accept that death is inevitable and a part of life. Mostly everyone she grew up with has passed on already.
The year was 1960 when Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird was published. It was an immediate success even winning the Pulitzer Prize. The novel was the first published piece for Lee who was not widely known. The story itself was set in the American South during the Great Depression, which Lee was from and lived during that time. The story examined the angst of childhood, morals of society, racism, and the concept of perception.
“Evil has always existed, the perfect world that most people seek will never come to pass and it’s gonna get worse (Richard Ramirez).” These words from a convicted serial killer perfectly describe the world today because it seems that as time goes on, people become more vicious. This is incorporated into the book Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams, when a 17 year old girl named Ruth was kidnapped by a man named Jerry. He took Ruth to the woods, and though she managed to escape him, she still remained lost in the woods with no way to get home. With Jerry at her heels, she plotted ways to escape the woods, but until she figured out how to leave, he was still a constant threat to her. The growing lack of empathy and fear throughout
Only Stephen King could write such a spellbinding tale of a bunch of boys doing nothing but walking.
“The innocent and the beautiful have no enemy but time.” This is an excerpt from “In Memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Con Markiewicz”, a poem by Irish poet William Butler Yeat’s. Eva and Con were two sisters whose beauty had entranced a young Yeats. They are remembered in the poem as “Two girls in silk kimonos, both/beautiful.” As both girls become active in politics and the women’s suffrage movement they become exposed to the corrupted reality of life. The problems the two sisters endure eventually strip away their physical and spiritual beauty. Yeat’s poem indicates that time brings new and bad experiences. Experiences that strip beauty and innocence away from people. This is a recurring theme in the classic novel, The Catcher in the Rye, by
The Shack, a New York Times number one bestseller, written by WM. Paul Young published in 2007 is the redemptive story of a man named Mack who was driven away from his relationship with God and pushed into a “Great Sadness through an unexpected loss in his family. When invited to reopen a deep wound and revisit the fateful events that severed his ties with God, Mack rediscovers who God is and his place in his life. He lets go of grief and restores his broken heart. Through this story of Mack’s devastating loss and his restitution, Young illustrates that times of pain, suffering, and confusion result in hope, forgiveness, and self renewal through a relationship with God.
Divergent is set in a futuristic Chicago were everyone is separated into 5 sections of Chicago. Throughout the story the characters take trips to the Ferris Wheel of Navy Prier, the Hancock building, the Willis (formally Sears) Tower, and Millennium Park.