daijobu Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 I read "The Subtle Poetics of Carl Sandburg's 'Splinter'" essay on p. 65 of MCT's Essay Voyage, and I thought to myself, "this is brilliant!" I love the repetition of the word "subtle" throughout the essay to tie it all together and create unity. I was eager to have my dd give it a try. Then I showed it to the English PhD writing teacher who is tutoring my dd in her essays. She says the frequent use of the word "subtle" in the essay is repetitious, redundant, and will "drive readers nuts." Being a math/science gal, I am looking for the RIGHT answer. But I will settle for your opinions. What do YOU think? Thumbs up on the essay (and the microlanguage technique) or thumbs down? (I'm sorry the essay is too long to reprint here.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 LOL i'm also a math/science gal and thought it was pretty cool! it was last year, so i dont remember much else, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 I just read the essay, and really liked it. It is kind of interesting that he would create an exercise around using the same word repeatedly - usually this is something we are trying to avoid, but I do get the point of the exercise . . . I think it's a good reminder that formulas, whether positive or negative, are not really good writing instruction . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 This is one reason I like to use more than one resource for all subjects--to provide different points of view, experiences, opinions, etc. I also remind my DD she will likely hear different opinions from different teachers throughout her schooling. I encourage her to to be open to them. I think the technique certainly has its place, but it could also be overused. Should one use it? My answer is a good, solid, definite--sometimes. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 It's funny, because when we got to the Paragraph Town lesson on microlanguage, I ended up skipping it. I decided that at this point in dd's writing career, this would just muddy her waters, so to speak . . . I think there are many rhetorical tools that can be very successful in the hands of a great writer, but that perhaps ought not be placed in the hands of a novice . . . like so many things! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 If she thinks that essay is bad, show her the MLA essays in the 2nd 1/2 of the text. Since every single block quote comes at the end of a paragraph w/very little support prior to the block quote and every essay contains multiple block quotes.......I imagine she will have plenty to say. ;) If she thinks that essay is bad, show her the MLA essays in the 2nd 1/2 of the text. Since every single block quote comes at the end of a paragraph w/very little support prior to the block quote and every essay contains multiple block quotes.......I imagine she will have plenty to say. ;) (ETA: I also liked the essay examples used to tie a theme together w/a single word. There was one on an apple that I also really liked. But, there are many things w/in the text that I disagree w/immensely.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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