Assignment Due Thursday January 16

Reflections from Cameron:

The way The Right to Write begins is very moving, the first page. The introduction is very powerful in a sense that it sums up the way she feels writing is a natural born way of life. Cameron states that "writing is like breathing and that we all come into life as writers" This shows her true passion, also when Cameron states "it's a luxury to be in the mood to write". Cameron then transitions into how children's use of words are extremely blunt, with no hidden meaning. But what makes people good with words or good with writing? We are critiqued on our skills during school, but does that necessarily place value on our experience with words and writing? I like how Cameron defines good writing in an academic sense as "clear thinking, topic sentences, and transitions". Cameron shows the difference between what teachers academically categorize as good writing, often times commenting on "sticking to the point, staying on topic, and not so much spunk". Cameron believes humanity should be included in writing.

It is refreshing how Cameron is depicting writing as being a form of communication because in fact, writing is communicating. If more people viewed writing as a means of communication and less of a factual, on topic essay, I believe that people's ability to communicate would vastly improve. In the aspect of America's culture, however, we throw this form of communication away. Cameron describes this by showing the example of a Hallmark card and how American's use these when the card is the "closest to what they wish to say" instead of writing what we actually feel on the card.

Why do we not express our feelings, though? This part of Cameron's writing actually, personally, spoke to me the most. She elaborated by saying "we are trying to do it RIGHT, we are afraid of doing it WRONG". So, if we never attempt to describe how we are feeling, if we never try to communicate for fear of being wrong, we are essentially throwing away something important, crucial even, that we were all born with. There should not necessarily be a "right or wrong" means of communication, seeing as though people all describe things differently, and feel differently as well. I formed this conclusion by bringing the introduction of the writing together with part of the body of Cameron's writing.