A Guide in Plain Style

The 2003 book Change of Heart: The Bodhisattva Peace Training of Chagdud Tulku compiled and edited by Lama Shenpen Drolma, and published by Padma Publishing, is a book for those wishing to change their hearts, minds, and the world. It is intended as a guide for the transformation of one’s life and that of others, which can ultimately lead to contentment and peace. A high school English teacher of mine suggested I read this book, as an interest in religious studies, particularly Buddhism, and meditation had sparked in me. This book is written at a 9.9 grade level and is therefore a generally reader-friendly read, perhaps more so for those at a high school reading level and above. Since this book functions as a guide or manual for peace training and meditation based practice, several plain style rhetorical devices are utilized. Devices such as exemplum, meaning a specific or concrete example is provided to further explain the text’s implications, distinctio, or providing the meanings of specific words to prevent ambiguity, and conduplicatio, or repeating a key word from a preceding sentence near the beginning of the next sentence or paragraph. These devices provide for a clear, accessible, and fairly smooth reading of the text. The significance we can formulate then is that the compiler aims to provide a practical reading of peace training while simultaneously taking into account the ethical implications of her language use.

Throughout the excerpt I have chosen from the text, the compiler appears to continually and conscientiously guide the reader through understanding what peace training consists of as if to ensure the reader that they will be able to successfully practice what is put forth. The compiler does this by using inclusive language, such as the word “we,” along with the clear consideration of “others.” A sensitive, sensible tone is prompted in return. This is exemplified in the following sentences:

We begin with the sincere wish to benefit others as much as ourselves. Recognizing that they want to be free of suffering and find happiness as much as we do, we seek ways of caring equally and simultaneously for ourselves and others. Over time, we expand the scope of our motivation, increasingly placing others’ needs before our own. (Drolma 5)

            Chagdud Tulku was a Tibetan meditation master who ordained Lama Shenpen Drolma as a lama in 1996. Lama Shenpen Drolma collaborated with Chagdud Tulku on several books and eventually compiled his teachings into the book I am now discussing. This information provides an outlook on the credibility of the editor, Lama Shenpen Drolma, and the person, Chagdud Tulku, she has drawn and compiled the spiritual practice from. These people can be trusted by those, especially in South America, who have experienced extreme corruption and violence. It is also tailored to just about anyone who wishes to find peace and contentment in their life, as I mentioned in the beginning of this writing.

Many of Chagdud Tulku’s teachings took place in various places around South America and the United States. The audience that attended his oral deliveries mainly consisted of students as bodhisattva’s or people who are motivated by a great sense of compassion that wish to attain Buddhahood. The term bodhisattva is also clarified further later on in this paper. The audience for the book however, likely consists of a wide range of people from a wide range of places in the world afflicted by the world’s seeming chaos. These people also consist of those who simply wish to change their hearts and minds for the sake of peace and contentment.

Focusing on the compilation of this text, we take into consideration the factors that went into the arrangement, which involved taking oral delivery and transferring the information into a written delivery. In doing so, I suspect the compiler must have had to condense much of what was delivered orally, as Chagdud Tulku must have communicated his practice many times equaling many hours of advice. This required the gathering of ideas communicated orally and in turn, caused an appropriation or setting apart to occur in the process of writing these ideas down in a clear, concise manner. In effect, the ideas most likely weren’t changed, but the overall delivery of the product could have been affected. For example, we don’t get to hear Chagdud Tulku’s voice or inflection of his words and the structure of his sentences. We instead read what Lama Shenpen Drolma has gathered and written of what Chagdud Tulku has spoken. This could result in the emphasizing or de-emphasizing of certain phrases or ideas reformulated in the text. Accordingly, the reader’s reaction to the teaching, compared to the attendees’ reaction, could be affected as well. In example, according to his students, Chagdud Tulku in his oral teachings stressed the idea that the bodhisattva students be compassionately motivated when spiritually practicing, whereas Lama Shenpen Drolma perhaps went so far as to de-emphasize that idea by emphasizing the idea that the reader simply focus on practice and usage of the spiritual methods provided in the book. This could be due to the fact that Lama Shenpen Drolma wished to make the book accessible to an audience of more variety than just Chagdud Tulku’s students.

            The guide is written concisely, yet not oversimplified to the extent that the reader is either offended or bored by the reading. Again, certain rhetorical devices mediate the concision. An example of exemplum is present, “Like mending a hole in our pants by sewing on a patch, we must use the methods of the spiritual path to stitch our understanding to the fabric of being” (Drolma 4). The compiler uses metaphor within a concrete example in this case to further explain the text’s implications. Distinctio is also found in the writing, “Bodhi refers to wisdom mind, which is completely selfless. Sattva can be translated as “hero” (Drolma 5). The compiler clearly provides the meaning so as to ward off any ambiguity that might initially be present when referring to the term “bodhisattva.” Conduplicatio is also applied:

We cultivate boundless, unbiased compassion—not just for our children, friends, parents or associates, but for all beings alike, without preference.

Such compassion—the desire to alleviate the suffering of all beings equally—is part of the meaning of the Sanskrit term “bodhitsattva.” (Drolma 5)

In this case, the key word “compassion” is repeated in close proximity.

            After an in depth look at the way rhetorical devices, inclusive language and gentle guidance are employed, the cultural function of the text becomes clearer. Both Chagdud Tulku and Lama Shenpen Drolma intend to make an impact on the lives of those struggling with corruption and violence, as well as on those who simply wish to find peace in what at times seems to be an ever more chaotic world. The desired outcome is to create a more peaceful outlook on life, living and loving across a plane of diverse beings. The desired outcome is given in the following sentences:

If we are to fulfill the short-term goal of resolving conflict, and the ultimate goal of eliminating all our flaws and making evident our positive qualities, we must rely on spiritual methods. Intellectual understanding alone will not make possible the profound inner peace that can influence others. (Drolma 4)

            In conclusion, the use of the rhetorical devices I mentioned above, inclusive language and gentle guidance create a safe space for a diverse set of readers to explore the potential of peacekeeping that they possess. To further this conversation, I would like to take into account the question of whether or not this kind of guidance book would be an acceptable classroom tool used for teaching and practicing peace not just in South America, but in the United States as well.

-Mariah

A Creative Style Critique of Pale Fire

The 1962 book Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov, published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc., is a novel presented as a 999-line poem by the name of “Pale Fire” written by the fictional character, John Shade. The poem is also commented on or narrated by another fictional character, Charles Kinbote, Shade’s neighbor, who is more or less concerned with himself rather than with what John Shade has written. Assumingly, to capture the complexities of experiences of the characters, the novel is known to be a form of metafiction, fiction in which the author self-consciously alludes to the fiction of the work by parting from conventions of the novel. The story essentially narrates the process of the creation of the poem.  I stumbled upon this book when looking for excerpts of experimental fiction. The book is an interestingly unparalleled read due to its supposed extensive allusions and references to other forms of literature. The book has even been criticized as ‘unreadable’ by the U.S. author Dwight MacDonald. I have chosen to critique an excerpt of it though, because it provides a great example of some of the rhetorical devices used in creative writing.

            The audience this book is directed at is an audience exploring experimental, postmodern, or metafiction. The book provides a great foundation for the interplay of references, allusions, and creative rhetorical device usage. The excerpt I chose from the book is considered to be a fairly easy read, rated a 7.7 grade level. However, the references involved change the entire pace of the reading of the book, making it much harder to actually understand.

            Throughout the writing that I have analyzed, Canto 1, which explores the author’s encounters with death, the author uses many creative rhetorical devices such as onomatopoeia, a word that imitates the sound it makes, epizeuxis, repeating a word or phrase immediately after saying it, personification, giving human characteristics to something not human, and a clarifying device, distinctio, giving the specific meaning of the word to prevent ambiguity. In the first line of the first stanza on the page of the passage I have chosen from the book, the author writes out the sound that a mockingbird makes, “To-wee, to-wee; then rasping out: come here” (27). This is a clear example of onomatopoeia, “to-wee”, and following, an example of personification when the bird is mentioned to have rasped out “come here”. The next line in the first stanza of the page furthers the personification, “Come here, come herrr’; flirting her tail aloft,” (27). Both what the mockingbird is supposedly saying, along with the fact that her tail is “flirting” are examples of personification. The repetition of the phrase “come here” is also known as epizeuxis, again the repeating of a word or phrase immediately after stating it. The remainder of the stanza continues with end rhyme, as do the rest of the stanzas in the excerpt I have chosen. The second stanza of the excerpt I have chosen to analyze explains the author’s experience with death, “I was an infant when my parents died…And ‘cancer of the pancreas’ to her” (27).

            In the third stanza, the author utilizes a clarifying rhetorical device most used in the plain style of writing, distinctio, in a way that seems to be clarifying what a particular word means, but instead I notice he has used his definition as a way to explain what the word does. The following sentence, “A preterist: one who collects cold nests”, defines what a “preterist” does rather than what a “preterist” is, because a preterist according to Dictionary.com is a person who maintains that the prophecies in the Apocalypse have been fulfilled. Therefore, I think that the author is saying that this person who believes the prophecies of the Apocalypse have been fulfilled collects empty nests, perhaps referring to the prophecy of the Apocalypse that nothing living on earth will be saved and it will die. The reason I think this is because of the previous stanza mentioning the death of his parents, as well as the rest of the current stanza mentioning that he is going to pray for everybody to be well “I listened to the buzz downstairs and prayed/For everybody to be always well,” (27). So, as we can see the writing of this poem includes references such as the reference I just discussed and is most equivalent to an activity of hunting, finding, and educationally guessing what the lines are referring too. This could be fun or it could be a chore. Whichever it might be, the author clearly has a dense background of reading, studying, and condensing a lot of that information into one piece where it could potentially be understood as a linear story. My question then is, could this also be considered an esoteric piece of writing due to the nature of the references by the author? Or could many people relate on the same level if they have come across the information alluded in their time as well? Esoteric meaning understood or meant for a select few who have special knowledge or interest. If so, who might the select few, the people who understand the references, of the audience be?

            My response to this is that perhaps those who are sincerely interested in uncovering the mysteries of the book are those who might be able to understand what Nabokov is getting at. There exist many interpretations of Nabokov’s book, one in particular by Brian Boyd, who suggests a different take on the number of narrator’s involved in the book’s telling. The different take involves the idea that a reader should be able to discover many things about the book in a first reading and discover even more things about the book by following a series of clues carefully placed by Nabokov the second time around. He even suggest the reader read the book a few more times around to see the clues take effect. This is just one interpretation however, and it may even seem to narrow the audience just a bit more. Either way, Boyd suggests that a person need to read the book several times to fully understand the references involved.

            A way I like to look at this issue however is through the idea that perhaps the author wasn’t exactly interested in who understood the book, but rather that he could comfortably write a message, even if that meant it would be reasonably hidden from the reader. This may be the circumstance for many authors and artists, but in this case, the intentions may be different. The intentions of Nabokov may be that he recognizes that he is intelligent in a series of ways; through science, literature, philosophy, etc. Using those areas of intelligence, he possibly could have aimed to integrate his ideas into this book in a uniquely aesthetic, experimental way that still satisfied the conditions of presenting a sensitive subject. Therefore, it seems that any person could pick this book up and read it, assuming they are free to do so.

What separates just any person from the select few of this apparently esoteric work though is the curiosity that arises when the reader picks up on the few clues that suggest what Nabokov is really presenting. The clues or ideas presented may in effect, make the reader uncomfortable, but it is the reader’s willingness to experience this discomfort and explore their own uneasiness that helps them to further understand the text. I am not denying the idea however, that the reader may also have to be fairly intelligent of their own accord, along with being a kind of literary critic, having read and analyzed at least a few other literary works. Though the book may have acquired many interpretations, only a select few will most likely truly understand its nature; a select few that particularly include those willing to read the book more than twice.

-          Mariah

Plain Game: Simple Instructions for a Complex Sport

           The concept of golf is fairly simple. Start from the tee-box, and get your ball into the hole on the green. It may sound like an easy task, but the attests of countless amateur golfers prove that to be false. Part of the reason why golf is so challenging is because there are so many aspects of the swing that need to be carefully coordinated and sequenced in order to make an effective pass at the ball. Even the rules of golf are extensive and need thorough consideration. Because the game of golf is so complex and difficult to pick up in a short amount of time, I thought it would be interesting to look more closely at an online golf “cheat sheet” guide from Dummies.com (http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/golf-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html), the well-known black and yellow company that makes the … For Dummies book series.

The first section of the instructional “cheat sheet” claims,

Even if you’re new to golf, you can still look and act like you know what you’re doing. Making sure you have the right equipment in your bag and making intelligent decisions about which club to use can get you off to a great start. Offer to keep score and propose a couple of fun bets, and you can really impress your fellow golfers, no matter how long they’ve been playing the game.

The introduction is written in very simple, easy to read language; clearly prompting an instructional atmosphere trough implementation of plain style. This allows for readers to feel like the information they are about to read will be easy to follow, and ultimately improve their game, even if they are new to the sport. Essentially, by only reading the introduction of the “cheat sheet” the reader will feel confident that they will learn techniques that will advance their ability to play the game.

            One problem that I have with this “cheat sheet” is the fact that it claims new golfers will learn how to look like they know what they are doing. Usually newcomers to the game do not have the prettiest swing, which results in high scores and slow play; and most experienced golfers do not enjoy slow play, especially when one player in the group is hacking all over the course. Learning how to play quickly and hit effective shots takes a lot of time and practice; it cannot be learned from a “cheat sheet” or any other method besides practice and repetition. I think that the façade of a simple game that it easy to pick up creates false hope and misinforms readers, planting an inaccurate image of the sport within their heads. Plain style could still be used to describe the game quickly, but I believe that there should be some sort of disclaimer stating that there is much more to being a good golfer than what is on the “cheat sheet”.

            Another problem I have with the “cheat sheet” is the content. The sub-topics within the guide include: knowing which club to use, “essential” items to carry in your golf bag, different scoring names, how to assess penalties (briefly), and how to make golf bets. There isn’t even any indication of the golf swing or how to conduct oneself on the course, and yet the “cheat sheet” is claiming that it will teach the reader to look like they know what they are doing, even impressing their experienced friends.

Many golfers would agree that knowing the proper terms and having the right items in your bag are no brainers, not impressive feats. What would really impress an experienced golfer is a new player with a proper swing that is consistent and fundamental. The guide should have included some quick tips to keep in mind so that people trying to learn how to improve their swing would have something to base their game off of.

            Making a complex sport seem easy is no simple task. But using the proper presentation of information can make all the difference. Effective use of the plain style takes the pressure of learning a seemingly impossible game, and makes it far less intimidating. Even though the “cheat sheet” has some flaws, it still does a good job of being inviting to new players, and making them feel welcome. I believe that with a brief inclusion of how a fundamental swing should be conducted, the novice golfer might actually be able to benefit by reading this “cheat sheet”.

 

-M. Walters

 

Strange and Plain: A Plain Style Critique

 AJ Donaldson

            In the news reporting industry, there are often times stories so strange and obscure they require the plainest language in order to be clearly reported.  A prime example of this type of story would be Deadspin.com’s breaking of former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o’s fake online girlfriend.  As you read that last sentence, it probably made you say, “Wait, what? A fake online girlfriend?”  Right now, we know that we are dealing with a complex, strange news story. 

            Before I discuss the effects of the plain language used in the article, a little background information on what actually happened would be helpful.  Manti Te’o played middle linebacker for the University of Notre Dame.  He allegedly met a girl after a game against Stanford in 2009 and continued an online relationship until it was reported that the girl had died in 2012.  Long story short, someone was pretending to be this girl and communicating with Te’o via social media and phone messages, but in reality, the girl did not exist.  It was a hoax.  This is a very strange and twisted story, and it requires some careful, plain language in order to be effectively reported.  I feel like Deadspin did a very good job of clearly mapping out what happened. 

            When I put this story in the readability calculator, the following results showed up:

Readability Formula	Score
Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease	63.2

Readability Formula	Grade
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level	8.1
Gunning-Fog Score	9.1
Coleman-Liau Index	10.4
SMOG Index	7.9
Automated Readability Index	6.8
Average Grade Level	8.5

            According to this analysis, this is a very readable text.  The average eighth grade student could read this text and make sense of it.  It is important for Deadspin to make this article easily readable, because it is such a strange story.  How many times have you heard of a big-name athlete having an online girlfriend who turned out to be fake?  Given the analysis here, Deadspin did an admirable job in making the article very readable.

            Within the text, many elements of the plain style are present.  Here is a sample from the text:

Manti Te'o did lose his grandmother this past fall. Annette Santiago died on Sept. 11, 2012, at the age of 72, according to Social Security Administration records in Nexis. But there is no SSA record there of the death of Lennay Marie Kekua, that day or any other. Her passing, recounted so many times in the national media, produces no obituary or funeral announcement in Nexis, and no mention in the Stanford student newspaper.

Nor is there any report of a severe auto accident involving a Lennay Kekua. Background checks turn up nothing. The Stanford registrar's office has no record that a Lennay Kekua ever enrolled. There is no record of her birth in the news. Outside of a few Twitter and Instagram accounts, there's no online evidence that Lennay Kekua ever existed.

The photographs identified as Kekua—in online tributes and on TV news reports—are pictures from the social-media accounts of a 22-year-old California woman who is not named Lennay Kekua. She is not a Stanford graduate; she has not been in a severe car accident; and she does not have leukemia. And she has never met Manti Te'o. (Deadspin.com)

            I’ve already touched on the reading ease and lower grade levels of this piece as an element of the plain style, but other elements would include short, simple sentences, clearly emphasized subjects and verbs, as well as the rhetorical device of parallelism, which means using similar grammatical structure for important ideas.  These are the elements that really jumped out at me in this passage, but are obviously not the only ones.  This passage is located at the end of the introduction of the article and acts as somewhat of a thesis statement.  The rest of the article is a timeline of how the events unfolded, and this part really lays out the hard facts of the story.  It is imperative that this be written in plain style in order for readers to grasp the main idea of the story so they can understand the loaded timeline that follows.

            Another example of very plain, straightforward language being used comes towards the end of the article, after the timeline of events has been presented.  At this point, readers have had a lot of information tossed their way.  The story has taken all kinds of twists and turns, potentially leaving readers confused.  Then, Deadspin gives us a recap in the plainest of plain styles:

                  There was no Lennay Kekua. Lennay Kekua did not meet Manti Te'o after the Stanford game in 2009. Lennay Kekua did not attend Stanford. Lennay Kekua never visited Manti Te'o in Hawaii. Lennay Kekua was not in a car accident. Lennay Kekua did not talk to Manti Te'o every night on the telephone. She was not diagnosed with cancer, did not spend time in the hospital, did not engage in a lengthy battle with leukemia. She never had a bone marrow transplant. She was not released from the hospital on Sept. 10, nor did Brian Te'o congratulate her for this over the telephone. She did not insist that Manti Te'o play in the Michigan State or Michigan games, and did not request he send white flowers to her funeral. Her favorite color was not white. Her brother, Koa, did not inform Manti Te'o that she was dead. Koa did not exist. Her funeral did not take place in Carson, Calif., and her casket was not closed at 9 a.m. exactly. She was not laid to rest. (Deadspin.com)

In addition to containing the same plain style elements as the previous example, this passage contains anaphora (starting successive sentences with the same word), and a little bit of hyperbole (exaggerating the importance of something to emphasize a point), as well as diazeugma (having a single subject for multiple verb phrases).  The anaphora element creates a hammering effect that drills ideas into the reader’s head and is present throughout the passage.  Diazeugma is present in the following sentence: “She was not diagnosed with cancer, did not spend time in the hospital, did not engage in a lengthy battle with leukemia.”  The subject here is “she” and the verb “did” is used to present the last two ideas without restating the subject.  This creates a break in the normal structure where each thought contains a subject and a verb.  The hyperbole element comes in when statements like, “Her favorite color was not white,” and, “…(she) did not request he send white flowers to her funeral,” are said.  These are pretty minor details for the story, but Deadspin puts them in the passage to emphasize that this girl did not exist in any way. 

            Now the question of if writing in such plain language does this story justice, because it is so strange and obscure, must be asked.  If Deadspin had not done a good job of making the language very clear in this article, it could have been very confusing for readers because it is a strange story that not many people could even dream of.  I know when I first heard the story on ESPN, I was extremely confused by all the things they were throwing out there.  But after reading this article it is pretty clear to me what happened.  In conclusion, through the use of various plain style elements, Deadspin makes a very clear, understandable article, which I applaud them for, given the unusual nature of the story.

AJ Donaldson

John Green Gets Us

     Youtube is a platform for video content. What any channel choses to do with that platform is up to them. Content ranges from Make-Up tutorials, vlogging, how-to videos, and even educational videos. John and Hank Green started a channel in 2011 called Crashcourse dedicated to educational video-series in both the humanities and sciences.  In 2013, Crashcourse US History started tackling a breakdown of important US events. The style of these videos tends to be informal and upbeat but keeps an educational tone.  Enthralled with the idea of the use of plain language style education, I wanted to discuss how this can be an effective method of ‘edutainment’. By combining some aspects of academic tone with simple language, the writers communicate complex ideas in an easy to digest package.

            Having the benefit of being able to interact and understand their viewers, John and Hank have been able to tailor their content to match the viewer’s intellectual levels.   Going into the start-up of the channel, the Green brothers kept their established audience in mind. Their main channel, Vlogbrothers, started in 2007 and currently has 1.5 million subscribers, many of whom also watch Crashcourse.  A survey done of the Vlogbrothers’ viewers in 2013, where over 100,000 responses were tallied, showed that the majority of their viewers fell in the high school to college age range.  This age range is subsequently where the level of comprehension is held within the educational videos.

With the use of a readability score calculator, the average grade level of the video was found to be 11.3, or about a high school junior.  If the viewer’s reading level ranges 9-16, keeping the readability near the low end is a good choice.  The writers, John Green and Raoul Meyer, keep the grade level high enough to not over simplify the challenging topics, but low enough so that even their outlier audience would be able to grasp what they are talking about.  The average American adult reads at a 7th grade level, shown in a 1993 the National Adult Literacy Study. This video falls above that, but not an unreachable amount. However, readability and grade level aside, the blended use of official and plain style is what makes this video an effective method of communication.

               "But certainly the most prominent effects of the slave-based economy were seen in the South. The profitability of slaved-based agriculture, especially King Cotton, meant that the South would remain largely agricultural and rural. Slave states were home to a few cities, like St. Louis and Baltimore, but with the exception of New Orleans, almost all southern urbanization took place in the upper South, further away from the large cotton plantations. 

And slave-based agriculture was so profitable that it siphoned money away from other economic endeavors. Like, there was very little industry in the South. It produced only 10% of the nation's manufactured goods. 

And, as most of the capital was being plowed into the purchase of slaves, there was very little room for technological innovation, like, for instance, railroads. This lack of industry and railroads would eventually make the South suck at the Civil War, thankfully."   -Crashcourse US History #13 Slavery 

     This quote from the video shows the variety of styles employed by the writers.  There are few multisyllabic words and even fewer that are only used once. This allows the viewer to hear any unfamiliar terms in a multitude of sentences and understand them based on the context provided. Most of the sentences are of medium length, but even the long ones refrain from using multiple prepositional phrases which can easily become confusing. Green keeps his audience engaged by not speaking above their level of understanding, but also by not underestimating what they can understand.
      The least formal writing is shown in the starting of the last two paragraphs. The writers started sentences with a conjunction, allowing for a more steam of consciousness approach to the information conveyed. In the very last sentence, a viewer would hear a typical jarring sentence. The thoughts move from a very educational topic, industrial revolution and trains into an opinion of John Green.  Even the word choice is informal “suck at the Civil War”.  The colloquialism “like” is strewn throughout the video.  This filler word, often found in teenage girl’s everyday lexicon could be a habit of Green’s or it could be an attempt to mirror his audience’s speaking patterns in order to communicate with them effectively.

R.R. Watson

When Plain is Best

When one wants to just get an idea across to an audience, the plain style will most likely be used. Short, sweet and to the point. This style, when properly used, can be informative without the fluff of the official or creative styles. The key features for categorizing a piece as plain style are active voice in simple sentences (subject, verb, object), clear subjects and low levels of abstraction. This news article, found on the Fond du Lac Reporter, has used the plain style to clarify changes in the educational system of the district. There have been more and more of these changes in the educational system recently: most important being the shift to more of a teaching approach for problem solving learning style. The changes are to help improve Wisconsin’s scores on standardized tests. The article is for everyone to know and be able to understand how the changes will impact each own’s life. Because the article is for everyone in the community, it is written in a very clear, simple voice successfully.

The author of this article, Terry Kaldhusal of the Fond du Lac Reporter, wants to give the facts and remain unbiased in the activity system. With the use of the plain style, Kaldhusal can be successful in accomplishing this writing for parents, students, teachers and others involved in education. These new changes could be interpreted to be either worthwhile or a waste of time; one never knows how news will be taken by the masses. Because of this fact, the article is written without taking a side on the matter. The elements of plain style that are used to do all of this are: active voice, simple sentences, quick sentence opening and informal voice.   

Kaldhusal takes responsibility of the entire Reporter community and says, “this is neither a political issue nor a union issue. Our view is based on our students’ needs.” By stating this it is vital to note that the only thing care for the reporter in printing the article is to take our children’s best interest and future into consideration. These two sentences are very simple and get straight to the point that wants to be made. There is no slow opening or trying to soften the facts to be said.

The simple sentences and active voice of the text seem to produce easy reading and understanding within an article with such a wide audience. The sentences are all very basic and do not hold any unneeded or extra information. The article is purely used to get the details about the updated curriculum out to the public; so that, they know what questions to bring up and what to expect their children to be learning. Kaldhusal does this when explaining the changes about the learning style, “it demands that our students be able to read a complex text and understand it. It demands that our students learn to understand a problem and then use the skills necessary to solve it.”  There is never a way to please everyone when it comes to the creating a standard of teaching in a district; arguments will always come up. With this in mind, Kaldhusal is very meek in the explanation of the change.

This text is very effective, because there is little to no room for confusing about what is now happening with the changes being put in place. The writer wants the parents and others impacted in Wisconsin to understand what the children they are raising will be learning from this point on in their educational career, and this is achieved. Kaldhusal never slows down to say if the changes are good or bad; states the facts and leaves it at that. The plain style is a simplistic way of getting an idea across while being able to remain unbiased on a matter.

~E. West

The Power of the Plain Style

On August 28, 1963, history changed forever. In Washington D.C., Martin Luther King Jr. inspired Americans with his “I Have a Dream” speech, given in front of the Lincoln Memorial. This year, on the anniversary of the event, President Barack Obama delivered his own speech on the same spot where King’s oratory touched the hearts of thousands fifty years prior. Also speaking at the Lincoln Memorial were two past presidents: Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. “Honoring King’s Dream,” an article written by Abby Abrams and Glenn Greenberg of Time for Kids magazine, focuses on the remembrance and celebration of King’s ideals through President Obama’s presentation.

            Abrams and Greenberg’s article is clearly written in the plain style, earning a Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease score of 68.2. With an average grade level of 7.5, this article falls right in the reading ability range of the average American citizen. As expected for an article written in the plain style, fewer words are employed per sentence. In fact, each sentence uses an average of only 12.8 words, indicating the presence of short, simplistic sentence structure. Jargon is essentially nonexistent in this piece, and if a word is unclear, the authors define it immediately.

            Distinctio, or the practice of clarifying word meanings, makes an important appearance in “Honoring King’s Dream.” In this sentence, “in the early 1960s, segregation, or the separation of people by race, was accepted in many parts of the U.S., particularly the South,” (Abrams, Greenberg 2013) a critical piece of history is defined. Segregation, which occurred before and throughout the Civil Rights Movement, is a term that may not need to be explicitly defined for most readers. However, the inclusion of its meaning provides increased clarity and focus for the article’s audience. Simplification of ideas and well-defined understanding form the basis of typical plain style writing.

            Recognizing the intended audience for this article will also illuminate the reason as to why plain style was used. “Honoring King’s Dream” appears in Time for Kids magazine, which is intended for young readers in the upper grades of elementary school. In sixth grade, I actually read Time for Kids weekly in class. The format of the magazine is unpretentious, with news, feature articles, and cartoons spaced evenly throughout its eight-page spread. As can be imagined, Time for Kids forms an offshoot of Time magazine, which provides news with a more adult-focused informative style. I did a little investigating about the specific contributors to the article, Abrams and Greenberg. Abrams, who does not work for TFK anymore, currently serves as deputy news editor for the Columbia Spectator, a student-run newspaper at Columbia University in New York. Abrams studies at Barnard University, which is a liberal arts college for women also located in New York City. Greenberg’s resume proves much more intriguing. He works as a freelance writer and senior editor for Time, Inc. currently, but has written for Scholastic, Inc., Simon and Schuster, and Marvel Entertainment.

            Although both authors are adults, they each have a strong connection to magazine journalism. Writing for children, however, requires a certain level of patience for the simplicity of the text. Abrams and Greenberg’s motive seems clear: detail a Presidential event commemorating Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech. They do not appear to have ulterior intentions or hopes to corrupt their audience. As is expected in all writing, several rules and divisions guide the presentation of the article. Abrams and Greenberg hold a position of authority over the reader, but do not give the impression that they wish to stifle or provoke exasperation. Their brief, informative language places the reader in a status similar to that of a teacher and a student. Abrams and Greenberg serve as the instructors, while the audience plays the role of the student. This give-and-take relationship is voluntary and non-obtrusive. Something important to consider is that Abrams and Greenberg are not the ultimate authorities on this subject, though they have established some level of authority. Neither specifies whether or not they attended the event, so the audience is left to decide for itself to trust the authors. Positive wording throughout the article guides the audience towards an optimistic perspective while reading the article, which could be viewed as a subtle form of coercion.

            Like a teacher would, Abrams and Greenberg apply a couple different strategies to clarify their instruction. Exemplum, giving examples, presents itself accurately. The following sentences demonstrate this strategy by showing examples of segregation: “Black people and white people could not attend the same schools, sit next to each other on buses, or even use the same water fountains. Businesses often refused to hire people based solely on the color of their skin” (Abrams, Greenberg 2013). By defining segregation with the use of distinctio and following up with exemplum, the authors provide the audience with a strong understanding of the concept presented.

            “Honoring King’s Dream” also utilizes similar sentence structuring to make ideas easier to follow. This approach is called parallelism, and manifests itself in the example excerpt below.

“Obama told a crowd of thousands, ‘We rightly and best remember Dr. King's soaring oratory that day, how he gave mighty voice to the quiet hopes of millions.’ The president also said, “What King was describing has been the dream of every American’” (Abrams, Greenberg 2013).

            By using the same sentence structure of following the subject with a verb right away, such as the phrase “Obama said,” the authors set up a pattern for the reader to comprehend. Several other quotes in the article also use the subject as the first word in the sentence, followed by the verb. Such simplistic structuring makes comprehension of the sentence much quicker and cleaner. Using parallelism also allows Abrams and Greenberg to reduce the inclusion of passive verbs in favor of active verbs. It would be an interesting to further analyze the influence of this article if passive verbs were more prevalent, and contemplate what lead the authors to select active verbs to keep the article moving. News articles are notorious for using the passive voice, most likely because it is easier for audiences to understand versus more complex language. The authors of this article know their audience, but still encourage active involvement while reading.

            Abrams and Greenberg have a relevant, inspiring story to convey, and choosing the plain style over a different style seems to work to their advantage throughout the article. The celebration of a timeless speech by Martin Luther King Jr. requires the right amount of significance and clarity to bring across a positive, appropriate message. Such presentations like King’s can be influential to vast groups of people, and it is crucial for the speaker to understand the scope of the speech. King’s eloquence ended up contributing to a massive civil rights movement, ultimately leading to the elimination of segregation and inequality for African-Americans. Abrams and Greenberg grasp the intensity and integrity behind King’s speech, realizing that their audience depends on them to deliver an accurate, strong story. By relying on literary elements that define and elucidate the theme of the story, the authors’ ability to connect with their audience increases exponentially. “Honoring King’s Dream,” like King’s oratory itself, is a compelling example of the power of words.

By Danielle C.

Here's my Classroom, Plain and Simple

In the educational field, the importance of a developed relationship between parents and teachers has been growing. For the best student results, it is believed that the channels of communication need to be open between these two groups. And while there are several parent-teacher conferences throughout each school year, this type of interaction is too infrequent to make a difference in the everyday life of a student. Therefore, it is important for teachers to immediately establish contact with parents, and set up several channels of communication, including email, telephone, and personal letters. Many teachers believe that sending a letter home with students on the first day of class, addressed to parents, is the best way to establish this immediate contact.

          If a teacher chooses to write a letter to the parents of their students, they have multiple considerations to make. Their goal should be to come across as both professional and approachable, while also writing in a readable, yet intelligent manner. Striking this balance in writing can be extremely difficult, and failing to meet these expectations, especially for new teachers, can start off a school year on the wrong foot. And it’s not only teachers who must consider this balance while approaching a writing task, in many writing situations, including fields such as business, personnel management, and health, you are dealing with readers of varied skill who are expecting your writing to come across in this manner. In these cases, certain measures must be taken to ensure that your writing is accessible and clear. Generally speaking, writing in what is known as the plain style is one way to create this writing persona. Despite running the risk of sounding simple, it often seems that using certain elements of the plain style correctly enables a writer to find this balance between accessibility and professionalism.

However, if a beginning teacher is struggling with these types of situations, they have resources that they can rely on to assist them. For example, the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) website includes a “sample letter to parents” that teachers can use as a template. There were several different versions of this letter on WEAC’s page, and each one uses similar techniques and writing styles, and could be adapted to multiple different classrooms. Focusing on one example, we see the way these sample letters utilize the plain style to maintain readability, while also maintaining a level of intelligence and professionalism, make them an effective tool for new teachers to draw from for their own use.

         Studying this letter shows where three different levels of community in the educational system are interacting. On one side, we have an interaction between veteran teachers and new teachers, and on the other is an interaction between parents and teachers. These are both highly important relationships in an educational context. WEAC’s website is the artifact that creates the interaction between teachers, as it is a resource designed by veteran teachers for the use of other teachers, and they are pooling resources that are shared across the community. The sample letter itself is where we see the interaction between teacher and parent, as now the artifact that has been created is being used for its intended purpose, communication across two separate communities.

When studying the interaction of the veteran and new teachers, we gain a sense of collaboration and shared purpose. The letter is posted on the new teacher resources page on WEAC’s website, which demonstrates the way veteran teachers are collaborating with new teachers; they are making their experience-proven tools available for use by others. On the WEAC website there is a large amount of resources that a new teacher can access, including ideas for sample lesson plans, classroom management, and classroom organization. When a new teacher chooses to use these resources, they are aligning their goals and purpose with those of the veteran teachers. The fact they would be approaching their role in education in the same manner, through using other teachers’ techniques, implies this mindset of shared goals.

          Turning from the context behind the letter, and focusing on the artifact itself, we see that the way that teachers and parents interact in an educational setting is tough to explain, because each parent and teacher interact differently based on multiple factors. It can be assumed that the socio-economic class of the family, the educational history of the parents, the past relationships with teachers, and the student’s performance can shape each interaction in a different way. Considering this, we can never predict the relationship between a teacher and parent prior to the first actual contact, and each relationship will be different. Despite the nature of a parent-teacher relationship, every single parent has the right to be as active in their child’s education as they wish to be. To allow for that, it is important that any communication between the teacher and parent is done in a clear, professional manner. As we can not assume the educational level of any parent, a complexly written, jargon-filled letter would be of no use, as it would be denying some parents access to a role in their child’s education. The way the “sample letter to parents” uses techniques of the plain style, like active voice, concise sentence structure, and parallel sentence structure demonstrates how to write a letter that would meet the needs of all parents and students, and is an example of writing that would be clear and effective.

          Looking at the “sample letter to parents,” the first thing that is noticeable is the constant use of the active voice throughout. For example, examine the style the second paragraph is written in:

Psychology is a very demanding course. We will cover 19 chapters in 18 weeks. There will be homework assignments almost daily. Each student will need a single subject notebook, a pocket folder, blue or black pens and pencils. These materials should be brought to class every day. We cover a lot of material in one class period so locker passes will not be issued.

Each sentence utilizes only active voice, keeping the verb of the sentence directly to the right of the subject. By keeping the subject near the action of the sentence, the reader is easily able to interpret what goal the sentence has. In other words, the reader will know who is doing what in each sentence, and there is no ambiguity in the interpretation of the sentences. The paragraph avoids using techniques like appositives, participial phrases, and absolute phrases, which are ways to delay a sentence start, and add complexity and ambiguity to writing. By keeping the sentence structure simple, and active, there is no chance of losing the meaning in the sentence. Considering the parents who may be reading this letter, it would be a wise choice for a teacher to write in such a manner, because this creates a better opportunity for those with lower literacy levels to interpret the intended message of the letter.

          A second important aspect of this paragraph is the clear, concise sentences that it employs. The writer of the letter sticks to one idea per sentence, and one verb per sentence. One of the easiest ways to confuse a reader is to include multiple ideas subordinated and embedded in a sentence, which only confuses the meaning and purpose of the sentence. A standard method of embedding these ideas is through the usage of multiple verbs, either all relating to the same subject, or relating to a newly introduced subject. While these techniques can be used effectively, in a letter like the “sample letter to parents,” it makes more sense to keep your sentences simple, so that each point being made is done so in a clear way. Writing these concise sentences also helps keep the letter moving as the reader goes, and doesn’t force a reader to pause while reading to decode meaning in a sentence. In doing this, the writer is ensuring that all levels of readers are able to access the text. In the various writing situations an educator may be faced with in their career, being able to communicate clearly to all readers is the most important consideration, and using techniques that keep their writing in a more plain style makes this possible.

The letter also demonstrates effective use of parallel structure, as these techniques of the plain style hold throughout the entire letter, and only one sentence deviates away from standard subject-verb-object construction. The beginning of one paragraph uses a sentential adverb, “hopefully,” to begin a sentence, however it immediately introduces the subject after the sentential adverb. While perhaps the letter may seem overly plain due to its repetitive sentence patterns, by maintaining a similar structure, the writer again could be comfortable assuming that the message carried in each sentence is being expressed clearly. And in this instance, a clear and concise message would be valued over stylistic flair, especially considering the varied reading levels of the parents reading the letter.

          However, while the writing style is in the plain style, the letter maintains a certain level of professionalism. The writer’s obvious grasp over what they hope to say, and the explicit, clear manner it is laid out provides the sense of an author who has an understanding of their task. Based on these qualities, this “sample letter to parents” is a tool that new teachers would be wise to take advantage of as a framework to build their own letter. While I wouldn’t suggest simply cutting and pasting the information for your class into this template, I would suggest utilizing similar prose strategies in writing a letter such as this. As a writer, I would consider the ways in which all writers can use styles of plain language to make their message more clear and accessible that are presented in this letter, and consider how to adopt those strategies for my own needs. In writing situations that ask you to establish a connection with an audience of varied reading levels, higher precedence should be given to the clarity of your message, rather than creating technical, stylistic writing. However, by simply replicating what is on this sample letter, a teacher may fail to develop a letter that appropriately captures their intentions and that presents their persona as an educator correctly. And yet, for a teacher, keeping a letter in a plain, concise style, as demonstrated by this letter, will ensure that all parents reading their correspondence will be able to access the information and use it as they see fit.

By: Brandon N.

Works Cited

"Section 6: Sample Letters to Parents." Wisconsin Education Association Council, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <http://www.weac.org/professional_resources/new_teacher_resources/beg_handbook/letters.aspx>