Carillo Reading and Writing Are Not Connected Kassner and Estrem Reading practices in the Writing Classroom, ” both believed that reading and writing are the two essential skills to communicate and be successful in school. The idea that reading and writing are not connected is one of the bad ideas that people often believe. In the Reading and Writing Are Not Connected essay, Ellen Carillo explains why this is a bad idea and what she thinks is better. She feels that it is better when reading and writing are taught for students commonly. Also, under further Reading, Kassner and Estrem, “Reading Practices in the Writing Classroom” under Carillo’s essay support the idea of teaching reading and writing together for students. They both believed that reading and writing are not only connected but are also interdependent.

” Some books and pen on the table” by Debby Hudson is free to use under the Unsplash license.

Moreover, Carillo believes that it is a better idea to teach the students reading and writing simultaneously. She said, “Teaching reading and writing together will help students become more proficient in both” (Carillo 41). In other words, it allows the students to put ideas together and have critical thinking. Through this process, the student can have a broader perspective on life. By reading and writing together, students will gain knowledge of writing and reading, which will help them become better writers and readers. Kassner and Estrem also believe that reading is one way to interact with the writer. “For others, the curricular demands of a course like first-year writing leave little space for actual reading instruction, since so much attention must be paid to a host of writing needs.” (Kassner and Estrem 35). By learning how to read, students will connect ideas better. These will help better the writing of the students. They will be able to understand and write about their beliefs. 

“Students gathering the ideas” by FORTYTWO free to use under the Unplash License

 In Carillo’s essay, she thinks it is a bad idea to separate the two processes. They are not just two separate parts of the work. They are much more than that. Carillo says that reading and writing are two parts of the same whole. Through reading and writing, students can gain experience with the world around them. Students will learn about other ideas and concepts and develop new ideas by reading and writing. In Kassner and Estrem’s essay, Kassner and Estrem also agree with Carillo that Reading and writing are not two separate processes. They said that reading and writing are not only connected but also interrelated. They both believe that reading and writing are connected and interdependent. They both agree that reading and writing should be taught to students together. Reading will help the students improve their writing skills. Therefore, the three of them believe reading and writing are deeply connected.

” Many laptops for finding resources” by Marvin Meyer free to use under the Unsplash License

Furthermore, Reading and writing together will help students become more competent in writing and reading. Carillo says that “When reading and writing are taught alongside each other in the college-level classroom, students can gain practice experiencing and relishing in opportunities to create meaning not just through writing.” (Carillo 40). This is where Carillo argues to have students read and write together to improve their comprehension. Students get a lot of information from what they read from a book and other resources. Through this process, the student can have a broader perspective on life. By reading and writing together, students will gain knowledge of writing and reading, which will help them become better writers and readers. 

“A brain represent Ideas” by Fakurian Design free to use under the Unplash License

Kassner and Estrem also support Carillo that “teaching writing is closely intertwined with teaching reading, yet many are stymied by how to engage productively with reading in the classroom. ” (Kassner,Estrem 35). They support the idea of teaching reading and writing together for students. It also shows the way students should be using different reading techniques to understand and understand the writing. Reading and writing together to understand the language is a process. It is a process that will help students become better writers and readers. They will be able to understand the language better. They will be able to write more meaningfully. They will be able to understand the world around them better. They will be able to express their understanding of the world better. They will be able to develop their ideas. They will become more informed and literate (Kassner, Estrem 35). Kassner and Estrem show that reading and writing have a deep connection with each other.

“Writing on the paper” by Aaron Burden free to use under the Unsplash License

The three of the others believe that reading and writing are the best ways to teach the student commonly. These things can’t be taught separately and should be taught together. They also agree that writing and reading are two parts of the same whole. By teaching and learning the reading and writing together, students will get a broader perspective of life. They will be able to become more literate and intelligent. Reading and writing are not only connected but are also interdependent.

Word Sites ​​ 

Ellen C. Carillo. “Reading and Writing Are Not Connected,” in Bad Ideas About Writing. Edited by Cheryl E.Ball and Drew M. Loewe, 38-42. WVU Libraries, 2017 Web

https://textbooks.lib.wvu.edu/badideas/

Linda Adler-Kassner, Heidi Estrem. “Reading practices in the Writing Classroom,” from writing program administration volume 31, number 1-2, fall/winter 2007

http://162.241.207.49/archives/31n1-2/31n1-2adler-kassner-estrem.pdf

          In 1990, the dual enrollment was introduced in order to provide high school students with college class (Wilkinson, 338) It will be easier when you enter the college because you can use the credit to use for the bachelor’s degree. The most important concern is the high school in the college atmospheres. It is entirely different atmosphere than ordinary high school. Using this reasoning, the program is a bad idea for students. Most dual-enrollment classes are held on college campuses and are taught by college professors and students. Most typically, the juniors and seniors can take the college class for the credit. It is best if these students who are ready for college experience and class to do the dual-enrollment so it would aid them in long run.

        Students who succeed in their high school studies, by junior or senior year, often feel stagnate in their education. Some kids are naturally rapid learners, competent test takers and/or can retain material pretty well. All of these traits can aid in a student’s capacity to surpass their peers. To have the ability to get college curriculum early is a terrific academic choice. In research presented by the National High School Center, it is shown that that dual-enrollment programs have lowered the amount of remediation at the college level (Taczak and Thelin, 7). This opportunity can assist push pupils to continue their study It might be considered as a part of the process of transition into college. You are giving students a head starts on life. We know the ‘real world’ is nothing short of a competitive field.

        Additionally, one of the several advantages of dual enrollment is the ability to complete your college degree programs more quickly. If taken for both junior and senior year, you are only looking at 2 more years of college! Especially since the first 2 years are full of basic curriculum classes, when you finally get to college you will be able to jump straight into your degree focused programs. If done right, the dual-enrollment program can put you up for success in life. To get forward and stay ahead in your job and life is a hard and difficult undertaking. Yes, you are cutting short your “college years” and you won’t get the complete 4 years of experiencing college life. In my perspective, it is worth it. You are setting yourself apart from the competitors when you apply for a job or an internship. You are giving yourself that advantage that can place you above everyone else and secure that position.

       In addition, the college courses are offered at a lower cost which can aid families financially and yet give their child a higher education. A deciding element in high school graduates decision to not go to college can be the, ever increasing, expense. Low-income families are forced to disregard their child’s college education since tuition is out of their financial range. With dual-enrollment programs, they can have a chance at that degree. The classes are offered at a discounted price that can help college classes to become affordable. Within certain school districts, depending on conditions, the school will be able to pay for the kid to pursue the college-level courses.

     Dual enrollment is an individual preference. Which type of student are you and which type do you aspire to be? As long as you have completed high school, your high school experience and your perceptions of how the “college ready” program will affect your future will influence whether you agree with them. I’ve realized that the things that can help you stand out and achieve are eventually rewarding. How do you envision your life unfolding? Allow your dreams to serve as your motivation. You should claim control of your education in school and develop into the person you know you can be.

Kara Taczak and William H. Thelin. (Re)Envisioning the Divide: The Impact of College Courses on High School Students. The National Council of Teachers of English. September 2009. https://www.ncte.org/journals/tetyc/issues/v37-1

Caroline Wilkinson. Dual-Enrollment Writing Classes Should Always Be Pursued. Bad Ideas About Writing. West Virginia University Libraries Digital Publishing Institute Morgantown, WV. 2017.

As students are transitioning from high school to college, students learn the way they are writing is outdated. In which students won’t make it far in college if they keep using the method that is known for being used in high school. In the book Bad Ideas About Writing, author’s Bernstein and Lowry address the bad idea known as the five-paragraph essay method. 

“Writer” by Hannah Ollinger. Unsplash

Bernstein and Lowry go further into detail on the usage of the five-paragraph and explain as to why it is deemed as a bad idea. Throughout their essay Bernstein and Lowry further explain that the use of the five-paragraph essay method is not to be used as the only means of writing. “For first- year college students, the five-paragraph essay is considered to be a kind of catch-all for the would-be writer, a formula that students are often taught works for any kind of essay, on any topic, upon any occasion. Except when it doesn’t.” (Bernstein and Lowry 1), when writing an essay, a simple five paragraph essay might not always be used to appeal to readers. Because a lot of students were taught the strategy their entire school career, many will disagree and think differently. But as we grow older the simple ways of writing an essay simply will not do

Bernstein and Lowry discuss what Paulo Freire, an internationally well-regarded Brazilian educator and activist does. “According to Freire, the bank- ing model is a form of teaching and learning in which knowledge is understood to be a kind of currency that is literally deposited into students’ heads by an expert.” (Bernstein and Lowry 1). When students are taught the five-paragraph method, that is all they know so there is no way that they can know how to expand from it without being taught otherwise. Students don’t know the different and better techniques of writing because the method that educators teach/ are currently teaching is just for simplicity. “The more students work at storing the deposits entrusted to them, the less they develop the critical consciousness which would result from their intervention in the world as transformers of that world.” (Bernstein and Lowry 2) When students are just crammed with a constant influx of information it can be hard to put it to the use that it is intended for. In order to correctly store important details, it is important to make a connection to their own experiences and what’s going on around us.

A woman typing up her work on her desktop

Bernstein and Lowry explain how knowledge isn’t being transmitted correctly into the essay because of the hindrance of the five-paragraph essay method. When using the five-paragraph method, students aren’t using what they have learned, they are more like writing it down because the knowledge isn’t flowing properly into the essay as it should be. “The five-paragraph essay is widely believed to be useful in terms of making students assimilate, absorb, store, categorize, and organize new knowledge, but it is not useful in terms of getting students to actually use that knowledge creatively or critically for productive problem posing and solving.” (Bernstein and Lowry 2). Bernstein and Lowry believe that when students use the five-paragraph method to do essays, that they aren’t using the information that they learned in a fundamental way that establishes growth within their writing as well as understanding their own writing personalities. Students can’t show growth and expand in their writing if they are stuck within their own creative box whilst using said method. 

 A better idea than the five-paragraph essay format would be to write more or less than five paragraphs, as long as the student’s ideas are coming out clear and concise. When writing, students can often find themselves lacking information and try to sum up their essays within the five-paragraph method. By writing more paragraphs the students wouldn’t be limiting themselves from great success when writing their essays. Bernstein and Lowry compare the five-paragraph essay format to that of using training wheels; they should only be used as a means to start when riding a bike. The same thing goes for the use of the five-paragraph method. “Without training wheels, it may be tough to get started at the beginning of a ride, but eventually we figure out how to do it. Bumpy rides may pose a challenge, but they make us resilient.” (Bernstein and Lowry 3). A student can also write less than five paragraphs and still bring their points in their essay.

Front view portrait of two students showing failed and passed exam grades

The five-paragraph essay format shouldn’t be used in college, because students should know that they are able to write more or less than that. Students shouldnt limit themselves when writing essays in college. Bernstein and Lowry made key points on the negative effects of using the five-paragraph method and that it will only hinder students in the long run. It was only meant for starting off when writing, not a definitive way of writing. In order to show growth, the students must break free from the recommendation of only five paragraphs and push themselves to form better ideas and to no long limit themselves.

Work Cited

 Susan Naomi Bernstein and Elizabeth Lowry “The Five Paragraph Essay Transmits Knowledge” Bad Ideas About Writing, Edited by Cheryl E. Ball and Drew M. Loewe West Virginia Libraries 2017 pp. 214-218

WorkThe argument that bad grammar habits stem from digital technology is just the most recent of what professor Harvey Daniels call “language panics.” The idea of language panics is “the assertion that new forms of communication signal the end of the world.” (Warnock. 302) With help from linguist Josef Fruehwald, Scott Warnock presents a better idea about textism. Simply that there is no correlation between texting and grammar skills and that students know when to differentiate. They believe students can identify that writing is literary while texting is a form of communication. There have always been complaints about bad grammar skills in teens being linked to digital communication. This is a bad idea not only because there has never been any accurate science behind the theory but because times change, and language evolves with it. In the article “Texting ruins students grammar skills” Scott Warnock debunked some of these theories and offers a better idea about writing.  Continue reading →

  Research Project

                  The topic I have chosen to do my research on is “ First-Year Composition Should Be Skipped” by Paul G. Cook. The author in this essay is basically trying to explain the pros and cons on why first year composition is important or not important for students to take and what parents think regarding if their child should take the class or not. First Year Composition is the first college English class for students to take. It basically goes over everything you were taught in high school for students to refresh their writing skills and be prepared for other college classes.

                  Cook briefly explains in his essay about First year composition and is the class worth taking it and putting your time and effort in it. He also talks about the questions he has got from parents regarding if the class is worth spending their money on and their kids’ time. Cook also tells us about “Most institutions offer incoming students a way to skip or test out of FYC if they perform well enough on a placement exam.” Meaning that if they do well on the placement test they don’t have to take the class and waste their own money or their parents on it. First year composition classes are not cheap to pay for so this is a great advantage for students who can’t afford to pay that much for the class. Cook also explains that “Students in FYC also receive one-on-one coaching that they are not likely to get in other classes.” Which means the professor is putting more focus on the student to help them do better, which won’t be the case in other college classes. FYC also helps students get familiar with college classes and what to expect for future classes that they are going to have to take.

                       In conclusion, this class worth taking will depend on the students if They think they are not ready for college and just want to get familiar with them then this is an amazing option. If they can’t afford to spend money, a placement test would be the best way for them. Overall Cook gives good details on how the class can be important for students to take and what ways it could help the student.

From generation to generation, educators have been blaming technology for ruining students’ grammar. In “Texting Ruins Students’ Grammar Skills,” Scott Warnock argues that theirs is no actual proof that digital writing ruins students’ grammar and that people who voiced their opinions all have different meanings of grammar. While in “Why Johnny Can’t Write,” Merrill Sheils argues that television and classroom creativity is the reason students don’t have any writing skills. Even though both writings take place in different time frames, they do have common solutions which are to help rediscover what grammar is. Educators need to reconsider what grammar means and how to pass it on to students because each person has their own perception of how to write, this may mean going back to the basics.

Grammar between teachers and students can be classified as different things. In “Texting Ruins Students’ Grammar Skills,” Warnock quotes Robin Zeff, which says his students only see writing as something they do for class, and anything else are modes for talking (Warnock, 306). Educators can start with coming to common grounds with what grammar is and how to properly teach it. With everyone’s different ideas of what grammar is, it can be hard to teach without hindering a student’s learning process. English professors Kenneth Lindblom and Patricia from Warnock’s essay and Linguist Suzette Elgin from Sheils article all agree that teaching “right from wrong” in English can leave traces of bad habits in students’ English, especially when there is no agreement upon what is “right.” It will be damaging in the long run to have all these misconstrued ideas about what English is.

In his essay, Warnock doesn’t really give the effects of not getting taught English properly, but Sheils does. From the very beginning of her article, she tells her readers that whatever grade a child is in, they will go to the next grade less likely to write ordinary, including college graduates. Back in 1975 writing skills were needed for a job just as much as they are needed now. Michigan State University considered that they would need a test for undergraduates to make sure they had literacy skills because these students would soon become teachers and such. Researchers had discovered that more than 50 percent of secondary English school teachers did not specialize in English during their college years (Sheils, 3). It was imperative then, and now, that English teachers—or others that fall into the subject—make sure their students leave their classrooms with a full grasp of what they have learned. Although today it doesn’t seem like students don’t have a hard time transitioning from digital writing and formal writing in school.

It would be like code-switching for students today when they go from texting to writing. As much as certain people who think texting interferes with students’ grammar, there has been no proof whatsoever. Warnock uses writing researcher Michaela Cullington’s research on the matter to prove this point, “texting is not interfering with students’ use of standard written English,” (Warnock, 305). The same people who think it’s texting that is ruining students’ grammar are just unfamiliar with how they text, so they immediately go into a mode where they think it’s a problem. Warnock suggests that in reality this new generation of “screenagers,” may be the most literate and that instead of trying to patronize this generation for their shortcut texting, criticizing people should embrace how humans adapt to a new reality.

As much as old generations want to accuse technology of tarnishing the new generation of students’ grammar it will always be false. The problem starts with blaming the forms of technology, and it is damaging to students when taught as such. A lot has improved since the 1975 Newsweek article “Why Johnny Can’t Write,” because of teachers making better curriculums since then. Current educators should have no worry about how good students’ grammar is, but rather get on the same page about what grammar is and teach it in unison.

Works Cited

Warnock, Scott “Texting Ruins Students’ Grammar Skills” Bad Ideas About Writing. Edited by Cheryl E. Ball and Drew M. Loewe, West Virginia University Libraries, 2017, pgs. 301-307 https://textbooks.lib.wvu.edu/badideas/badideasaboutwriting-book.pdf 

 Sheils, Merrill. “Why Johnny Can’t Write.” Newsweek, 8 Dec. 1975, https://www.leetorda.com/uploads/2/3/2/5/23256940/why_johnny_cant_write__newsweek_1975___1_.pdf

                In Bad Ideas about Writing, an essay called “African American Language is not good English,” by Jennifer M. Cunningham, disputes the false perception of the African American language seen as English. The term “African American Language” has had multiple terms such as Ebonics, African American English, Black English, and many more. The bad idea is the African American language is not good English, but the better idea Cunningham and Mike Vuolo who has an article called “Is Black English A Dialect or A Language?” present it as its own language. To begin we must analyze the facts of how it is its own language.

                Cunningham explains that “African American language combines English vocabulary (the words used) with an African grammar (the way the words are ordered and conjugated) and phonology (the way the words are pronounced)” (Cunningham, 88). The article “Is Black English A Dialect or A Language?” by Mike Vuolo also presents a similar statement that the African American language has a unique and different pattern from standard English. Both authors agree on the fact that the African American language cannot be considered bad English because it is not linguistically speaking English. An example Cunningham shows of the differences between the two are some of the linguistic principles of the language changes a pronounced th sound with a /d/ producing dis, dat, dese, and dose creating the words in standard English, this, that, these, and those (Cunningham, 90). Cunningham followed up her example by stating that the reasoning behind this was that the th sound is difficult to pronounce for those where English is not their first language. 

                A question then arises how does this correlate to African Americans born in the country, and English is their first language? Why is the African American language so commonly and widely used? Mike Vuolo states from Walter Wolfram that “the number one attribute of “acting white” was “speaking white,” talking white” (Vuolo,1). “Talking white” in this context is using standard English, which causes an identify factor to play a role. The correlation that Wolfram makes is that when African Americans are learning standard English, it becomes a social decision because standard English is associated with “talking white”, and one naturally wouldn’t want to disenfranchise themselves to their community. An example in “African American Language is not good English,”  shows two phrases with the same meaning but different sentence structures. “I aint got no time” (African American Language) is equivalent to “I don’t have any time” in standard English. Leading back to Cunningham’s statements on the th sound being difficult to pronounce for those whose English is not their first language could be a social decision for African Americans not because they can’t pronounce the sound, but they choose to pronounce otherwise for social acceptance.  

                In the article “Is Black English A Dialect or A Language?” Vuolo states that the school board acknowledged that African American kids came to school speaking a language other than standard English. Vuolo agreed with the school board’s proposal which was to use those kids’ language in the classroom to “transition” them to standard English. Cunningham had a similar solution because she stated in her essay “When we focus on the ways that African American Language and Standard American English are different, communicators are able to better understand, acquire, and switch between both, and society is more capable of recognizing the validity of the language and its users” (Cunningham, 91).  Both solutions are connected with the better idea that the African American language is not English because then it would be verifying or acknowledging the language as its own and its users.

                Having the school board have to make a proposal is related to a term Vuolo used called Principle of Linguistic Subordination which means “If a people are socially subordinated then their language will almost always be as well” (Vuolo,1). There were those who disapproved of the school board proposal such as Mario Cuomo and Joseph Liberman. Both agreed that “it is a lowering of the bar” as Cuomo says and It wouldn’t properly educate a person which shows that they too practice this principle because even the political parties felt that the language was a lesser form of English.

                Cunningham and Vuolo both come to the same conclusion the language has its own sets of rules and principles to be considered a separate language to English. By recognizing African American language as its own language, even if it is a social decision, it could be incorporated in the education system as a reference educators can use to transition students who use the African American language into standard English. As Cunningham thoroughly explains “In the writing classroom, teachers can help students navigate Standard American English expectations while not suggesting a linguistic hierarchy. By speaking about language choices in terms of difference rather than deficiency and in relation to academic and non-academic conventions, we can value both (or any) languages” (Cunningham, 91).

Works Cited

Cunningham, M, Jennifer. “AFRICAN AMERICAN LANGUAGE IS NOT GOOD ENGLISH” In Bad Ideas About Writing. Edited by Edited by Cheryl E. Ball and Drew M. Loewe,88-92. Web. https://textbooks.lib.wvu.edu/badideas/badideasaboutwriting-book.pdf

Vulo, Mike. “Is Black English a Dialect or a Language?” 27 February 2012. http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/lexicon_valley/2012/02/lexicon_valley_is_black_english_a_dialect_or_a_language_.html

In competitive environments there will always be those who attempt to rise to the top through deception, some will do so successfully, some will stumble and fall. The academic sphere is no different, plagiarism as well as other forms of cheating are commonly viewed by most of society as a large issue in college education. Many academic institutions have very little tolerance for plagiarism and are quick to discipline students for perceived academic misconduct. This opens a deep multifaceted issue regarding plagiarism and begs the questions: “What should constitute plagiarism?”, “When should and shouldn’t plagiarism be punished?”, and “What measures should be taken to prevent plagiarism?”. 

In the Bad Ideas About Writing book, Jennifer A. Mott-Smith discusses in her essay “Plagiarism Deserves to be Punished” a bad idea about writing, which is that plagiarism should always be punished. The Council of Writing Program Administrators (WPA), a national association of college and university faculty, and Malcolm Gladwell, a journalist personally impacted by plagiarism, echo Mott-Smith’s idea that plagiarism shouldn’t always be punished. A better idea about writing is that unless plagiarism is directly copying information word for word from a source without attempting to cite the source it should be examined on a case by case basis and determined if there was malicious intent on the student’s behalf. It is important to consider various factors when examining plagiarism such as cultural factors, misunderstanding on the student’s part of what constitutes plagiarism, lack of knowledge on how to cite sources, or clumsy integration of ideas. In some cases there might not be malicious intent on the student’s part, as opposed to punishment for plagiarism, more education about writing and citation conventions would be beneficial.

 “Copy stock photo” by PashaIgnatov. iStock.

Firstly, it is important to define what plagiarism is before analyzing what the appropriate responses to plagiarism are. The Council of Writing Program Administrators defines plagiarism as “when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its source.” (“Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices.”, 1). It is important to point out that the WPA distinguishes the difference between plagiarism and the misuse of sources. If a student makes a good faith effort to cite a source but inadequately cites the source, that is not plagiarism. However, according to the WPA, a student who is “fully aware that their actions constitute plagiarism” and claims someone else’s ideas as their own original ideas and/or copies someone else’s writing is guilty of academic misconduct. This stance is similar to Jennifer A. Mott-Smith’s stance in her essay “Plagiarism Deserves to be Punished”. Mott-Smith states “unless plagiarism is out-and-out cheating, like cutting and pasting an entire paper from the Internet or paying someone to write it, we should be cautious about reacting to plagiarism with the intent to punish.” (251) The consensus across both sources is that if an idea, section of text, or other intellectual material was taken from a source and no attempt was made to cite the source, and/or permission was not granted by the owner of the intellectual material, then plagiarism has taken place. 

Now that it has been established what exactly constitutes plagiarism, it is important to investigate in which circumstances instances of plagiarism should be punished. Mott-Smith and the WPA both agree that unintentional plagiarism or inadequate source use should not be punished, the proper response in this scenario would be providing further education for the student to teach them to cite sources properly. To prevent unintentional plagiarism the WPA recommends for faculty to “design contexts and assignments for learning that encourage students not simply to recycle information but to investigate and analyze its sources” (“Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices.”, 1) and “to include in [the] syllabus a policy for using sources … that clearly explains the consequences of both plagiarism .. and the misuse …  of sources.” (“Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices.”, 1) Mott-Smith corroborates the WPA’s stance by stating that “for much plagiarism, a better response is to just relax and let writers continue to practice the sophisticated skill of using sources.” (Mott-Smith, 251) The WPA also recommends the creation of an honor board to hear plagiarism cases and to teach all students proper citation conventions and expectations. 

 “Person Stealing Purse From Handbag” by Andrey Popov. iStock

What about in cases of intentional plagiarism? This is a morally ambiguous question. In the article “Something Borrowed” by Malcolm Gladwell, he discusses how plagiarism personally impacted his life and the life of a friend of his, Dorothy Lewis. A British playwright, Bryony Lavery, had written a play called “Frozen” about a psychiatrist who specializes in the study of murderers. In the play, Lavery had included many scenes that were very similar to case studies in Lewis’s book, “Guilty by Reason of Insanity.” Lavery had also verbatim quoted from a magazine profile of Lewis that Gladwell had written while Lavery was creating the character for the psychiatrist in her play without Lewis’s or Gladwell’s permission. Lavery in her meeting with Gladwell stated that she didn’t have malicious intent in plagiarizing their work, she stated that she didn’t know it was necessary to ask permission and cite them as sources. 

This is undeniably plagiarism, although without ill intent, but is this a breach of ethics for which Lavery should be punished? Lewis felt that Lavery should be punished, her viewpoint can be summarized as “I was sitting at home reading the play, and I realized that it was I. I felt robbed and violated in some peculiar way. It was as if someone had stolen—I don’t believe in the soul, but, if there was such a thing, it was as if someone had stolen my essence.” (Gladwell, 1) However, Gladwell felt differently. Gladwell felt that Lavery had copied descriptions of Lewis’s work and the outline of Lewis’s life to create a new and original play, Lavery hadn’t copied musings, or conclusions, or structure. Gladwell states that “old words in the service of a new idea aren’t the problem. What inhibits creativity is new words in the service of an old idea,” (Gladwell, 1) Gladwell’s mindset is that plagiarism, although distasteful, shouldn’t be punished if it was used to create something new and original, as that would inhibit creativity. According to the WPA’s guidelines, this would be considered plagiarism since Lavery did not make any attempt to give credit to her sources of inspiration and claimed it as her work, so Lavery is liable for repercussions. But, the WPA and Mott-Smith also state that in cases where a person doesn’t have ill intentions it is more effective to educate them on proper source use than to discipline them. So, it would be most effective to educate Lavery on conventions as opposed to a lawsuit.

In conclusion, Malcolm Gladwell, the WPA, and Jennifer Mott-Smith all agree that although plagiarism is a serious issue, improper citation of sources and unintentional plagiarism should not be punished if the student made an good-faith effort to attribute credit and did not have malicious intent. Gladwell takes it further by proposing that intentional plagiarism shouldn’t be punished if it is without malicious intent, isn’t excessive, and is used to make something new and creative. Mott-Smith points out that “citation standards vary widely and are often in the eye of the beholder.” (Mott-Smith, 251) The WPA and Mott-Smith both agree that it is better to educate students on expected citation and writing conventions as opposed to punishing them unless the plagiarism is blatant and ill intended.

Works Cited:

“Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices.” Council of Writing Program Administrators, 30 Dec. 2019, wpacouncil.org/aws/CWPA/pt/sd/news_article/272555/_PARENT/layout_details/false.

Gladwell, Malcolm. “Something Borrowed.” The New Yorker, 15 Nov. 2004, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/11/22/something-borrowed.

Mott-Smith, Jennifer, editor. “Plagiarism Deserves to Be Punished.” Bad Ideas About Writing, Morgantown, WV, Digital Publishing Institute, 2017, pp. 247–52.

In her essay “Strunk and White Set the Standard,” Laura Lisabeth discusses the limitations of The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White. The Elements of Style is a popular reference book on Standard English that can trace its roots back to 1918. However, Strunk and White’s style of English “marginalizes the identities, knowledge, and being of many people who come from other literacy practices” (Lisabeth 118). An alternative to Strunk and White’s style of English is the idea of “understanding Standard Academic English as a historically formed, culturally specific language among many other languages (Lisabeth 119). Only by first understanding there is a problem, can we begin to address it.

“Everyday English Book” by Ivan Shilov. Unsplash.

While The Elements of Style has remained popular for decades, it is not without its detractors. Even in 1959 “… The Elements of Style was greeted with criticism by the field of college composition for being vague and misleading about the complex act of learning to compose academic writing” (Lisabeth 117). Professor Lisabeth herself excoriates “the kind of writing Strunk and White put forth as good writing” as a discourse that limits and excludes (Lisabeth 118). Feagin discusses Shirley Heath’s Ways with Words epilogue where changes in the schools which have eliminated the possibility of creative teaching have discouraged teachers to the point that many are leaving the field (Feagin 491). These criticisms suggest there is room for improvement and flexibility in Standard Academic English.

In understanding Standard Academic English as one culturally specific language among many other languages, then its criticisms, what is a better system? “Sociolinguists point to the ways English is already operating as a flexible medium, repurposed by American users to include, for example, Black and Latinx variations and the language and punctuation of social media, all of which expand the expressiveness of English and make it relevant to more users” (Lisabeth 118-119). A better system encourages flexibility and creativity to fully bring out the identities and knowledge of the people using the language. This system would not be limited to a personal capacity; “access to such uses of language can help many emerging academic writers to develop more competence and to perform better in school as they capitalize on existing meaningful ways of expressing knowledge” (Lisabeth 119). Therefore, students can also benefit professionally. Feagin, through Heath, discusses the value of this better system in helping teachers “deal with non-mainstream children from Roadville- and Trackton-like communities who were having trouble in school and gives examples of projects which worked in that particular population” (Feagin 491). The better system did not marginalize or trivialize the identities and cultures of the non-mainstream children, but rather included them and was enhanced by their uniqueness.

“White Printer Paper” by Toa Heftiba. Unsplash.

In conclusion, while The Elements of Style by Strunk and White has been widely taught for many decades, it is not the only possible style of Standard Academic English nor the best. By recognizing English as a constantly evolving language rather than something rigid and exclusive, we can understand there are better systems. Feagin corroborates this by saying “we need such an extended work [A Way with Words] to show us how ignorant we are of the people around us” (Feagin 491). Then, comes the important steps of bringing that awareness and teaching those better, inclusive systems to the next generation of students. After all, they will be the ones to inherit the English language and enhance it in ways we could never imagine. As Professor Lisabeth states “these networked ways of writing, along with social-media inspired ways of thinking about punctuation, continue to explode definitions for what constitutes meaningful language and educated English” (Lisabeth 119).

Works Cited

1.) Lisabeth, Laura. “Strunk and White Set the Standard.” Digital Publishing Institute, 2017. Bad Ideas About Writing E-book, https://textbooks.lib.wvu.edu/badideas/badideasaboutwriting-book.pdf#page=128.

2.) Feagin, Crawford. Language, vol. 61, no. 2, Linguistic Society of America, 1985, pp. 489–93, https://doi.org/10.2307/414163.