Reasons For Writing
Reasons For Writing
Jean Paul Sartre wrote in “Why
Write?”, “Why Write? Each one has his reasons. For one, art is flight; for
another, a means of conquering. But one can flee into a hermitage, into
madness, into death. Why does it have to be writing, why does one have to
manage his escapes and conquests by writing? Because, behind the various aims
of authors, there is a deeper and more immediate choice which is common to all
of us. Writing is a way of wanting freedom.” The author answers his own
question, in that the purpose of writing could be to gain freedom. An author
can use writing as a tool to express his ideas, as well as to send a message
to the reader. The message could be in the form of sending information, asking
a question that encourages the reader to pursue the topic by expanding on it or
by taking further actions. How can writing be used effectively to send a
message?
During the past semester, the
three readings that had the affected me the most were: “I Have A Dream”, by
Martin Luther King, Jr., “The Ballot or the Bullet”, by Malcolm X, and “Among
the Condemned”, by Charles Dickens. There are two main reasons for the affect
they had on me. The first reason is the specific language that each author
used in his work. The second reason is how the authors presented the sense of
struggle in the content of their message.
When I began reading “I Have A
Dream”, the opening paragraph sparked my interest for two reasons. I was very
impressed with the language and the rhetoric he used in his speech. Martin
Luther King Jr. said, ”Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.
Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the
sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the
quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the
time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” His description of
the present status of Afro-Americans is characterized in the words: “dark”,
“desolate”, and “quicksands of racial justice”. On the other hand, the future,
as he sees it, is summarized in the words: “sunlit path of racial justice” and
“solid rock of brotherhood”. This gives me a clear message as to his viewpoint
on racial inequality. Even a hundred years before this speech took place,
Abraham Lincoln sent the same message. Abraham Lincoln, in his Annual Message
to Congress, December 1, 1862, said, “Fellow citizens, we cannot escape
history… No personal significance or insignificance can spare one or another of
us. The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honour or
dishonour to the last generation.”
The second reason, my interest
was sparked, was by the level of motivation that I felt in his words. The
words that affected me the most were stated by Martin Luther King Jr. as, “Go
back to Mississippi, and go back to Alabama. Go back to South Carolina. Go
back to Georgia. Go back to Louisiana. Go back to the slums and ghettos of
our Northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be
changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.” The motivational part
of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s quote that influenced me was the idea of
transporting his message around the country through his speech.
In “The Ballot or the Bullet”,
by Malcolm X, the same purpose was directed by each author, except in a totally
different way. Malcolm X, just like Martin Luther King, Jr., wanted to
identify and specify the racial problem that Afro-Americans face in American
society. His rhetorical style was not as rich and did not have as much
sophistication in his choice of words as that of Martin Luther King Jr..
Malcolm X said, “It’s the year when all of the white politicians will be back
in the so-called Negro community jiving you and me for some votes.” The word
“jiving”, which he used, showed that he addressed his speech to a specific kind
of audience. Throughout his speech, I felt as though anger was prevalent. He
said, “So, I’m not standing here speaking to you as an American, or a patriot,
or a flag-saluter, or a flag-waver-no, not I. I’m speaking as a victim of this
American system. And I see America through the eyes of the victim. I don’t
see any American dream; I see an American nightmare…” From this quote, he used
words like “victim” and “nightmare”, which showed the anger that he hoped would
be shared by his listeners. In both oral presentations, “I Have A Dream” and
“The Ballot or the Bullet”, the primary message of seeking immediate change was
characterized. However, the method, of reaching racial equality that each
author offered, was very different. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s method was
through peaceful means and Malcolm X’s method was to change society through
violence, if necessary.
The essay, “Among the
Condemned”, by Charles Dickens, captured my attention for two reasons. The
primary reason was the prison situation that was described in the passage. The
second reason was the dramatic narrative style that the author used. By
showing the situation in which the prisoner had less and less time to live, and
by knowing the exact time of his execution, the author kept my interest
throughout the story. While I was reading the essay, I put myself in the
situation of the prisoner. By doing this, I realized the feelings and emotions
that a prisoner has to deal with in the waning hours of his life. This is
illustrated when Charles Dickens said, “It cannot be two yet. Hark! Two
quarters have struck; the third-the fourth. It is! Six hours left.” The use of
the narrative style in “Among the Condemned”, also helped me to get a clearer
picture of the environment which surrounded the prisoner. Dickens said, “An
iron candlestick was fixed into the wall at the side; and a small high window
in the back admitted as much air and light as could struggle in between a
double row of heavy, crossed iron bars.” All the detailed descriptions that
were used by the author had an emotional and spiritual effect on me.
Struggle is the common content
in all three pieces of literature. In the first two works, we can see the
struggle of Afro-Americans for their equality in society. The essay, “Among
the Condemned”, also showed the struggle that a prisoner goes through. Another
common idea, that was exhibited in these three works, was the desire for
freedom. In the first two speeches, both speakers talked about social freedom
and in the essay, the prisoner was seeking freedom from the prison cell.
The differences between the
three works were in their purpose and in their writing style. The purpose of
the two freedom speeches was to motivate and encourage the listeners to respond
to the speech. On the other hand, the essay created a situation which encouraged
the reader feel sympathetic towards the prisoner. Due to the motivational
purpose of the speeches, the speakers used rhetoric to emphasize their
messages. Since the essay’s purpose and the situation were different from the
speeches, Dickens chose to use the narrative style for his writing.
The question “Why write?” can
have many answers. Some of the reasons for writing are: to motivate, to
inform, to educate, to influence, or to express one’s ideas. In these three
readings, I found motivation, information, education, and the expression of
ideas to be the reasons that these authors used. According to the Bible,
Revelation, Chap. 21, verse 4, the answer to the question, “Why write?”, is,
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for
the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said,
Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are
true and faithful.” No matter what the reasons are for writing, it will remain
an effective means of expression and communication. Can you imagine how
different the world would be if no one had ever found a purpose for
writing?