Dealing With Words That Hurt
by Michael Sweeney, Professor; Associate Director for Graduate Studies
Is it just me, or are Americans becoming more accustomed, at an earlier age, to hearing, reading, and saying words that used to be taboo?
For a quarter-opening exercise in my JOUR 441 class, I asked each student to bring two short magazine clippings to share with the rest of class. One was to be an example of an engaging, non-inverted pyramid lead. The other was to be a bit of concrete (as opposed to abstract), “show, don’t tell,” detail.
posted in: profanities, vulgarities
September 16, 2009 | comments (0)
The Rules (and the Mysteries) of Threes
by Michael Sweeney, Professor; Associate Director for Graduate Studies
For anyone trying to improve narrative structure through parallel syntax, three is the magic number. You could say it is a virtuous triumvirate.
When you want to make a point by providing evidence, three examples are best. Two examples don’t seem satisfying, and four seem like overkill. So, if I were describing the values held dear by the tribe of my Dinka friend, John Dau, as I did when writing at home last night, I might say the Dinka believe in hard work, strong faith, and early education.
