England

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...