WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

 

Throughout history and even more so in the present with the heightened use of e-mail, the written word is very important. In a typical high school setting students are required only to write in an English class. At New Tech High students are required to write for each of their classes having to write up the information gathered in math and science to writing essays and projects for history.

 

This is a paper I wrote for my English class. I feel this shows my writing skills because I spent significant time on writing it and I feel that it accurately shows my writing potential. For this paper I was to use different factors, as in quality of writing, links to American Dream, American Ideals, and influence on later writing to determine whether this particular author was a great American author.

 

Determination

The art of word is one thing that has been evident throughout history. There have been countless amounts of writers with countless amounts of stories. The question we were to focus on is whether an author is a great author. It was difficult to determine what makes an author good or not, and finally we narrowed it down to specific things in specific categories. In use of this we decided that John Steinbeck, is one of the greatest American authors. He was able to convey the American ideals, American dream, and impact on literature all with the use of quality writing that ultimately is unforgettable. A specific example of one of Steinbeck’s greatest work is the book, Of Mice and Men.
One important quality of a great American author is they must produce the image of America in their work. Steinbeck lived in Salinas, California and many of his books are set around this area. Steinbeck not only has his characters there but also has the area take on its own form. His books, famous for his extensive descriptions, are so much more than can be explained. In most of his books Steinbeck describes the surrounding area so that one is to get a crisp, clear image of the surroundings. The person reading the book will quickly understand where the character is, but may have to think a bit more to realize that it is common in Steinbeck’s book to use the land as an important factor in each character’s life. In Of Mice and Men George and Lenny are two men trying to find their perception of the American dream, in their search they illustrate many of the American ideals as well. These two qualities the ultimate factor in what decides the great American author. George and Lenny are in a hunt to find work so that they can get their own lace to live and have a nice life. This is the typical American dream in which George holds. Lenny is along for the ride wanting nothing more then his dream, of bunnies. There was no need to search for the qualities of the American dream in this book because the whole storyline followed concurrently with this idea. The American ideals were not clearly defined and shown, but they were very evident in many underlining factors.
Another section of a great American author is the impact they had on literature. We felt that John Steinbeck had a great impact on literature. His writing style is evident in all of his books and is not easily confused with that of another writer. Steinbeck was the first recognized author to use such great description throughout his novel, as well as his style in which he carries his characters. Many of his characters are in the lower class with not much money or property. They are all in search of the better life and go through many struggles to achieve that. This differs from previous authors because it was not the type of story that left someone with a good feeling and his stories had many underlying tones of political views for the lower class. Many authors before his time were aimed at those readers of a higher class. As well as this, in some of his books he shifts from different relating stories. This is a new idea also because authors were expected before to have a complete story that is easily translatable. Many authors following Steinbeck took this style into their own writing. Finding more depressed characters, characters that didn’t have the finer qualities in life.
The last and somewhat objectionable section of the great American author is the quality of writing. This is objectionable because many people would have different views on what is quality writing. According to the standards set by my group, John Steinbeck has great quality in his writing. This was defined as “The writing is laid out properly and is clearly organized in their themes and has a constant style.” John Steinbeck’s style is not only constant throughout the book but is found in all of his varying books. Though the organization may be hard to distinguish at first, it can be seen clearly and is very organized once the organization is discovered. Steinbeck’s writing is always clear and precise in the message prearranged. This element is useful in writing because it leaves the reader not trying to figure out the style but instead taking in the meaning of the story. Overall, Steinbeck is a timeless author who helped inspired many writers after his time. He was very focused in creating characters that lacked the American dream but still held American ideals. All of his characters are in a search for their own version of the American dream.

 

This is an opening statement for a mock trial that I participated in, in my American studies course. I feel this is one of my best pieces of work. I became very involved in this project and treated it as if it were a real case. This piece of writing I spent a lot of time and thought on to make it as effective as possible.

 

Opening Statement

Over the course of history the United States has proven itself to be unreliable. The United States has broken every single treaty it has ever signed. Today the prosecution will be providing you with just a few instances of this unreliability. Despite the fact that these are just a few examples, they have been of the most horrendous nature. On August 6th 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. More than 65,000 people were injured, suffering from radiation heat burns, mechanical injuries from flying debris, and radiation poisoning. This bomb killed of 53% of the cities’ population. This one bomb killed more than 130,000 men, women, and children.
Today you will hear from Evan Cronin and Roger Johnson, two historic law experts. They will share with you their knowledge of the varying agreements that the United States participates in. They will also be testifying based on their study, whether or not the United States has fulfilled the agreements.
Next you will hear from Art Vandolay a qualified and long-time physicist. He has devoted much of his career to study the atomic bomb and the effects it had. Art will testify to the different long term and immediate effects the bomb had on the citizens of Hiroshima.
You will also hear from Tommy Chow, a man that survived the many forms of destruction that were all around him when the bomb hit. He will share his reactions and explain the effects that the bomb had on him and his life after.
Jay Mechling and Nanami Uda, who are experts in the area of American and Japanese culture and war, will testify that the strategies America used to bomb Hiroshima were unjust and took no consideration for the lives of those not affiliated with the military.
Lastly you will hear from Robert Oppenheimer, Chief of the Manhattan Project. He will testify that those who were involved in this project had such lack of concern for humanity that many of them had a pool on whether or not dropping the atomic bomb would ignite the atmosphere and destroy the whole world.
Ladies and Gentlemen, when you leave this court you will know a number of things. First you will know the damage inflicted on the people of Hiroshima was not only horrific, but also unimaginable. Secondly you will know how the United States disregarded many agreements and laws in the production and use of the atomic bomb. Lastly, you will become keenly aware of the dramatic effects that a single bomb brought upon those of Hiroshima and the rest of the world. When you leave this court there will be no doubt that America committed an extreme injustice.