Reasons For Writing Jean PaulSartre wrote in Why Write Why Write? Each one has his reasons. Forone, 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 bewriting, 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 thatthe 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 sendinginformation, asking a question that encourages the reader to pursue the topicby expanding on it or by taking further actions. How can writing be used effectively to send amessage? During thepast semester, the three readings that had the affected me the most were I Condemned , by CharlesDickens. There are two main reasons forthe affect they had on me. The firstreason is the specific language that each author used in his work. The second reason is how the authorspresented the sense of struggle in the content of their message.
When I began reading I Have A Dream , the opening paragraph sparked myinterest for two reasons. I was veryimpressed with the language and the rhetoric he used in his speech.Martin Luther King Jr. said, Now is the timeto make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregationto the sunlit path of racial justice.
Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racialinjustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God schildren.His description of thepresent 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 thewords sunlit path of racial justice and solid rock of brotherhood . This gives me a clear message as to hisviewpoint on racial inequality.
Even ahundred years before this speech took place, Abraham Lincoln sent the samemessage.Abraham Lincoln, in his AnnualMessage to Congress, December 1, 1862, said, Fellow citizens, we cannot escapehistory No personal significance or insignificance can spare one or another ofus. The fiery trial through which we passwill light us down in honour or dishonour to the last generation.
The secondreason, my interest was sparked, was by the level of motivation that I felt inhis words. The words that affected methe most were stated by Martin Luther King Jr. as, Go back to Mississippi, andgo back to Alabama. Go back to SouthCarolina. Go back to Georgia. Go back to Louisiana. Go back to the slums and ghettos of ourNorthern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will bechanged.Let us not wallow in the valleyof despair.
The motivational part ofMartin Luther King, Jr. s quote that influenced me was the idea of transportinghis message around the country through his speech. In TheBallot or the Bullet , by Malcolm X, thesame purpose was directed by each author, except in a totally differentway. Malcolm X, just like Martin LutherKing, Jr wanted to identify and specify the racial problem thatAfro-Americans face in American society.His rhetorical style was not as rich and did not have as muchsophistication in his choice of words as that of Martin Luther King Jr Malcolm X said, It s the year when all ofthe white politicians will be back in the so-called Negro community jiving youand me for some votes.
The word jiving , which he used, showed that he addressed his speech to a specific kindof audience. Throughout his speech, Ifelt as though anger was prevalent.Hesaid, 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 thevictim.
I don t see any American dream I see an American nightmare From thisquote, he used words like victim and nightmare , which showed the anger thathe hoped would be shared by his listeners.In both oral presentations, I Have A Dream and The Ballot or theBullet , the primary message of seeking immediate change was characterized. However, the method, of reaching racialequality that each author offered, was very different.
Martin Luther King, Jr. s method was throughpeaceful 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 tworeasons.The primary reason was theprison situation that was described in the passage. The second reason was the dramatic narrativestyle that the author used. By showingthe situation in which the prisoner had less and less time to live, and byknowing the exact time of his execution, the author kept my interest throughoutthe story.
While I was reading theessay, I put myself in the situation of the prisoner. By doing this, I realized the feelings andemotions that a prisoner has to deal with in the waning hours of his life. This is illustrated when Charles Dickenssaid, It cannot be two yet. Hark! Two quarters have struck the third-thefourth.It is! Six hours left. The useof the narrative style in Among the Condemned , also helped me to get aclearer picture of the environment which surrounded the prisoner.
Dickens said, An iron candlestick was fixedinto the wall at the side and a small high window in the back admitted as muchair and light as could struggle in between a double row of heavy, crossed ironbars. All the detailed descriptionsthat were used by the author had an emotional and spiritual effect on me. Struggle isthe common content in all three pieces of literature.In the first two works, we can see thestruggle of Afro-Americans for their equality in society.
The essay, Among the Condemned , also showedthe struggle that a prisoner goes through. Another common idea, that was exhibited in these three works, was thedesire for freedom. In the first twospeeches, both speakers talked about social freedom and in the essay, theprisoner was seeking freedom from the prison cell. Thedifferences between the three works were in their purpose and in their writingstyle.The purpose of the two freedomspeeches was to motivate and encourage the listeners to respond to thespeech.
On the other hand, the essaycreated a situation which encouraged the reader feel sympathetic towards theprisoner. Due to the motivationalpurpose of the speeches, the speakers used rhetoric to emphasize theirmessages. Since the essay s purpose andthe situation were different from the speeches, Dickens chose to use thenarrative style for his writing.Thequestion Why write? can have many answers.
Some of the reasons for writing are to motivate, to inform, toeducate, to influence, or to expressone s ideas.In these three readings, Ifound motivation, information, education, and the expression of ideas to be thereasons 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 moredeath, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain forthe former things are passed away. Andhe that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write for these wordsare true and faithful.
No matter whatthe reasons are for writing, it will remain an effective means of expression andcommunication. Can you imagine howdifferent the world would be if no one had ever found a purpose forwriting?.