A Way to Express Yourself

Writings are known as activities or skills of marking coherent words on paper and composing text. Throughout history we have seen different types of writing, whether it is a poem, an essay, a short story or editorial writing. Writing began as a tool that would establish order to facilitate agriculture, calendaring, and business. The invention of writing can also be referred to as “the painting of the voice.” Literary language uses rhetorical figures that imply new meanings of the given message. Over time we see that writing evolves and changes with new ideas and different perspectives. In each period of time you can see how writing is the most important thing because without it, nothing will be remembered and it will be lost. Writing helped many creative people to express themselves even more because with the help of writing many people became famous because they had written very interesting poems or stories that caught a lot of attention of the audience. Nowadays many people express themselves in different ways when they write and this suggests that writing plays an important role in the lives of many. 

All 4 chosen texts use different strategies to capture the audience’s attention. Theme for English B by Langston Hughes uses irony and alliteration, Mother Tongue by Amy Tan uses target audience and context, Why I Write by Joan Didion uses impactful sentences and irony, and On Her Own Work by Flannery O’Connor enhances the mood and atmosphere of the story. 

Theme for English B by Langston Hughes is a monologue about a twenty-two year old black student that attends Columbia University in New York City. His English professor gives him an assignment; to write a page that is “true” to himself. This assignment later raises questions about race, belonging and identity. As the speaker tries to solve these puzzles he concludes an argument against American racism; Black people and White people should not be separated or distinct because they are part of each other. The author expresses himself better when he needs to write because as it was mentioned the main character is 22, but at that time the author was 50 years old. It can be implied that the author throughout the years realized that all men should be equal and not unequal. Mother Tongue by Amy Tan is about growing up as a Chinese-American and how her mother’s limited English influenced her own language development. It explains how her mother’s way of speaking English was often prejudiced and condescending (a forced kindness born from the feeling of superiority towards another person). A lot of people didn’t think much of her mother’s ideas and she was treated like she wasn’t a smart person because of her language. This helped the author understand the importance and power of language because it shapes one’s identity and opportunities. Tan shows us with different illustrations the complicated relationship with her mother’s English. She would see it as an obstacle but then she realized that it was a valuable and unique form of communication that represents the emotions and cultural expression of an individual. The language allowed her to connect with her mother on a deeper level. Why I Write by Joan Didion is an essay that reflects the motivations and inspiration for the author to keep writing, it analyzes the reflective analysis of the creative process. The Author makes us profound deeper into the personal and sometimes difficult reasons behind her writing and it serves as a tool for self-expression, communication, and understanding. It also highlights the complication of storytelling and observation, but it also offers the readers a glimpse of the inner works of the writer’s mind. This essay reveals the transformative power of writing to understand the world and oneself. Her Own Work by Flannery O’Connor is about her detailed exploration of unique style, it delves into the use of grotesque characters (induce both empathy and disgust) in the narrative. It often serves for deeper moral and spiritual truths. She also reflects on the significance of religious symbolism and it also illustrates how faith and grace is very important and affects the success of the shaping of her storytelling. She also discusses the influence of the Southern Gothic genre on her writing, focusing attention on the macabre and deeply atmospheric elements that build her stories. This reflective essay helps us have a perspective of her creative mind and it reveals the profound depths of her literary vision.

Theme for English B by Langston Hughes is a monologue about a twenty-two year old black student that attends Columbia University in New York City. His English professor gives him an assignment; to write a page that is “true” to himself. This assignment later raises questions about race, belonging and identity. As the speaker tries to solve these puzzles he concludes an argument against American racism; Black people and White people should not be separated or distinct because they are part of each other. The author expresses himself better when he needs to write because as it was mentioned the main character is 22, but at that time the author was 50 years old. It can be implied that the author throughout the years realized that all men should be equal and not unequal. Something that struck me about this poem when I first read it is that I thought the author was still in his 20s, but later I was informed that he was already in his 50s. This led me to analyze that he used this to attract a larger audience and so that they could see in detail the problems that were happening in the year the poem was published. At this time there was still a lot of racism and discrimination towards people of color. Many African-Americans used writing to be able to express themselves more and to make many understand what was being done and destroyed based on the discrimination that existed at that time. Based on the author’s experience, he has already experienced many situations of discrimination for trying to revive African-American culture through literature. He was considered one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance. An article by Malik Windsor states, “Black literature helps the world understand the challenges and triumphs experienced by Black people through storytelling…Black literature is genuine storytelling comprised of Black experiences, Black identities, and Black voices. Books authored by Black individuals are more likely to eschew biases and stereotypes. They are also less likely to exoticize Black bodies. Not only tales of Black struggle and racism, but Black literature also celebrates the wholeness of the Black experience.” (Windsor, 2022). This makes us look further into how African Americans used literature as a place to express what they really felt and recognize their voices and identities. At the same time that they used it to not lose their culture, they also used it to make their audience see the struggles of racism, stereotypes and prejudices that many people have about them. An Article called The Power of Writing for Social Causes and Issues states that “Writing has the power to bring attention to important social issues, mobilize communities, and inspire change. Throughout history, writers have used their words to challenge dominant narratives, elevate marginalized voices, and create a more just and equitable society.” (AIContentfy, 2023). It states that in history the power of writing helped change people’s minds and helped draw attention to many problems that needed to be solved. Over time, writers have developed the ability to understand more of the basics of problems and the ability to figure out what needs to be done to fix them. Hughes’s poem is a good example of how literature helped a lot of people to express themselves and to communicate to society the answers to the problems that are occurring in the world. 

Mother Tongue by Amy Tan shows us that Tan would see her mom’s English as an obstacle but then she realized that it was a valuable and unique form of communication that represents the emotions and cultural expression of an individual. The language allowed her to connect with her mother on a deeper level. This essay makes it clear that many people cannot communicate the way they want due to the language barrier. It affects how people look at that individual because now their ideas or thoughts will not be of as much importance. In the article, Tan describes to us that her mother “reads the Forbes report, listens to Wall Street Week, converses daily with her stockbroker, reads all of Shirley MacLaine’s books with ease” (Tan, 1990) We are all experts on something, but sometimes it cannot be recognized by society due to lack of expression and often language. The author teaches us that in her childhood she could not express herself the way she wanted, but she began to write and learn more. This helped her to be able to communicate easily with someone and she learned to think in a different way which helped her a lot in choosing her career of becoming a book author. In an article called The Stages of Writing Development in Early Childhood states that: “Learning to write allows young children to express their thoughts, ideas, and emotions in a tangible and meaningful way. It helps them develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and spatial awareness.” (Brightwheel, 2023) Children should be taught to write because they can express themselves more and over time they will have no problem expressing what they think and what they feel in an important way. It also helps them to think more logically over time and develop even more than the average child. Another article by LLS, English shows that: “The ability to write clearly and concisely is key to expressing yourself in the English language. Writing well gives you the skills to be able to express yourself more fully and effectively in speech. Writing helps you think more logically, which can help you structure your ideas better in conversation.” (English, 2024) This gives the clear reason why it is necessary to learn to express yourself through writing. It will help to have better structures about anything and the ideas will not be limited because they will be more creative and more effective throughout a conversation. Author Tan’s concept moves more into how her relationship with her mother improved through the understanding that was developed over time and how writing played a very important role in the decisions the author made towards her books and her expressions towards her audience and towards her mother.

Why I Write By by Joan Didion highlights the complication of storytelling and observation, but it also offers the readers a glimpse of the inner works of the writer’s mind. This essay reveals the transformative power of writing to understand the world and oneself. 

This article makes us understand more about the author and how writing has changed her life. The quote that she used underneath the title unlocks different perspectives about what the author is procrastinating. “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means.” (Didion, 2021). There have been times when we very quickly forget the thoughts we had and lose very important ideas we had. Over time, writing was also used to remember what was established and add more context to the ideas given by people. An Article named How Writing Makes Me More Expressive Than Speaking states that: “I believe writing is the most effective way to share feelings. Through careful choice of words, I could convey feelings to others without being offensive or intrusive, which often happens in speaking, because words that are spoken out cannot be retracted.” (Nguyen, 2019). It makes a clear perspective of how writing takes more time, but the result is better because it gives more meaning to what is being talked about. The writing gives a more prominent result and makes the audience understand the author’s perspective and be more interesting in different aspects of writing. An article written by Andrea N. Niles it describes the: “Young adult participants (N = 116) were randomly assigned to write for 20 minutes on four occasions about deepest thoughts and feelings regarding their most stressful/traumatic event in the past five years…Within the expressive writing group, participants high in expressiveness evidenced a significant reduction in anxiety at three-month follow-up, and participants low in expressiveness showed a significant increase in anxiety.” (Effects of Expressive Writing on Psychological and Physical Health: The Moderating Role of Emotional Expressivity, 2014) This research shows the result of how writing helps the mentality of someone who is battling anxiety and depression. It also makes us distinguish how the lack of expression affects the person’s anxiety levels. Writing is a tool that can be used to de-stress the mind and is often recommended by psychologists. Didion’s article shows how a writer becomes a writer, it specifies why she writes and what is her motivation. It indicates that writing is something very important in a person’s life because writing is part of the foundation that builds the way we think, act and feel. 

Her Own Work by Flannery O’Connor discusses the influence of the Southern Gothic genre on her writing, focusing attention on the macabre and deeply atmospheric elements that build her stories. It focuses on the perspective of her creative mind and it reveals the profound depths of her literary vision. The article talks more about the author’s experience and how she expressed herself more in her books. It recognizes that it is important that when writing you must first analyze what is happening and how everything is connected in one way or another. In the first paragraph of the article states that “A story really isn’t any good unless it successfully resists paraphrase, unless it hands on and expands in the mind. Properly, you analyze to enjoy, but it’s equally true that to analyze with any discrimination, you have to have enjoyed already, and I think that the best reason to hear a story read is that it should stimulate that primary enjoyment.” (O’Connor). It gives us more insight into the concept of the author’s writing and how it establishes a structure when put to the test. The author uses writing to express what she feels and so that her audience enjoys and knows more about what is spoken. An article written by Ren Wu states that: “Writing – Journaling or expressive writing can help you “brain dump” and get all your thoughts and feelings out on paper.” (5 REASONS WHY WE NEED SELF-EXPRESSION, 2023) This implies that it is important to write because it helps the mind develop further. At the time when the mind cannot hold much information, you can have the option of starting to write what you have in mind so that the mind can analyze things with tranquility and discernment. In an article named The 17 Critical Factors That Explain Why Writers Write states that: “writers feel a compelling urge to communicate their thoughts and experiences through writing, in an effort to connect with others and evoke emotions. They view writing as a way to express themselves, process their experiences, and communicate their voice to a wider audience.” (Lowe Jr, 2023) Writers write because they want people to be able to identify with what they write and be more recognized by the expressions used that make the reader understand what the writing is about. Writers always try to capture the attention of the public because many in society cannot express themselves as they would like and often have problems that affect their daily lives. Writers have an important role in society because they often help people to communicate better or to overcome social problems through their books or writings.

Writing has been in the world for a long time and has developed in different times and different perspectives. Writing was created so that humans can do business and make profits more easily, but over time it has taken a great step so that humans can express themselves clearly before society and many can relate in the same way. Writing has never been a bad thing for society, but rather it formed a connection between different people. Writing helps many people who have communication problems or problems expressing themselves easily. It has given a new opportunity to the writer and the reader to delve deeper into the important ideas and expressions that have been given. Writing makes us focus more on what really matters and gives us the understanding we should have in any situation we find ourselves in.

• Didion, Joan. “Joan Didion: Why I Write.” Literary Hub, Dec. 1976, lithub.com/joan-didion-why-i-write/. 
• Hughes, Langston. “Theme for English B by Langston Hughes.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, 1951, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47880/theme-for-english-b. 
• Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue.” Dreams and Inward Journeys: A Rhetoric and Reader for Writers, Edited by Marjorie Ford and Jon Ford, 7th ed., Pearson, 2010, pp. 34-44.
• Lowe Jr, R. G. (2023, February 5). The 17 critical factors that explain why writers write. LinkedIn. http://www.linkedin.com/pulse/17-critical-factors-explain-why-writings-write-richard-lowe-jr-#:~:text=To%20tell%20their%20story&text=These%20writers%20feel%20a%20compelling,voice%20to%20a%20wider%20audience. 
• O’connor, F. (n.d.). Docsity. http://www.docsity.com/en/on-her-own-work-by-flannery-o-connor-a-story-really-isn-t/8982760. 
• WU, R. (2023, July 17). 5 reasons why we need self-expression. Maniology. https://maniology.com/blogs/maniology-blog/why-is-self-expression-important 
• Niles, A. N. (2014, January). Randomized controlled trial of expressive writing for psychological and Physical Health: The moderating role of emotional expressivity. Anxiety, stress, and coping. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3830620/ 
• Nguyen, J. (2019, September 4). How writing makes me more expressive than speaking. Medium. https://medium.com/analog-thoughts/how-writing-makes-me-more-expressive-than-speaking-a2abf8d7795c 
• English, L. (2024, April 11). 3 reasons why you must learn reading and writing to improve speaking and listening. Learn Laugh Speak | Learn Laugh Speak. https://learnlaughspeak.com/3-reasons-why-you-must-learn-reading-and-writing-to-improve-speaking-and-listening/#:~:text=The%20ability%20to%20write%20clearly,your%20ideas%20better%20in%20conversation. 
• Brightwheel. (2023, December 12). The stages of writing development in early childhood. https://mybrightwheel.com/blog/stages-of-writing-development#:~:text=Learning%20to%20write%20allows%20young,eye%20coordination%2C%20and%20spatial%20awareness. 
• AIContentfy. (2023, November 6). The power of writing for social causes and issues. https://aicontentfy.com/en/blog/power-of-writing-for-social-causes-and-issues#:~:text=Writing%20has%20the%20power%20to%20bring%20attention%20to%20important%20social,more%20just%20and%20equitable%20society. 
• Windsor, M. (2022, December 5). The importance of black literature. Center for Black Literature. https://centerforblackliterature.org/the-importance-of-black-literature/