Definition and Examples of Clarity in Prose

Clarity is a characteristic of a speech or a prose composition that communicates effectively with its intended audience. Also called perspicuity. In general, the qualities of clearly written prose include a carefully defined purpose, logical organization, well-constructed sentences, and precise word choice. Verb: clarify. Contrast with gobbledygook. EtymologyFrom the Latin, clear. Examples and Observations When asked what qualities they value most in writing, people who must read a great deal professionally put clarity at the top of their list. If they have to invest too much effort in figuring out the writers meaning, they will give up in dismay or annoyance.(Maxine C. Hairston, Successful Writing. Norton, 1992)All men are really attracted by the beauty of plain speech [but they] write in a florid style in imitation of this.(Henry David Thoreau, quoted by J.M. Williams in Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace, 1981)The main thing I try to do is write as clearly as I can. I rewrite a good deal to make it clear.(E.B. White, The New York Times. Aug. 3, 1942)It is bad manners to give [readers] needless trouble. Therefore clarity. . . . And how is clarity to be achieved? Mainly by taking trouble and by writing to serve people rather than to impress them.(F.L. Lucas, Style.  Cassell, 1955)For any kind of public speaking, as for any kind of literary communication,  clarity  is the  highes t beauty.(Hughes Oliphant Old, The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures. Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2004)Clear BeginningsMeek or bold, a good beginning achieves clarity. A sensible line threads through the prose; things follow one another with literal logic or with the logic of feeling. Clarity isnt an exciting virtue, but its a virtue always, and especially at the beginning of a piece of prose. Some writers seem to resist clarity, even to write confusingly on purpose. Not many would admit to this.One who did was the wonderful-though-not-to-be-imitated Gertrude Stein: My writing is clear as mud, but mud settles and clear streams run on and disappear. Oddly, its one of the clearest sentences she ever wrote.For many other writers, clarity simply falls victim to a desire to achieve other things, to dazzle with style or to bombard with information. Its one thing for the reader to take pleasure in the writers achievements, another when the writers own pleasure is apparent. Skill, talent, invent iveness, all can become overbearing and intrusive. The image that calls attention to itself is often the image you can do without.(Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd, The Best Beginning: Clarity. The Wall Street Journal, January 11, 2013)The Challenge of Writing ClearlyIts good to write clearly, and anyone can. . . .Of course, writing fails for reasons more serious than unclear sentences. We bewilder our readers when we cant organize complex ideas coherently, and we cannot hope for their assent when we ignore their reasonable questions and objections. But once weve formulated our claims, organized their supporting reasons logically, and grounded those reasons on sound evidence, we still have to express it all in clear and coherent language, a difficult task for most writers, and a daunting one for many.It is a problem that has afflicted generations of writers who, instead of communicating their ideas in clear and direct language, hide them not only from their readers, but sometimes even from themselves. When we read that kind of writing in government regulations, we call it bureaucratese . . .. Written deliberately or carelessly, it is a language of exclusion that a diverse and democratic society cannot tolerate.(Joseph M. Williams, Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace. Addison Wesley Longman, 2003)Lanham on ClarityThere are so many ways of being clear! So many different audiences to be clear to! When I tell you to Be clear! I am simply telling you to Succeed, Get the message across. Again, good advice but not much real help. I have not solved your problem, Ive simply restated it. Clarity, in such a formulation, refers not to words on a page but to responses, yours or your readers. And the writer has to write words on a page, not ideas in a mind. . . .The successful communication that clarity points to is finally our success in getting someone else to share our view of the world, a view we have composed by perceiving it. And if this is true of perception it must hold true for prose too. To write is to compose a world as well as view one.(Richard Lanham, Analyzing Prose. Continuum, 2003)​

Informative Speech Outline, Children and Violence Essay

Informative Speech Outline #2 Topic: Children and TV Violence General Purpose/ Goal: To inform. Specific Goal: I want my audience to know more about TV violence and children’s exposure to it. Thesis Statement: My informative speech is going to inform you about the definition of violence, how the media rates violence, and children’s exposure to media violence. Organizational Pattern: Topical INTRODUCTION I. Mahatma Gandhi said, â€Å"An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.† II. Today I am going to inform you about the issues of TV violence and the impact of the contents’ exposure to children. III. I am not a parent myself; however this issue should be of concern to each and every one of you because children are our†¦show more content†¦The media has a general guideline for the suitability of shows for different age groups. A. Television shows have audience ratings, designed to help indicate which audience the TV program is appropriate for. 1. TV-Y, which is appropriate for all children, targeting children from ages 2-6 yrs. Old. 2. TV-Y7, directed to older children. Ages 7yrs. old and up. 3. TV-G, general audience. 4. TV-PG, parental guidance suggested. May contain material that parents may find unsuitable for younger children. Including moderate violence, some sexual situations, infrequent coarse language, or some suggestive dialogue. 5. TV-14, parents strongly cautioned. Ages 14 yrs. and up. To include: intense violence, intense sexual situations, strong coarse language, or intensely suggestive dialogue. 6. TV-MA, mature audience only. Unsuitable for children under 17. Contains graphic violence, explicit sexual activity, or crude indecent language. B. Even though there are warnings for the material that you are about to view on the TV, these warnings don’t physically stop you from watching the content that isn’t appropriate for your age group. 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Buddha and Behaviorism Cognitive Behavior

Question: Discuss about the Buddha and Behaviorism Cognitive Behavior. Answer: Introduction: There is a dilemma reigning in the realm of psychotherapies. In this context it must be said that till date the confusion regarding assimilating spirituality with mindfulness based psychological therapies for treating different psychological disorders has not been resolved in a thorough manner. In the article, From Moses and Monotheism to Buddha and Behaviorism: Cognitive Behavior Therapys Transpersonal Crisis, Seiden and Lam (2017) have put much emphasis on the crisis that has been looming large in the sphere of determining the true relationship between spiritualism like that of Taoism and mindfulness therapies (MTs). The authors have pointed out how philosophical contexts of Buddhism or Taoism are intertwined with modern mindfulness approaches and how such approach has often been considered dilemmatic. But simultaneously Seiden and Lam (2017) have dwelled deep into the problem only to find out a conclusion that can suit their argument that cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) can be su itably build upon something beyond mindfulness by relating the process with Buddhist psychology. The authors have suggested that such interrelation may actually pave the way for the expansion of the dimension of mindfulness therapies through the inclusion of Wisdom Traditions including that of Taoism. Focusing on the science-metaphysics debate in psychology, Seiden and Lam (2017) have tried to prove their ground by exploring the classical and operant behavioral approaches to mysticism. It is in this context that the authors have suggested the implementation of a Transpersonal Cognitive Behavioral Therapy that would be beneficial in integrating the beneficial aspects of spirituality and mindfulness with science-based psychological approaches. It has been pointed out how an individuals spiritual beliefs may actually impact on his/her view of life, and drawing on this issue the authors have suggested the need of blending the teachings of wisdom traditions with mindfulness approaches for treating psychological disorders of individuals who are in need of such treatment. Moreover, in the article, the emphasis has been on transpersonal psychology and its approaches in treating psychological disorders including severe depression. The authors are of the view that it is better and beneficial to integrate a wide variety of ancient and modern, Eastern and Western systems of spirituality and psychology into the psychological systems and practices of treating psychological anomalies in different individuals suffering from them. Empirical validation is needed, but the authors are inclined to support the view that cognitive behavior therapies must, for the sake of progress in treatment, usher changes in their modus operandi by bringing into spiritual theories of traditions like Buddhism, Taoism, etc. Finally, the authors have suggested that mindfulness therapies and cognitive behavioral therapies can be driven into new directions if only new dimensions like the universal dharma dimension can be included in the treatment regimes. Hence, it can be said that in the article, From Moses and Monotheism to Buddha and Behaviorism: Cognitive Behavior Therapys Transpersonal Crisis, Seiden and Lam (2017) have suggested that, it is with the addition of spiritual traditions with Western science which can give new shape to mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapies, adding more meaning to their applicability and implementation. References Seiden, D.Y. Lam, K. (2017). From Moses and Monotheism to Buddha and Behaviorism: Cognitive Behavior Therapys Transpersonal Crisis. City University of Seattle, 1-21.

Rhetorical Analysis on Benjamin Bannekers Letter free essay sample

Benjamin Banneker wrote this letter to attempt to make the Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, aware of the oppressive and horrifying nature of the slave trade that Bannekers ancestors had been in for generations. Banneker uses tone, ethos, logos, pathos, syntax, juxtaposition, and scheme to sympathize with Jefferson about former hardships to perhaps reach common ground. The tone of the letter is elevated and sympathetic, the sympathetic tone appealing to the pathos of the reader, in this case Thomas Jefferson and the elevated tone appealing to the ethos of the reader. Banneker appeals to ethos by stating that he too has been through horrifying adversities, as Jefferson has, in trying to achieve freedom and independence. This and the use of elevated diction, aids Banneker in establishing himself as a reliable source. He appeals to logos by quoting exact phrases from reliable sources, including Jeffersons own words in the Declaration of Independence (i. We will write a custom essay sample on Rhetorical Analysis on Benjamin Bannekers Letter or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page e. We hold these truths to be self-evident ) and Jobs words (i. e. put your souls in their souls instead) to further his point. He appeals to pathos by continuously referring to the trials and hardships that Thomas Jefferson and Americans alike had to face in order to gain their freedom (i. e. the American Revolution and independence from England), while, at the same time, relating those hardships to his own brethrens hardships (i. e. the struggle for emancipation of slaves). Bannekers tone in this passage was elevated, formal, and sympathetic. He used an elevated tone in order to appeal to the higher-class society and educated patriots, such as Thomas Jefferson. Banneker uses elevated diction such as fortitude, abhorrence thereof, thus, and brethren to seem educated and civilized and to set a formal tone. He begins many of his phrases with the word sir which was intended to demonstrate his submission to authority. He uses abstract diction to vivify the true horrors and tribulations faced by slaves and add to the sympathetic tone of the letter. Bannekers use of syntax stands out in this passage. His use of syntax is strong because three of the four paragraphs contain a single sentence perhaps showing that these hardships seemed to have no end, but also to build up anticipation, almost forcing the reader to continue. Banneker also used scheme by juxtaposing the two similar situations that both he and Jefferson faced and elaborating on and comparing each. He achieves this by stating that: Jefferson, along with the rest of America at the time, faced the oppression of the British Crown and a variety of threats; and Bannekers brethren faced similar oppression and injustice from the United States government and supporters of the slave trade. Bannekers main purpose for writing this letter to Thomas Jefferson was to bring to light the adversity and trials of the slave community by juxtaposing the similar hardships faced by the audience he was attempting to appeal to, Thomas Jefferson, using: a formal and sympathetic tone; elevated diction; scheme; and appeals to ethos, logos, and pathos.