The Writer and Education & Hard Work

Zinsser writes about the importance of clarity, simplicity and organization in writing: "The secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components" (115). Zinsser gives examples of statements from education and politics in which the writer uses language which seems to come from a machine rather than a living human being. People write in such confusing ways because they are trying to sound important and because they are trying to impress their readers with fancy language. The writer who wants to be understood will choose his words not to impress but to communicate clearly what he wants to say.

After the writer decides what he wants to say, and has written a first draft, he gets down to the hardest part of writing--re-writing. He reads what he has written from the point of view of "someone encountering the subject for the first time" (117). He takes out of the writing everything which is confusing or unnecessary. This is hard work because the writer must look at every single word, every single sentence, and every single paragraph to make sure they are not "cluttered" or disorganized. This hard work is worthwhile because it results in successful communication.

Rose is inspired by a teacher to do

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Some common words found in the essay are:
Brody Smart, Unlike Dillard's, Call Police, Debbie Larrivee, call police, personal responsibility, taking responsibility, Martin Gansberg, didn't call police, responsibility own life, trying impress, didn't call, responsibility own, own life, woman murdered,
Approximate Word count = 1113
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page)

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