Pronouns and Acticles...

Finding time to write is never an easy task; but taking on the challenge to write in different styles takes great determination. Each quarter I assign various writing exercises, within English Composition. With only eleven weeks, I try to present as many writing methods as possible to motivate students to present well-organized, direct and clear thoughts.

Week five is always a favorite; each class handles it differently.

When I was young, I spent days flipping through the pages of a book filled with Norman Rockwell paintings. Each image told complex stories. So, week five, I ask students to write a three paragraph description of Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom from Want.” So far, the true difficulty assigned is to not get hungry while staring at, and writing on, a delicious golden-brown cooked turkey while sitting through a four hour class. Then I throw in a couple curve balls.

You can’t use pronouns in your writing.

Furthermore, you can’t write with definitive articles.

Usually students—once hearing all restrictions—instantaneously voice the impossibility of the assignment. Making it a necessity to preface (before students unite together to stone me for the soon to be 30 minutes of writing frustration) they first attempt the challenge. Try before saying, “It can’t be done.” (Recognize defiant pronoun use?)

Tonight, class didn’t make a peep of complaint. Instead, each student set to the task.  As an instructor, it was a pleasure to see students hard at work. Lets face it, instructors love baffled stares from students: opened mouthed hoping words might miraculously arrive on the page, all pronouns and articles removed as by magic. But what makes this assignment my favorite is the final instruction.

You have to share your writing.

Each quarter, I’m astonished at the creativity students achieve. I have heard descriptive paragraphs that range from research to the introduction of a horror story (still wondering how horror and Norman Rockwell mix, all I can say is the voice of the student made it work). And this quarter, students have given me homework. In other words, they’re asking for me to prove myself. Someone how, I accepted the task of writing a story from beginning to end: with no pronouns, no definitive articles, first person, and present tense--all within 15 minutes and the inspiration of The Scream by Edvard Munch.

If you noticed all the lined out writing within this short bit of writing, you know this won’t be an easy task (and if you have insights in how one would write in first person without the use of I, my, or mine, I’m all ears). This task will be completed, and if all my students hand in their research papers it will be shared in class and posted tomorrow. Fingers crossed I can accomplish the task as well as they have.