Bad Cliches
Emma Testorff
Mrs. Wolf
English Comp I
10/31/14
Against the Odds
Ken Robinson once said, “I define creativity as the process of having original ideas.” Nowadays, there is so much creativity around, how do we know if something was someone else’s idea? How about someone else’s own words? Because the world has been here for so long, so have certain words, phrases, and ideas. In the article “Let's Think Outside the Box of Bad Clichés,” Gregory Pence presents frustration with all the clichés and expressions he encounters grading essays in his job as a college professor. His concern is that clichés are an obstacle to clear thinking and writing. In the same way, people are so accustomed to thinking like everybody else, they are afraid to explore the possibilities of their own mind.
In this article, Pence argues that sloppy writing leads to sloppy thinking, specifically when we use clichés. He uses many examples from his student’s papers to prove his point and explains that most students don’t know that they are doing it. He gives example after example of clichés used in writing, the language of certain jobs, and different sports. Pence points out that we have used them so much that we don’t even realize what we are saying, as well as what they actually mean. And at the end, Pence proves this point by nonchalantly using clichés to conclude his article.
Often a person will see something that was invented and wonder why they never thought of something so simple. The answer is not that complicated. They didn’t break the confines of the outline. Normally, when people do a puzzle, they will have to think about the answers, sort of like a maze. If what they first try doesn’t work then they have to try another way to see if something else will work. Those people, even though they don’t know it have just thought outside the box. But, like Pence says in his article, “Has writing that we should "think outside the box" become such a cliché that it's now in-side the box?” That’s a
Mrs. Wolf
English Comp I
10/31/14
Against the Odds
Ken Robinson once said, “I define creativity as the process of having original ideas.” Nowadays, there is so much creativity around, how do we know if something was someone else’s idea? How about someone else’s own words? Because the world has been here for so long, so have certain words, phrases, and ideas. In the article “Let's Think Outside the Box of Bad Clichés,” Gregory Pence presents frustration with all the clichés and expressions he encounters grading essays in his job as a college professor. His concern is that clichés are an obstacle to clear thinking and writing. In the same way, people are so accustomed to thinking like everybody else, they are afraid to explore the possibilities of their own mind.
In this article, Pence argues that sloppy writing leads to sloppy thinking, specifically when we use clichés. He uses many examples from his student’s papers to prove his point and explains that most students don’t know that they are doing it. He gives example after example of clichés used in writing, the language of certain jobs, and different sports. Pence points out that we have used them so much that we don’t even realize what we are saying, as well as what they actually mean. And at the end, Pence proves this point by nonchalantly using clichés to conclude his article.
Often a person will see something that was invented and wonder why they never thought of something so simple. The answer is not that complicated. They didn’t break the confines of the outline. Normally, when people do a puzzle, they will have to think about the answers, sort of like a maze. If what they first try doesn’t work then they have to try another way to see if something else will work. Those people, even though they don’t know it have just thought outside the box. But, like Pence says in his article, “Has writing that we should "think outside the box" become such a cliché that it's now in-side the box?” That’s a