Summary Of My Pen Writes In Blue And White

When reading Vincent Cremona’s “My Pen Writes in Blue and White”, it is suggested that having two perspectives on life, or two “shades” can be crucial when writing to multiple audiences about diverse topics. According to Cremona, “[He] would go to union meeting with [his] father and listen to the men talk. . .[and] was amazed that at such a young age, [he] could understand everything that they were saying” (196). Basically, Cremona is saying that the meeting conversations were in “Plain English” that could be simply understood, not needing further explanation. This shows that when among friends and co-workers, speaking with “Blue collar” words is easiest, in order to be fully understood. The ability to reach the mass majority is an asset that will help to broaden the audience reached, whether being an employee, a neighbor, or an
. .legalese. . .[and] use[d] words with many syllables and plenty of letters. . .[making] the most ordinary things seem complicated” (196). In other words, using “White collar” terms can be a excessive at times when unnecessary, the meaning or purpose can become unclear. This means that although being able to speak in a proper manner is useful, it is only useful in the proper settings. Ultimately, what is at stake here is being understood or sounding important. For example, Cremona mentions a time when his mother had written him a note for school to explain that he would be out, but the way it was written bewildered even him. Cremona himself writes, “I recently had to write a letter to an airline that had canceled my flight. . . causing a tremendous inconvenience [,] . . .I conveyed those feelings to the airline, in the bold, brash words of my father. . .[and] [t]hen, I used the poignant and legal sounding terms of my mother to convince them [to]. . .make restitution to me” (196). This demonstrates how Cremona blends his two view points to explain what he feels, and get what he wants.