Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : SI Grammar and Spelling Lab -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jack Clarke who wrote (1233)	5/5/1998 4:45:00 PM
From: Achilles	Respond to of 4710

<< Those of us who care about such things are in the minority and probably will be gone soon. The print medium is moribund in the sense that we knew it >> I agree and disagree. Yes, those who care are a minority and print is moribund in the sense that we knew it, but text is alive in a completely new way. Email and chat-sites like this one have meant that people are writing things that they weren't writing five years ago. Now, I prefer to write an email to my bank with a question rather than phoning them. They prefer it too, because this is less expensive than having someone answering phones. But written communication is actually increasing. Consequently, I believe (or possibly fantasize) that the number of people who care about writing is going to increase.

To: Jack Clarke who wrote (1233)	5/5/1998 6:38:00 PM
From: Wizzer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4710

Isn't it interesting that two of the best writers in our language (Nabokov and Conrad) were not native speakers of English? Non-native speakers of English appreciate the language more than native speakers. I went to high school overseas to complete my grade 12, at an American High School. Many of the students had their own native language, and spoke English as a second language. I was pleasantly surprised that many people were more eloquent and versed in the fine nuances of the English language than people in Canada. I was always excellent at English, but I found myself competing with the other students. I hoped my essay would be the one that the English teacher would praise, and read to the rest of the class. It happened a couple of times and it was a great feeling. We studied World Literature like Chinua Achebe and Alexander Solzhenitsen (sp?). It was fantastic. I believe that many English speaking people take their language for granted. It is a very complex language, in my opinion, to perfect. People who grasp the complexities of English are the exception rather than the rule. I believe that many native speakers of English, have turned their back on a wonderful language whose words have moved me, brought me to tears, and affected me deeply in many ways. Good literature sets the benchmark for writing that I strive for and will probably never achieve. A good book always inspired good essays out of me. I believe that the term "literature" is used too loosely these days. I occasionally enjoy a John Grisham book, but I would not read that kind of literature exclusively. Herein lies the problem. Other people I know have only read certain kinds of books, and books by Conrad, Hemingway, Steinbeck, and other fantastic authors were considered solely school books and a chore to get through. I would rather read my high school literature books again, than read some of the books around these days. I believe that reading should include only the occasional modern literature, and more of the classics. I know someone who recently did book reports in High School where they could select the book, and with the approval of the teacher did an essay on "The Fan" and "The Autobiography of Bo Jackson" (baseball player). Ridiculous! Just an opinion, and I do not want to insult any Grisham or Rice fans out there.