Raymond Carver’s idea that ordinary things can hold great power with simple language is shown well in A Good Man Is Hard To Find by Flannery O’Connor. The story seems to be like it’s just about a family trip, but the grandmother’s simple comments reveal a lot about her character. For example, when she says, “In my time, children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything else,” she’s just talking about the past, but it shows her judgmental attitude and how she feels disconnected from the present. This quote stood out to me because it shows how the grandmother thinks she’s better than others. The simple words don’t need anything fancy to show her superiority. O’Connor uses everyday moments, like the grandmother talking about respect, to show something deeper about who she is. It made me realize that simple language can have a strong impact by revealing character and emotion clearly.
Daily Archives: May 4, 2025
I believe Raymond Carver’s concept of “commonplace but precise language” is a great example of how you don’t need complex vocabulary to communicate clearly. Sometimes, the message gets lost because we focus too much on sounding sophisticated with “big words.” A story that reflects this idea well is The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara. She writes from the perspective of her younger self, which makes the language easier to follow. For example, she says, “So we heading down the street and she’s boring us silly about what things cost and what our parents make and how much goes for rent” (Bambara). Even though the writing has a Southern tone, the language stays simple and straightforward. Bambara gets her point across while making it feel like a child is narrating the story. We often try too hard to sound smart by using dictionary-level words, but simple language can be just as powerful.
I have always thought that an author’s best friend was the thesaurus so they could find the best words to make a story come to life. The readings we have done from Raymond Carver have changed my mind, as his simple writing still painted a picture of the character’s psyche and their surrounding environment. I realized it doesn’t take illustrious and fancy words to captivate the audience or to get a point across. I appreciated that his reading did not involve the work of having to search various definitions and rereading the same line to understand how the word was used. This realization reminds me of the recent story “The Five-Forty-Eight” by John Cheever, particularly the lines ” When she was out for lunch, he called personnel and asked them to fire her. Then he took the afternoon off”(505). The author did not use any adjectives or descriptive language but revealed more about Blake through these simple sentences. Through simple words, it is revealed how much of a coward Blake is when he did not fire her personally. On the contrary, he chose to leave early to further avoid any confrontation.
Raymond Carver’s idea of commonplace language is a great one. I believe that using precise vocabulary is amazing and it makes everyone feel included. Sometimes, when writers use complicated words and sentences, I get confused and can’t figure out what they’re trying to say. I am sure there’s someone out here aside of me who feel the same way, English is not everyone first language so they will always be a language barrier to majority of readers and by using simple wording I think everyone would fit in a lot faster. One of my favorite story throughout this course was “a good man is hard to find”. I really liked that story because it was straightforward and honest, even if some people might find the words a bit harsh. according to the story “In my time,” said the grandmother, folding her thin veined fingers, “children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything else. It was clear how she felt, and the author described her in a way that made her feel like a real grandmother. I think it’s important for stories to be easy for everyone to understand, and this author did that well. I also appreciated how the story showed that the grandmother wasn’t perfect, which felt very realistic, even if it might be surprising to some readers. Using simple words to describe normal things helped me understand and enjoy all the little details.
I agree with Raymond Carver because I believe that simple and honest words can make something feel powerful. You don’t always need big or poetic language to make a strong point. When writers use regular words to describe regular things, it can feel more real and sometimes even more emotional. It helps the reader connect to the poem or story in a true and human way. I think this is what Shakespeare does in his poem “My Mistress’s Eyes Are Nothing like the Sun.” In this poem, he doesn’t try to make his mistress sound like a goddess. He doesn’t say her eyes shine like the sun or that her lips are as red as coral. Instead, he speaks very plainly about her. One line that shows this is: “If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.” This line is simple and maybe even a little harsh, but that’s what makes it feel honest. He’s not trying to make her perfect—he’s describing her as she really is. That kind of truth can be more beautiful than any perfect image. By using normal words to describe normal things, Shakespeare makes his love feel more real, just like Carver said writing should do
A quote from the story or poem “commonplace but precise language” that strikes me as “common but precise language is , in the story Raymond carver talks about how he doesn’t understand poetry this is a common thing that I can relate to because I often don’t understand the meaning of certain poetry unless I reread the poem 2 or 3 times. And most people won’t understand the meaning behind poetry without rereading the poem more than once or finding a method that works for them to better understand it. On page 210 , it says “ In the poem , she talked about what went through her mind when the blind man touched her nose and lips . I can remember I didn’t tell her that maybe I just don’t understand poetry. I admit it’s not the first thing I reach for when I pick up something to read.” In the story little Snow White by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm , common but precise language is used when Snow White was being deceived by the witch even though the dwarfs warned her not to speak to the witch. People are often deceived when they are nice or don’t understand or see someone’s true intentions. I can relate to this because when I was younger I often would not see everyone’s true intentions because i was a very nice person and most people took advantage of that. Also reading this story as a kid taught me a lesson about real life , strangers & why you shouldn’t trust everything someone says. In the story “ Snow White “ it says ,“ Snow-White looked out and said, “Go on your way. I am not allowed to let anyone in.”You surely may take a look,” said the old woman, pulling out the […]
I think Raymond Carver’s idea makes sense. Everyday things, like a chair or a quilt, can have a lot of meaning when described simply. It shows that you don’t need big words or dramatic moments for something to feel powerful often, it’s the small details that stick with you the most. One example of this is In Langston Hughes’s “Salvation,” it’s a great example of commonplace but precise language when he says, “I buried my head under the quilts.” A quilt is such an ordinary object we often don’t think twice about, but here it holds so much emotional weight. That small moment captures his need to hide, to escape the guilt and sadness he’s feeling after pretending to be saved. Hughes doesn’t use dramatic language; he keeps it simple, which makes it hit even harder. It’s a quiet detail, but it speaks volumes about what he’s going through inside.
