Week 13 Discussion

Shakespeare’s Sonnet 13o challenges idealized portrayals of love, favoring honesty over exaggerated praise. Similarly, Raymonnd Carver’s stories, such as those in “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love”, strip relationships down to their raw and realistic elements. Both writers reject romantic illusions. Shakespeare describes his plainly, “if hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head”. While Carver writes, “It ought to make us feel ashamed when we talk like we know what we’re talking about when we talk about love”. I admire this sonnet because it values sincerity over superficial beauty. Shakespeare’s speaker loves his mistress despite her flaws or perhaps because of them. Reminding us that true affection doesn’t need poetic exaggeration. This honest approach resonates with Carver’s worldview, where love is messy, grounded, and uncertain. Both artists suggest that love, in it’s most authentic form, is not about perfection but about acceptance and depth.

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.

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.

I think Raymond Carver idea of “commonplace but precise language” perfectly describes what it is to not use complex wording and still get your point across. There are times when the meaning can be lost because we get too caught up on using “big words”. One reading that I think expresses this idea is “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara. She tells the story in the perspective of her younger self so the language is more easy to understand. “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 author is applying a Southern accent to their work, they don’t use complicated wording. The author was able to show the message in the story, but also made it look like a little girl wrote it. Sometimes we get caught up using Dictionary words to sounds smart, but in all reality we can still make our point by using simple wording.

One of the stories we read in class that I noticed used “commonplace but precise language” was the story by Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” The part that most stood out to me was when the simple image of the horse shaking its harness bells questioning the actions of the man riding him. “He gives his harness bells a shake / To ask if there is some mistake.” The line is using common words and yet I felt it was overwhelmingly charged. That one moment, the horse is inquiring about stillness, brings animation to the hushed woods and underscores the pause of the speaker between action and reflection. This moment seems to be peaceful in a way but also a little heavy, like the quiet could pull someone in too deep if they’re not careful. The horse shaking its bells feels almost like a nudge back to reality, back to responsibilities. It’s a small action, described in a straightforward way, but it carries so much meaning.

In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, there is use of commonplace objects being described in a way that makes them quite impactful. There are two quotes from the story that stood out to me in this way, the first being “They must have been familiar sights, walking around the shopping plaza in their shorts and flat ballerina slippers that always scuffed the sidewalk, with charm bracelets jingling on their thin wrists; they would lean together to whisper and laugh secretly if someone passed who amused or interested them.” The use of “charm bracelets” combined with the visual image of them in a shopping plaza, their outfits, and the way they are behaving, transports me back to my younger years and I connect with it greatly. Identifying the noises that the charm bracelets are making is incredibly additive to the experience as a reader. The second quote that stands out to me is “Everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home… her laugh, which was cynical and drawling at home—”Ha, ha, very funny,”—but highpitched and nervous anywhere else, like the jingling of the charms on her bracelet.” The use of the sound of the charm bracelet to connect to the character’s laugh is very auditorily descriptive. Comparing the two quotes that both mention the charm bracelet, the first paints a picture of a time and place, and the second paints a picture of an energy coming from the character.

Raymond Carver’s idea about using “commonplace but precise language” to give everyday objects or moments immense power reminds me of James Joyce’s “Araby.” I chose this story because it’s the one I relate to the most. When we read it in class, I shared how much it reminded me of my own teenage years. Just like the boy in the story, I had a crush when I was younger, and the emotions he describes felt so real to me. One example of “commonplace but precise language” in “Araby” is the line: “Her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood.” This quote takes something as simple as a name and turns it into something powerful and emotional. It’s not overly dramatic. t’s just honest and precise, which makes it even more relatable. For me, it perfectly captures how overwhelming and exciting it feels to have a crush as a teenager. I remember feeling exactly like this about someone back then, where just hearing his name would  make my heart beat faster. What makes this story match Carver’s idea is how Joyce uses simple details to show deeper meaning. For example, the street where the boy lives is described as “The other houses of the street, conscious of decent lives within them, gazed at one another with brown imperturbable faces.” This description is simple but gives a clear picture of the boring, quiet world the boy wants to leave. Even the market scene, with its “jostling drunken men” and “bargaining women,” feels busy and messy, showing how the boy’s romantic feelings don’t fit in such an ordinary place. This combination of precise descriptions and everyday objects—like a name, a street, or a marketplace—makes the story feel so real and relatable. That’s why I chose “Araby” for this assignment. It’s not just […]

In my opinion, Raymond Carver pointed out how powerful the ordinary language can be when it is used clearly and with emotions. One story that got me thinking was “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” by Gabriel García Márquez which we learned at the first week of semester.  What I found powerful was how the author described an extraordinary presence using very simple and familiar words. There’s one moment where the narrator says “Not only was he the tallest, strongest, most virile, and best built man they had ever seen, but even though they were looking at him there was no room for him in their imagination.” None of the words are fancy nor complicated however the way they’re combined together reflects how Esteban feel huge, mysterious, and unforgettable, short to the point.. I felt like I could see him with my eyes.

The idea expressed by Raymond Carver was extremely interesting. I believe common place can be a wonderful way to communicate with the audience using simple words while ensuring the meaning is not lost. The punctuation of a writing is also particularly important for the writer to properly convey their message but also for the reader, allowing for a better understanding of the text. In Joyce Carol Oates’s ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?’ the sentence ‘So they went out to his car, and on the way, Connie couldn’t help but let her eyes wander over the windshields and faces all around her’ embodies commonplace language. It describes a simple action in a natural way, allowing the reader to absorb the text without distraction.” While all writers have their own way of writing, story’s written in common place language I find more enjoyable.

In Langston Hughes’ “Salvation,” the quote says, “I began to be ashamed of myself, holding everything up so long,”  which shows Raymond Carver’s idea of using commonplace but precise language. This short quote expresses the tremendous burden and anxiety that the teenager experiences throughout the church meeting. The term “holding everything up” is commonly used, but in this context, it specifies the tension of social expectation as well as the boy’s increasing guilt over not experiencing the experience of God that others claim to have. Hughes’ straightforward delivery helps readers to sense the boy’s nervousness and solitude, making the scene emotionally real. This is consistent with Raymond Carver’s claim that commonplace words can have a huge psychological impact when utilized carefully. The simple language of this one statement allows us to comprehend his emotions precisely. It provides an instance that some of the most genuine and heartbreaking writing needs no detailing; it simply needs to be authentic and straightforward.

I think that the idea expressed by Raymond Carve about commonplace is interesting. Every author has a different way to write and express their stories. I think commonplace and precise language can be helpful for many people but if is only commonplace and not imagery or something to get the readers attention then it can be to simple and for many people that can be boring. A story that I really like is “the Handsomest Drowned Man In the World” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  This story has words and phrase that is easy to read and understand. “where the wind is so peaceful now that it’s gone to sleep beneath the beds, over there, where the sun’s so bright that the sunflowers don’t know which way to turn, yes, over there, that’s Esteban’s village.” This is an example of commonplace because the words are easy to read but the message was so clear and beautiful told in a way that I was able to imagine it.      

I think Raymond Carver’s idea of using “commonplace but precise language” really shows in Gwendolyn Brooks’s poem “We Real Cool”  The words are super simple and easy to understand, but it still tells a deeper story. The poem is short, direct, and full of an attitude that sticks with you. You can feel the rebellious vibe just by how it’s written. Even though the poem doesn’t go into a lot of detail, it gets the point across in a strong way. The way Brooks breaks the lines, like ending each with “We,” makes it feel like these teens are trying to prove something, but also unsure of themselves. And then the line “We Die soon” really hits, it’s so short, but powerful. It shows how fast their lives could end, and it leaves you thinking. I get what Carver means now: you don’t need big words to create big emotions. Simple words can still be deep if they’re used the right way.

I found “Commonplace but Precise Language” very interesting.  In my understanding, Carver use that kind of language for writers to use simplest terms and words. It’s easy for ESL students to understand this story. But, the story maybe boring and hard for those of learning and trying hard to speak English fluently. In real life, literature language had beauty and compassion for students to experience poems. But, literature is one type of art for writers and readers. When it comes to literature art, I found of the poem we read today “My Daughter as an Apple Pie” as a commonplace. I think of this is because it was told by one of the parents of the daughter. “She says she loves him. No way, Could it be worse. (Carver, 10).”  So, we can see the commplace.  

I found idea expressed by Raymond Carve about “commonplace but precise language” very double sided.  In my understanding Carve wants writers to use simple language. On one hand it makes sense – ESL students and people around the world would easier understand the story. But it would be too simple and boring to read for people who speak English fluently. On the other hand, literature supposed to be beautiful and deep. I personally do not think writer can show depth by using commonplace but precise language. Literature is an art. I found Salvation by Langston Hughes kind of as commonplace, I think it might be because the story is told by a 13-year-old boy. “I was saved from sin when I was going on thirteen. But not really saved. It happened like this” (Hughes). So here we can see the language is very commonplace. It is easy to read, but it has irony in the story. This is like cherry on the top. Simple language could be good as long as it has some spice to it lol

Reading the short article by Raymond Carver, I found it very interesting how writing takes different forms. For instance, being creative in the writing or how it is written.“Thats all we have, finally, the words, and they had better be the right ones, with the punctuation in the right places so that they had better be the right ones so that they can best say what they are meant to say.” (Raymond Carver) In this part of the writing, he is telling us that being a writer needs to be very well written,  plus with punctuation. He was thoughtful when talking about the writing. He sounds like a very smart person, the way he talks about wiring. That’s why I chose this quote, he details how a well-written piece is supposed to be. I would agree with this part for a writing for a reader to be drawn, many small, detailed grammatical or punctuation need to be added.