Tuesday, August 26, 2008
As Mulroy spoke of people that truly don't know the meaning of terms if they are unable to use them, the number of students who were oblivious to the definition of a clause and the inadequacy of education in the realm of grammar, I felt as if I was being called out for all of my faults. Mulroy touches on many of the problems that college professors face today due to the lacking of their students in grammar. The likes of Orwell and Elbow are said to be the root of the sad state of today's students for their stance against grammar. I am one of those students that can identify a correct sentence without knowing the exact reason. While I don't feel that the education of all of today's youth is completely down the gutter, I do think that there is room for improvement. I feel that the first step is to educate the future teachers of these students about the basics of grammar. When I get down on myself for not being as well informed about grammar as I should be or point the finger at my teachers, I have to step back and realize that I learned what was put in front of me and that my teachers may not of had the ability to point me in the right direction even if they wanted to. Despite Mulroy's bad prognosis for older individuals attempting to learn grammar, I am an old dog that will learn new tricks.
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4 comments:
Old dog my ass! We are still puppies. Anyway, Mulroy seemed to me to be too full of righteous indignation to make me feel guilty. All I have to remember is that I want to learn grammar for my own purposes. I think it's unfair for someone to try throw guilt at a couple of authors like Orwell and Elbow. It's similar to a Bobcat Goldthwait joke "Blaming Ronald Regan for the State of the Union is like blaming Ronald McDonald when you get a bad hamburger." There were many people who made the decision to move away from grammar.
I don't think Mulroy blames Orwell for the demise of grammar instruction. In his famous essay, "Politics and the English Language," which we may read at a later point in this class, Orwell bemaoned the use of the passive voice. He also used it a lot himself.
Elbow, on the other hand, does get tarred with the blame brush, though Mulroy also backs off a bit a few paragraphs later. I wonder why Mulroy pulls his punches there? Is he more comfortable attacking anonymous abstract enemies?
We are still pups. There is definitely not a single person to blame for the demise of grammar, but it would be easier if there were. I do think that it is easier to attack an overall stance than a specific person, I know that it is for me at least, so I do think that this is why Mulroy backed off a bit.
I 'felt' a lot of what you posted as some of it is included in my own posts. I know it but don't know why. I also think Rachel has a good point with Mulroy having a little aloofness to him. I guess everyone has to have their own scapegoat. I know I've got a few myself. Mulroy has a point but seems to beat you over the head with it.
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