Reading Comprehension Again
A long while ago, I wrote a blog about GSBians understand what other GSBians write in their blogs. I was angry. I was frustrated. As a result, I wrote "Reading Comprehension and Blogs". To summarize, I wrote that when one reads a blog, or anything really, one should read thoroughly and understand what the writer is trying to say through his work before commenting on it. It is called reading comprehension. If one ignores this crucial step, one can and will sound incredibly stupid.
I was going back through my blogs. I went to that particular blog. I found the following comment:
Well, you can't get mad at the reader for not understanding. Maybe its you. Maybe its your writing. I am sure that no one is trying to sound like an idiot and not understand a blog, so its really not the reader at all. Its the writer and you should write a blog about the writers of the blog making sense.
Isn't it an interesting comment? I agree with part of it. Writers should always strive to be lucid, especially when dealing with something like an article or a blog. I agree 110%. However, the burden of understanding and interpreting a written piece cannot fall entirely on the writer. The reader, being the one who reads, must also work from his side. He must use his brain and try to comprehend the statements made in a written work.
If you are given a written piece, you will (I assume) read it once or twice and try to understand what it being said as you read. I assume you will look up words you do not know. I assume you will try to understand the usage of certain words and the writer's style. All this, I assume. Perhaps such a long process is not necessary for blogs, but the fact is, a certain amount of analysis and comprehension is to be done. You must understand before you comment.
Now, going back to that comment made about my earlier blog. It is true. No one tries to sound like an idiot, unless they're very bored. However, I take umbrage that at the insinuation that my writing was unclear and therefore I cannot blame the reader. I can and will blame the reader when the reader is being completely retarded and misses the entire point!
If you are taking the SAT, will you blame the author of a passage if you cannot understand it? No you fool! You will blame yourself for not learning how to properly understand a passage! Call me an English-nerd! I like the subject, I don't care! But for Heaven's sake, do not do not DO NOT put the entire burden of a written piece on the writer.
Do not make us write it out point-wise with baby-words so that any moron with an internet connection can comment on it. Please, for God's sake, understand it first.
Thank you.
I was going back through my blogs. I went to that particular blog. I found the following comment:
Well, you can't get mad at the reader for not understanding. Maybe its you. Maybe its your writing. I am sure that no one is trying to sound like an idiot and not understand a blog, so its really not the reader at all. Its the writer and you should write a blog about the writers of the blog making sense.
Isn't it an interesting comment? I agree with part of it. Writers should always strive to be lucid, especially when dealing with something like an article or a blog. I agree 110%. However, the burden of understanding and interpreting a written piece cannot fall entirely on the writer. The reader, being the one who reads, must also work from his side. He must use his brain and try to comprehend the statements made in a written work.
If you are given a written piece, you will (I assume) read it once or twice and try to understand what it being said as you read. I assume you will look up words you do not know. I assume you will try to understand the usage of certain words and the writer's style. All this, I assume. Perhaps such a long process is not necessary for blogs, but the fact is, a certain amount of analysis and comprehension is to be done. You must understand before you comment.
Now, going back to that comment made about my earlier blog. It is true. No one tries to sound like an idiot, unless they're very bored. However, I take umbrage that at the insinuation that my writing was unclear and therefore I cannot blame the reader. I can and will blame the reader when the reader is being completely retarded and misses the entire point!
If you are taking the SAT, will you blame the author of a passage if you cannot understand it? No you fool! You will blame yourself for not learning how to properly understand a passage! Call me an English-nerd! I like the subject, I don't care! But for Heaven's sake, do not do not DO NOT put the entire burden of a written piece on the writer.
Do not make us write it out point-wise with baby-words so that any moron with an internet connection can comment on it. Please, for God's sake, understand it first.
Thank you.
I can honestly say I have never had any difficulty understanding your blogs, they are very well written. There have been some though that do not have sound argument or (if read closely) are completely contradictory, and yet they still receive high praise. One wonders on occasion whether the person leaving the comment actually read the blog. So I guess there is good and bad on both sides of the equation, both writer and reader.
I have to state though, my biggest pet peeve in blogs here. Use of the wrong form of a word, the worst being there, their and they're. It worries me (and amuses me) that people often sophomore to seniors have not grasped the correct use of these terms, which are understood by elementary aged children in my country. If they have not grapsed correct terms at high school level and continue to misuse them, if they do go on to college they will wonder at their low grades. At college spelling and grammar can make the difference between passing and failing. In this case it is unquestionably the fault of the writer.
Grandma, March 29th, 2008 at 04:49:16am
UR BLAWG WUZ N0T CL3AR 4 ME!!!
Nah, all sarcasm aside you brought up an excellent point. I seriously fear for the skill of reading comprehension, even outside of the blogging world. I feel like less importance is being placed on understanding the art of literature. Sure, they teach kids to read and write, but knowing how to read and how to write are not the same as undertstaning your reading and being able to write fluently. Obviously, some writers are unclear, but the majority of the time it is in fact the reader.
"I am sure that no one is trying to sound like an idiot and not understand a blog"
That part of the comment seemed a little odd to me. Well, no one wants to not understand, but that doesn't change the fact that people still don't understand and have bad comprehension skills.
Kurtni, March 28th, 2008 at 02:21:17pm