Anishka Jannu Week #12 - The Power of Minimal Language
Although people often focus on increasing the number of words they write and speak, it may be a better idea to rethink those ideas. Almost everyone has heard the phrase “quality over quantity” at some point in their life. This phrase is actually extremely applicable to the way people act in society. An article from LinkedIn states that “‘listening more and speaking less’” causes “‘people [to] pay closer attention to what you have to say’” (Shihab). This sentiment makes sense logically because of the psychological phenomenon that makes rare things more valuable. When someone speaks less, the words they say become more treasured and special. This causes the people around to value the person’s words much more than other people’s words. In addition, the quote mentions the benefits of listening more. If people constantly talk, they understand and learn less information. Therefore, the statements they make are less informed and mature.
The importance of “‘listening more and speaking less’” is also seen in Everything I Never Told You. In this book, Hannah is often neglected and free in her house. This causes her to hear and see things that the rest of the family does not. This is because Hannah is very sensitive and connected with intercepting information from the world. On the other hand, her family is very self-occupied and focused on the issues in their own life. These differences allow Hannah to learn important ideas and information about the community around her. For example, Hannah is aware of Lydia’s irritation with Marilyn’s academic expectations of her. Unfortunately, Marilyn does not realize this until it is too late. Similarly, Hannah discovers that Jack is in love with Nath. This idea takes Lydia many years to learn, and she is surprised when Jack tells her. Hannah’s discoveries demonstrate the power of optimizing listening and minimizing speaking.
These same ideas can be applied to writing. When students write for an assignment or essay, they are often trying to meet the minimum word count. However, it is much more efficient to focus on creating quality content when writing rather than maximizing the number of words. This can be seen in poems and short pieces of poetry. Most poems are often just four to five lines long. Instead of prioritizing their word count, these people focus on the quality of their work. These ideas are crucial to help incorporate language in creating strong writing pieces.
Get Hired by LinkedIn News Asia. “Here’s Why You Should Talk Less and Listen More at Work.” LinkedIn, 30 Mar. 2023, www.linkedin.com/pulse/heres-why-you-should-talk-less-listen#:~:text=“If%20you%20have%20a%20tendency,to%20say%2C”%20recommends%20Shihab.
Hi Anishka! Your blog is interesting and provides a perspective that I have never thought of before. Less is more is something that I have seen in English essays. Whenever Mrs. Smith grades my work, she always removes excessive words such as “very.” Thanks to your blog, I understand why. It makes the essay wordy and takes away from the main focus of the writing. I have noticed this same phenomenon in the books I read as well. I have never enjoyed Shakespeare’s books because of the writing- it is filled with complex language and he always uses an excessive amount of words to get to his point. However, the book we read recently in English class, Everything I Never Told You, was easy to read because of the language. Although the plot went back and forth in time, the language was straightforward, making the timeline and events easy to understand. This made it enjoyable to read because I was able to understand the plot better, giving me more time to analyze the book rather than focus on interpreting it. Quality over quantity is an important aspect in writing and completely changes the way a reader perceives and understands the writing.
ReplyDeleteHi Anishka. I agree with you, as concise language seems more impactful in writing. I have noticed that my writing improves when I use shorter phrases with stronger vocabulary, so I think your point is extremely valid. I enjoyed how you related your opinion to Everything I Never Told You, as this book does address the power of reducing the amount a person speaks. Even though Hannah’s reasons for staying silent were largely due to her being ignored by her family, it’s worth appreciating her ability to listen to the people around her and observe how they felt. Additionally, I agree that high-quality writing is better than verbose writing; often, works of literature spend too much time describing things, like emotions or places, when they’re better left to the imagination. Students also spend too much time trying to reach a word count without any regard for how well their writing is crafted; I’m guilty of this, too, but it’s still something to try to avoid. Finally, I enjoyed the structure of your article, as you presented your argument and then supported it with several solid examples.
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