Katie B’s. Art of Persuasion

Voice-final

Katelin Brand

Essay 2

WC: 824

            If I was to look up *voice* in the Oxford English Dictionary, it wouldn’t give me the definition that I needed. What I need is in my own head and is created with what I know and how my words are said through my voice and with my style. I think that when someone is writing they try to put their own spin on things (their style, their way they understood something) and then tell someone else in this particular style. If one wrote an imitation on a piece of writing and wrote it in the same voice that the author used, to me it would be very monotone, the way it would be if the imitator were to paint a black and white picture. But I ask, why not be the odd man out and add a little color? If you are arguing a certain side, wouldn’t you want your readers/reviewers to connect to it? Add some personal style; let your own voice be heard. When a teacher is reading your paper, wouldn’t you rather get a report back saying that they laughed or that they were able to connect with what you were trying to get across? Voice is style, but more importantly your voice is your style.

            If you (yes! I am talking to you) have ever felt certain sensations of tingling that cause happiness and joyfulness throughout your body, and when you recognize that this tingling sensation is caused by something or someone. Spinoza believes this tingling feeling is called love. He understands that love is the reactions that we express our feelings towards these objects that causes these tingling sensation. Therefore not just people but other living things are able to experience and be more fully themselves once they know what love is and how it effects them on and not just on the mushy-mushy level but also on the intellectual level.

            I believe that this is true (what Spinoza explains) and not only because I have experienced but I have seen it with my own eyes. Someone who can not only know but feel what love is (reminds me of a song, but I won’t break out in song—so don’t worry, your ear drums are safe).. So with doing what Spinoza states about love, he also mentions that if this person or object honest to God knows what love is he/she/it tries to keep love in their present life and preserve it for all of time. (Doesn’t this sound like bull shit…it’s really mushy-mushy, lovey-dovey kind of stuff) Don’t get me wrong I would love a candlelight dinner with Louis Armstrong playing in the back ground, but seriously who is Spinoza trying to impress here?

            Is having the ability to love or the ability to experience love makes the unique difference. If you loved someone/something and you kept it close to you love (the verb) would be the ability to love (the noun). On the other hand if you were to love someone and have that type of relationship with them, it is then the ability to experience love. Either way you love someone/something, and you don’t want to let it go no matter what you have to give up. Love is something that all people should experience.

            I never would have thought that this so called love feeling would actually bring a strong voice out in me. Frankfurt’s excerpt on love is really compelling and really strong willed. I mean this as in he really believes what he writes though his own voice, which made me question every person’s own writing, are we just writing to what the readers want, but I can honestly say who gives a shit what they think. Yeah we do peer editing, and we take in what others say, and yes we will correct it to what they want. Really, is this what today’s so called future writers are about, I am not just saying this for college composition classes, but I am also saying this for all grade levels. I think that if we writers wanted to change what we said, then fine change it, but do it so it pleases you, the writer. Let you be the writer not the reader.

            Doing this imitation from Frankfurt’s piece on someone’s joy and his ability to love, allowed me to express what I believe voice is. As I said before voice is style and I still believe that. Imitation is a great way to use your own voice and to express our style, still allowing the main idea of the original author to exist.

            As I was writing my imitation paragraph I was able to really show the readers what my voice and style were. Although this was not an easy imitation for me to do, it opened many doors for my style and voice to wander through. I still believe that voice is style.