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Post by Mr. Vitale on Jul 7, 2015 16:44:44 GMT
Write your responses to the essay "In Praise of the Humble Comma" by responding to this thread.
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Post by cassfletcher on Jul 9, 2015 13:13:12 GMT
Pico Iyer is giving punctuation more credit. Nobody realizes how important these simple marks actually are. Iyer says, "Punctuations are like road signs placed along the highway of our communication- to control speeds, provide directions, and prevent head-on collisions." I personally agree and enjoy using this comparison because it makes sense and is easier to remember what each punctuation is capable of making oneself do. Think of a period as a red traffic light, a comma as a yellow flashing traffic light, and a semicolon as a stop sign that tells s to stop gradually before starting up again. By reading this essay one my find more depth into using punctuations and consider placing them cautiously into their sentences. "Punctuation, then, is a civic prop, a pillar that holds society upright.", says Iyer. You may come to realize that this statement is true. Punctuations make communication more organized. It is the signature of cultures and also can get our thoughts moving to a rhythm. Sheet music ad so many marks that control symphonic composition. Between the rests, the tempo changes, the accelerando's and vibrato's, it is the little things that can change notions. Without these marks in our music, we would all be constantly listening to martial sounding tones and jackboot rhythm. Basically life would be pretty boring. Other than adding organization to speech, Iyer shows that punctuation can give emotion. By reading between the lines on where a comma, exclamation point or a question mark may be, one can be able to tell the type of feeling that is being portrayed. Tone is adjusted in places where the marks take place. Iyer uses when someone is saying "Don't do that." compared to a parent saying ," Do not do that." to show that you can read a different tone of voice and be able to tell that the parent clearly means business. Something as simple as conjunctions give more depth in conversation. Iyer uses great comparisons to make the reader understand how important the use of punctuations are. Being able to breath between sentences and show emotions by these basic marks makes the world a more mindful and interesting place. Iyer states that a world that has only periods is a world without inflections and words cannot bend or curve. What I got out of this essay was that we need to give all of the little things in life more credit. Students do not takes their time to appreciate and use the correct punctuations in their writings. I believe that by reading this essay it will help make one look more deeper into the way punctuations shape minds.
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Post by BridgetM on Jul 25, 2015 18:57:59 GMT
Throughout this essay, Pico Iyer explains to the reader just how much the "humble comma" can do, and what it means within the different regions of our simplistic lifestyles. At first the comma is depicted as a simple road signal or "yellow light that asks us only to slow down..." That quote was personally one of my favorite parts of the essay, due to the fact that it accurately explains the true job of the comma. The comma does not completely stop our reading, it just gives our a chance to have a break within a sentence. As the reader continues, the comma becomes a being that can separate two lovers, and put a space where no space is desired. It was explained in the beginning of the passage that the comma was a breath, put into the sentence in order for there to be a pause. In the early stages of a relationship, it is most common to have a distaste for any pauses in closeness; even the smallest break is too much. That is why Iyer claims that it is defied by lovers. Further into the essay, the comma is a so called "civic prop" that holds the heavy task of holding our society together by simply spacing it apart. Not only has the comma been illustrated in our everyday lives, but within "In Praise of the Humble Comma" it has been lifted to a godly level, where both give breath as well as take it away. This tiny symbol is considered to have the capability of giving us breath, or in other words life itself. Its funny how our interpretation of life can be changed or recreated, all because of a simple mark on a paper. Even before the comma itself existed in writing, its purpose still existed within our voices and the way we speak which is truly fascinating. The comma's use was not created when the comma was. The comma is just a visual expression of a dialect used in our language and the way we audibly voice our opinions and feelings. At the end of "In Praise of the Humble Comma" the idea of punctuation being god-like makes a full circle. After following the journey of the comma as it shifted and transformed into almost every aspect of the reader's life, it all comes back to some higher being, or god. The simple, humble comma is again lifted up into the powerful thing it is, giving us the breath and pause that we need.
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Post by sziemba on Jul 29, 2015 23:16:14 GMT
Throughout Pico Iyer’s, “In Praise Of The Humble Comma,” he shows the how important punctuation marks are to the reader. “Punctuation adjusts color and tone and volume till the feeling comes into perfect focus: not disgust exactly, but distaste; not lust, or like, but love.” Punctuation is the refiner for all literature. Punctuation takes the ideas the author has and arranges them in a way that a reader can understand the message the author is trying to tell them. Each mark controls how the message the author is trying to tell is perceived by the reader. Both the period and the semi colon function as a stopping point and as a break for the reader to absorb what they have just read and move on. The comma on the other hand, is a slowing point, allowing the reader to take a quick break, then continue on with that sentence. “In Praise Of The Humble Comma” goes into further detail about punctuation, and more specifically, the comma. Pico Iyre shows how punctuation is a defining part of a culture. Lyre says that “The hot-blooded Spaniard seems to be revealed in the passion and urgency of his double exclamation point and question marks… while the impassive Chinese traditionally added to his so-called inscrutability by omitting all directions from his ideograms.” This quote shows how punctuation is different for each culture, and how without it, a culture would lose an important part of itself. Pico Iyer illustrates the importance of the comma in our society by calling it a “civic prop” and claiming it has the important task of holding our society together. The comma holds our society together by regulating the flow of our words, ideas, and actions with simple yet necessary brakes. Not only does Iyre show how the comma is important to our society, but how the comma is like a god. A god is a being that is know to give life to something by giving it breath and ending its life by taking away it breath. By this definition, a comma is like a god, because it can give a reader a quick breath or take a breath away during a sentence. Whether Pico Iyre is calling a comma a god or explaining how punctuation is a distinctive part of a culture, he makes the definitive point that punctuation is an important part of our lives and one that often gets overlooked. Pico uses a multitude of comparisons to stress the importance of punctuation, but he never addresses one important question in his essay. What would life be like without punctuation?
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Post by kaylawilson on Jul 29, 2015 23:41:22 GMT
Pico Iyer, author of, In Praise of the Humble Comma, uses a wide variety of comparisons to depict his point that comma's are very, very important. In the beginning of the essay, Iyer compares the comma to "a pedant's tick". This comparison was used to show that comma's go unnoticed in our every day lives while reading. Where would we be with out the comma? According to Iyer, if punctuation marks are the road signs placed along the highway of our communication, a comma would be a "flashing yellow light that asks us only to slow down". According to Iyer, punctuation is the signature of cultures. This is due to the fact that punctuation was one of the first proprieties of the Victorian Age. The sexual revolution has been said to have begun when Joyce's Molly Bloom wrote all of her thoughts into 36 pages of no punctuation, uncensored prose. Another rebellion was marked when e.e cummings first committed "god" to the lower case. Spaniards are exposed of their passion and urgency with their double exclamation points and question marks, while the Chinese added to the inscrutability by removing directions with their ideograms. The total Anarchy and commotion that took place in the 1960's was expressed through exclamation marks and riotous capital letters. Also, in Communist societies, the divinity of capital letters is sanctioned for Ministries, Subcommittees and Secretariats. Iyer compares punctuation to music by stating that punctuation, "gets our thoughts moving to the rhythm of our hearts.", while this comparison is leaning towards more of the passionate side of society, it also expresses how punctuation can rhythmically halt our minds in a sense. Punctuation can give a breath and take a breath. This occurs, for example, due to periods at the end of sentences, or semicolons mid-sentence. Iyer also compares punctuation to people themselves. This comparison is made by stating that punctuation is "the way one bats one's eyes, lowers one's voice, or blushes demurely". By saying this, Iyer obviously sets forth a juxtapose between humans and the punctuation that they created by personifying punctuation. For example, the sentence "You aren't young, are you?" loses its innocence once the question mark is removed. Instead of it being a genuine question, the sentence without the question mark can be made as provocative, or malicious. Flat out reducing one's beliefs to the vague word of "faith", can be taken harshly from a believer when their religion is not specifically acknowledged, only denounced to "faith". According to Iyer, markings can simply be one's aesthetics. Abruptly like slipping on a necklace to complete an outfit, or like the sound of running water that sets off a Japanese landscape. Throughout In Praise of the Humble Comma, Pico Iyer uses imagery, personification, and similes/metaphors to express how he feels about punctuation, and more specifically, commas.
"A comma can hear a voice break, or a heart. Punctuation, in fact, is a labor of love. Which brings us back, in a way, to gods."
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Post by mishellsanchez on Jul 30, 2015 4:23:15 GMT
Pico Iyer starts out the essay, In Praise of the Humble Comma, by revealing his idea that “The gods, they say, give breath, and they take it away. But the same could be said-could it not? – of the humble comma.” Iyer begins by stating his opinion on the importance of punctuation; he compares the power of commas to the power of the gods in the sense of giving a breath. In my personal style of writing, I often pay close attention to punctuation, which may come from my habit of paying close attention to detail, and I agree with the notion that Iyer is communicating in his essay.
Iyer continues to talk about the importance of commas by concluding that punctuations give words a significant difference, where I agree yet again. "Punctuation, in short, gives us the human voice, and all the meanings that lie between the words." He then goes on to exemplify his analysis by providing examples. Often when speaking, you need hesitation to gather your thoughts, and instead of mumbling, commas are used. If a comma, for example, is not utilized, then the communication might become difficult to understand, or become misinterpreted. When punctuation is used correctly in literature, it often facilitates the reader's perspective on a character's mood. The punctuation being used gives the characters a human voice, one that is not monotone, where it would be without commas, semicolons, question marks or any other form of punctuation. Punctuation gives voices a tone, often unique to a person or character.
As stated in his biography, Iyer tends to travel the world, never rooted in one place, and his specific attention to punctuation, designed for order and law, according to him, reflects his lifestyle. Since traveling and writing across the world, the punctuation is symbolic of taking a break and realizing what surrounds you. With all the different people and cultures that he has experienced a pause is necessary. In life, it is essential to take a break from the stress of our everyday routine, we have to pause, breathe, look at what is above, beneath, and next to us, if we do not take this short delay, we could miss out on something beautiful. The idea behind a comma acts as a control of speed, as demonstrated, both in literature and life. It provides us with the opportunity to keep a stable, controlled balance within ourselves. Commas along with the gods, they say, give us the chance to breathe.
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Post by Zoe Lambert on Jul 30, 2015 15:48:56 GMT
"The gods, they say, give us breath, and they take it away. But the same could be said - could it not?- of the humble comma." Pico Iyer starts his essay off with such a strong thought that grabs the readers attention. Iyer wants readers right off the bat to know how he feels about commas. Commas, are vital in the writers mind, they are necessary to a writing, but Iyer feels they do not get enough praise for all that they do. In the words of the writer, " the comma is a flashing yellow light that asks us only to slow down". Commas have many different uses, and they do not get the recognition that they deserve for all that they do. They change the fate of how someone interprets a sentence. Iyer points out that punctuation is the signature of all cultures, everyone uses it wether it be English, Spanish, or Chinese it is necessary to their writings. The main point the author is trying to get across is that despite how little it is, a comma plays such a big part in writing and also in everyday talking and it really doesn't get enough credit. Punctuation gets the thoughts i our head moving and " popping in a comma can be like slipping on the necklace that gives an outfit quiet elegance." Commas are in a way like a statement piece in an outfit that makes the whole look go together. Iyer understands the importance of the humble comma and wants everyone else to get that respect that he has for it. In conclusion, all Iyer is trying to prove throughout the essay is that although they go along with little recognition commas are very important in the making of a sentence. If it were not for commas sentences would be read completely wrong and our thoughts wouldn't be expressed correctly. Pico Iyer has a respect for commas that not everyone has and he is trying to spread the love by reveling all that the "humble comma" has to offer. A comma, catches he gentle drift of the mind in thought, turning it on itself and back on itself, reversing, redoubling, and returning along the course of its own sweet river music in Iyers words. Next time I go to write something i will definitely have a better understanding of how to use the comma in my writing thanks to Pico Iyers strong opinion of the humble comma. Students do not take the time while writing to use the correct punctuation and sometimes use punctuation, just not correctly, we let the little things in life go unnoticed like the comma and we need to start paying more attention to them!
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Post by efournier on Jul 31, 2015 2:20:26 GMT
Pico Iyer writes very passionately about the comma and how it is not "respected" enough. He says, "yet still the comma gets no respect...small, we claim, is beautiful (especially in the age of the microchip)." Commas give you a break and a space to breath so, it says, " -unless it be breath itself"? He explains other punctuation marks to be too simple and noticeable, like the period which is too obvious, like a red light. Commas are not rare but as they show up, it is necessary you notice them to take a breath of you miss the chance. Commas are necessary so there are no run-on sentences because we need to take a breath. Iyer describes punctuation as culture's birthmark. Commas, along with other punctuation gives rhythm to our hearts. He also uses some similes about commas. " Popping in a comma can be like slipping on the necklace that gives an outfit quiet elegance." He describes commas as tiny scatches and he says, " only a lover notices the small things ". He may perhaps be talking about flaws that are noticed but if you love them you learn to live with their flaws. Commas seem the give away "secret messages" as you read sentences and begin to understand them.
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Post by alexmarino on Aug 20, 2015 0:17:41 GMT
Pico Iyer must be an interesting character, because i don't know anyone who would write this much about a comma. He wrote so passionately on the matter as well. My all time favorite quote out of any book now has to be, "add a comma, and the noble sobriety of 'God save the Queen' becomes a cry of desperation bordering on a double sacrilege." it basically is saying; without a small, little, unappreciated comma, sentences can be misconstrued in many different ways. Pico has a great little section in the beginning, "Punctuation marks are the road signs placed along the highway of our communication-to control speeds, provide directions, and prevent head-on collisions." This analogy is very well thought out and clever. Pico started and ended with devine quotes about god which brought us to a full circle, ending a wonderful little section, quite like the comma.
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Post by marissamcgaffney on Aug 30, 2015 17:08:49 GMT
"Punctuation, in short, gives us the human voice, and all the meanings that lie between the words." Throughout Pico Iyer's essay, he continuously feeds his audience his interpretation on punctuation along with comparisons describing punctuation. Immediately the comparison between punctuation and road signs captured my attention. "Punctuation marks are the road signs placed along the highway of our communication- to control speeds, provide directions and prevent head-on collisions." Without road signs we would have no point of direction, and without punctuation we would not have a purpose in our writing. Therefore, these similarities allow for the audience to fully understand Iyer's outlook on the importance of punctuation. "A world that has only periods is a world without inflections." If we spoke in sentences, without the proper use of punctuation, we would live in a monotone environment. Imagine never speaking in a tone that would require an exclamation point at the end, or reading a sentence without taking a breath. Our language would just be dry. Not to mention, if you tried to read a compound sentence without any punctuation, you're going to look back and wish you had a chance to stop and take a breath. Punctuation has such a significant impact on our society. In this case Pico Iyer pin pointed the importance of a "humble comma." We take advantage of how much these "tiny scratches" give our speech purpose and direction. I praise Pico Iyer for shining a light on the humble comma.
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Post by madisonbailey on Aug 30, 2015 17:21:12 GMT
In Pico Iyer’s essay, In Praise of the Humble Comma, the author uses irony and a large variety of comparisons to validate his point that commas and punctuation marks are more merely a necessity to a less chaotic world. Iyer starts out his essay with a strong comparison between the Gods and commas. “ The Gods, they say, give breath, and they take it away. But the same could be said – could it not? – of the humble comma.” The Gods are the one who enabled us to breath and they easily can take it away, just like punctuation marks. The comma is written as a representation of short pauses, quick little breaths, which is taken when people talk. Since the comma does represent breath, it gives breath when used, and then it takes away when it isn’t. Without the comma, every compound, complex, and compound- complex sentence would become too complicated to understand. This goes along with my favorite comparisons in Iyer’s essay. The author uses a great use of a metaphor to compare traffic lights to punctuation marks and more importantly, the comma. “Punctuation marks are the road signs placed along the highway of our communication – to control speeds, provide directions, and prevent head – on collisions. Later on Iyer compares a period to a red light for when the ending comes whereas commas are like yellow lights, which flash asking you to slow down. This was a brilliant way to compare the two together to show how important and relevant the comma truly is. The author goes on to state that basically life without punctuation would most defiantly be chaotic and to show this he makes a connection with Victorian Age strict rules and corsets that Modernists later get rid off. At the end of the essay, Iyer reinforces his idea of punctuation by saying that in order to achieve important things in life we all have to care about even the smallest ones. Though it may seem like such a harsh job to take the time punctuate where it is necessary, it is the way to highlight a text as a whole.
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Post by brandmbauer on Aug 31, 2015 20:05:49 GMT
Brandon Bauer Mr. Vitale AP Language 11 31 August 2015
In Praise of the Humble Comma Comma (noun): a mark of punctuation used for indicating a division in a sentence. Sometimes the simplest of things can be ever so powerful in a phrase, paragraph, or novel. One character can create an astounding difference, as clearly explained in the short essay by Pico Iyer. In Praise of the Humble Comma expands on the underlying meaning and themes of punctuation not only in the mind, but also on paper. Lives revolve around these simple markings portraying how an authors own mind can understand the separations between phrases. Throughout the essay, punctuation was continually contrasted with real life interpretations. There were numerous examples of how we use these symbols every day as a form of measurement, time, estimation, and distance. My favorite comparison in the composition was, “Punctuation marks are the road signs placed along the highway of our communication-to control speeds, provide directions, and prevent head-on collisions. A period has the unblinking finality of a red light; the comma is a flashing yellow light that asks us only to slow down; and the semicolon is a Stop sign that tells us to ease gradually to a halt, before gradually starting up again.” These commas, periods, and semicolons are depicted as symbols or themes that cannot be lived without. Necessities. Without them we would never be where we are today. In addition to the humble comma, what is so beautiful about the thought of a comma is how small, but powerful it can be when used correctly. Everything from the “I have a dream.” speech by Martin Luther King Jr. to the upcoming United States presidential election speeches, each of them use these commas as tricks to make them sound even more exceptional. The long pauses Martin Luther King made to increase the uplifting theme of freedom and liberation, made the difference. Each pause created by just a minuscule teardrop shaped comma on a piece of paper. Conclusively, whether the human population notices it or not, punctuation is sometimes one of the most powerful characters of all because of the separation of sentences they create. Timing is ultimately what matters within these comparisons, as Pico Iyer infers in his essay. In Praise of the Humble Comma concludes the underlying theme of punctuation that is ever so difficult to explain, and without the simple comma, our lives would never be the same as they are today.
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Post by Libby Osman on Aug 31, 2015 21:48:09 GMT
After someone learns to read, they adopt a certain pace and voice in their mind. They know how punctuation alters this voice and change their tone accordingly; this occurs naturally. Tone is just one of the many components of writing that is affected by punctuation. As Pico Iyer says In Praise of the Humble Comma, punctuation gives “breadth and heft and depth.” Iyer uses several examples of how a simple comma holds the power to “hear a voice break, or a heart.” A simple dash on a page, easily overlooked had never had its vitality exposed before this essay. Now in every sentence I read, I can hear the voice inside of my head changing from monotone to excited or sad. A heavy and gloomy phrase changing into a heartfelt one, I now associate with the placement of a single comma. They allow the reader to take a break, either to next be excited or greatly disappointed. Commas allow for details otherwise not included, or explanations that would have been left a mystery. With each comma my mind registers as it reads, I now see that I am reading the thoughts of a writer that they may have left unsaid. I am reading the words that they would have hesitated to speak. Iyer exposes this revelation of the comma in such a heartfelt way. He talks about love and a god all the while explaining supposed routine punctuation. At the conclusion of reading his essay, so many thoughts run through your head and you take notice to each pause that your mind takes in between words. Commas. Your minds own way of breathing, its own way of letting you know that there is a little more to be thought. He uses examples of love, how a comma separates the inseparable so when writing a love letter commas were rarely used. Or a comma when adding details shows the individuality of that detail, not its direct and inevitable relation to the subject of that particular sentence. He also explains how commas are the gate at which explanations and stories flow. Instead of leaving a sentence in the air for a reader to ponder, the writer takes its readers mind to a whole new place. With commas come enlightenment, rest and tales of love and mystery. How many stories would have been left unsaid without the use of the humble comma. Iyer explained something otherwise thought of as insignificant. Most writers like to discuss what is hidden in between the lines however Iyer shared his thoughts on what is often blatantly overlooked. By over-thinking a simple dash of ink on a page he has enlightened readers to reconsider the importance of what they deem unimportant.
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Post by Nauttikka on Sept 1, 2015 2:04:58 GMT
“In Praise of The Humble Comma” is Pico Iyer’s thoughts on the amount of overlooking the comma receives. He starts by referring to the Gods. “The Gods, they say, give breath, and they take it away. But could not the same be said—could it not?—of the humble comma.” Although it is something so small and often disregarded the comma does wonders in writing which transforms into reading. The comma does give breath and takes it away just as it is said about the Gods. Without the comma everything would be a run-on. “(A run-on sentence, its phrases piling up without division, is as unsightly as a sink piled high with dirty dishes.)” The comma is something that would be missed if it couldn’t be used. Even though there are many who don’t even use a comma they would notice if it was gone within writings of others. Overall I believe Iyer’s purpose it to show that even though the comma is small it is still needed. The little things in life are the ones that are most important. The comma has always been something difficult to master and it is either not used correctly or not used at all. “Punctuation is the notation in the sheet music of our words, telling us when to rest, or when to raise our voices; it acknowledges that the meaning of our discourse, as of any symphonic composition, lies not in the units but in the pauses, the pacing, and the phrasing.” The punctuation that one encounters when reading or the symbols that one uses while writing determines the way it will be interpreted. Iyer uses the example of the dropped comma when a parent uses the phrase, “Do not…” This changes the tone of the sentence and the mood of the person delivering it. Punctuation does the same thing for readers as the different markings in music for musicians. Without those markings it would never be known how to play each phrase of music to make it sound the way it was meant to be played. If there is no punctuation how is a reader supposed to know what the other is trying to say, and how they are trying to say it? A comma could give so many different emotions to a sentence. I think that Pico Iyer uses different comparisons to achieve his grounds for writing. He uses the comparison to road signs. “Punctuation marks are the road signs placed along the highway of our communication…” The comma is a “flashing yellow light that asks us only to slow down.” When used in a comparison to a yellow flashing light the comma seems so important. What would drivers do without that flashing yellow light at an intersection? There are people who would slow down but others would just go right through. This is just like the use of a comma. If there wasn’t a comma readers would blow through a sentence just like a driver would blow through an intersection. Before reading this composition by Pico Iyer, I would not have thought that much of the comma. With this being said, I believe he was very successful at reaching his readers. Commas, just like all other types of punctuation are important. The comma is very small but in today’s society small is better. Even with writers explaining and stressing the importance of the comma it will never be truly accepted as a important piece of punctuation like the period or question mark, because people can live without it.
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