The link to the column is provided here:
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/11/29/krista-ramsey-keenan-west/19673489/
The following line from Krista Ramsey's column provides strong examples of syntax and diction, with its effective use of imagery and punctation:
"It's an exercise in risk and public vulnerability that adolescents, used to trying to fit in and not make themselves a target for ridicule or rejection, understand all too well" (Ramsey).
The above excerpt from Krista's column illustrates the theme of Keenan's assemblies -- self expression without worry of exclusion -- by using great diction. Her excellent word choices such as risk, vulnerability, target, ridicule and rejection (bolded and italicized above) demonstrate the prominent idea that students sometimes sacrifice being themselves in order to avoid being bullied. In addition to her word choice being relevant to the column's theme, Ramsey's syntax allowed for further description in the sentence and, therefore, higher understanding. The information separated by the commas would be adequate for a sentence on its own. We would still comprehend the idea that adolescents are familiar with the concept of public vulnerability. However, the details inside the commas provide explanation for the rest of the sentence. With just a few extra details, we're able to understand WHY the statement is true. We know that students understand outside influence because of their insistence on conforming. Clearly, Krista Ramsey is entirely capable of creating excellent diction and syntax in her writing.
In general, Krista Ramsey's writing style uses short, detached paragraphs to display a mix of factual information and opinions. This paragraph, from Ramsey's column on the impact of electronics on vision, incorporates facts provided by a UC professor to support the theme, "'When you use less and less of the peripheral retinal cells, less and less signal gets to the brain from that area and it gets less strong or goes away. So there may be more brain processing power dedicated to a task like watching a computer screen - but it may come at the cost of peripheral vision,' he says" (Ramsey). Additionally, a paragraph from her column on the topic of appropriate dress attire, and a few athletes in particular, illustrates the format Ramsey's writing tends to assume: "The amazing thing isn't that two super jocks know how to dress well, but that they actually seem to want to" (Ramsey). This paragraph is a mere sentence in length and, in contrast to the aspect of her writing style that focuses on facts, it includes Krista's personal opinion. As one last piece of evidence regarding Ramsey's writing style, this paragraph from her column on Keenan West's message (described above) shows her use of facts and short paragraphs: "A statistic he shares with every group: in 57 percent of cases, the bullying ends within 10 seconds of a bystander speaking up" (Ramsey). In reading these three columns, I've come to the following conclusion regarding Ramsey's writing style:
Using separate paragraphs, sometimes comprised of just a sentence or two, Krista Ramsey blends factual and opinionated writing to create the optimal column.
If I were to ask Krista Ramsey a few questions, they would be:
1. What sparked your interest in becoming a columnist?
2. How do you find such unique and fascinating topics? Do you look to other writers for inspiration?
3. Would you ever consider writing a book? If so, what would it be about?
"It's an exercise in risk and public vulnerability that adolescents, used to trying to fit in and not make themselves a target for ridicule or rejection, understand all too well" (Ramsey).
The above excerpt from Krista's column illustrates the theme of Keenan's assemblies -- self expression without worry of exclusion -- by using great diction. Her excellent word choices such as risk, vulnerability, target, ridicule and rejection (bolded and italicized above) demonstrate the prominent idea that students sometimes sacrifice being themselves in order to avoid being bullied. In addition to her word choice being relevant to the column's theme, Ramsey's syntax allowed for further description in the sentence and, therefore, higher understanding. The information separated by the commas would be adequate for a sentence on its own. We would still comprehend the idea that adolescents are familiar with the concept of public vulnerability. However, the details inside the commas provide explanation for the rest of the sentence. With just a few extra details, we're able to understand WHY the statement is true. We know that students understand outside influence because of their insistence on conforming. Clearly, Krista Ramsey is entirely capable of creating excellent diction and syntax in her writing.
In general, Krista Ramsey's writing style uses short, detached paragraphs to display a mix of factual information and opinions. This paragraph, from Ramsey's column on the impact of electronics on vision, incorporates facts provided by a UC professor to support the theme, "'When you use less and less of the peripheral retinal cells, less and less signal gets to the brain from that area and it gets less strong or goes away. So there may be more brain processing power dedicated to a task like watching a computer screen - but it may come at the cost of peripheral vision,' he says" (Ramsey). Additionally, a paragraph from her column on the topic of appropriate dress attire, and a few athletes in particular, illustrates the format Ramsey's writing tends to assume: "The amazing thing isn't that two super jocks know how to dress well, but that they actually seem to want to" (Ramsey). This paragraph is a mere sentence in length and, in contrast to the aspect of her writing style that focuses on facts, it includes Krista's personal opinion. As one last piece of evidence regarding Ramsey's writing style, this paragraph from her column on Keenan West's message (described above) shows her use of facts and short paragraphs: "A statistic he shares with every group: in 57 percent of cases, the bullying ends within 10 seconds of a bystander speaking up" (Ramsey). In reading these three columns, I've come to the following conclusion regarding Ramsey's writing style:
Using separate paragraphs, sometimes comprised of just a sentence or two, Krista Ramsey blends factual and opinionated writing to create the optimal column.
If I were to ask Krista Ramsey a few questions, they would be:
1. What sparked your interest in becoming a columnist?
2. How do you find such unique and fascinating topics? Do you look to other writers for inspiration?
3. Would you ever consider writing a book? If so, what would it be about?
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