America is no longer a literary nation

Another excellent post, Dr. Heath.

I refer to today's American "artists" as assembly line workers.

Are you familiar with Miss Florence King? If so, what is your opinion of her work? Now, there's a critic.

The writer of "America is no longer a literary nation" is in a position to know whereof he speaks.

While the country is spending millions and millions of dollars in the pursuit of providing basic education for children -- tomorrow's leaders -- too many of those dollars are wasted. Too many children are incapable of connecting a subject with a verb, incapable of, well, communicating.

That's what it's all about: communication. Communication of ideas. Communication of emotions. Communication of information. Communication of history. There will be some who might look at the second, third, fourth and fifth of my "sentences" in this paragraph and say something such as, "Ah-ha! Gotcha! No subject and no verb!" They would be absolutely correct; however, the term "literary license" is likely one with which they are sadly unfamiliar.

Poets express thinking and emotions uniquely theirs. That is the reason so many people dislike poetry, asking, all too often, "What did he (or she) mean by that?" The answer would be that if it is not obvious, then it cannot be explained. Poets frequently expect readers -- and they hope there will be readers -- to understand, truly understand what is being communicated, even if it becomes necessary to read and reread, and, most of all, to think.

Poets do not want their writing to be obscure; rather, they want to it to be understood.

America is lucky enough to have high school graduates able to read (for the most part); however, sadly, most find writing an insurmountable task.

If the pen is mightier than the sword, America needs to produce more people who have some of the writing capabilities of Dr. Heath. I say "some of" because there is no contemporary who is more prolific and persuasive -- and entertaining -- a writer as he. I have no doubt he might have been perfect in the place and time of the writing of our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution.

However, we are fortunate in that he is here in our time. The words seem to flow effortlessly from his mind to his computer to all his readers, but we know it is not effortless. And we thank him for his perseverance.

Jimmy Carter, you're absolutely on target.

One of my favorite works is Mr. Emerson's essay "Transcedentalist."

Referring to your comment about poets and writers:

"They [transcedentalists] wish a just and even fellowship, or none. They cannot gossip with you, and they do not wish, as they are sincere and religious, to gratify any mere curiosity which you may entertain. Like fairies, they do not wish to be spoken of. Love me, they say, but do not ask who is my cousin and my uncle. If you do not need to hear my thought, because you can read it in my face and behavior, then I will tell it you from sunrise to sunset. If you cannot divine it, you would not understand what I say. I will not molest myself for you. I do not wish to be profaned."


I love it.

I am a "Gen-Xer" and I think I am one of the last who was taught how to dissect sentences.

Excellent comment, Frigglesnitz.
We're on the same page.

I like Florence King, Jimmy. Thank you for your kind and generous comments.
Frigglesnitz, a dream fulfilled would be sitting down with you and Jimmy for coffee, though I would have a cigarette with mine, and the three of us recapturing an America that once loved its writers and poets.

What a pair!

I am humbled by the comments of both of you.

As to a conversation with both of you, over coffee, bring it on. As to the cigarette, I may be surreptitious, even with myself, but I'd join Sam (downwind from Jimmy). My guilty pleasures would nearly be complete.

In lieu thereof, I will read Emerson's "Transcendentalist." My reading list is short. Thank you, Jimmy, for thinking of it after a reading of my comment. I think we are, indeed, on the same page. How nice to be understood.

Forgotten in my earlier comment today (7/12/07) was a reference to the exercise of dissecting sentences.

Mentioned in other of my comments was a seventh-grade teacher who was in my opinion the best English teacher ever born. Under her almost-religious tutelage, I learned the art of sentence dissection, and my sentence diagrams were, I believe now in retrospect, to have been geometrical works of art. They soared above sentences in fluid, logical, geometrical art.

Geometry was not my forte. Sentence dissection -- now there was art and geometry. Jimmy C. and I must be nearly fossilized by now. Anybody out there who can join us? Not counting Dr. Heath, of course -- we believe he might have had some education along those lines.

Dr. Heath,

I don't recall having ever been given a greater compliment. I sincerely Thank You.

Feel free to smoke in my presence, so long as you don't mind my snuff indulgence.


Frigglesnitz,

Your description of dissecting sentences made me laugh rather heartily. Performing dissection on sentences truely is "art and geometry."

Although We are surrounded by people practically every moment of the day, I sometimes feel like a lone comet among the Cosmos. I am Thankful that I have met both of You through this medium. Y'all are more than "a breath of fresh air," y'all are neighbors I wish I had.

Thank You.

While I hate taking up Dr. Heath's space here for this question, I am compelled. Were you the one, several months ago, who found yourself being corrected on the spelling of "y'all"? Was your spelling "ya'll"?

My mind drifts hither and yon (mostly yon), and I simply can't remember, although I have a vague memory it was none other than Jimmy Carter himself. What is your state? (Not your state of mind, JC, but your state of residence?)

Thank you both for your compliments. I am truly glad to have "met" both of you.