Finding The Right Words Of The Ancient Chinese Philosopher, Lao Tzu, A Journey Of A Thousand Miles

I want my writing to be as good as what I’ve read. The only person I trust with my language labors is my mom. She’s the single smartest person I know, and no matter the query she has the answer. If I had a dollar for every time I asked her “what's the word I’m looking for?” paying for my tuition wouldn’t be a problem. Then I start thinking about the origins of some turns of phrase and it blows my mind how our language got to where it is today. Of course, that results in some late night essay writing, but the feeling when I find the right word and it all clicks, that’s what makes the struggle worthwhile to

Writing is a powerful tool for communication and connection. As an extension and expression of the mind, writing is as much about the mental processes of the author as it is about the final marks laid to paper. As we write, we hold in mind our own thoughts on the work, anticipate the reader’s thoughts, and think both in concrete and abstract ways in order to accomplish the task at hand. Whether an academic research paper, a novel, or text message to friends, writing seeks to engage, persuade, or impress concepts upon an audience. Like language and other art forms in general, the practice of writing is ever-evolving and is subject to cultural and contextual influence, expectations, and conventions. Each writer holds a theory

When students complete a first draft, they consider the job of writing done – and their teachers too often agree. When professional writers complete a first draft, they usually feel that they are at the start of the writing process. When a draft is completed, the job of writing can begin. That difference in attitude is the difference between amateur and professional, inexperience and experience, journeyman and craftsman. Peter F. Drucker, the prolific business writer, calls his first draft “the zero draft”–after that he can start counting. Most writers share the feeling that the first draft, and all of those which follow, are opportunities to discover what they have to say and how best they can say it. To produce a progression of drafts, each of which says more and says it more clearly, the writer has to develop a special kind of reading skill. In school we are taught to decode what appears on the page as finished writing. Writers, however, face a different

Everyone on the planet has a goal set in life, but only a handful attempt to improve to obtain their goal by studying the subject their goal is in. In my English class, English 101 this quarter I was astonished by how much I had progressed as a writer sharpening my writing skills and also learned a lot about writing that I hadn’t learned before. In my writing portfolio for this quarter I had to write an autobiography essay, a research essay, and this reflection essay to develop my writing skills better. The writing assignments were fun to do because it challenged me to work on essays of different styles that were new to me. The essay assignments helped me grow as a better writer that gave me the self-confidence and skills to take on the world on my own.

Whether while writing an essay or a birthday card, we have all struggled to find the proper words to illustrate our thoughts or feelings from time to time. Upholding the occupation of a writer would multiply that struggle tenfold. An occupation that depends on interesting, fluid pieces of writing every submission requires an adequate number of attempts and patience. Lamott expresses that writers “all often feel like we are pulling teeth” (Lamott), which proves the difficulty of writing is still there no matter the level of writer behind the work. Lamott also emphasizes that a writer “has to start somewhere” and shares her friend’s ideas in her writing to simply “get something - anything - down on paper” (Lamott). Lamott, and the other writers mentioned in this piece, carry incredible track records, while still admitting that perfection did not come initially, or even easily. Thus, proving that the Shitty First Draft has a place in any writer’s notebook or Word document. Lamott’s admission to struggling to properly begin a piece of writing surprised me, given of her success. I could not imagine a woman of her accomplishments stressing out over a food review, yet I felt relieved that someone of Lamott’s title relates to an amateur writer like myself. I often put off my writing as well when I cannot articulate a proper introduction. I do every other possible homework, or shy away from homework in general because the

Taught more than thirty decades ago, cursive writing has a famed and legendary past. It was once a vital element of American education but is now becoming an archaic artefact as technology advancement and the requirement of more regulated tests push it out of the education system. Cursive writing should be scrapped out of the education system for there is no need of wasting time and resources to continue teaching a skill that won’t be beneficial to the students in the near future.

Everyone knows what writing is to one extent or another, but we all have different definitions of how it should be done and varying degrees of seriousness about the art. We all have a process of writing, but each is unique to ourselves and our own experiences. Annie Dillard and Stephen King are two well known authors who have published many pieces, two of which describe how they view the writing process and let their readers get a peek of what goes on through their minds when they write. These two pieces are Dillard’s The Writing Life and King’s “What Writing Is.”

In “Thoughts from the Tao-te Ching,” Lao-Tzu illustrates the optimal way in which a ruler should lead their country in conformity with the Tao. Lao-Tzu points out that a nation’s government should put in place the slightest governance in the lives of its people, because the good in people will come naturally when the people disregard their efforts to seek these ethics. Finally, Lao-Tzu also encourages that a leader be modest and tolerant by truly taking interest in the civilians needs and concentrating on his home land instead of seeking issues with other worldly places.

Cursive has been a major part of the world’s history. From the Articles of Confederation to the Declaration of Independence, the United State’s most important documents have been logged in connected, loopy letters. However, historical legislation isn’t the only place this form of handwriting can be seen. According to dartmouth.edu, cursive has been traced back to first century AD. (Ancient para 10). Additionally, predecessors to the present generation primarily wrote in cursive— recipes, letters, journals, etc. This format is seen throughout human history, documenting everyday lives on parchment that has been preserved for centuries. Losing this type of writing will decrease the youth’s comprehension of their origin. It’s one of the many roots anchored in to keep the past upright and intact. Because of this deep tie to America’s foundation, having the ability to read and write in cursive can be crucial in understanding our history and ancestry.

In the “Thoughts from the Tao-te Ching,” it shows that Lao Tzu has a strong desire of finding peace in the country. The Tao-te Ching is written for future leaders and generations. Lao Tzu’s purpose is to bring China together in a mannerly way rather than causing chaos in the country. Lao Tzu strongly believes that a leader should be open for advices and other elements of making one self feel worthy. I believe Lao Tzu’s beliefs are certainly correct. I thought that people should coexist peacefully in the world and should be open to others. He also mentions that leaders should not be too controlling while the world governs themselves. This idea can be effective in many ways. When Lao Tzu mentions “let go of the law, and people become honest”

He was a philosopher attributed with the writing of the Tao-Te-Ching and the reputed founder of Taoism. ("Tao" meaning the way of all life, "Te" meaning the fit use of life by all men, and "Ching" meaning text.) Lao Tzu was not his real name but rather an honorary title given to him by his followers meaning "Old Master".

When I was in the third grade in my small town school, we had to learn cursive to pass the class. It was not very hard, just a little challenging on some of the letters. When I had to sign my name, I knew how to do my signature, or when I got a head injury it showed how bad the injury was based on my print and cursive writing.

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage” (Lao Tzu). Lao Tzu is a Chinese philosopher who lived in the sixth century B.C and his work has embraced by both various anti-authoritarian movements. This quotes interact with the ancient text the Tao Te Chin because they both describes love have a strength and that strength allows the leader to encounter challenges. Tzu believed if masters are love by his people is the best ruler because the leader gain strength from the people love and loving all the citizens in the state allows ruler to do favorable things for the people. Government vicious qualities is better than the virtuous qualities because nefarious character of a ruler strictly controls people and prevent them to do unacceptable things.

My first memory of reading or writing was being taught the alphabet at the daycare I attended in my childhood. I was in the “butterfly room” which was for children going into kindergarten the following year. I have a similar memory of my mother teaching me to write my name when I was around that same age. At some point in the years following I learned to read on my own and became more proficient in writing.

Writing has always been something I dread. It’s weird because I love talking and telling stories, but the moment I have to write it all down on paper, I become frantic. It’s almost as if a horse race just begun in my mind, with hundreds of horses, or words, running through my mind, unable to place them in chronological order. Because I struggle to form satisfying sentence structure, it takes me hours, sometimes even days, to write one paper. It’s not that I think I’m a “bad writer,” I just get discouraged easily. Needless to say, I don’t think highly of my writing skills. When I was little I loved to both read and write. I read just about any book I could get my hands on, and my journal was my go to for my daily adventures. Although it’s