A Matter of Perspective Joanne Lee Honors 1100 Prof. Dan Gerth September 7, 2012 In Robert T.

Kloses article, A Rarity: Grammar Lessons from Dad, he speaks about the decline of proper grammar usage among the younger generation. He also shows disdains for the current education system which he sees as inept. His thought that school system only promotes negatives on the students relationship towards grammar is very subjective, however, because I think it depends on the student. What struck his article was his great way of portraying his opinions by showing how it directly had affect in his personal life. Unlike other articles in which I am often faced by diatribes that constantly come off as pessimistic and extreme, his style was less stern, his mannerisms concerned yet gentle. He also didnt spare his good humor. With reading so many authors opinions and answers to a complex matter as the demise of English language, I could tell that Klose was concerned about the direction in which the language was headed. I too, although I do know all the parts of speech, have felt guilt and shame for my own frustrations with the English language. And yes! Definitely, the school system has only promoted my fear towards the strict grammar rules of the language, rather than the fun and easy part Klose mentions. My own understanding of that of the demise of English is that perhaps, the answers lie in dependence to where you search - its really hard to generalize, in fact. For example, grammar and writing was a ubiquitous problem in my Journalism experience back at my high school in Rock Bridge High School, in Columbia, Mo., a place where there are the highest density population of journalist after Washington D.C. Anyhow, yes, even in that class, there were some who struggled immensely and others such as one Editor-in-Chief senior, who seemed to know the answer to any grammatical question possible, and amazingly, every time he was right. Thus, it seems pretty clear, that those two students had the same schooling process, maybe even same teachers here and there. Taking Kloses argument of blaming it on the school doesnt really work for some students. I felt intimidated under my circumstances, but to others perhaps not. It is true that overall, yes, English is very different from what it was only a decade ago; with technology and other various factors, the younger generation is straying from the so-called standard and proper English. The difference in classroom settings, the ignorant attitude towards grammar (e.g. texting), those have come to play in the way how modern English has diverged from its past. However, it is unsubstantial to say that every child of this generation is incompent, and moreover more faulty to say every education system is incapable of teaching grammar in a more approachable, fun method. Concerning Kloses points on how the parents should interfere with the childs grammatical education, as friendly and intimate Kloses article felt to me, I honestly couldnt relate at first because having Asian parents, it was usually me correcting their grammar; moreover, I felt this sense of responsibility to be as fluent and informed in my speech and writing. Whenever I faced a challenge in my fluency, I took the matter very seriously, thus, making grammar as a subject that only gave me stress. In the end, it really boils down to the matter of perspective - even two students in the same setting might have opinions lying at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Everything is subjective, even Kloses surprise to his son

knowledge of the subjunctive mood.