In high school, I would constantly stress over having the correct form of writing and

making sure I demonstrated Standard English. I was taught to follow the Standard English

writing style and to never deviate from that unless it was an opinion paper. Even then, my

teacher always stressed the importance of keeping our inner voice at a minimum in all papers. I

always wondered why I could not add my own voice and personal style for the prompts that were

given. Having personal style in writing is important because it convinces the target audience that

I know what I am talking about. Also, having personal style in writing helps the target audience

understand the message I am trying to convey. So, we must ask the dire question, why are we

taught to write in Standard English and to deviate from personal style? Is there an appropriate

time and place for both?

When I read chapter one, “What is Style, and Why Does it Matter,” I was surprised to

learn that most teachers follow a handbook that highlights the usage of Style in English. In the

handbook it conclusively says that writers should always take few risks, and to write in Standard

English in the safest way possible. I do believe that there should be a writing standard in place,

so that everyone at least has a model they can follow that is easily understood. Additionally,

having that universal standard in place helps to break communication barriers and also prepares

us for writing in the professional work field. However, I also believe personal style should be

present in our writing because of the whole idea of expression. For example, when

communicating with others verbally we tend to exaggerate, emphasize, and express ourselves in

an exuberant manner. So, in my opinion, I believe the standard should be changed to where we

can express ourselves more while still keeping a level of professionalism. The standard should be

changed to where it has a perfect balance of both personal style and Standard English. So, the

message is still understood, and in a way where the reader gets a sense of the writer’s thought
process. Style in writing also allows the reader to critically look at a body of work and ask the

questions, “Why did they use that particular word?” or “Why did they structure the sentence this

way?” Reading bodies of work incorporated with style allow us to get a sense of the message the

author is trying to put out or what they are not trying to put out. However, I am aware of the fact

that too much style can lead to the paper being incomprehensible. The reader may start to get

confused and mistake the text as not being serious. Another reason a paper should not have too

much style is because the narrative can start to go all over the place. That is why I believe it is so

important to have the perfect balance of style and Standard English. I was not surprised to learn

that most teachers do not believe in what they teach when it comes to style. How could they?

They were once English majors, and I’m sure they would like to be able to teach their students to

express their individuality and find their voice. Yet, it seems as though most teachers are unable

to do that due to having to follow a certain guideline. In the chapter, it discusses the difficulty

teachers go through when grading papers. On one hand, teachers will give out worse grades to

students for strictly adhering to the Standard English writing. Then on the other hand, they will

also give out bad grades for incorporating too much style in their writing. So, it seems like no

matter what, students can not win right? Wrong. That is why I will reiterate that teachers need to

teach students how to write in Standard English while also having their personal style. That way,

students would feel more confident and interested in their work, instead of getting penalized for

doing too much of either. I believe that if style was incorporated into the teachings of Standard

English writing would be more appealing to students. At least from my experience, I was always

interested in writing with my own style in the paper versus strictly following the standard.

Initially, I believed that the only definition of style is the manner in which we express

ourselves and individuality. So, I found it interesting that the chapter provided many definitions
for style. Yet, I want to discuss two in particular that stood out to me the most which is, style as

voice and style as possibility and risk. When I think of style as voice, at first, I did not understand

the difference between style and voice. I thought they were interchangeable and essentially had

the same meaning, as the chapter explained most people believe. Yet, with further reading I

learned that voice refers to an aspect of writing that provides a sense of distinction. To have a

sense of voice in writing, makes the text more enjoyable and sometimes even relatable. That is

why I think most people read fiction books because one can get a sense of the characters

feelings, beliefs, and thought process. Writing with a sense of voice is less intimidating because

it is easy and flexible to incorporate everyday conversation into the text. However, writing with

too much voice can lead to lack of specificity and assuming the target audience feels the same as

the writer. That is why it is so important to have balance in writing. Balance in style, voice, and

Standard English can led to a great thought-provoking paper. Although too much or too little of

the three can lead to a disastrous paper. Lastly, I will discuss the definition of style as possibility

and risk. One point I found particularly fascinating is when the chapter states, “To take risks in

their writing, students must be able to fail without fear of reprisal (Style, 14).” The idea behind

taking risks in writing is easier said than done. I feel as though most students want to be able to

take risks in their writing, but most of the time that behavior is usually not encouraged. Also, by

taking risks in writing students are putting a lot on the line, namely their grade. So, how can we

be expected to take risks in our writing without having the fear of failing? The chapter suggests

we should not be afraid of failing as I mentioned above, but that is simply not possible.

Overall, I believe that having style present in writing is important because it gives the

reader a sense of relatability. Style allows writers to express themselves in a comfortable manner

while still managing to get the point across.