MY DISAGREEMENT WITH ZINSSER – DRAFT 2

On chapter 9 of “On Writing Well,” by William Zinsser, he said something that I found extremely shocking and I tend to disagree. He says, “Most of us are still prisoners of the lesson pounded into us by the composition teachers of our youth: that every story must have a beginning, a middle and end… That’s all right for elementary and high school students uncertain of their ground.”

Traditional colleges teaching writing in 300 levels still teach a traditional system of beginning, middle and end. So it’s not just elementary and high schools. My brother is in college right now, and his essays must follow that structure. My first semester at Quinnipiac pursuing my Master’s, I took a class and my professor also followed this system. I can’t imagine myself going to my professor and saying I was not planning to follow the traditional structure just because William Zinsser said is not necessary. I work for a college in New York and I know all professors follow this format as well.

Also, scripts in film follow this structure as well: SET UP, plot point, CONFRONTATION, plot point, and RESOLUTION. It’s a standard in the industry and I don’t think it will change. I must say there are many exceptions to the rule such as “Citizen Kane,” “Memento,” “Kill Bill,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Annie Hall,” among others. These amazing films do not follow the traditional structure and are still considered masterpieces with impeccable scripts. These are non-linear films and I believe Zinsser was thinking on those films when he said that “most of us are still prisoners of the lessons pounded into us by the composition teachers of our youth.” I want to assume that Zinsser was actually saying, “non-linear essays, films, and stories are also amazing pieces of work.”

In the end, it all depends on the perspective and objective of whomever is theorizing any film. If the objective is to find a three-act structure within a film, theorists will find it… or at least make an argument as to the how or why.

I love Zinsser’s book and I am learning a lot from it. It’s one of the best non-fiction books I’ve read in a very long time. However, based on the same quote mentioned before it seems that the book is not intended for younger audiences, “prisoners of composition teachers of our youth.” If a college or high school student reads this book in a traditional institution he/she certainly will have problems to succeed in his/her English Composition class. These old school institutions will still think that great stories are just like life itself with a three-act structure. Beginning (birth), Middle (life), and End (Death.)