SimplicityWilliam Zinsser

Author and Text• Zinsser is an journalist and writer, editor, and former Harvard

writing professor. He has published 15 books on a wide range of issues including baseball, journalism, American Places, and On Writing Well.

• The text is an excerpt from Zinsser’s novel On Writing Well, which is well regarded and has been frequently republished.

Audience• The book is described in the 25th Anniversary edition as “a

book for everybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day, as almost everybody does in the age of e-mail and the Internet” (Zinsser 2006).

Summarize • Simplicity makes an argument for clear writing that avoids

“unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frill, and meaningless jargon” (Zinnser 2010 p. 28).

• Zinsser then provides numerous examples of self important unclear writing from a range of educated writers. He explains that “the secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components”, and his examples certainly show sentences that need to be cleaned up (Zinnser 2010 p. 29).

• He also provides some positive examples of clean, simple writing from authors such as Henry David Thoreau.

Summarize (cont) • He explains the connection between clear thinking and clear

writing and the need to focus on the reader.• Zinsser then provides more concrete examples of pairing

down wordy writing in student texts• He finishes by explaining that “ Writing is hard work. A clear

sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time. Or the third. Keep thinking and rewriting until you say what you want to say” (Zinsser 2010 p. 31).

Purpose• Zinsser is interested in informing and persuading the reader

about how to write cleanly, clearly, and simply and that this style of writing takes real effort.

• But the secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components (Zinsser 2010 p. 29). He then expands his thesis in the following lines.

• He assumes the reader wants to improve his writing, which makes sense in a book called Writing Well. He also asks the reader to assume that his examples are representative.

Structure• The text has a three sentence introduction introducing the issue

of unclear writing and then his thesis.• He then provides some examples of professionals writing poorly

and examines and comments upon them.• He then provides examples of simple, effective writing from

Thoreau and Roosevelt.• After the example of good writing, Zinsser provides an anecdote

about teaching students to write clearly in a stripped down style.• He finishes with a short 1 paragraph conclusion that focuses on

the need to work for effective writing.• The text design is in simple paragraph form without citation. He

does use extensive signal phrases and tries to model the style of writing he is advocating for throughout the essay. Overall, his clear, simple writing does a good job in demonstrating his point.

Constraints• The only obvious constraint here is that it is an excerpt. Zinsser

probably self censored slightly in who he uses as examples for poor writing. He certainly left off names for those he used as examples of poor writing.

Intertextuality• Zinsser quotes “the president of a major university” (2010 p.

29)• He uses Roosevelt and Thoreau as examples of simple, clear

writing.• He also references several interactions with students.

Ethos• The author has a lot credibility due to his teaching background

at Harvard, his journalism experience, and his many novels. He also uses lots of examples, some from very respected writers, to demonstrate the style he is advocating for.

Pathos• Zinsser tries to make us sympathetic for readers that have

difficulty reading due to poor or wordy writing (2010 pg 30).• He also uses some humor and emotional appeal through his

examples with student interactions.

Logos• Zinsser doesn’t use an statistics and few facts, but provides

numerous examples of poor and effective writing. • He uses basic logic in examining how writers can strive for

clear thinking and thereby clear writing in their papers on page 31.

• He also appeals to the reader’s sense of rationality through deductive reasoning that examines why many students are so unwilling to cut out any parts of their writing.