Consider the material nature of the crayon response you are reviewing- this is not your own writing! Is the writer influenced by the writing implement s/he uses? Is the writer more expressive or less expressive as a result of the physical constraints of the crayoned page?
Is this writing any good? How do you know that it is good (or not)?
Keeping in mind the material nature of the crayon response, I think the writer is not influenced by the writing implement. He expresses about the same amount of enthusiasm in this writing as he does using any other writing utensil. He doesn't seem to feel any particular way about writing with a crayon, I believe he just focuses on what he is writing rather than what with he is writing. If anything, the crayon only restrained him from writing down his thoughts quick and easily.
This writing is just as good as any other paragraph response written in pencil or another media. In fact, the writer answers the question well and elaborates with his own thoughts. Assessing his writing shows that he has an interesting opinion response to the original prompt, arguing that flexibility in voice leads to flexibility in all things.
HEY KAT! Thanks for this wonderful and insightful post. I have a question for you! Do you think a writer SHOULD be influenced by his medium? Do you think this piece of writing would have been better if allowed himself to be inspired by his medium rather than hindered by it? I ask this because I wonder if a flexibility in voice should also extend to a flexibility in writing. Just something to think about!
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