Question

Please help me!

Write a poem or short short story that deliberately breaks the rules of Standard Written English. Then, write the piece following standard conventions. Explain what is lost in the standard version or why the departures from standard English helped convey more meaning.


(You may choose to write a nonsense poem in the style of Lewis Carroll or Dr. Seuss, with several made-up words that still carry meaning--or a poem or short short story that uses dialect to create a distinctive voice for the speaker.)

Answer 1

To Elizabeth,

Oh, that I wish for thee to see the things,

That even of King's mightest of knights,

Would scout from slightest turbulence of kinks;

To dight for the journey is hard and rough,

But worry not, for thou knowst my delight

And for that I never prepare with vain

That I do reassure I packed with sense

But dost thou knowst what I do miss the most?

Within thee lies the answer to my cry

And I do hope we soon rejoice in ghosts

To the end of the world, and my death is close.

In standard convention:

To Elizabeth,

Oh, I wish for you to see the things,

That even of the King's bravest knights,

Would run away from the slightest tremor;

To prepare for the journey is hard and rough,

But don't worry, for you know me

And for that I never go without preparation

That I assure you I packed with thoughts

But do you know what I miss the most?

Within you lie the answer to my cry

And I hope we soon rejoice in ghosts

To the end of the world, and my death is close.

In the conventional English version, the sense of separation is reduced a lot more, as if the author's yearning to reunite with his long lost Elizabeth is just now wanting to meet her again and move on. In the old version, however, the dramatic words add more depths and emotions into the piece of writing, as if the author just doesn't have the patience to show and tell Elizabeth of all the things he had witnessed in life.