The sole purpose of this paper is to analyze the use of precise language in a descriptive writing design and apply the method in David Foster Wallace’s article in 2004, “Consider the Lobster.” In his article, Wallace says no amount of lobster paraphernalia or even cleaver market plans or strategies can reverse his intention of finding out if it is right to boil sentient creatures alive just for gustatory pleasure.
(Wallace, 2004). Mr. Wallace seeks to answer that question in his essay, but instead of directly answering it, he points out reasons that will help one conclude that question.
Mr. Wallace’s writing pattern in this article is the use of explicit language by avoiding the use of abstruse words; this improves the quality of the essay, making it striking and tantalizing. Using ambiguous words in an essay makes it lose touch, making the readers misunderstand the message. Readers are not always interested in how much vocabulary you have but in the content of your article. The only important thing is how good your article is, as we see Mr. Wallace doing in his article Consider the Lobster.
Mr. Wallace avoids useless words; throughout his article, he is simple and clear to the point. He directly posts arguments, which will help the reader conclude the topic he is discussing (Wallace, 2004). This is well illustrated in his argument, where he directly outlines the reasons he feels can help one come up with his/her own conclusion on the topic. As a student, I plan to apply Wallace’s pattern of description by sidestepping useless words in my essay to save the readers’ time while going through the work.
In summary, David Foster Wallace is trying to provide the readers of his article with the necessary information they need to know what a ring is and what is wrong with the topic of discussion, considering the lobster. He stays with his answer to the topic but clearly gives the arguments required for decision-making.
Reference
Wallace, D. F. (2004). Consider the lobster. Gourmet magazine, 50-64.
