I'm sure that all of us remember those old days in elementary school when we all had to learn cursive, and even before our time, handwriting was considered an art (and was a required class). Of course, today, I'd say that we no longer care as much about penmanship as we used to. The only time in recent years that I have had to use cursive was signing that little disclaimer box on the SAT (not as easy as it sounds).
In addition, in today's increasingly digital age, is the "art" of penmanship worth anything anymore? Today, much of what we write is typed on the computer, not written out longhand. And yet, there is a growing sense among some that handwriting is more than just about pretty curlicues and that it should be "saved."
I can see some of their points. Writing out letters by hand still holds some sentimental value, and sometimes the computer just seems too impersonal. When I am drafting a composition or essay, I outline and hand-write my notes on paper, although I eventually type the final copy. Just today, I spoke to a classmate who writes her daily journal by hand, not by computer. And of course, some people believe that we can understand a person's character and personality through their handwriting (such as in sites as this one: www.doiop.com/handwriting.)
But really, isn't the importance of "good handwriting" decreasing more and more? Naturally, I type this as someone with some not-so-stellar handwriting, but it already seems that today's generation cares less about it than before. While handwriting once took up an hour a day in elementary school, now we learn keyboarding. No longer do we have to write notes to friends; we can Facebook! Although we still admire neat handwriting (such as that of Tiffany and Grace), and although it can still have a first impression upon people, isn't the digital age already reducing its importance? Or does writing something by hand hold an emotional and sentimental value that computers will never be able to replace?
-Eric W
9 comments:
I have been writing and still do write in cursive. It just stuck, ever since first grade! I can't help but look at a fresh piece of paper with a sense of pride when completely covered with fresh, neat handwriting. I'm weird, I know. Maybe this relates to the satisfaction I feel when reading from a hard-copy magazine or newspaper. There's just some kind of sentimental value tied in with it.
No doubt, handwriting is personal; pick it out of a printer and it could have been anyone's work. I remember in sixth grade, Mrs. Kingston was collecting an essay. One of my fellow classmates typed the assignment. I remember her questioning him, asking him if the work was really his. Had he written it by hand, I think there would have been less of a reason for her to be skeptical.
(Sam Maliha)
The importance of penmanship has been declining although it still holds a great value in communication. Its worth is likely to decrease significantly in the next few decades since our world is becoming digital very quickly.
Even notetaking in class will become digital soon. In fact, Microsoft and the city of Philadelphia actually collaborated to build a 'school of the future', a high,HIGH tech school environment in which there are no pencils, no papers, and no books. The students have laptops and blog assignments(just like us!).
Nevertheless no matter how advanced our world becomes, sending a typed message on computer will be more impersonal than a hand written message. However, I doubt on this assumption because I am pretty sure there's a way to write directly on computer so that handwriting shows up on the computer screen. Still, a lot of people will miss the past days when day actually wrote with pen on paper.
Jennifer Park
While the sentimental side to the importance of penmanship definitely exists, I'd also like to point out the advantages of "lower-tech" methods in relation to handwriting.
Why are we required to hand-write the disclaimer box on the SAT? It's because handwriting is entirely unique to a person and has the traditional value of being legally binding in some cases. It is, in some ways, a sort of insignia or fingerprint in the area of written communication. Yet, researchers have found that each person also has a distinct typing pattern comprised of anything from speed of typing to how long each finger lingers on a certain key. Does this somehow detract from one of handwriting's oldest roles as a binding agent?
I would argue that it, in fact, does not. The advent of technology does indeed expand our capabilities and the efficiency with which we do work. Nevertheless, this expansion of territory naturally comes with a counterpart: the expansion of ways to undermine one's purpose. Yes, access to the Internet provides us with seemingly limitless resources, but it can also be utilized improperly. Likewise, typing out something may seem faster and more efficient, but a good number of teachers frown upon such a method for fear of students trying to pass off online notes as their own. So, handwriting, in the practical sense, embodies a simpler age that brings less danger with regards to cheating.
I'm not saying that technology is bad, but that there is always an antithesis for every thesis (If you wanted to phrase it the Marxian way....). Uncle Ben said it best when he said that "With great power comes great responsibility". Naturally, this encompasses our responsibility to maintaining honesty and integrity.
Some of you made the point that it is easier to verify if something is an original work of a particular student when it is handwritten instead of typed. I think this gives a false sense of security, considering that many times it is easy for a student to write something down that he found on the internet word for word. On top of that, if the work is handwritten, it is definitely more difficult to check for plagiarism than when a work is submitted electronically. Therefore, I don't know if this is a very good reason for having people write everything by hand.
Handwriting is definitely slowly loosing usefulness. As generations of people grow up in a more technologically savvy environment, people write things by hand less and less. Though there may be sentimentality in handwriting, sentimentality is no reason to delay progress. However, there are some things that are easier to just write down than to type up. For example, if I want to make a note to myself, I write it on a post it note and stick it somewhere. Typing it up and taping it somewhere is a waste of time. Also, doing mathematics on current computer applications is very annoying. Writing things by hand in math would be very difficult to overcome, and if you don't write things neatly in math, you tend to make careless mistakes. With our current technology, it seems to me that handwriting still has an important place, but I do not believe that it is by any means a permanent one.
(Arvind Kalidindi)
I also agree that handwriting holds a sentimental value that technology simply cannot match. As Tiffany noted, handwriting is often unique to each individual. Hence, the SAT disclaimer requires the sentence to be handwritten in cursive. For me, this is not at all difficult because my "unique" handwriting is a mixture of print and cursive, but for others (such as Eric, I sense), this could be quite an obstacle. I suppose this discrepancy exists due to the different ways in which we were taught to write in cursive or how much we practiced it.
Despite the fact that virtually any document can now be typed on the computer, penmanship clearly possesses a sentiment of legality or authenticity when one takes his/her pen and signs his/her name at the bottom of a typed letter. After all, what must we do to endorse a check or complete a purchase of any kind? Sign our name. A signature cannot be typed, because then it is not a signature. Thus, there are definitely extents covered by penmanship which cannot be covered by a computer. Furthermore, because signatures are essentially samplings of peoples' handwriting, it seems as if handwriting DOES indeed hold a permanent place in the world of communication, contrary to Arvind's speculation. If a child must learn how to sign his/her name, then wouldn't he/she learn the entire process of handwriting (specifically cursive), not just his/her name? Unless the future will bring some invention of purely electronic checks, receipts, etc, then handwriting is here to stay, whether we like it or not.
(Janet Lee)
I admit that our handwriting is something unique. It cannot be easily copied by someone else. Therefore, I'm not surprised that cursive is slowly dying out (at least that's how I see it). No two letters are exactly the same, even if the same person is writing it. Overall, I think there are less pros than cons to handwriting.
One advantage, as Arvind pointed out, is its availability. When you want to take a quick note, all you need is a pencil and paper. It's a lot more difficult to carry around a laptop and opening it every time just to take down a single note.
However, there I can see a lot more disadvantages of handwriting. First of all, it can be difficult to read for many people. It's so much harder to decipher someone's chicken scratch into something you can understand. Also, typing does tend to be faster than writing things down (although there are exceptions). I also wonder about the sentimental value about handwritten letters. Personally, I don't think that the form that the message comes in necessarily means that the message has any more sentimental value. The person has still taken their time to send a message to you, right? I think that the words the person chooses are the symbols that should really matter when determining sentimental value.
I believe that especially with the increasing technology and the age of "facebooking" (I can't believe it's actually a verb!) the importance, or rather the significance, of handwriting is increased as well. Writing out a letter by hand now seems to mean more because it signifies that a person made a concerted effort. It would be very easy to "facebook" or text someone. Even emails seem to be taking on a more significant role. Handwritten works or full letters seem to be of more sentimental value because they require time and effort, whereas other options are easier and don't require as much thought.
This is certainly bias, considering that I don't have a facebook and I "force" my friends to email me. I'm old-fashioned, I know, but I don't want to lose any of the authenticity of friendship just because it's easy. I feel that I can get more out of a relationship when I put more effort into it. Again, I admit that I am biased...
Emily T.
While many have pointed out the inherent "uniqueness" to handwriting and its importance in signatures on legal documents etc., is it really necessary? Though I initially believed similarly, the comments before me reminded me of the fact that in many Asian countries, signatures are not actually handwritten. Instead, people use stamps that are unique to each individual. Some people in our society also use this stamp method (Mary: I think you know more about this than I do...).
I, however, don't necessarily think that handwriting is useless. It's true that it helps us retain facts better than typing. It will also always be relevant since we are human and handwriting is one of our most basic and direct forms of communication. Behind every paragraph, word, and letter we type, at least one corresponding letter has been handwritten. Fonts don't just come from outer space and just the basic aspect of handwriting will be either its downfall or saving grace.
I think that as long as there are available pencils and paper, writing will be essential. I'm sure we've all had one of those days where the computer simply won't do what we want it to do, and POOF! our perfect assignment is lost in the E-byss. If only we'd written it out, we could have simply handed it in.
I can understand why teachers prefer handwritten homeworks in some situations. Mr. Wright requires that our terms sheets are hand written so that the knows that one person didn't make one and print out 20 copies. It shows individual work.
It is also very useful for interpersonal relations. While texting and Facebook-ing friends is socially acceptable, emailing a thank you card to the hiring manager at a job you're applying for may not be the best choice. The same thing goes with regular paper cards in envelopes a opposed to e-cards. If it's personal, I think it should be handwritten, or at least signed, because every one's handwriting as a personal quality.
(Megan West)
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