> Beth,
> I'd offer there is a significant difference between the value of the
> ability to write and the ability to put a ball through a hoop. This
> is the problem I have with athletics, the applicability beyond the
> narrow scope of the NBA, NFL, etc is negligible. Hardly the case with
> writing. Anyone below the theorist can use the skill in where ever
> they end up "in the hierarchy." The ability to write has a
> universality to it that ball bouncing does not. I guess I would not
> make as strong a connection between the two as you have.
>
Admittedly, this is a weak analogy. It did just pop into my mind, however.
The point I had hoped to make was not about the relative value of either
writing or athletics but about the numbers of people who would like to
do either as opposed to the numbers who actually ever do either.
I'd also like to reiterate that I have no interest in dispensing with
the essay entirely, either. It certainly has its merits. I'm just
trying to explore the possibility that the essay need not be the
centerpiece of rhetoric or writing instruction.
Thanks Mike,
Beth