Extra Feedback Task 3 – Craft of Writing

Use the following stimulus to answer the task below.

Sometimes I try to imagine a world without stories and books. I would miss books on
airplanes. Bookstores and libraries would have a lot of extra space (and my own bookshelves
would no longer be overflowing). The publishing industry wouldn’t exist as we know it, nor
would Amazon, and there’d be nothing on my bedside table when I can’t sleep at night.
All this would be unfortunate, but it barely scratched the surface of what would be lost if
stories and books had never existed.
                                                                           

Martin Puchner
Compose the opening 400-500 words of a piece of either discursive or persuasive writing that
explores the idea of “what would be lost if stories and books had never existed”.

Understanding (discursive)
As someone who doesn’t read so frequently, such a definite statement stimulates thought, especially
surrounding the consumption of literature. It is important to consider literature as a mature taste, an
intellectual outlet for many and a form of inspiration for others. Essentially, the world is driven by the
creation of literature in the form of stories and factual documents, both educative and entertaining.
Somewhat of a personal bubble can also be created, biased by a personal interest for certain topics and
furthermore, how it is consumed, this makes reading a personalized experience: “I try to imagine a
world without stories…. I would miss books on airplanes… I can’t sleep at night”. In this case, ‘I’ is
focalized by Martin Puchner in order to convey a personalized experience, related to his individual
perspective discerning this topic. Ultimately, Puchner is attempting to convey literature, specifically
stories and books as an instrumental part of human society, hence, a lack thereof would withdraw an
expression of passion on Earth.

Here's my opinion: a world without stories and books is a world with a fractured history, expressing a
condensed perspective. Personally, I don’t consume literature so much as a form entertainment, a
hindrance which stems from the overwhelming boredom which attempted childhood reading session
would, most of the time end with an elongated nap. However, stories and books which are utilized to
document significant events as well as literature with an educative purpose is vital to the construction
of a complex and conceptually advanced society. Often times, I’ll find myself researching certain
circumstances concerning my life on a daily basis: scientific articles, documentaries, scholarly
articles, school related books, inspirational books. The collation of this literature offers an enriched
purpose and provides insight into areas of interest. I believe narrowing literature down to only “stories
and books” is also somewhat restrictive, even just the phrase is metaphorically more expansive.
Stories can be conveyed on forms other than writing, such as videography and books do not have to
be limited to fiction but can also provide intellectual inspiration. Ultimately, literature is extremely
vast and contributes to the enrichment of people’s minds in various ways, thus “stories and books” are
an integral part of life, a world without books is somewhat linear and simplistic.

Puchner offers an existential viewpoint surrounding the purpose of literature and thus I feel that it is
important to take a viewpoint no matter what a person’s experience has been, any form of mental
stimulation is integral to an enriched mindset and sophisticated vocabulary. Essentially, a world with
‘no stories or books’ will lack deepened thought and enrichment.