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             In terms of literary expression, writing has expanded from ink to pencil to keyboard, from documentaries to prose to blogs. Writing is constantly enhanced to suit the tastes of the world, much like how we adorn a simple outfit with different jackets, scarfs or jewelry. Both allow us the freedom of expression, and we communicate our ideas through the accessories we choose: in the case of writing, punctuation.

             As society has shifted towards technological advancements, much of our lives have been consumed by social media, including the way we express ourselves through writing. As a result, shouldn't punctuation (our accessories) also be fashioned to our new way of expression ? Hitchings believes that "language evolves in conjunction with culture, and change is not always a bad thing". In fact, social media and technology have "produced new opportunities" (Source A). Indeed, the "best tweeters demonstrate a keen awareness of their audience" (Source F). If a teenager is tweeting to their peers, he will use the trendy hashtag to express himself. If a poet, such as Andrea Gibson, is updating her fans, she will use the traditional punctuation to "try out fragments of thought". The punctuation one uses depends on who he is, whom he is addressing, and how he wants to express his thoughts.

         Although punctuation should be used freely to express our ideas, the privilege should not be abused, much like how one should not accessorize himself with a rice hat, a biker jacket, and a pearl necklace. Punctuation should be used "sparingly, and with affection" or else the reader will "lose the essential flavor of language" (Source D). In the poem "I dwell in Possibility", by Emily Dickinson, a hasty glance reveals Dickinson's sole usage of dashes; however, there are two lines of the poem in which she does not end with a dash. Dickinson's skillful use of punctuation is reflected in the lines of the poem. "The spreading wide my narrow Hands" does not end with a dash to demonstrate her point that poetry allows for a broad spread to gather paradise. Ironically, if she included a dash, the restriction would contradict her words "spreading wide" (Source C).

        The 2010 poem "On Punctuation" by Elizabeth Austen also reiterates the point that punctuation, when used effectively, allows for "a trail of possibilities".  Tradition must be maintained, but that doesn't mean there is no freedom. In fact, the "most irritating" exclamation point, the question mark filled with "voluptuous uncertainty, and the semi-colon, with its "feeling of delicious responsibility" all fulfill the role of setting the tone of the sentence (Source B,D,E). Many times, punctuation is subtle and "you cannot hear them, but they are there, laying out the connections between the images and the ideas" (Source D). Similarily, jewelry and hats can be layered for a classy, flirty or trashy appeal.


"In music, the punctuation is absolutely strict, the bars and rests are absolutely defined. But our punctuation cannot be quite strict, because we have to relate it to the audience. In other words we are continually changing the score." -- Ralph Richardson