Use of Profanities (1 Viewer)

[zenger69]

Is it ok to use words such as arse, fornicate, piss in your major work? In particular mine is a speech.

Would you lose marks if you used profanities?

Has any used profanities and got a really high mark?

 

[super katie]

I used "bastard".... i feel like such a rebel I think it depends on the context but as long as you can justify it and its not just gratuitous swearing it should be fine

 

[televators]

i used 'fuck' four times and achieved a 44/50... as katie above said..the key word is 'context'...,would your character/persona be expeceted to eminate that word at that particular time?... i debated this with my mentor quite often, however he agreed i left mine in, it lost the edge otherwise

 

[veridis]

so thats 48 with -1 for each fuck yeah =)
*decides to take softcore porn scene out of script*

 

[_muse_]

in my work, i have an abusive mother, she swears a fair amount.. would i be marked down for her explicit language? i have read some past works in the showcases where they have used swear words but im not too sure if there are any 'rules' or anything like that...

 

[Jacks]

well as long as swear words aren't just used as space filler or a way to get more words than it's ok. I mean if the swearing actually exists to help portray elements of character etc then I think it's ok to use them...I think only you the writer can decide within the context of your story/speech whatever what is appropriate for each situation and character. Don't go overboard obviously where every second word is some form of profanity...but if it helps create the character or serves what you believe is a reasonable purpose than it should be fine. You can do anything, well to a certain extent if you justify it, so the justification would be something for your reflection statement. Explain in there why you think the use of profanities helped to develop and explain characters and situations. Perhaps you could say that in order to make things seem real or even more shocking (as storylines involving abusive mothers, for example would be) you used profanities to convey the reality and harshness of the situation. Obviously an abusive mother isn't going to be overly nice and complimentary...so just explain your reasons, and if you do that well you shouldn't have any problems Hope that makes sense and helps a bit.

 

[_muse_]

yeah it does, thanks heaps... yeah as u said, i think using the swear words will help to characterise the mother, i just didnt want it to look like i just threw them in for no apparent reason.. but itdoesnt matter i can just put all this in my journal and also justify it in my reflection statement as you said - thanks again

 

[Jacks]

no worries, here to help....putting it in your journal is a good idea...as long as you put it in your reflection statement as well as they might not read your journal. Actually a good thing to do is to reference specific journal entries in your reflection statement that show how you have deliberated over the use of profanities in your major work. Markers tend to like if you reference from your own work and it will make your reasons seem a lot more concrete and meaningful. So yes reflect on the issue in your journal, and then address it in your reflection statement with specific mention to your thought processes on the subject. i.e the journal entries in which you explain your reasons...you can also quote from them in your reflection statement...I did that and it worked pretty well

 

[_muse_]

good idea, thanks heaps

 

[super katie]

yeah I remember one of the 2002 showcase works was quite explicit, there was something about shoving someones cock down someone elses throat, and numerous other sexual references, so you can get away with it if it enhances your work

 

[Jacks]

ah well that sounds charming but yes....if you can get into the showcase with that anyone worrying about profanities should now be at ease remember to still take note of previous posts in this thread about context though hehe

 

[zenger69]

Interesting, maybe I should be taking it out of my speech.

I'll sleep on it for a while then decide.

 

[Jacks]

ok but whatever you decide be sure to document it in your journal, the fact you considered it. If you decide against it talk about why in your reflection statement...because that may be as important as explaining why you included it. You really have to explain why things were both included and left out. Like I said though profanity may even be good for your speech...if used in the right ways, so don't decide against it too hastily...and if you have anything written with profanities already, you could always attach what you have and let us help you more specifically with reference to your work specifically Good luck deciding either way.

 

[moffat]

doesn't that suck. u should be allowed to use swearing etc. in ur major work because there are THAT many published works that have swearing in it..books we study at skool have swearing- catcher in the rye etc. they can't mark u down for using it.

 

[taxman]

Personally, I'm not a fan of reading works that overdo swearing. It often makes the writer seem stupid...it makes him/her look like they've run out of ideas and are just filling in spaces with swear words....I'm speaking specifically about fuck and cunt...all the other swear words (shit, piss, cock, bastard, arse...whatever) are pretty much commonplace anyway. I don't find them to be swear words at all. But in the end, the marking is subjective...so you could get a really open minded marker, or an uptight traditional one...so IMO, you're running a risk.

The less controversial the better in that sense...but if it's entirely without controversy, you're not exactly pushing the limits of your medium. Unfortunately, as with English as a whole...everything is subjective.

 

[illodous]

I agree with taxman. I think it would be okay to have it occasionally, in very .. difficult, extreme .. situations. But I wouldn't overdo it - it makes you sound like a dimwit with a short vocabulary.

If you're writing formally (which I'm assuming your not), then it's a definate no-no. It would be quite a sight to see an uptight, chastise nun saying, "shit!" in the middle of a story

In a nutshell, use it - sparingly, and only low level. Choose words that are more common profanities, like shit and other exclaimations, and try to keep away from "home made" profanities eg. bogglewasher

Hope my randomness helped!

 

[ameh]

fuck yeah!

 

[paper cup]

in my work, i have an abusive mother, she swears a fair amount.. would i be marked down for her explicit language? i have read some past works in the showcases where they have used swear words but im not too sure if there are any 'rules' or anything like that...

my teacher said it's OK...as long as *stuff people have already said*
but if you can abstain then do, use *&^$%#@% etc

 

[zenger69]

well if you used &%$$^ doesn't that defeat the point of putting in the swear words.

Or even better idea instead of like fuck use f*** and let the reader decipher the word themselves.

Maybe that technique will also make the examiner more interested. :uhhuh: