Cursive: A Dying Art

Wiseman 1

Cursive: A Dying Art
Domica Wiseman
Professor Meredith

ENGL 1302: Sec.2210
10 May 2016

Wiseman 2

My project will discuss the issue of cursive, a dying written
art that is basically extinct. I will use my visual to argue in
supporting the importance and beautiful tradition behind
cursive. Cursive handwriting is a form of writing that
should not only be recognized but also flourish as well.

Wiseman 3

Wiseman 4

Annotated Bibliography

Asherson, Suzanne. “The Benefits of Cursive Go Beyond Writing.” The
New York Times. The New York Times, 13 April 2013.

In my first source, an online newspaper about the benefits of cursive
writing. In this article, Suzanne Asherman, who is an occupational
therapists discloses information about the benefits of writing in cur-
sive. One of the things that were listed are for those who have taken
a SAT test, and wrote in cursive proved to have tested higher than
those who did not. College Board believe the reason as to why is
because cursive is much faster than print, which gives the taker or
student more time to think as to what the person will write about.
Another thing that Suzanne verbalizes is that cursive writing is
something that cursive does not have to extravagant or anything of
that nature. Cursive can and could be as simple and easy as a pie.

Bryant, Jimmy. “Cursive Handwriting Is A Cultural Tradition Worth
Preserving.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 13 April 2013.

In my second source, there is an online newspaper article by
Jimmy Bryant, who is a director of archives and special collections.
Jimmy Bryant states that people of all ages uses technology to com-
municate, which is true may be much faster than simply writing in
cursive, But depending solely on technology slowly and rather quick-
ly hinders our abilities to write in cursive. He also stresses as to how
cursive is not highly taught in American schools as it used to. Another
thing that Bryant discloses is how writing a letter in cursive is simply
beautiful and more special than a typed letter. Handwritten letters in
cursive were simply breathtaking.

Wiseman 5

Disney, Walter. Stalling, Carl. 17 December 1929. TS

This image source, which is a picture of Walt Disney’s signature.
In this picture, it is a contract that was made by Carl Stalling, in which
he made for Walt Disney to work for his Silly Symphony Company in
1929. I used this image for my paper because in today’s society, there
are a lot of people who either do not know how to simply write in cur-
sive and read it, or they find cursive to be utterly useless, dumb, and
pointless for that matter. With this image, I will argue that cursive is a
beautiful form of written art. Cursive handwriting is the staple and
starting foundation of our country. One can truly tell about a person
based on their handwriting.

Gladstone, Kate. “Handwriting Matters; Cursive Doesn’t.” The
New York Times. The New York Times, 30 April 2013.

In this third source, which is an online newspaper written by Kate
Gladstone, who is the founder of Handwriting Repair/Handwriting That
Works and also director of the World Handwriting Contest. Kate Glad-
stone discloses in this article that the fastest, clearest handwriters join
only some letters: making the easiest joins, and using hybrids, which is
writing in both cursive and print letters. Gladstone agrees that reading
cursive matters, but when children are being taught to read reading print
not cursive.

Wiseman 6

Visual Agruement

Walter E. Disney

Wiseman 7

Cursive handwriting, a written form that showcased end-
less results that were both elegant and graceful. A type of hand-
writing that was so highly valued and stressed as it was said,
that one could tell a lot about a person by their handwriting.
Cursive was a form of writing that America’s founders both
wrote and communicated in. Which is why cursive is some-
thing that should be not only taught but held valued and trea-
sured as well.

There is absolute no doubt about it that learning to read and
cursive could be somewhat of a pain in the butt. For those who
made it through the constant erasing and trying to perfect their
cursive would say towards the end that it turned out to be a
blessing in disguise. Now, there are an immense number of
people that would say that it is so much faster to write in cursive
than it would manuscript. Then you have those few people who
tends to write in hybrid, which is a combination of both print
and cursive. Unfortunately, as the world becomes more and
more evolved, as the saying goes, “out with the old and in with
the new”. There are those few number of people who consider
not only teaching and learning cursive a complete loss of time,
but also that there is no need for it as well. Quite the contrary
though, one would come to find that there are quite a large
group of people who do not even know how to even read cur-
sive, let alone write in it. Nevertheless, for those that do know
are very proud of their cursive, even though it is not as neat as
or fancy as the next person.

Wiseman 8

In one of the articles written by Suzanne Asherman from The
New York Times, Suzanne writes about a study that was done by
College Board. It was proven that for those who have taken the
SAT essay part and wrote in cursive had tested higher than those
who have written in manuscript. The reason as to why College
Board believes so is because cursive is evidently much faster than
print, therefore, it gives the taker more time to ponder as what he
or she will write about. While writing the essay, it does not add or
make pressure for the taker as he or she will have an adequate
amount of time to ponder and process as to what to write about.
Another thing that Suzanne Asherman verbalizes, “Although cur-
sive handwriting is perceived as writing that is absolutely fancy
and neat does not necessarily mean it has to be that way.”(Asher-
son, Suzanne. “The Benefits of Cursive Go Beyond Writing.” The
New York Times. The New York Times, 13 April 2013). One
should be proud of their handwriting. Cursive does not have to be
extravagant or anything; as long as you can read and write it there
is nothing to be ashamed of.

An online newspaper article written by Kate Gladestone called,
“Handwriting Matters; Cursive Doesn’t”, which was published by the
New York Times. Gladestone discloses that the fastest, clearest hand-
writers join only some letters: making the easiest of joins, and writing
in hybrids, which is both cursive and print letters. Gladstone agrees
and discloses this, “That reading in cursive is important, but when
children are being taught to read in print not cursive.” (Gladstone,
Kate.“Handwriting Matters; Cursive Doesn’t.” The New York Times.
The New York Times, 30 April 2013).

Wiseman 9

Even for those who grew up in the generation of being taught to
write in cursive in school, there are adults who simply abandon
cursive as well as teachers who themselves barely write in cur-
sive. Gladstone also points out that teachers can easily distinguish
their students’ handwriting in print than opposed to cursive.

In this next article written by Jimmy Bryant, Bryant is the di-
rector of archives and special collections. So, it is no surprise that
he is someone who enjoys the beauty of things that people who nor-
mally would not see as beautiful or special. In his article called
“Cursive Handwriting Is a Cultural Tradition Worth Preserving.”
Jimmy Bryant transcribes that we are in a culture or generation as
to where our main source of communication are through the digital
world and electronics. With this being said, we are slowly losing
and hindering our abilities of a written form that has been passed
down from generation to generation. A generation now to where in
American school, cursive is not stressed enough or being taught as
it used to be. Jimmy Bryant discloses this, “At one time in our his-
tory people took great pains to write a letter utilizing their best pen-
manship. In fact, a case could be made that some of the finer exam-
ples of cursive writing are actually a form of art.” (Bryant, Jimmy.
“Cursive Handwriting Is A Cultural Tradition Worth Preserving.”
The New York Times. The New York Times, 13 April 2013).

Thank You!!!!!!