To Cursive or Not to Cursive?

My schoolteacher daughter and I often had discussions about whether cursive is still relevant in our society today. 

Being dominated by cellphones, iPads, and other electronic devices, our communication with each other now comes from the cold, emotionless, printed letters of keypads. 

I concede that printed lettering is easier to read and Emails and texting can usually be done without much interruption in your workday. (multi-tasking) 

Cursive Is Not New

Cursive is not new. It is thought to have existed in China 6,000 BC, found carved into bones. More modern cursive is often associated with languages that use the Latin alphabet, including English, Spanish, and French. Cursive writing existed long before the development of written English. For instance, Hieratic script was a form of ancient Egyptian cursive used from about 2925 BC to about 200 BC. (Britannica)  

Learning The Cursive Craft

I cannot remember exactly when, but “back in my day” cursive was taught about the 2^nd or 3^rd grade. Mind you, being 72 now, my day was a long time ago. But I remember being extremely excited about learning cursive, thinking “anybody can print” even the lowly 1^st graders. Learning cursive meant that we were maturing! We called it “real writing” and boasted; “We will be able to write like a grown–up now!!  

But as I compared my cursive to others in the class, mostly the snobby girls, mine was “not appealing.” Those were the words Miss Cobb used to describe my cursive; “Not appealing.” Yes, I remember Miss Cobb very well. Actually, she was a great teacher and that is probably why I remember her.  

Miss Cobb decided to pair me up with “Shirley Wilkerson” as a tutor because she really did have “appealing” cursive. Together, we developed and improved my “non appealing” cursive into somewhat appealing. And, because she was not snobby, had both red hair, and freckles, Shirley soon became my very first girlfriend. (I started young) There is a delightful story here, but I digress. 

Cursive Is Emotion

  In my opinion, cursive is still viable and much needed today. Emails and texts lack the personal and emotional connection that used to be shared between family and friends. Sure, you can add an emoji depicting the emotion you are trying to convey, but that message, text, or letter still lacks the individuality of someone writing a personal message or letter “in cursive” to only that person. An emoji attached to a message is someone else’s creation for anyone to use.  

The Gusto of Our Forefathers

The old documents such as the American Constitution are penned in beautiful handwritten cursive and to me, they are not only important historical documents but elegant, gracious works of art. As the Fathers of our Constitution proudly signed their names; they did so with personality, and gusto, in their own distinctive cursive handwriting. Most of those signatures are works of art, a few maybe not so much. LOL  

Let me not forget the most famous and distinctive cursive signature of all time……….Wait for it… Here is a clue, he signed the Declaration of Independance.

(Britannica)