All writing is cliche.

I had an environmental science professor slash up a "news report" I'd written because he'd wrote that I used too many "cliche" words and phrases. Naturally, I was pissed. "Who the fuck does he think he is," I said to my boyfriend about twelve times when I got home later. "This fucking prick doesn't teach English, this is a friggin environment class."

I was mad, I was really mad. I took the paper, ripped it up and it has long been in a compost by now, which is truly madness because I keep all of my papers--catagorized and clean in a nice folder behind my desk--truly I do. But anway this gentleman got me thinking about writing and cliches and my god, I can't see the difference. What does the cliche mean anway? According to Miriam-Webster:

1: a trite phrase or expression ; also : the idea expressed by it2: a hackneyed
theme, characterization, or situation3: something (as a menu item) that has
become overly familiar or commonplace

Okay. Now, that we all read that and given it some thought, I'd like to proceed by asking what is familiar, or what is commonplace? If we are to write without cliches, are we making assumptions that are unnescary and somtimes damaging to our reader? We know what a cliche expression is when we hear it but why does that make it "bad?" According to my former instructor, it would seem that the continued use of such cliche words and phrases would damage our arguments or possibly belittle our writing by relying on accepted statements instead of creating new ones.

However, that type of slim thinking underestimates the great power that lies in the cliche--the greater understanding, dare say, universal acceptence of the cliche and it is this great understanding which makes it possible for humans to communicate. Cliche just sounds like an annoying word, with the harsh 'che sound and invisible accent everyone forgets--but truth be told, cliches aren't bad! Here is a link to the obnoxious article my teacher passed out, http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_kmnew/is_200708/ai_n19455175.

Look, I don't like using cliches and I like to think I rarely do. Science teacher or English teacher, whatever. But, style is style and good writing is good writing--with or without cliches.