As Ms. Fletcher was lecturing the class about the importance of writing as a tool, one frightening thought came to my mind: The dangers of ideas on paper. Have we ever just sat back and taken a world view on writing? It is pure evil, a screwdriver that screws backwards.
"Ideas are dangerous, not people." The phrase should be changed to "writing is dangerous, not ideas". A perfect idea is ruined without proper declaration. Orwell was well aware of this in his "Politics and the English Language," using examples from doctors and scientists whose thoughts were lost in a jumble of confusion and sophistication. What is more prevalent, however, is how writing can morph ideas into forms that shroud the author's point of view. For example, the Bible, Koran, and The Communist Manifesto are books of immense importance to many people, though different interpretations of each have resulted in uproars of death over clarification. How a thought is expressed through writing, and writing alone, determines its reception , which determines its importance.
My question, then, is: Can an idea stay in its original form in writing? Yes, a medium changes the message, but is writing not the most basic medium that is able to stand through time?
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Well, I believe that no matter how clearly we write something and how well it justifies our thoughts, it can always be turned around and understood a different way, depending on who's reading it. Statements are given to us and in our heads we form opinions over what it is, which is rarely ever the opinion the author is trying to convey anyway.
ReplyDeleteAn idea can definitely stay in its original form in writing given that it is not misinterpreted by people. The idea is often misinterpreted by people though. The writer, who is conveying his or her ideas, will write whatever he or she is trying to convey. The audience will then begin to grope for meanings of the written words and sentences, forming a basis, or an opinion, as Miss Mraz states. The end product may be an idea that is similar to the writer's, or a "scratch". Either way the original idea, which was given by the writer, may be changed slightly or greatly when interpreted by the audience.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you incorrectly used a colon. "My question, then, is: Can an idea stay in its original form in writing?" Colons should not be used after a verb.