Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Common-place to Unique
Even though we have already gone into some detail about Donald Murray's "Trying on the Essay", I would also like to touch on the subject. The subject I found most interesting was the section entitled The Common World. Donald explained that the writer and reader are in a "common world" of shared thoughts, experiences, ideas etc. After a while the shared aspects turn into common-place aspects and fade into the background. Then the writer observes the normal, everyday aspects and by writing and working through their jumbled thoughts they form a new image. By doing so the writer discovers something new either about what was observed or about themselves. By exposing ones thoughts about something as common as say a moth, then the reader has the ability to see the common moth as something more than just a moth. The other day, there was some uproar in class over Annie Dillard's "Transfiguration." I think that it does not really matter if you did or not like it, all that matters is whether or not you took something from it. I find it amazing how the whole process interlocks and works together to develop and inspire one another. Or how something so ordinary can turn into something distinct and even insightful, it just depends on how we interpret it.
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I think there are more than one common worlds. There are many people who have been on similar journeys we are now embarking. Writing for your own common world seems natural. But writing for a different common world takes a lot more thinking/thought process. I don't know why the readings in the On Writing are getting boring as the weeks go by. Is it just me, or does anyone think so?
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely interesting to learn or take something from someone else's writing, but if you don't agree with what they are saying you more than likely wont take anything from it. Now you may learn from someone else's views on a subject, but again may still disagree with them and not take anything from what they said. When you do agree with what they write it is definitely interesting to look back and see how something that didn't mean anything to you turn into something extra ordinary.
ReplyDeleteI love his idea behind the common world too. I agree with him because when you reading a book your putting yourself into that authors world. They have to describe it enough so that you can actually be inside it. Some books don' two a good job of that and usually they don't do well in the stores. You have to have some kind of mutual understanding with the reader so that they can at least understand your story. I’m not a big fan of those authors that leave you hanging and don't give you all the facts. Harry Potter is a great example of a common world though because you can put yourself at Hogwarts. Literally if you go to Universal Studios.
ReplyDeleteThis post made me think about how one of my teachers in high school was crazy. Every little thing in the book had some crazy meaning and if you disagreed with her then you were wrong. I understand authors use certain words to express a hidden meaning but she took it to a whole new level. It bothered me a lot how she thought she was always right. I don't think she was there when the author wrote the book but apparently she thinks she was.
ReplyDeleteLOL Alexis i had a similar experience. i had a teacher that literally saw some secret meaning behind everything an author wrote! it was ridiculous and extremely annoying...anyways, i agree with the fact that when we read something we can interpret it in a million different ways, we wont always agree with the author's points, but we will surely be exposed to different ideas, and common objects with different meanings.
ReplyDeleteHaha I third that Alexis! I had that psycho teacher were literally EVERY word of a book meant something. That caps lock was needed to illustrate just how crazy she was. If anyone disagreed with her, we were "wrong." Personally, I highly doubt that writers think about EVERY word they scribe and put meaning behind it. That is just my two cents though. If the book had a sentence saying something like "The wall was green and blue, marks favorite color. My teacher would have interpreted it as: The wall signifies that mark has no emotions, green and blue represent that he liked to swim and play hide and seek in the forest. KILL ME
ReplyDeleteI think that no matter what you write, its already been done, already been thought of, or already been daydreamed about. Every idea is similar to another and nothing is ever completely unique. The goal of a writer is to look at these common ideas and themes and finding new perspective and ideas from it. Not only this, but their goal is to ay what we think, but are too afraid to say.
ReplyDeleteI do think that the author needs to come up with a "common world" so that the reader can be transported into the story. I believe that the audience wants to experience the scenes by having the characters brought to life. It makes us feel as if we know them on a personal level. I know that when I read a really amazing book, I am sad at the end that it is over. I feel like the characters have become a part of me.
ReplyDeleteI agree with ryan! I think every thought or idea has already been done. It's all about how you interpret it into the story you're writing. I also think that every story can be interpreted differently. No ones thoughts are exactly the same. I hate when teachers think that their interpretation of something is the right one because, in reality, it's not. They're just one person in the world and they can have their opinion just don't try to force me with it.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I thought of when reading this blog was Ms. Fati’s example of the beauty in the colors of an oil puddle. Sounds nasty; honestly it is kind of nasty. But the crazy thing about that analogy was when she said it we all knew exactly what she was talking about. Anyways, I guess that’s slightly off topic but that’s just the first thing I thought of when reading your blog. But yes it’s crazy how often people can overlook something so interesting. I remember when I was in sixth grade my parents told me we had to cut down a tree in the front yard because it had potential to fall on the house. I had never noticed that tree but as soon as it was pointed out to me I realized it was an amazing tree. It was HUGE. All the branches were concentrated in the uppermost three feet, but it was gorgeous. It was gone two days later.
ReplyDeleteThe reader and the writer are definitely in a common world, especially if the writer accurately expresses his thoughts or the reader personally relates to the subject. When I read something I am stepping into the mind of the writer. I'm exploring his thoughts and visualizing whatever he expressed. Thus, I am in his world. Once you are in there you start to feel a connection to the writer.
ReplyDeleteThat paragraph stood out to me as well. I have always known this to be true, but to see it written in someone else's words is pretty cool. It's great when I can read a book and can be transported into another person's world entirely just because they described the layout of their kitchen. It's awesome what details and imagery can do to a "common-place world." Seeing things through different eyes is always a great mix-up.
ReplyDeleteI agree somewhat with the quote "I think that it does not really matter if you did or not like it, all that matters is whether or not you took something from it." I believe that a good reading needs to be somewhat enjoyable or entertaining. Yes at the end of the day if you don't get anything out of the piece your not going to enjoy it. I believe being entertained or feeling a connection with the piece is just as important as whether or not you get something out of it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was reading "Transfiguration" I felt like I was in her world when I was reading it. I wasn't a huge fan of the piece but I felt like I was seeing what she was seeing. The moth that she was writing about came to life and jumped off the page. I never thought of writing to a "common world" before. After reading that section of Murray's essay I'm going to keep that in mind the next time I write.
ReplyDeleteI think that a common world is just what the author makes you think is common. Not all of us have had experiences like the ones in stories that we read. Some of us havent had anything remotely close to what happens in stories happen to us. I think that an author can make up his own world and make you believe that it is common based on how well he describes it. He could describe something completely made up but if he descirbes it well enough you can start to picture it. To you that made up thing can become real. It all depends on the author and your own opinion. Another thing that is based on your own opinion is if you take something from a paper or story. I completely agree with this blog when it comes to that. We all think of things differently and some stories can really change us and how we think. Others can do absolutely nothing to us. It is all personal.
ReplyDeleteEvery one has their own way of viewing something. Some ordinary object to someone might be an extraordinary piece of valuable material to someone else. "Another man's trash is another man's treasure." The moth the one author wrote about was something I would never in my right mind think of writing such a detailed story about. But she seemed to enjoy watching moths fly around and watching them burn, so she was able to make a story out of that. Either way even though I didn't necessarily fall in love with the piece I still took out of it that she loved moths and I could picture the whole story in my head because of her imagery. Just like we have been saying, not every author is going to write a story that you love.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the author should create a common world. Even if you do not like or disagree with a piece, You can still see what the author was trying to say. You can still take something from a work. If you disagree, you see another point of view on a subject. I hated many books i have read. But i still took ideas from them and understood what they were trying to say because the author set them up with a common world.
ReplyDeleteI think when a writer takes it upon himself/herself to construct this common place, they subconsciously create an internal connection with their readers. This helps establish an interest. If a reader can relate to certain aspects of a piece of writing, they automatically see it in a new, more familiar sense. This is essential to "good" writing in my opinion. The beginning must hook a reader or else the writing has no point for said reader. How the reader interprets the writing is subject to their background. But establishing the "common place" is where the connection begins
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