“A writer does not exist without a reader.”
Aside from speaking, writing is perhaps our most important method of communication. Powerful writing transcends time. Some of man’s earliest writing, cave drawings, are still some of our most important writings. They were created so man could tell a story, his story, history. These drawings still live on today, and still tell us amazing stories. They are the dawn of history, and were designed for readers so they could understand the message the artist wanted them to receive from the work. Writing evolved from these drawings, as well as speaking, as a means to tell a story. A story needs an audience. Without an audience, the story does not exist, because it cannot be told.
"The author is a modern figure, a product of our society..."
Even as time has passed, and man has become more modern, great writing still exists today. The literary masters of the past are still held to the highest levels of praise. We set our standards by their level of writing. He who cannot emulate these standards is a bad writer. A bad writer cannot convey the message he wants a reader to understand effectively. Roland Barthes believed that the author was an entity created by the world around him. The writer responded to the events, people, and ideas that surrounded him/her on a daily basis. It is up to the writer, though, to give his or her piece meaning; to give it a purpose. Writing can have several different purposes.
Writing:
"Writing is almost like a child; you create it, raise it, and release it."
When I write, I hope my reader feels the emotion I put into my paper. I want my audience to understand the effort I put into the piece, to know that the essay in their hand is as much a part of me as an arm or a leg. I pour myself into my writing; I take it very personally. Like Victor Frankenstein's monster, I create my writing with a purpose in mind, and when I'm done, I hope that my piece fulfills the purpose I've intended for it. It's almost a being; I raise it from nothing, give it life and meaning, and then i release it into the wild. When there is nobody to accept the being, to enjoy it, to help spread its meaning, it is nothing. The being does not exist; it has no purpose. 
"Without an audience to accept it, the message a piece presents goes unheard, and its purpose remains unfulfilled. It is, in essence, nothing."
No comments:
Post a Comment