The written language is an integral part of society, as it has been for thousands of years. The problem is, however, that the importance of it, outside of it’s standard use, has been lost to many, having it seen merely as just another stress in life with latent actions we do not find to be enjoyable. When writing first comes to mind, we think only of it’s negative qualities. When paper and pencil is placed before you and you are simply told to write, do you feel a spark of creativity? Does it feel like just another chore which has no purpose? The truth is, most people have started to view writing as a left brain action, with no connection to the creativity waiting to burst free from the right side of the mind, where the imagination is waiting to spring into action and set us free. In short, we have taken a step backwards.
Initially, writing must have been viewed as simply a left brained function, as it was not used in a creative sense. Where do the words and letter come from? We had to look to the prints of animals and the sounds of images- being a bit of an abstract idea- where we would see images strung together and we would need to put the sounds together in the linear order in which they came. This linear thinking and analysis is left brain. In the past, creativity was found in stories that we vocalized. A trip to a distant land could be accompanied by the endless tales of what happened to others along the same path. The words were strung together, a melody-less tune to our ears. Nevertheless, it was pleasant to hear and it held pieces of ourselves in each tale. Myths of heroes and Gods and all of their feats explained the world to us and the meaning within it. This was where the right brain dominated. There came a time, however, when the worlds collided.
The collision of these two skills- story telling and writing- gave birth to a new art form known as creative writing. This skill, accompanied with reading, created boundless entertainment for all. It also removed the need to travel endless distances to understand our world, our history, and the people in it. The tale of the Trojan War no longer required it’s historical stage in Greece, but it needed only ink on a page, with letters placed side by side creating a poetic flow that all could follow. It gave birth to a new form of story telling, where a story could be read and cherished worldwide. Now I have to wonder, though, why so many people hardly seem to recognize this skill. That paper that was placed before you needs creative thought, not just words you could care less about. Words are meant to come from the soul we all have within. Your heart and mind, pathos and logos, must both be present in writing to make it worth anything. State facts, but have some feeling behind them and stand by them. If creativity is not an option, you should still have some feeling behind your work, be it educational or otherwise. Emotion places meaning in the words. Without the emotion, our words have nothing to them.
Initially, writing must have been viewed as simply a left brained function, as it was not used in a creative sense. Where do the words and letter come from? We had to look to the prints of animals and the sounds of images- being a bit of an abstract idea- where we would see images strung together and we would need to put the sounds together in the linear order in which they came. This linear thinking and analysis is left brain. In the past, creativity was found in stories that we vocalized. A trip to a distant land could be accompanied by the endless tales of what happened to others along the same path. The words were strung together, a melody-less tune to our ears. Nevertheless, it was pleasant to hear and it held pieces of ourselves in each tale. Myths of heroes and Gods and all of their feats explained the world to us and the meaning within it. This was where the right brain dominated. There came a time, however, when the worlds collided.
The collision of these two skills- story telling and writing- gave birth to a new art form known as creative writing. This skill, accompanied with reading, created boundless entertainment for all. It also removed the need to travel endless distances to understand our world, our history, and the people in it. The tale of the Trojan War no longer required it’s historical stage in Greece, but it needed only ink on a page, with letters placed side by side creating a poetic flow that all could follow. It gave birth to a new form of story telling, where a story could be read and cherished worldwide. Now I have to wonder, though, why so many people hardly seem to recognize this skill. That paper that was placed before you needs creative thought, not just words you could care less about. Words are meant to come from the soul we all have within. Your heart and mind, pathos and logos, must both be present in writing to make it worth anything. State facts, but have some feeling behind them and stand by them. If creativity is not an option, you should still have some feeling behind your work, be it educational or otherwise. Emotion places meaning in the words. Without the emotion, our words have nothing to them.
I agree that, "without the emotion, our words have nothing to them". However, I do think it is the initial emotions, feelings and abstract thoughts that are the right brained aspect of writing. Once those emotions are translated into a language, that is what makes it left brained. Organizing the thoughts through letters is a talent only the left brain can posses. I also agree that the art of creative writing -which ties in more of the emotional side to words- is somewhat dying out. Growing up in public schools, or at least in my experience, there were never very many opportunities to write creatively using our own voice. We have always been taught how to write a formal essay. This plants the idea in the head of our youth that writing is a formal, boring, noncreative chore. The emotion behind the words is completely forgotten, leading to the misconception that writing is a left brained alone activity.
ReplyDeleteI believe that, "a paper needs creative thought," because without it the task becomes dull and meaningless to a person on the emotional level. It's definitely true that as a society we embrace the left brain entirely more than the right in our thinking and writing nowadays; for instance we are expected oftentimes to write papers in a more logical than opinionated way in our schooling which truly blocks out our affective way of thinking. Logical writing can be a great skill and asset in life, but it is also equally important that as a society we teach our children how to write with creativity and an open mind.
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