The Origin of Ideas [Open Blog Post]

One thing that I've always been confused about is where ideas come from. I understand that writers can be inspired by the world around them (events, people, images, etc.), but I don't get how they can turn that inspiration into concrete stories and plotlines. Take, for example, the Harry Potter series (I love these books - I also talk about them in my Literacy Narrative). J.K. Rowling may have been inspired by the battle between good and evil, but where did the rest of the story come from? Where did the notion of Quidditch come from?

I guess people just come up with ideas like that. I wish my brain could do that with as much ease as every published author seems to have. Whenever I try to write, I find myself struggling for ways to make my works sound original, not just repetitions of what I've read before. To help with this, maybe I could try brainstorming for at least 10 minutes before I write. (According to Everything's An Argument, brainstorming is an extremely effective way to generate concepts .) Also, maybe I can make an outline before I start writing, instead of just going like I usually do. I think that having more time to work with the material might give me more inspiration. Finally, I can keep a journal or something about little parts of life that give me ideas. That way I'll be able to look back on previous experiences and remember exactly what it was that sparked my ideas.

All in all, I still have my question: where do ideas come from? If anyone out there on the internet besides my teacher is reading this and has answers, just let me know!

Language & Identity

Does language define who we are? For some, language and identity are irrevocably intertwined. Gloria Anzaldua, for example, considers the Chicano language and culture the exact same thing. However, I think that she exaggerates the connection between the two. Anzaldua seems to think that language is required before a culture can become a true culture. But before she felt like the Chicano culture was recognized, she wrote a lot about how Chicanos were persecuted for their language. What she was really talking about, I think, was their culture in general. It's still wrong, but even if they all spoke different languages, Chicanos would still be Chicanos.

Language is a part of identity because it's a part of culture, but it does not determine who a person is. Since it goes along with culture, though, language is a part of a person's identity. People who speak the same language usually live around the same area and with the same lifestyle. Language comes before culture, not the other way around.

Nevertheless, one could say that language is a large part of one's identity. When someone is heard speaking an "inferior" language, then others view them as inferior and treat them without the usual amount of respect. Language also defines a person's level of education. For example, using larger and more complex words makes one seem much more intelligent than using simply monosyllabic speech. The more languages that a person knows, the more worldly and cultured they seem. Furthermore, people feel comforted by their own languages. If someone feels out of place in a country where they don't understand the native language, they tend to gravitate to others who speak their own dialect.

In conclusion, I guess I would say that, while language is a cardinal component of who a person is, it does not define the person. Rather, how they speak using that language is what defines them.

"Why I Write" or "Why I Write"? - The Battle of Orwell & Didion

Orwell's piece definitely resonated more with me, though I think I liked Didion's piece more. Orwell, though clever in actually demonstrating the four motives he describes, seems to be very cynical and a little bit arrogant, though that might just be the "sheer egoism" he was trying to satisfy in writing this essay. After discussing the essay and finding all of the examples he used to prove his points, I can't really decide whether I was hearing Orwell's voice or just his ideas about what other people do when writing. However, I think his piece did have solid ideas and I found it extremely interesting. It made sense to me, and I could picture him as a little boy narrating his entire existence in his head. I think the reason that his had more of an impact on me and my way of thinking was that I've often wondered about the true motives of authors when they write - whether they are truly just writing to tell their story, whether they just want to become well-known, or whether they are trying to secretly get a message across. Seeing my thoughts put into words (words that make much more sense and sound much prettier than when I attempt to say them) helped to solidify them. I also think that Orwell's essay resonated more with me because he had known that he wanted to be a writer from very early on in his life, which I respect a lot. As a child, I wanted to be a veterinarian, an actress, a singer, a model, and a lawyer, and now I have no idea what my future holds. The fact that Orwell felt that writing was his destiny makes him seem that much more credible and real.

Didion's piece, though I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, didn't make as much sense to me. I think very logically and know how to stay focused on the task at hand, so I couldn't understand why she struggled so much with "thinking" and "ideas." It seemed to me that she did very well with ideas, just the wrong ones for whatever she was doing. I also don't understand how writing can just let everything out for some people. I know it happens, but I just can't do it. I feel the same way about drawing- I've tried leaving my hand free to sketch whatever it feels like sketching, and I end up with a blank sheet of paper and extreme boredom. But I'm glad for Ms. Didion that she found a way to channel her thoughts into something that she can actually understand, even though I don't really get it.

I also think that people should just admit that they love the pictures of baby animals on my page.

First Post

Okay, here it is. The first post on my brand-new blog! I've never had a blog before, but I feel like they would go right along with Facebook and Minesweeper on the list of "Best Ways to Waste Time on a Computer (Especially when there's Homework to be Done)." I don't know how to make this extremely intellectual, but I guess I could just talk about my first week of school.

School started on Tuesday, September 8th. It was extremely overwhelming and scary, especially after 3 months of doing nothing over the summer, but it's gotten better now. Homework is, of course, still no fun, but I'm not spending as long on it as I did last year. [Random note: I don't like this blog already because, since my teacher will be reading it, I feel like I have to use correct punctuation/capitalization/grammar/spelling, and when I'm typing on the computer I don't like to have to worry about that stuff.] On Tuesday, the swim team also had our first meet. We swam against Elk River, who are pretty good, so the meet was hard. I didn't swim my favorite events, but I did well. Our team won, and then we all went home and did homework from about 8:00-11:00. Today (Thursday), we also have another meet, but it's against Hopkins, who isn't very much competition at all.

I guess that's all I have to say for now. Hopefully it was sufficiently intellectual and entertaining!