Was Murray mad to say that writing is not a
product, but a process and when we judge it by it's final product instead of
looking at how students write, we are robbing the students of their right to
find meaning, their right to discovery on their own? He proposed
something that sounds crazy and defiant to many teachers who are stuck with the
tradition that all writing is literature and should be looked at with a
critical lens that can wreak havoc on the writing itself.
This process is of creativity; it is of discovery
of meaning. It is a process of
delivering that meaning in a unique way.
But how do we measure the process?
How do we go home with the writer and watch her make her choices,
choosing one word instead of another?
How do we define what is right and wrong in that process? It seems like all we sometimes have is
the final product and we have no way of knowing how the writer got there and
where they need assistance.
When I was in high school I was always waiting for
someone to talk to me about how we put the words on the page, how we make
sentences, basically I wanted someone to talk to me about the process. But we are left alone with the process
of writing; it is a lonely process.
So what do we talk about to our student’s when we talk about writing
process? I would say that we
say what Murray would say, that writing is a discovery of ourselves. The students are to discover the meaning
of their lives through the discovery of how to communicate that meaning. We also create the meaning while
observing it.
When Murray suggests that all writing is
autobiographical, he is suggesting that we are contained in the writing
itself. Our minds, our bodies, our
histories, and our thinking is all present within the text. We cannot ignore that our writing
represents who we are. It may be
that we are even writing the same theme, over and over again, in different
genres and different modes for different audiences.
When I look over the many writings in different
genres that I have done, I do find a similar note in all of them. I find there is a longing, a personal
longing to be defined and a search for inner peace that I am looking for in all
my writing. I find that I often
write about my family and I write about a woman striving to be heard. With my voice I am searching for my
voice throughout my writing. Our
voice is always autobiographical; it is the way we communicate through words,
our perception of the world.
Yet there is still this thing called
objectivity. Does it exist? Even if I am writing a newspaper
article, it is the very article I choose to write that is a part of my being. My choices, even when I am writing
something that is completely fact based, the facts I choose to put in there
represent my self, my leanings, my opinions. I don’t think there is such a thing as objectivity. I think it is something that is made up
by western culture so those in power can pretend like the choices they make are
the right choices. For example, in
the media, the things that they choose to cover and not cover, are all the
choices they make whether they cover those things factually or not. And even if they cover the stories
factually, those facts are chosen by the writers and editors.
The voice in every piece is always
autobiographical, however this voice cannot be heard if I don’t make myself
clear by using the correct standards of grammar and writing as a whole. The meaning of what I am saying can be
swayed and misunderstood if I don’t use the language properly. But what if I am trying to make a point
by misusing the language? Murray
says you can create your own words sometimes, but what about creating your own
language? It is too ambitious? Will
you not be able to communicate with anyone, if everyone is speaking in their
own language? Is that why we have
standards?
On the one hand I want to be totally unique, but on
the other hand I want to be understood.
So how do I manipulate the language as to be my own person, by using
words that I did not even create?
Someone else made up this mode of thinking that I am using, so how can I
use it creatively to come up with the meaning that I am searching for? In the end, I agree with Murray that it
is all about meaning. I could
string a bunch of letters together, but if they did not mean anything to anyone,
than what is the point? But I want
so badly to create something that has never been created before. I want to say a sentence that no one
has ever said before. If I say,
“The cockroach ate the flamingo,” it may be a sentence that no one in this universe
has ever said. But what does it
mean? Maybe it represents the
little guy, taking over the big guy.
Maybe it does mean something, but I have to personally make it mean
something. I can turn it into a
poem or a short story the genre is up to me. But the point is to create meaning.
When I am teaching writing what I want from my
students is to create and recreate themselves through their writing. I want them to find the right words,
through the writing process, as Murray suggests, and I want them to create
meaning by investing themselves in the writing that they do. I want them to realize that their
writing is a reflection of themselves.
The choices they make, the words that spin from their minds, the
sentences they put together, are all mirrors into their minds.
This mirror starts when we begin reflecting on what
we will write in the first place. The
writing before writing is also vital to the process of writing. The prewriting, Murray states, will
take longer than all the other steps in the writing process. And what is that prewriting? It is the living, the thinking, the
meditating. It is when we are
sitting down and tracing back our history, our family, our childhood, or even
our present condition. It is about
feeling and being. The writing
itself is simply a communication of that that living and being.
And through it all we use words, which are
confusing and their meanings are changing with time. Words are limited, because we human being are limited. When I want to convey the beauty of a
sunset, how do I do so in words? Can
I do so in words? Murray says
to surprise yourself and you will surprise the reader. How do I do that with the limited
number of words that I have at my disposal?
I would say, and Murray would say, be honest. That writing is the most honest act we
commit to. We may have new forms
of media, with texting and email and blogs, but we need that honesty in those
mediums more than ever. If you
really want to describe a sunset, than ask yourself how it will make you feel. What about the sunset inside of us that
goes on when we see one in the sky?
If you have to email a friend, then tell them the truth about the
sunset, tell them it made you cry.
We are seeking truth here, by doing this act of
writing. Murray wants us to
discover our own truth. Although
he doesn’t really mention the limited nature of writing and words, it is clear
that he understands that if we have this medium to tell the truth by, then we
should use it wisely. Words are so
interesting, on the one hand they are as real as living things, and on the
other hand they are just symbols. We
are the ones who give them meaning.
Our job is to create the truth and find the truth that already exists
and bring it to the light. Through
writing, through reading, through communicating with each other. Through words is our salvation.
No comments:
Post a Comment