The Ecstasy of Influence

It seems to me that Lethem is advocating plagiarism and that he wants to highlight different areas where prominent work in our society, whether it is art or literature, is a reinvention of previous work. He doesn't necessarily say that this plagiarism is a bad thing, however. The term plagiarism often carries a negative connotation with it. Plagiarism is seen as a shameful act. But Lethem doesn't intend the ward to be used in that sense in his essay. Lethem even goes as far as to say that his own writings are plagiarized as well. It is not a call of rejection to "plagiarized" work, just a truthful statement that his writing are created off of the thoughts of others. That's just the way it is. Lethem writes, "You, reader, are welcome to my stories. They were never mine in the first place, but I gave them to you." Lethem does bring up solid points. I can't speak much on the examples in literature that he brings forth, but as far as art is concerned, it is all interrelated. Every artist knew what other artists in their time were doing. The different phases through art history were all reactions to the phase before. Is this plagiarism? In Lethem's definition, yes. They are using the ideas and the works of others to create their own. I wouldn't say that the influence of one writer on another is a cause for shame or for ecstasy. It is honestly just inevitable. It is in our nature as human beings to interpret the influences of our environment as they relate to us.

AT&T Commercial

The AT&T commercial for the 3G network incorporates the childhood story of Hansel and Gretel but places them on the streets of New York City. The children are dressed as though they just walked out of a storybook, showing the viewer that they are in a foreign land. They stare up at the looming skyscrapers, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs; obviously, they are far from home. The commercial continues to show the children making their way through the busy streets as their breadcrumbs become lost in the shuffle. They make their way to a shop where the security gate is being closed; they obviously had been traveling all day, as it is now late, and discover their breadcrumbs are missing. After a split second of panic, the girl then pulls out an AT&T phone and uses the navigation system to get a map of the route back to their cottage. AT&T sends the massage that however far from home you may be, the 3G network is there to get you back home. Apparently, AT&T is so reliable they can even get them back to a storybook. The two children skip joyfully as the camera zooms out to show a series of skyscrapers shaped as the full service bars. AT&T is there for them.

So here I am at Hofstra, and I am blogging. Writing online makes me feel...

So here I am at Hofstra, and I am blogging. Writing online makes me feel.…
So self-conscious for the simple reason that it is online. The internet is accessible to nearly anyone, meaning anyone could read this blog. My audience has grown to a size I have never had before. There is no more privacy when writting on this blog, really, anyone can read this.
This obviously isn’t the first time I have written online before. Facebook allows things to be read by simply signing in and scrolling down a page. I knowingly write things in Facebook that I'm sure are being read by numerous people.
The difference between this blog and Facebook is that I don’t type my homework on Facebook. I’m adjusted to the privacy that normally comes with an assignment, where your work is kept between the teacher and the student. This large audience that I now have feels overbearing and intrusive. The language you use in a paper for a class is normally pretty different from the language used online. I write in a formal diction for my school assignments, whereas online I have a more relaxed tone. Slang words and immproper grammer are acceptable. Now that these two mediums are being mixed (acedemic work online), I must say that blogging is uncomfortable. I find myself checking over my work meticulously with the awareness that more than just one person will read this. The backspace key is being hit more than any other key on this keyboard.
I prefer the paper and pen to the keyboard. I’ve never been stressed to handwrite an essay, note, or letter. Yet, I find my email piles up, text messages rarely replied to, and I dread writing my blog. I don't know why there is such a profound difference to me; maybe it has something to do with this whole privacy thing. I know that whenever I send my mom an email, not to be surprise when it gets forwarded to the entire family. For that reason, writing online changes the language of what you are writing. It’s less personal, as you never know how many people come across it. When writing online, I am less likely to share a strong opinion, as I know there will be people with a differing opinion reading it. I am undoubtedly a faithful pen and paper person.
I know there are people who are devote bloggers and online readers. But I honestly don’t understand the appeal. It’s sad that we are moving rapidly into the digital age, and that soon enough there will be no newspapers and the journal will be taken over by the blog. Yet, here I am at Hofstra, blogging. We will see how this goes.