“Walter Ong argues that scribal culture cannot exist until an alphabet is created, and a form of writing standardized.”
As an artist and person who had studied art history, I must say that I strongly disagree with this statement. Before the time of a standardized form of writing there were various ways of written communication in my opinion. There were the ancient hieroglyphs of Egypt, as well as, other art forms such as paintings and sculptures that date back to ancient times. As a creator of art, I know that every piece I make tells a story or makes a statement. During ancient times, these were the only ways of written communication. For example, the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs were the only way that the people of Egypt had to record events, happenings of daily life, etc… If this is not a form of “text” then I guess I am just crazy!
“The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the later.”
I really enjoyed reading this portion of the article! I think that Thomas Jefferson said it well when he made this statement. After all, the right to freedom of speech is one of the things that makes our country’s government unique. If it was not for newspapers, politicians and other government leaders would not know what the people were thinking or how they felt about what was going on within the government.
“There are more online publications, journals, newspapers, magazines, and businesses than ever before. While this brings society closer, and makes publications more convenient and accessible, ordering a product online reduces contact with others.”
Growing up in a society of ever changing technology, I still never thought that I would see the day when I would talk to others online, share photographs almost instantly with family that were hundreds of miles away! Now these actions are a part of everyday life for me, as well as, completing courses online. (Something else that I never would have thought of doing while growing up) The above quote sums up what changes have came about from the advancement of technology. It is this advancement that has caused the use of paper copies to become greatly reduced.
I absolutely agree with your first quote summarization. There are many people who communicated without an alphabet. Pictures have always been used to communicate meaning. We also use hand gestures and what I use may not be the same as what you use. Writing is not always necessary, but it does make it easier.
ReplyDeleteI also strongly agree with your 1st quote's comments. I have found that when teaching the students vocabulary (text based) it is often easier to show the meaning in picture format (image based). I love that art tells a story without a single syllable spoken.
ReplyDeleteMy son is dyslexia which means he thinks in pictures not symbols. It crucial that he have an image to go with every word.
ReplyDeleteI really like your first quote and I strongly agree with you. I do not believe that we need a language necessary to communicate but that we are able to communicate through the use of imagery. If you think about it we say " a picture is worth a thousand words". While we might not be able to obtain a precise meaning form the image we are able to grasp a deep understanding of the concept being portrayed. Great Point as with your other quotes.
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