lit week two - falling a little in love with a new form.
Joseph Joubert is a king among men. I cannot believe that, until now, I have lived my life oblivious of his notebooks... That sounds like such an overstatement, but I absolutely loved the excerpts of his which have been published in our textbook. So, I thought for this week's entry, I would answer Question 2 pertaining to Joubert.
In my group, we decided that the concept of "nonfuctional" writing is in most ways a myth. My personal belief is that every single word we write carries its own purpose, from answering a question we've been asked, to fulfilling the requirement of an essay, to clearing or organising our messy, adolescent minds. This was the general consensus of my group.
Joubert's individual statements are sometimes lacking traditional sentence structure or punctuation, and I believe that this helps to make them into a form of purest poetry. Poetry as a form follows a very different set of rules to those of Prose writing, Joubert catches a concept or thought in interesting ways.
"Children. Need models more than critics."
This statement or poem or whatever it is we must consider it as works well to alert the reader of both its subject and its meaning. By having the word Children stand alone as its own sentence, we immediately recognise that this is the most important word of the piece. That being said, by having the second part beginning in a capital letter and also standing alone as a sentence, Joubert has emphasised that one part of his statement cannot stand without the other, and the second is necessary to the first's existence.
From my own experiences growing up, this statement rang with so much truth and I don't think that it could be put more succinctly or eloquently than that. Any extra words or language on Joubert's part could have distorted or dilluted the original meaning and purpose.
Another thing I liked about Joubert's notes is that they provided a mere glimpse into some of his thoughts, as opposed to completing the whole picture. While some notes (like the one mentioned above) can stand alone as single truths, others are clearly a marker or starting point, something quickly jotted down to jog his memory later on (much like our commonplace books!).
My favourite of these is:
"Of those who feel God as rules, as light, and of those who feel him as love."
The argument of God vs. Religion is one I have experienced so many times, both in my personal life and also in my work as a youth group leader. This statement does not provide a complete answer, but is an introduction to the basis of each argument. I'm not sure how to comment on the literary merits of this note, but the images and possibilities it conjures up are very clear. It quite perfectly categorises the two different ways God is seen, not just by those with faith, but also by those who judge our faith. The second interpretation definitely seems more characteristic of those who believe in God, whereas the first reminds me of all those who have tried to present reasons why they don't believe in God.
Anyway, enough about what others before me have written... Here's a little bit of me, taken from my commonplace book:
"Our words are the only things we leave behind to express our personal truths. Without stories, thoughts and recollections, we are merely rumour and hearsay."
"Every word we write paints a picture of who we are and changes us from other people's speculation into the person we wish to portray."
I wrote these after having an argument with a friend about the merits of what I say out loud to him, versus what I send in emails or text messages. I have always felt that I am much better at getting my message across clearly when I take some time and have my thoughts visible in front of me, he argued that it does not mean as much as the spoken word.
I believe that words written mean the most, as we obviously intend for them to be reviewed and scrutinised. Words said aloud simply hang there for a second and then disappear with the next line of conversation. Our words are what we truly wish to express to others. It is so easy to say something you don't mean, or to get your meaning confused when you place no thought behind what you say.
That's all I have to say for now!
(I'm aware this entry is a little late, I cannot seem to shake my illness and managed to pick up a chest infection as well last week. Sadface!)
Love,
Johnny Red
xoxo
In my group, we decided that the concept of "nonfuctional" writing is in most ways a myth. My personal belief is that every single word we write carries its own purpose, from answering a question we've been asked, to fulfilling the requirement of an essay, to clearing or organising our messy, adolescent minds. This was the general consensus of my group.
Joubert's individual statements are sometimes lacking traditional sentence structure or punctuation, and I believe that this helps to make them into a form of purest poetry. Poetry as a form follows a very different set of rules to those of Prose writing, Joubert catches a concept or thought in interesting ways.
"Children. Need models more than critics."
This statement or poem or whatever it is we must consider it as works well to alert the reader of both its subject and its meaning. By having the word Children stand alone as its own sentence, we immediately recognise that this is the most important word of the piece. That being said, by having the second part beginning in a capital letter and also standing alone as a sentence, Joubert has emphasised that one part of his statement cannot stand without the other, and the second is necessary to the first's existence.
From my own experiences growing up, this statement rang with so much truth and I don't think that it could be put more succinctly or eloquently than that. Any extra words or language on Joubert's part could have distorted or dilluted the original meaning and purpose.
Another thing I liked about Joubert's notes is that they provided a mere glimpse into some of his thoughts, as opposed to completing the whole picture. While some notes (like the one mentioned above) can stand alone as single truths, others are clearly a marker or starting point, something quickly jotted down to jog his memory later on (much like our commonplace books!).
My favourite of these is:
"Of those who feel God as rules, as light, and of those who feel him as love."
The argument of God vs. Religion is one I have experienced so many times, both in my personal life and also in my work as a youth group leader. This statement does not provide a complete answer, but is an introduction to the basis of each argument. I'm not sure how to comment on the literary merits of this note, but the images and possibilities it conjures up are very clear. It quite perfectly categorises the two different ways God is seen, not just by those with faith, but also by those who judge our faith. The second interpretation definitely seems more characteristic of those who believe in God, whereas the first reminds me of all those who have tried to present reasons why they don't believe in God.
Anyway, enough about what others before me have written... Here's a little bit of me, taken from my commonplace book:
"Our words are the only things we leave behind to express our personal truths. Without stories, thoughts and recollections, we are merely rumour and hearsay."
"Every word we write paints a picture of who we are and changes us from other people's speculation into the person we wish to portray."
I wrote these after having an argument with a friend about the merits of what I say out loud to him, versus what I send in emails or text messages. I have always felt that I am much better at getting my message across clearly when I take some time and have my thoughts visible in front of me, he argued that it does not mean as much as the spoken word.
I believe that words written mean the most, as we obviously intend for them to be reviewed and scrutinised. Words said aloud simply hang there for a second and then disappear with the next line of conversation. Our words are what we truly wish to express to others. It is so easy to say something you don't mean, or to get your meaning confused when you place no thought behind what you say.
That's all I have to say for now!
(I'm aware this entry is a little late, I cannot seem to shake my illness and managed to pick up a chest infection as well last week. Sadface!)
Love,
Johnny Red
xoxo