Weekly Blog Post 1

"Deliver me from writers who say the way they live doesn't matter. I'm not sure a bad person can write a good book. If art doesn't make us better, then what on earth is it for?"
--Alice Walker

I found this quote to be quite intriguing on two levels, the first of which is that Walker clearly defines writing as a form of art. As a pre-architecture major, I have learned quite a bit recently about the design process and how one goes about composing a piece of art. I agree with Walker in this sense: that writing is a form of art or communication, and that in writing, the author uses words to convey a message to a certain audience. Knowing this, the question then becomes how does the art benefit the composer? This is the second level of the quote that I find intriguing, as Walker clearly discusses this as well. Essentially, she claims that the purpose of art is to improve humanity, and that by composing art, the author becomes a better person. She uses this thought when claiming that all good writers are good people, as they have been able to discover more about themselves through their work. I partially agree with this statement, as although I have never met a famous writer, most of them generally seem like good people, as noted from their biographies. During the first semester, for example, I read several of Ted Kooser's books entitled Weather Central and Local Wonders. In reading these works, as well as the biographies in them about Kooser, he seems like a kind and generous man. I am sure, however, that there are at least a few authors in the world who have written "good books" who do not have the best lifestyles. To each is his own, however, and one man's definition of a bad lifestyle will differ from another's. Nevertheless, the main point that Walker is trying to convey to the audience is that generally speaking, writing and other forms of art are beneficial to the author, as well as society. This form of communication (writing) allows us to delve deep within ourselves and question who we are and what we think. Thus, a good book is generally written by someone who has contemplated the issues in his/her life through writing, and then made beneficial decisions as a result. In looking at this class as well as writing in general, this idea then gives me motivation to write, as it hints at one major benefit of writing. Not only will I be producing art, but the process will be beneficial to me as a student and as a member of society.