Monday, October 11, 2010
Sick, Twisted, or Totally Normal?
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Dear English Answer Man:
Why is it that you have your students read such sick and twisted writers? I mean, in order to come up with this stuff, you would have to be out of your mind. Not you English Answer Man, but the writers. Take Edgar Allan Poe for example--a true psycho.
So what is your problem?
-Anonymous
Dear Anonymous:
Your question has been asked throughout the ages (or at least the last seven years of my teaching career). Some people believe that if a writer writes a disturbing story, the writer must therefore be disturbed. Only disturbed minds create disturbed content. Others, however, would argue that a perfectly normal, well-adjusted person could easily write something disturbing. Maybe a disturbing story is a way of letting off steam.
So I ask you, adolescent readers of this blog:
How much can you judge the personality of a writer from what he/she writes? Does a psychotic story come from a psychotic author? Or is it unfair to judge an author by the content of his/her stories? Post your thoughts to your blog, and also comment here if you would like. Be sure to give examples from personal experience, authors you may be familiar with, and especially from your new-found knowledge of Edgar Allan Poe.
I look forward to reading your thoughts.
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Well Answering the to the referred question"Does a psychotic story come from a psychotic author?" I don't think the person has to be psychotic in order to write these stories they can be a way to get there pain out in a more creative but non-dangerous way. I think it's pretty unfair to judge the author by just their stories, some authors have certain ways of writing, doesn't mean they really feel the way they write their stories. I certainly wouldn't judge Poe from what I've learned of him he had a pretty tough life.
ReplyDeleteI personally dont think that you can really judge someone by their writing because at that certain time the writer might feel a different way thats not really how they are. I do not think one bit that Edgar Allan Poe is psychotic because, yes sure maybe we are not exactly like him to kill someone but, we all have been a little crazy at times that we just want to rip someones head off. Just like one time where I got really ticked off at this girl who decided to start hating me all of a sudden because she caught me at the wrong time when I just so happened to be really excited about something. She decided to judge me for someone that I am not most of the time and I personally think her judgements were not correct. Edgar Allan Poe also gets judged just for writing a book on what he felt for a certain amount of time. All he was writing about was how crazy an old mans eye made him and sure he killed him but why don't you put yourself in his place? My point is that you shouldnt judge someone by something that isnt fully them.
ReplyDeleteI think that if you write really weird stories and poems it doesn't mean that your twisted or out of your mind. Mostly for Edgar Allen Poe he had a brilliant mind with a great sense of vocabulary. I personally think his stories were very hard to read, but they were very unique. Edgar lived a normal life (except marring his cousin!) but, he wrote very intelligent stories that I think no one else could ever think of! He was a legendary person!
ReplyDelete~Amanda~
I believe he is a pure genius and only a pure genius can wright such beauty and tragedy all put together in wonderfully terrorizing poems and stories.
ReplyDeleteIt's not the way of writing that determines whether a man could be stereotyped or placed in a certain category of people,neither this or what he's done in the past can determine a person to be what he is, the things he does present do such an impression on others minds, but one cannot know what lies true beneath a human-being. His past life inspires him to write what he did, this should be a relevant tool to all writers global, relating -your- life to your writing.
ReplyDeleteTotally normal I think Edgar Allan Poe just had a hard life and he is just getting rid of anger like everyone with writing,music,dancing,poetry,and maybe even just a punching bag.
ReplyDeleteI know a lot of writers who just like to write about sick and twisted stories ,but there not sick and twisted.So who knows,Edgar Allen Poe could be writing about what he feels and how his life was.Or he just could be a really good writer.Like other writers i know.But Poe was very deep ,like he makes you think real hard about stuff.Well at least to me.If he was crazy,he would be the smartest ,craziest person!So it's kind of hard to judge someone by there stories and poems because regular people can write sick and twisted stories too.
ReplyDelete