I created a writing technology project using raspberries. Raspberries were picked as they are available in Michigan and in the wild. I purchased the raspberries at the local Meijer store. Instead of using crushed raspberries, I decided to use whole raspberries to form letters. Six or seven whole raspberries could make up the letter ÒTÓ. The writing surface could be any available flat surface that can easily be washed. Raspberry juice can stain the surface. I picked the rear porch on my apartment as it was convenient, well lit and easy to work on. The surface is not natural in the sense it is created by nature, however, it is part of my surroundings. Grass, dirt, large rocks or other surfaces would have made better surfaces. They were not available for various reasons. Finding a writing utensil was very easy, but a natural replacement for paper is difficult to find. The natural evolution of writing tools was evident.
In PlatoÕs Phaedrus, the technology of letters and writing is described. ÒAt the Egyptian city of Naucratis, there was a famous old god, whose name was TheuthÉ and he was the inventor of many arts, such as arithmetic and calculation and geometry and astronomy and draughts and dice, but his greatest discovery the use of lettersÓ (Plato). The use of letters was more important than mathematics and astronomy! With the ability to write down letters, information could be maintained and spread throughout the land. ÒBut when they came to letters, This, said Theuth, will make the Egyptians wiser and give them better memoriesÓ (Plato). The potential of writing is described in detail. Plato was arguing against the use of writing, but he pointed out some of its greatest benefits. ÒÉ for this discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in the learnerÕs souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselvesÓ (Plato). Forgetfulness is a possible outcome from writing. Not only does the writer use the tool to aid in spreading knowledge, but also to keep a personal record. No longer will the writer need to remember the information. The readers can reference the information at any time. They too are free from the shackles of memory. Permanence is now very important. If the text is damaged or the writing tools do not stand the test of time, the knowledge is lost. The choice of tools and the technology surrounding them is crucial. In my experiment, the raspberries were consumed by wild life in less than a day. My message, ÒThis is my birthdayÓ, did not last any longer than my birthday did.
Raspberries must be freshly picked or possibly refrigerated to store them prior to using them as a tool. This also limits the permanence since the raspberries can spoil, break down and decay even before use. They can be carried in a bag to any destination within a reasonable distance from their source. They are portable within limits. My project used a cement porch which is not movable and certainly not portable. If one were to ÒwriteÓ on another surface such as a rock or piece of wood, the material would be movable. Care would need to be taken to keep the berries in place. One could also store the berries and reconstruct the writing at another location. The form and possibly the message might change in this situation. The permanence would be affected. ÒOnce reduced to space, words are frozen and in a sense deadÓ (Ong 22). The raspberries representing words can no longer be used for food. Just as Ong referred to dead words, the raspberries are soon dead to the world. The written message is lost.
ÒIn downgrading writing, Plato was thinking of writing as an external, alien technology, as many people today think of the computerÓ (22). The technology used to represent letters and words effect the interpretation of the words. OngÕs comparison of computers to alien technology has a relationship to interpretation of words and even the length and quality of the written speech. Computers allow large documents to be created and formatted for different situations. Spelling and grammar checking allow authors to create well-conforming documents. Like PlatoÕs time period, many people still feel uncomfortable with the newer technology. The fear and unfamiliarity in the technology used cause people to not trust the written text. ÒÉwe find it difficult to consider writing to be a technology as we commonly assume print and the computer to be.Ó Ong was referring to the feeling that writing is ÒnaturalÓ since it is taught as a required skill in our society. Many people, particularly older adults do not use computers in a capacity that is obvious to them. Similarly, the writing technology project I created used an unusual writing tool and surface area. As it is different, many people would not associate the same trust in my words. Computers, on the other hand, offer long term storage, consistency in presentation and in some cases a common tool. All computers running Microsoft Windows with Microsoft Office work the same regardless of the computer. The size of text can be controlled. With raspberries, the size of the raspberries used can change the appearance of letters. The number of raspberries used can affect the size and shape of letters. This is analogous to the use of pixels in a computer monitor and dots per inch used in printing. A computer screen using more pixels can create crisp, sharp text or large print. ÒAlthough we take writing so much for granted as to forget that it is a technology, writing is in a way the most drastic of the three technologies of the word. It initiates what print and electronics only continuedÉÓ (22) Writing is a technology in not only the tools used, but also the concept of expressing thoughts. The printing press and computers allow mass duplication of written text. Computers can accept handwriting input using tablets. Tablet PCs replace traditional paper and pencils with a large touch screen and a stylus.
ÒFor a text to be intelligible, to deliver its message, it must be reconverted into sound, directly or indirectly, either really in the external world or the auditory imaginationÓ (Ong 23). The translation of text to sound must be carried out by a person or machine. It is a series of steps which form a procedure. It is a technology. Writing has been used for centuries to express ideas, maintain records, and create art. The process to interpret it is learned when we are young. A computer was taught to interpret text into sound by humans. A Macintosh can read text and translate it into audible sounds using different voices. The technology influences the style and presentation of the information and at the same time preserves it.
ÒOnce, called away to a meeting whose substance did not command my unalloyed attention, I began drafting on my conference pad memo I needed to out to my staff by lunchtime. I found that I had become so used to composing virtual prose at the keyboard I could no longer draft anything coherent directly onto a piece of paperÓ (Baron 71). Dennis Baron described an experience where he had adapted to new technology in such a way that an older approach seemed difficult. He trained himself to use the new writing technology to a point where it was familiar. We can adapt to new tools such as the computer. My experience with the raspberries allowed me to think about the limitations and strengths of other mediums. Raspberries and a hard surface allow you to express thoughts in the middle of nowhere. Computers allow you to save thoughts in a virtual world accessible in modern society. The limits imposed by time and space are much less. Longer works can be written in a shorter amount of time. Using the conventional pen and paper allow you to sketch drawings to represent ideas along with words. Sometimes the technology of writing is not enough. The level of detail varies with the tools. Using fruit offers limited control on shape and size of text, but can influence the reader. If one wrote a brief work on fruit, using raspberries might be very creative. Writing the same work with pen and paper could be rather dull. A word processor might allow a picture of raspberries to be included offering a similar effect and preserving legibility.
ÒMy hands, choosing a book to take to bed or to the reading-desk, for the train or for a gift, consider the form as much as the contentÓ (Manguel 125). Manguel discusses the shape and size of a book relate to the intended use. A large text such as a phone book does not fit neatly in ones hand. A fictional paperback is very small to make it portable for travel or convenient for late night reading. My experiment was not very portable and useful for all uses of writing. Taking raspberries to bed is not a pleasant concept. Traveling on a train or through an airport with raspberries is not an easy task. A printed work can be easier to take with you that an laptop computer. A book may fit in a purse. Reading text on a personal data assistant or MP3 player is difficult for long works. The formatting of the text might need to be simplified for the small space. Newer e-paper technology which allows digital paper to be created may replace the paperback, but it would not make sense for a large phone book or book containing artwork from the middle ages. The choice of color, typeface, color, title and other elements change the usefulness of the text and the appeal. ÒBooks declare themselves through their titles, their authors, their places in a catalogue or on a bookshelf, the illustrations on their jackets; books also declare themselves through their sizeÓ (125). Writing must stand out to be memorable. My experiment with raspberries was very creative and did grab attention. ÒIn our day, computer technology and the proliferation of books on CD-ROM have not affected – as far as statistics show – the production and sale of books in their old-fashioned codex formÓ (Manguel 135). Despite the advances in technology, the creativity and familiarity of original forms of text still dominate the sales. Some readers will embrace the new formats, while others maintain with the original forms. Convenience is not the only factor in acceptance of newer forms of technology.
ÒWriting Is a Technology that Restructures ThoughtÓ (Ong 19) Style, portability, and permanence effect the interpretation and usefulness of writing. My writing project demonstrated moderate portability, low permanence and moderate creativity. A link between writing technology and the expressible ideas with that technology determine the message that can be presented to readers. Portability influences who can read works, how they are retrieved, and who can create them. The writing tool used in my project is very natural, but the writing surface was not. Certainly, writing is an evolving technology with strong ties to cultural growth and necessity of distribution.
Works Cited
Baron, Dennis. ÒFrom Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy TechnologiesÓ from
Passions, Pedagogies, and Twenty-first Century Technologies, Ed. Gail E.
Hawisher and Cynthia L. Selfe. Logan: Utah State University Press, 1999. 15-33.
Manguel, Alberto. ÒThe Shape of the Book.Ó A History of Reading. New York: Viking,
1996. 125-148.
Ong, Walter. ÒWriting is a Technology that Restructures Thought.Ó Literacy: A Critical
Sourcebook. Eds. Ellen Cushman, Eugene R. Kintgen, Barry M. Kroll, and Mike
Rose. Boston: Bedford/St. MartinÕs, 2001. 19-31.
ÒFrom PlatoÕs Phaedrus.Ó Web Page.
<http://www.stevendkrause.com/academic/eng328/phaedrus.html> 11 May 2007