Writers' Responsibility

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses that whether writers have a responsibility to define, discuss and defend their subject matter is one that is of increasing interest in today's media-saturated world. The writer of the paper notes that writers are asked by readers, and by their own publishers, to talk about why they write about certain topics, and how they feel about art, politics, and life in general. The paper asserts that writers must be part of the public discussion about their works in order for these pieces of art to mean anything in the long term. The paper further maintains that it is not enough to simply write a book or story, and then to sit back and let random interpretations flow. Rather, writers have a responsibility to the public to explain their viewpoints, the reasons they choose to write, and what their experiences ought to say to us at some broader level.

From the Paper:

"As a career, writing is one in which there exists at some level an ultimate degree of freedom. A writer can choose to write about whomever, whatever or whenever he or she feels is appropriate. Creativity, imagination, and a way with words all tend to be important characteristics if one wants to succeed in this career. An important question arises, however, when a writer achieves some measure of commercial and critical achievement. All of a sudden, writers find that thousands, perhaps millions, of individuals are reading their work, and that they no control whatsoever over how this story is received. For many writers, this presents a frightening reality: the work that they have created has become a public entity with a life of its own. Stories, novels, poems and plays that have been lovingly crafted by their authors are now things that are read in schools, analyzed by the water cooler, and discussed at the dinner table."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Amis, Martin. "Blown Away." The Broadview Reader 3rd Edition. Herbert Rosengarten and Jane Flick eds. Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press, 1998.
• Atwood, Margaret. "The Responsibility of Art." The Broadview Reader 3rd Edition. Herbert Rosengarten and Jane Flick eds. Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press, 1998.
• Tan, Amy. "In the Canon, For All the Wrong Reasons." The Broadview Reader 3rd Edition. Herbert Rosengarten and Jane Flick eds. Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press, 1998.

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