Intertextuality and Discourse Community

Intertextuality and the Discourse Community

1.       Summary:

In this article “Intertextuality and the Discourse Community” James Porter attempts to explain to the audience that there is no original writing or piece. Porter argues that in all writing we have intertexuality which is the idea that all writing has traces and ideas from other past text. Porter talks about how all text, speech and signs arrive from a single network in which we all use intertextuality. He argues that there are two types of intertextuality: iterability which is the tracing and use of references, quotations, allusions and unannounced influences like traditions and phrases. Then there is presupposition which refers to the assumptions a piece will make about its referent, reader and its context.  In the article Porter uses the Declaration of Independence and Thomas Jefferson to help explain how intertext is used in writing. Porter explains and describes Jefferson’s methods and where he got all his ideas and phrases yet his work wasn’t consider a form of plagiarism. He argues that we use these influences to write what the audience wants and expects; that the audience (readers) are actually responsible for the writers work so in essence the reader is the creator of discourse on the writer. He believes that writing doesn’t come from within but instead from a discourse community or group of readers and writer discussing and reviewing the same subjects, topics and dynamics. Porter argues that students shouldn’t have to try and create on their own because real creativity is the ability to create new meaning in the language from the use of indefinite extensions of its resources and putting it into context of the discourse community. Porter believes that real writing is an attempt to identify oneself within the constraints of some discourse community. Porter argues that all writers should attempt to find their discourse community that we should search for acceptability in our writing and validate ourselves and other writers through the critical methodology and adhering to the standards and values while still borrowing appropriate traces.

2.       Synthesis:

This reminds me of Kenneth Burke and Stuart Greene’s article where they talk about how everything will influence you and your writing. There is no way to avoid it; you are constantly being influenced by readings, clothes, TV, music and so on. This is maybe an extreme of what Porter is attempting to argue or only part of what he is speaking of but they both discuss how we need and will find ourselves searching for identity and acceptance and we can find that in a discourse community. That when we involve ourselves and our writing with people of the same subject and discourse we find that we are influenced by their work. There are always traces of other writings in the present ones because it’s these influences that make us write the way we do or approach a piece the way we do.  These articles both argue that influences from other writing is inevitable and effects what you say and write about that this is real creativity. They also both argue the concept of plagiarism and what it exactly is because people are always using other text and opinions as it is seen through traces in their own writing.

4.Question for Discussing and Journaling:

I always went about my writing in a completely different way than Porter describes his ideal version of it. Porter says that writing comes from acceptability within the reader’s community. I have always seen the evaluation of my writing as a specific format or criteria given to me by my teacher, instructor or even professor. I always thought of writing a following set guidelines and structure in order to be accepted and applicable with the other pieces written by my peers. I never thought about writing to be accepted for my values, thoughts, arguments and proper traces from past articles. This is far different from my past because teachers always have graded based on meeting criteria and how much information you use to support your claims rather than accepting it for its purpose and how it is effectively written for certain readers.

5. Questions for Discussion and Journaling:

I think Porter fits perfectly into his idea of intertextuality because all his arguments made are those from past writers as well. Porter argues about how we can always find traces of other text in new ones and that is real creativity, well Porter can be related to the ideas and concepts of many other writers such as Greene or Kantz in this book. Porter talks about how the difference is taking these text and twisting a new meaning or concept from them by using traces and forming what you want to argue yourself. Porter does just this he argues concepts already covered but implies other ideas and meanings like the concept of intertextuality and what it means. Porter  argues and creates this idea himself but branches this concept into two separate categories which explain how and why text are just central assumptions of the critics or readers in your community which he gets from multiple theorist one of which he quotes Vincent Leitch. Porter grabs many ideas about writer assumption and expectation in intertext from this man and even shows his traces with quotes but never fails to put is on meaning on this as well.  This entire article is a clear example of all Porters arguments put into one as he explains and creates his own conception of intertexuality and the discussion of discourse communities.

2.Applying and Exploring Ideas:

New Plagiarism Definition- This is the copying, using or borrowing of another’s ideas and or works within your own. The entitlement to this is if there are any found traces or relation to past text and arguments made.

When I compare the original definition and my own they seem almost entirely the same the only difference is if we use Porters ideas it is most likely impossible to write an original piece. Porter argues that we are always influenced by our audience and other works and we can find traces of it In our work so if this is plagiarism then there is really no way to write a paper. To write a paper you need to form an argument or purpose and without any knowledge or ideas on the topic you can’t create a proper piece. Plagiarism in essence is inevitable if view based on Porters conceptions because you need research and the chance to read and understand a topic before you can form your own opinion or argument on the matter.

1.       Meta Moment:

I see Porters argument and to me it is valid I would agree that writing is more of a group effort than that of your own. The people might not physically be with you but you are using their text, ideas and arguments to form and validate your own. This would change how I normally think about writing because I’ve always been raised to think of it as a step by step process you work on and complete on your own. Writing to me has always been about creating and making your own argument and conception but you really can’t do that without the help of other and their arguments in your discourse community. I don’t think this would change the way I write it’s just a matter of understanding and thinking about writing in a different way. This might lead me to further my reading and research on something now because this allows me to see and understand what’s acceptable in certain communities as well as make sure my work is valid and original. Also when I say original I mean has traces of other text and arguments but is an overall formation of my own thinking and objective.

1.       Article Evaluation:

I think that this article was interesting to read because it put ideas and concepts from other authors into one single one about intertextuality and discourse communities. What made it interesting is the fact that you could understand and see traces of other works in Porters as he talked about the idea of borrowing ideas from others and what exactly is plagiarism then. It was a different perspective and way of looking at information collection and how you should think about it and do it. Also it argued about ideas and influences always come from another source just like past articles we read which allowed me to be more into the writing and get a better understanding. This compares to my own experiences because I always struggle with dealing with structured outlines or having to match a certain criteria instead of writing to be approved by your community or audience. I don’t know if this will help at all because it is just a different way to look at writing and how we all do it. This is just another opinion on getting research and how to go about making your paper but overall I think I agree with Porter that writing is a group project and or collaboration of different text to form a new argument and new piece.