Tabula Rasa = T: Blogging from A to Z
Time for T!
When pondering T literary devices, the first one that popped in my head was theme. But I really wanted this month to be about avoiding the obvious choices.
So when I happened upon tabula rasa, I was intrigued.
Source
Tabula Rasa
Latin, "erased tablet": The term used in Enlightenment philosophy for the idea that humanity is born completely innocent, without any initial predispositions, attitudes, or beliefs. Accordingly, no natural state of humanity exists, but instead, humanity is infinitely malleable. The newborn child is thus a "blank slate" on which experiences and education will write his or her future personality and beliefs. The idea is influential in the philosophical writings of Locke, Rousseau, and Wollstonecraft, but it also influences literary fiction such as Frankenstein, in which the monster's account of his experiences after his initial creation characterize him as an innocent tabula rasa. ( source )
After reading this, I had two immediate thoughts.
One, as a writer, we create characters from a blank slate. We give them experiences and backgrounds to help form who we want them to be. Every character we create is our own form of Frankenstein. No matter what type of character, we start with a blank piece of paper--or tabula rasa--and mold personality, life experience, and other factors into a character readers can care about.
Second, although I agree that humanity is born innocent, I do not believe newborns are blank slates. As the mother of three children, I was amazed at how much of their personality I saw in the newborn phase: easily frustrated, happy go lucky, temperamental, and so on. Right from the womb! The same two people are raising three kids, and yet they couldn't be more different if they tried. Same parents, same socioeconomic status, same teachings. Different kids.
But since philosophers were mentioned, I had a deep thought (when I have them, by God I'm sharing them! *winks*)... can even our characters be blank slates? They are, after all, influenced by us. Hmmmm.
Check out some awesome T thoughts by visiting the Blogging from A to Z participant list .
When pondering T literary devices, the first one that popped in my head was theme. But I really wanted this month to be about avoiding the obvious choices.
So when I happened upon tabula rasa, I was intrigued.
Source
Tabula Rasa
Latin, "erased tablet": The term used in Enlightenment philosophy for the idea that humanity is born completely innocent, without any initial predispositions, attitudes, or beliefs. Accordingly, no natural state of humanity exists, but instead, humanity is infinitely malleable. The newborn child is thus a "blank slate" on which experiences and education will write his or her future personality and beliefs. The idea is influential in the philosophical writings of Locke, Rousseau, and Wollstonecraft, but it also influences literary fiction such as Frankenstein, in which the monster's account of his experiences after his initial creation characterize him as an innocent tabula rasa. ( source )
After reading this, I had two immediate thoughts.
One, as a writer, we create characters from a blank slate. We give them experiences and backgrounds to help form who we want them to be. Every character we create is our own form of Frankenstein. No matter what type of character, we start with a blank piece of paper--or tabula rasa--and mold personality, life experience, and other factors into a character readers can care about.
Second, although I agree that humanity is born innocent, I do not believe newborns are blank slates. As the mother of three children, I was amazed at how much of their personality I saw in the newborn phase: easily frustrated, happy go lucky, temperamental, and so on. Right from the womb! The same two people are raising three kids, and yet they couldn't be more different if they tried. Same parents, same socioeconomic status, same teachings. Different kids.
But since philosophers were mentioned, I had a deep thought (when I have them, by God I'm sharing them! *winks*)... can even our characters be blank slates? They are, after all, influenced by us. Hmmmm.
Check out some awesome T thoughts by visiting the Blogging from A to Z participant list .
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