"The fact that we do not commonly feel the influence of writing on our thoughts show that we have interiorized the technology of writing so deeply that without tremendous effort we cannot seperate it from ourselves or even recgnize its presence and influence." Not until after reading Ong's essay "Writng is a technology that restructures thought" did I really considering writing a technology. Plato was oppressive towards writing and believed it would hurt us as individuals in the long run. Plato's Socrates warned people that writing is unresponsive. You can not defend your writing after someone reads it. It is left out in the open. In a way I agree with Plato that while talking you are able to defend and explain what you are saying. But I also love to write because it's a way to get my thoughts out. A lot of things I write in my journal for soccer or just on my own, I would never say to a person through my words.
Plato also discourages writing because he felt that it would decrease your memory. Although this may be true, some of my favorite belongings are letters that are WRITTEN. I have many letters from my mom that are handwritten that I cherish very much. I use these letters as a comfort whenever I feel sad. Letters from my grandma who has passed are filled with memories that I will never get back. So maybe Plato is right, that by writing we loose some of our memory, but I am thankful for the letters I have of my grandma and also of mom that remind me of memories and their love.
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