The Circle of Life

The idea of forwarding that Joseph Harris describes in his book “Rewriting” has been around for a long time. It has just been in disguised. The chapter “Forwarding "made realize how much I actually forward and what type of information I pass along. To start out, I would like to present this definition of forwarding. “It suggests that the goal of such writing is not to have the final word on a subject, to bring the discussion to a close, but to push it forward, to say something new, something that seems to call further talk and writing” (Harris 35-36). Forwarding is when someone is presenting new information about the topic, while also spreading the current information. The writer also uses the information for his or her’s purpose.  “In forwarding a text, you test the strength of its insights and the range and flexibility of its phrasing.” Why would you use a text that did not expand your thought process? I used forwarding when writing academically, blogging, Facebook, and in conversations. Academically and blogging, I use forwarding in the illustration way to expand my thought process. I would quote books, people, magazines, or online material.  When it comes to Facebook, I use forwarding a little differently. I use more of the borrowing approach. By sharing pictures and statuses, an idea is being passed. Although it might not expand the idea, unless the person commented on the post, the idea is being spread. 

When I thought of examples of forwarding, the Article “I am Adam Lanza’s Mother” came to mind. This article was a powerful article written by a woman that has a child that is special needs. She talks about her struggle she deals with and the love she has for her child. She relates to herself to the mother of Adam Lanza, the shooter in the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre.

Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother-mental-illness-conversation_n_2311009.html

The article was forward through Facebook, newspapers, and blogs. Writers began to write about this article and the impact it caused.

The product:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/wp/2012/12/18/after-i-am-adam-lanzas-mother/

http://writerhughes.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/forwarding-the-blog-post-i-am-adam-lanzas-mother/

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/12/18/furor-over-i-am-adam-lanzas-mother-viral-blog-post-rages-but-is-the-mommy-blogger-right-about-guns-mental-health/

The full article is lost, but the original idea of it remains. By expanding the idea, more depth is added to the issue. The article is altered and some is remained the same depending on the writer’s purpose.