As I read the article: Plagiarism, Originality, Assemblage
written by Johndan Johnson-Eilola and Stuart A. Selber I got a better
understanding of what an assemblage is compared to a remix and what is the
define line between plagiarism and originality. The article talked a lot about
composition today and brought many things to my attention about what we
consider original and plagiarized in writing.
As I read
the reading, I felt that Johnson-Eilola and Selber’s concept of assemblages was
very similar to the concept of remixes. Assemblages are “texts built primarily
and explicitly from existing texts in order to solve a writing or communication
problem in a new context.” A remix is practically the same thing where many
writers or artists combine different ideas into one to create a new idea that
is different and they can call their own. What makes assemblages unique is that
writers use two powerful concepts: intertextuality and citation to work
together and encompass the ideas of others into one new idea. In related to a
remix, it is the same thing. You have to realize in today’s world of rhetoric
and composition, new ideas are hardly ever created without the help of other
people and their input or already created ideas. In this case everything is an
assemblage or a remix but there are just higher extents of it.
The line we
draw between plagiarism and originality is very distinct. When it comes to
plagiarism it simply means that you have taken the ideas or words from someone
else and strictly used them as your own without giving credit to that person.
But an original can use other information and ideas combined together with some
of your own to create and new one but only if credit is given to the
information you’ve borrowed from. Many teachers push for originality from
students but at the same time they encourage you to build ideas off of
pre-existing ones.
After I
finished reading this article, the confusion I had on what an assemblage was
was cleared and I understood how it played a role within plagiarism and
originality. I also understood that plagiarism is not considered plagiarism as
long as you identify and give credit to whom you got that idea from.
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