The Importance Of Plagiarism In Literature

Thanks to the internet and the technological advancements of the modern era, information and entertainment come at the push of a button. While this is mostly beneficial to society because it aids in communication and work, it has also influenced the rise of a certain ethical issue (Bailey, pars. 5-6; Rasmus, par. 1). This ethical issue would be plagiarism. This is common with students in regards to literature. As an example, the Josephson Institute Center for Youth Ethics conducted a survey on over 23,000 American high school students in 2012. 32% of the students admitted to using the internet to plagiarize for their assignments (Josephson Institute, par. 3). Plagiarism also takes place in the field of art, which will be the main focus of this

However, the term plagiarism was not coined until the first century AD at the time of the Roman poet, Martial. He experienced having his work copied and spoken in public without being acknowledged as the writer. He then wrote poems addressing the matter and used the latin word ‘plagiare’ in describing one of the culprits. The word means to kidnap and up until that point, people only used the word when it came to literal kidnapping. There is no universally accepted time when the word ‘plagiarism’ was first used in the English language, but it is speculated to be sometime between the 15th-17th century (Bailey, pars. 4-11; The Times of India, pars.

It is wrong to steal a piece of work that someone put a lot of time and effort into. As an artist myself, I would definitely be offended if someone copied my entire piece of artwork and claimed that he/she is the original artist. Even though that was a harsh example, I still believe that even if you borrow a little from someone else, credit should still be given where it is due. Plagiarism also hinders an artist’s growth. The artist is hindered in seven categories; skill, creativity, repertoire, ethics, intellect, independence, and preparedness. By claiming another person’s work, the artist will not develop his/her artistic skill that comes from independent practice and studies. When an artist always uses the works of others, the imagination does not flow which results in the degradation of his/her creativity. When a person is caught plagiarizing, he/she loses respect from viewers and fellow artists, and also loses credibility. Constant unethical practice becomes a habit and may affect how the artist acts as a person. Plagiarism also hinders the artist’s intellectual learning as it does when a student plagiarizes on an assignment. As the artist’s growth is stunted, his/her capability to provide works of his/her own diminishes due to plagiarism. This also hinders the artist’s preparedness in the art industry. The artist can be thrown into situations that he/she is not prepared for. To