Writing About Ekphrasis 9

Idolization

         Can idolization be a good thing? In “On Romare Bearden” of Drawing us In the author discusses their love for Romare Bearden. When looking at one of their works the author says, “What I saw was black life presented on its own terms, on a grand and epic scale, with all its richness and fullness, in a language that was vibrant and which, made attendant to everyday life, ennobled it, affirmed its value, and exalted its presence," (Chasman, Deborah, and Edna Chiang 6). A person's art can have the ability to make you feel listened to and understood. It can make thoughts and feelings that are impossible to express feel clear and valid. The author's idolization inspired their creativity by shaping how they write plays. When the admiration of someone sparks creative expression, I think it is very beneficial. The problem with idolization is when the admiration for a person becomes more about the person than the art itself.

Hasty Generalization

           In Everything's an Argument, the author warns readers of hasty generalization, a fallacy of the logical argument. They define hasty generalization as “an inference drawn from insufficient evidence,” (Lunsford and Ruszkiewicz). When idolization goes too far, hasty generalizations can be dangerous. Judgments of a person's or multiple people's work can lead to hasty generalizations. One movie franchise that has remained popular for many years is Stars Wars. One not-so-popular character in the films is Jar Jar Binks. Because many people idolize Star Wars, lots of people are eager to express their opinions leading to many negative comments about the character and actor and ultimately leading him to a “personal downward spiral that led him to almost take his own life,” (Klein). In this instance, people made the hasty generalization of ─ I dislike this character, so I do not like this person. This situation demonstrates how the idolization of people stretching beyond artistic inspiration can result in negative consequences.

Separating the Art from the Artist

             The idolization of an individual(s) can be very beneficial as long as we mainly value their art and are aware that our idols are human with feelings. It is important to take creative inspiration from people we idol and to not be offended personally by the idols' "wrongdoings". When writing or talking about your idol, it is important not to dramatize what you view as mistakes and what you view as marvelous because at the end of the day they are complex individuals.

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Works Cited

Chasman, Deborah, and Edna Chiang. EDs. Drawing Us In. Beacon Pr, 2000. 

Lunsford, Andre, and John Ruszkiewicz. Everything’s an Argument. Eight Edition, ebook, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2019.

Klein, A. (2021, October 27). Actor who played Jar Jar Binks in Star wars says the hate for his character almost led him to suicide. The Washington Post. Retrieved October 17, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2018/07/05/actor-who-played-jar-jar-binks-in-star-wars-said-the-hate-toward-his-character-almost-caused-him-to-kill-himself/