Blog Prompt 9

    “First, the instinct of imitation is implanted in man from childhood, one difference between him and other animals being that he is the most imitative of living creatures, and through imitation learns his earliest lessons; and no less universal is the pleasure felt in things imitated (Poetics).” Aristotle believes that there are three different categories in which imitation within art lies, the medium, the objects, and the mode or manner. These different categories all have elements of imitation embedded with them but according to aristotle they do differ. He explains that people imitate physical objects using color, words, and or different forms. A poet or an artist are all connected through the medium of imitation, this medium is what bridges the gap between all forms of imitation. Aristotle is not against imitation through art but he is against making imitations through art incorrectly. He stated that if something was going to be imitated it needed to be exact without errors, of course grammatical errors would be fine if we were talking about a poem but if the error were to change the meaning then that is when the imitation becomes problematic. Successful imitation is something he discusses that can be done if no errors happen when imitating the real object. This view is very different from Plato because he believed that any form of imitation is bad and that there could be no way that imitation could be useful. Throughout the reading Aristotle continues to make distinctions between tragedy and epic. These distinctions make tragedy to be more superior to epic because it uses all the elements epic would use including more. I believe that his understanding of art in terms of imitations can be very useful and I actually agree with how he viewed art. If your going to be someone that uses imitation in ways that don’t take away from the reality then I believe there is no harm in that. However, if someone uses their poetry in a way that is harmful and their imitations are far from truthful then I believe that is up for the viewer to decide. Aristotle argues that the way we imitate can be broken up into three categories, our world just as it is, how we think it is, and how it should be. These three categories are very broad and leave a lot of room for the artist or poet to come up with how they choose to imitate. Imitation to Aristotle is just an act of trying to capture life in some way and duplicate that, since we are imitative in nature it’s hard to put a box on how or why there should be way things are to be imitated. That box is necessary though because since people are imitative in nature and have a sense for duplication it is easy to mislead people and create false agendas. Being a person that expresses themselves through art it’s important to remember someone is always viewing and you never know how your art will influence that person. In this way I understand why Plato feels strongly about art and any form of imitation being something that is bad, because it could take away from reality and how people view reality. However, we are expressive people and the fact that we can use our gifts in order to bring emotions and feelings out of people is beautiful if done in a correct useful way. After reading ‘Poetics’ I have a better sense of the different ways art can be imitated and why we are so drawn to art. Being a ECE major, early childhood is very pivotal when it comes to a person’s development because of how vulnerable a child can be. A child clings to everything from their home environment to their school environment and if those environments are toxic then there is of course a higher chance for the child to cling to some of those toxic tendencies. I can relate that back to art because even as adults we still are vulnerable to what is around us including art. We still can be impressionable and if we are constantly imitating things that are far from the reality then that can become an issue for anyone. I strongly believe that art is a beautiful thing but it something that should be done with care.