Please read Donald Murray’s “The Maker’s Eye” and respond with at least three (3) comments, and respond to at least three (3) of your classmate’s (or my) comments.
Answer these four (4) questions, in detail, below. If you have any questions, let me know:
- How does Murray define information and meaning (13-14)? Why is the distinction between the two terms important?
- According to Murray, at what point(s) in the writing process do writers become concerned about the individual words they are using? What do you think Murray means when he says in paragraph 24 that “language leads[writers] to meaning”?
- The phrase “the maker’s eye” appears in Murray’s title and in several places throughout the essay. What do you suppose he means by this? Consider how the maker’s eye could be different from the reader’s eye.
- According to Murray, when is a piece of writing finished? What, for him, is the function of deadlines?
1. Murray describes information as distinct, accurate, and intriguing data that serve as the foundation of writing. Meaning, on the other hand, develops from organizing and interpreting this information. The distinction is important because knowledge alone is insufficient to produce good writing; it must be transformed into meaning to engage and inform the reader. Without this transition, writing risks becoming a list of facts with no clear goal or emotional impact.
2. According to Murray, writers focus on specific words later in writing, polishing their drafts to clarify the meaning. By “language leads [writers] to meaning,” he implies that writing allows writers to find what they truly want to convey as they choose words and develop their ideas.
3.”The maker’s eye” refers to the writer’s critical perspective during revision, which attempts to shape and perfect their work. Unlike the reader’s eye, which sees the finished product as a whole, the maker’s eye is detail-oriented, finding problems, testing ideas, and refining language to correspond with the writer’s meaning. It is the creator’s unique ability to see both the work’s current state and its potential future state.
4. According to Murray, a piece of writing is never truly finished; there’s always room for improvement. Deadlines, however, serve as practical limits that force writers to stop revising and release their work. They provide structure and ensure progress, even if perfection is unattainable.