The 10-year-old winner of a children's poetry competition had to hand back her prize money after newspaper readers noticed that her poem was the work of a well known writer.That's one way to get ahead in life. Let's hope the young poet has learned her lesson.
"It's a mini drama for her. She did not realize it had been written by someone else," a member of the competition jury said Tuesday. --Child poetry plagiarist unmasked (Reuters|My Way)
"She did not realize it had been written by someone else," made me go read the article because I just couldn't believe how dumb this statement was. The answer didn't help much: "It started as a school project and was followed by many events ... probably she just forgot." I believe that glossing it over for and especially TO her, will not help this young lady ever learn right from wrong.
How could she not know that poem was written by someone else? It must have come from a source, if not her own mind, right? How could the judges not realize that poem was plagiarized? I always thought creative writing was unique because it draws from an individual's originality and experience along with an ability to express them in words or word-images. I fail to understand why people plagiarize anything.
Amazing...a Little Pierre Menard!
The Smiths had this to say: "If you must write prose and poems The words you use should be your own Don't plagiarise or take "on loans" There's always someone, somewhere With a big nose, who knows And who trips you up and laughs When you fall" Morrissey and Marr, "Cemetary[sic] Gates".