Questions to Draw From...

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1. Powell discusses how signs and symbols are a part of writing, and he talks about how symbols are not as much for aesthetic pleasure as they are for mechanical purpose. Based on your knowledge and personal judgement, where do you think the line is drawn between symbols and images, and do you think there are any other defining characteristics separating the two?
2. Powell characterizes musical notation as a form of writing, meaning that written music could be considered a form of language. How does this change your original definition of what language is--especially because many people would consider audible music to not be a form of language?
3. In chapter seven, Barton explains the difference between sound and meaning and how they pertain to written language. Based on his explanation, and with him adding in math expressions into the form of language, how broad is your current scope of what writing is, and do you think there should be a third factor other than just sound and meaning?
4. In chapter eight, Barton digs back into past forms of writing and explores the excursions and successes done then to advance the idea of language and communication. To what extent do you see forms of writing that are harder to create as more valuable than writing forms that are much more simple to execute (e.g. typing, texting, etc.)?
5. In the museum, we looked at a seal created to show the goddess Ishtar being given food and animals as a form of divine sacrifice. It is easy to view language and writing through a romanticized lense, but many of these for pure mechanical purposes. Where do you think the concept of language lies on the scale of romantic to mechanical?
6. We looked at a divinity plate, and like the seal, it was explained that many of these items were created with a practical purpose and not for the sake of being "art" or to have any artistic value. Do you think this increases or decreases its value in terms of being a historical artifact?
7. When looking at the mosque lamp with Arabic calligraphy, it was explained that the symbols on lamp were not translatable, and that they were basically made without sound or meaning. Do you think this constitutes it having no literary value, or do you think its medium is a sense of value in itself?
8. Artist Nom June Pike created a statue in 1996 made up of various pieces of technology that are used to illustrate how closely we are monitored through technology, a concept that has become much more relevant since The Guardian exposed the NSA in June 2013. Do you think items of art or literature are generally more valuable as a snapshot into a specific time period, or as something that can evolve with passing generations?