Roger Rosenblatt
I am Writing Blindly
“Communication is the soul and
engine of democracy”
Soul
 Often refers to our need
for the imaginative
nourishment that art,
music, drama, and
literature provide.
 May also allude to a
moral code; stories such
as those taught in
children’s literature are
often used to teach
lessons about values
and morals.
Engine
 May refer to the rational
aspects of
communication; to the
brain and its need for
stories (communication)
in order to grow to its
fullest potential of
intelligence.
Democracy
 Allows the opportunity for an
infinte number of stories to
be told and heard.
“It is human nature to tell stories.”
or
“We tell stories because we have to.”
 Some deep need within us compels us to tell our
stories.
Ex. Those whose last act was to put pen to paper;
“The impulse was in them, like biological fact.”
 Rosenblatt cites Joseph Bruner’s theory: we are
born with our stories in us, and we learn to use
language so that we can share them.