Plagarism

Weird story and confession:
When I was a sophomore at Western Illinois University, I got busted by an English professor for plagarism. Yeah, that was a freaky experience. The assignment was to write a 3-page paper on I-forget-what, without using any outside sources. Well, I found a Time, or some other news magazine, that I used a paragraph from to get the paper going. Clearly, an example of plagarism, I admit. I turned the paper in and then it was finals week. It was December, and it was really, reallllly cold outside when I had to walk across some wide open fields to get to the building far on the other side of campus. When I got there, late (ahem), I came in the door situated in the back of the class and the teacher's desk was in the front, I saw that the rest of the students were already well into taking their tests. So, I walked up to the professor who handed me back my paper along with the final exam. As I was heading to my seat, I looked down at the paper and saw it had big red printing on it that said: "Plagarism results in Failure in the class." Stunned, I turned around and went back and asked if I should take the final, and he said "No," his face was all red and uptight and angry. I remember saying something like, or exactly, "I'm sorry I thought you were so stupid."

So, due to that experience, I am sensitive to the issue of taking credit for that which is not mine. I want to make clear that anything on this site is notated where possible where things came from. I would never knowingly "steal" another's work and call it my own... ever. However, I have to add; I do take content off the web in bits and pieces and add it to papers, articles, projects, etc. and who doesn't?

In today's internet world, it's hard to know what the boundaries are or when one is crossing that boundary. I took classes at U of I with a slew of professors where the issue was discussed and ultimately, left unresolved. When does forwarding emails, posting to walls, Twitter, Facebook etc. cross a line and become plagiarism? What is legit and what is not cool? 

Why does it seem like only written words are the sacred stuff? I read a book about Leonardo da Vinci (see sidebar on right for title) and the Vitruvian Man he drew. That was not at all something unique that da Vinci did, matter of fact, it was Vitruvius 1500 years before da Vinci that described his idea of the human anatomy as a microcosm of the whole world; thus the square and circle, both representing the earth and sky. Other Renaissance artists drew that idea in various versions before da Vinci. Why is it not plagiarism in the visual arts or music? When you "borrow," as is often the case, a few notes, a bit of melody, a style, why is this not considered plagiarism? Can't one be inspired by, do works based on, use a tidbit to "get going" into something original. I thought there was nothing new under the sun, that all we see is just what we've already seen only recreated in new ways? If you have thoughts on this, please comment.