In class we spoke of argument. "Everything is an argument", you'd tell us. From the clothes we wear, the movies we watch, the books we read, the words that come out of us.
But what about theneedtojustEXPRESS, to just put it out there without really trying to convince anyone of anything. Just self expression straight up. Like scribbling... you're in class taking notes but your mind's on other things and you just start drawing for the sake of it right there on your notes. You start drawing simply for the smooth feel of soft lead on tree pulp. You're just being, maybe you're working things out in your head while you doodle. Is that argument? Or what about when someone throws a lump of clay at you (make sure you catch it) and you just stick your hands in it and feel the damp earth between your fingers and under your nails. You play, you pull, you score, you attach, and it starts to take shape on (what seems to be) it's own.
Maybe sometimes there isn't any intention to persuade. Maybe what is expressed is just that- an expression. But then again what is expressed might reveal a lot about a person?
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In this case, Eva, the question of context is important. Everything is an argument in the world of rhetoric, which necessarily implies an audience. But if you're in the world of the imagination, say, or alone in a deep jungle canopy, then you might not be making an argument of any kind but rather exploring ideas. Everything, however has structure, even if that structure is not having any. And structure often arrives with purpose. And if there's purpose, there is often argument. Perhaps it's the word "argument" that's the difficulty here. If so, think of it this way: you can argue for a specific purpose of convincing an audience, or you can argue with your own ideas. Rhetoric is one way of looking at the world. But it is only a temporary lens. So get lost.
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