Stolen words? The 50 bazillion words in the English language are free to anybody who wants to use them, so how is it possible for one person to steal another person’s words?
It’s possible if the words being used have already been arranged into specific phrases, sentences, or paragraphs by someone else and if they’re used without giving credit to the person who did the work of arranging them.
Of course, the crime of word theft deserves a word of its own. That word is plagiarism, which the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines as stealing and passing off the ideas or words of another as one’s own. Interestingly, the word plagiarism comes from the Latin word for kidnapper. A plagiarizer is someone who kidnaps another person’s words or ideas.
Plagiarism has been a problem for writers and playwrights since at least 80 AD, when the poet Martial complained that others were copying and reciting his poems without giving him credit and — perhaps most importantly — not paying him for them.
Plagiarism still happens in the modern world. When it happens in academia or the publishing industry, the scandals can destroy the reputations — and the incomes — of the writers accused of plagiarism. When plagiarism happens in elementary school, middle school, or high school, it can result in something even worse — lectures from parents and teachers. Plagiarism at that age is more commonly known as “cheating” (which is much easier to spell than “plagiarism”).
Knowing what counts as “cheating” isn’t as easy as some adults seem to think. The first two books below are aimed at helping children of elementary school age navigate the sometimes complicated ethical dilemmas that cheating can create. The last book takes a different approach to the subject.
Junie B. Jones, First Grader: Cheater Pants
By Barbara Park
Illustrated by Denise Brunk
Cheater Pants is part of the phenomenally popular Junie B. Jones series. In this issue of the series, Junie B. knows that cheating is wrong, but she rationalizes that copying someone else’s homework isn’t cheating. Unfortunately, the homework she copies involves finishing this sentence: “This weekend, one thing I did for fun was ___.” She gets caught, of course, and faces the consequences.
Unfortunately, more opportunities to cheat come her way. Fortunately, the adults in her life are kind but firm, and she emerges from the crisis wiser and still her irrepressible self.
You can learn more about Barbara Park at juniebjones.com/author. More information about Denise Brunkus is available at wernickpratt.com/client/denise-brunkus/.
I Repeat, Don’t Cheat!
By Margery Cuyler
Illustrated by Arthur Howard
In I Repeat, Don’t Cheat!, the situation is reversed. In this story, Jessica doesn’t know what to do when her best friend Lizzie copies her spelling test, later takes credit for a poem that Lizzie wrote, and cheats in a game of tag. What do you do when your best friend is a cheater and you’re the victim of her plagiarism? How do you choose between being loyal to a friend and being true to yourself? Jessica’s resentment eventually explodes, but her teacher handles the situation with sensitivity, and both girls learn some important lessons.
You can learn more about Margery Cuyler at us.macmillan.com/author/margerycuyler. More information about Arthur Howard is available at us.macmillan.com/author/arthurhoward.
The Shakespeare Stealer
By Gary Blackwood
The writer who is perhaps must often associated with plagiarism is William Shakespeare. Shakespeare is credited as the author of some of the most important poems and plays in the English language, but a never-ending controversy surrounds the question of whether Shakespeare actually wrote the works attributed to him or if he plagiarized the work of others. On the other hand, Shakespeare’s work was often stolen by others during his lifetime.
The Shakespeare Stealer is the first in a trilogy of books about plagiarism during Shakespeare’s time. When the story begins, Widge is an orphan who was chosen as an apprentice by Dr. Bright, a rector (or minister) and a doctor of physick (medicine). Dr. Bright takes the unusual step of teaching Widge to read and write. Then he teaches Widge to write in a form of shorthand — a set of symbols used to speed up the process of writing — that he himself had invented. Dr. Bright’s reason for teaching Widge shorthand is a selfish one. His goal is to have Widge attend church services in other parishes and transcribe the sermons preached by other rectors. He can then use their sermons as if they are his own.
Widge’s life abruptly changes when a mysterious stranger enters Dr. Bright’s shop and offers to buy Widge for ten pounds. After a long journey with the stranger, Widge learns that his new master, Mr. Bass, expects him to attend a performance of a play written by William Shakespeare and write down every line of the play. Mr. Bass intends to publish the playbook and sell it before Mr. Shakespeare can.
The Shakespeare Stealer is an excellent introduction to the ethical issues involved in plagiarism, but not in the form of a dreary sermon like the ones Dr. Bright gave. Instead, they are cleverly concealed in an adventure story packed with swordplay and fisticuffs. The book also provides fascinating details about life during Shakespeare’s time.
Widge’s adventures continue in Shakespeare’s Scribe and Shakespeare’s Spy.
You can learn more about Gary Blackwood at garyblackwood.net/.
Plagiarism has become rampant since the invention of the internet, making it clear that many adults don’t understand that it’s wrong to steal what others have written. Perhaps they didn’t have access to books like the ones reviewed here when they were children. I think that’s a pretty good argument for increasing funding for school libraries and public libraries!
I don’t have to remind you that it would be wrong for you to copy what I’ve written in this blog post, do I?