The Role Of Graffiti In Literature

Superior Essays
People express themselves in a variety of different ways; whether it is through clothing, music, dance, writing or art, these forms of self-expression allow individuals to convey feelings to others. Specifically, the use of writing and art to express one’s self has been prevalent in society for centuries and is commonly conducted through graffiti. Its origins lie with our ancestors who lived during the ice age; cavemen. Modern sociologists and archeologists suggest that prehistoric graffiti represents “the births of both art and homo sapiens, as evidence for communication, visual representation, and beauty in early human cultures. This apparent familiarity has meant that modern graffiti has long been linked to its ancient antecedents” (Baird, …show more content…
She discusses how graffiti writers are “referred to as vandals, thugs and criminals in the mass media” (Dickinson, 29). The illegality of the marking of public spaces has caused graffiti writers and artists to be viewed in a negative light; anti-graffiti laws and policies have created the link between graffiti as crime and have caused graffiti writers to be viewed as criminals (McAuliffe and Iveson, 131). Cleaning efforts are enforced in communities to remove graffiti, which reinforces the belief of graffiti writers as criminals since their work is not accepted by the government. Despite its content, graffiti as a whole is viewed as negative by outsiders of the graffiti community because it is considered a …show more content…
This form of art is viewed in a positive light because it is aesthetically pleasing and it has the ability to be understood by its audience. However, the existence of graffiti that is used to communicate among members of the graffiti community overpopulates street art and causes society to view graffiti as a whole as negative. These forms of graffiti are illegible by the general public and are viewed as threats because the message behind them is uncertain and they may send negative messages. In a recent study conducted by the Economic Research Centre (ERC), the insecurity felt by outsiders of the graffiti community was described. “Given the limitations of current approaches to graffiti as a form of vandalism, we propose an alternative view of graffiti as a form of media. This is not a new perspective. Graffiti has previously been understood as a form of communication that is used to transmit information, messages and the like between ‘senders’ and ‘receivers’” (Thompson, 2012). The lack of understanding of these messages causes people to become uncomfortable and not want to visit areas that contain graffiti due to their unfamiliarity with their surroundings and the true messages behind the

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Graffiti is a public form of expression that is often underappreciated and misunderstood, leading it to being viewed as the meaningless and destructive work of delinquents. However, some people can read between the lines and acknowledge the talent and message of the graffiti artist. This divide in understanding and opinion is what makes the graffiti culture unique and influential. The presence and perspective of graffiti in a neighborhood contributes to the ambiance of that area and influences the residents, which could lead to either the gentrification of urban areas or the expansion of the graffiti culture and, possibly, the crime culture. “Graffiti,” used as a general term, is often defined as “an unauthorized act of inscription onto…

    • 1472 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Graffito also signifies "to scratch" in reference to different wall writings ranging from "cave paintings", bathroom scribbles, or any message that is scratched on walls. Graffiti is controversial some like it, and some people do not. Although some people said graffiti is art, a form of self-expression, and as art of writing is a creative method of communication. Others see graffiti is vandalism because it destroys property such as residential property, it causes the people to pay taxes for repairs such as covering up unwanted graffiti, and it encourages others to tag their “gang” name for ownership causing rivalry or possibly violence between communities and the boundaries between the communities. Graffiti is vandalism because it is ruthless destruction.…

    • 1142 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Restricting people's freedom of speech is not only against the law, but it also limits access to information - no matter how sensitive the topic. This leads to ignorance, which causes problems in our society. Censorship has created this common occurrence for artists to…

    • 1377 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The difficulty that arises when attempting to take a position stems from graffiti’s original purpose: unsanctioned use of public space (Elias). It was never meant to be put into such a situation where the greater public began commercializing the art form. This entire controversy goes to show the difficulty that arises when two different worlds collide, not only in the context of graffiti but for most disputes that arise in the world. Differences between politics, cultures, morals, etc. have formulated complicated questions that are not remotely easy to answer and still have not been answered…

    • 2485 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The term “graffiti” holds a negative connotation of vandalism to the state, yet for the people who practice it there are underlying social and political messages within this art form. While the government considers itself an entity that promotes social responsibility, by stigmatizing graffiti, it limits the artistic rights of its citizens. Each generation overrides the previous art placed in public spaces, graffiti becomes layers of artistic change, reflecting each new community it represents. Graffiti itself has existed since prehistoric times and has been able to give us insight into more recent cultures and civilizations as well. While many graffiti artists can act in solidarity, for example in the form of a gang, many artists act on their…

    • 702 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Graffiti Research Paper

    • 936 Words
    • 4 Pages

    When graffiti is drawn people don’t really care to see it, they find it disturbing and unpleasant. Mac Donald states in her article “Graffiti is always vandalism. By definition, it is committed without permission to another person’s property, in an adolescent display of entitlement.” In a sense, it hurts the community by costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to remove or cover it up. Furthermore, if not removed, the graffiti sends out a message that “no one cares” about the area, which causes the area to look unsafe and people unease. In addition, it creates encouragement for more littering, loitering, crimes, and acts of violence.…

    • 936 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Militarization Of Police

    • 2051 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Looking down upon and turning against law enforcement officials is something that we as a nation cannot afford. Because of mistakes made by a select number of police officers, the media’s capitalization on them, and alleged militarization of law enforcement, they are cast in a negative light that is problematic because it causes many people to feel a sense of disunity as well as unsafe. This growing issue can be resolved by identifying and terminating the genuinely bad ones that are on the force, using positive media coverage to counter the negative, and adjusting the public view of police “militarization." Today, the media is the main source for news updates in the United States. This means that many people thoughtlessly accept what they are hearing on the radio, seeing on television, and reading in newspapers.…

    • 2051 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Graffiti Urban Art Essay

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Since “the boundary between what constitutes thoughtful expression in a public space and mere defacement is elusive” (Infobase, 2011, para. 43) there are many graffiti artists that I would not consider artists, some of which include taggers (unless time and consideration is used in the process), those that spray vulgar words and images, and “bombers” who raid subway and train stations after dark. The main reason I would say these are not artists due to their lack of empathy for their surroundings, and because the only reason they are creating graffiti is for themselves, not for others to enjoy. Art should be seen and appreciated by those that see…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Essay On Graffiti

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages

    When you hear the word graffiti most people think of gangs, vandalism, and other illegal actions. For some artist it’s not all about that. Graffiti also known as street art is a way for a person to express themselves and to show ones personality or feelings toward something or someone, but can graffiti be considered art? Does it get considered art? No it doesn’t and Yes, Art is defined as the expression or application of human creative skills and imagination.…

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    This is by far an incorrect statement, because graffiti and street art has definitely changed the way we live our life. One of the biggest examples of this is how it has effected the advertising industry. Numerous companies have incoroporated difeerent styles of graffiti and street art into their street and billboard…

    • 1436 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays