Plagiarism In Malcolm Galdwell's Something Borrowed

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“To steal from one person is Plagiarism, but to steal from many is research.-Steven Wright” In Malcolm Galdwell’s article “Something Borrowed”, Galdwell shows different levels of perceived plagiarism; from sampling songs without permission to lifting text without attribution. He also sets boundaries around perceived plagiarism which I found interesting and relatable. Plagiarism is the copying/ taking credit for other people’s work without giving credit to those who fully deserve it. Some people perceive plagiarism in different ways. Plagiarism can be as trivial as sampling a song for a chorus without permission from the artist. When plagiarism is involved in music it can involve numerous amounts of lawsuits because not only does the record label have to give permission but the artist who sang\ played the song; or whoever owns the music rights must also give their permission. For example when the movie Cadillac Records came out in December 2008, Beyoncé…show more content…
When credit is not given when it is due or when someone takes someone else’s life stories and attempts to pass it off as their own it is in fact wrong. However, if someone takes definitions or what they believe to be just news and incorporates it in their work, I believe it is ok. Thomas Jefferson said, “He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine: as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.” Using someone’s words and not experience should not be plagiarism because it is not lessening the persons work nor what they have went through. Using someone’s experiences on the other had should always constitute as plagiarism for the simple fact that experiences and memories are personal. You can only have the same memory if it was shared together however, you can have the same thought process on

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