Plagiarism Assignment

Rutgers’ definition of plagiarism aligns with the classic definition of plagiarism, and is in stark contrast to Lethem’s thoughts on the matter. According to Rutgers, plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else’s thoughts, ideas, or work as your own (Academic Integrity Policy, 2A). This is the definition that most students have grown up being taught in school. On the other hand, Lethem writes, “The kernel, the soul—let us go further and say the substance, the bulk, the actual and valuable material of all human utterances—is plagiarism. For substantially all ideas are secondhand, consciously and unconsciously drawn from a million outside sources” (Lethem 224-5). Lethem does not deny the classic definition of plagiarism. Instead, he essentially is arguing that everything is plagiarism so plagiarism is no big deal. His discussion about both the unconscious and conscious pooling of ideas means that everything you do is based off a prior life experience. For example, according to Lethem, everything that I write is the result of things I have read or been taught, and thus are plagiarism. While this may be true, it is important to recognize that in an academic setting, policies do not recognize Lethem’s argument. As a result, it is crucial that students attempt to keep writing as unique to themselves as possible to avoid violation of the academic integrity policy.