Sifuentes 1

Sharisse Sifuentes

Mr. Snider

English 101-02

7/18/2017

Plagiarism

In use plagiarism is difficult to define; In simplest form plagiarism is the use of creative content

that is not one’s own without acknowledgment of the creator. The complexity is that no idea is original.

All “unique” ideas begin with inspiration from other sources. Where does the inspiration end and

original idea begin? The complexity of idea plagiarism is determining where one’s unique thoughts and

ideas begin apart from the idea’s inspiration sources. Modern American author, Chuck Palahniuk,

describes this well in "Invisible Monsters", "Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of

everyone I've ever known." Restating an idea would be plagiarism, combining ideas from multiple

sources could be unique thought. The complexity of plagiarism, "wrongful appropriation"

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism) of another’s work is determining the grey line of where

inspiration ends and unique thought begins.