Composition: A Personal View

Composition, to me, is an organic and a mutable process that subsumes the idea of process-centric job. And it is definable as far as its “process-centric” aspect is considered: drafting, editing, and revising. Perhaps then, it is possible for me to situate myself in an universal idea of composition and select the three most important concepts. However, if I consider the etymological significance of the term “composition,” I will have to reiterate the organic side of the concept. Etymologically, composing would mean “placing with,” which would then supposedly assume the contextual aspect of the term. Extending this logic, I see that composition is not planned like rhetoric (there is no “inventio” as Cicero would call it). On the other hand, there is no defining “moment” (Kairos) in composition that would standardize a uniform process of communication over a spectrum.

For me, I view composition as a discourse in progress in writing. In composing we deal with words that are semantically manipulative in terms of contexts: cultural, social, and political. Similarly, syntax and diction play a key role in influencing the act of composing a (written) text. Again, the notion of universal composition could be challenged on the ground that it is no longer the same (in syntax, diction and semantics) when treated in conjunction with graphics. For instance, the “Manga,” the Japanese graphic novel, incorporates range of subject matters, including literature and historical drama as part of its discourse. So the composition for piece of historical drama would receive different varied interpretations based on the genre in which the composition is made.

In closing, I would like to respond to the question of three important concepts by using my understanding of term as organic. I believe that “growth” (as an evolving nature of the act of composing); “process” (distinct from the recursive aspect, but more as a tool of inquiry into a context/subject matter); and “tone” (as creating a unique content in writing through an informed act of selecting and ordering diction and information).