Boxing Day, and Plagiarism Avoidance

[hobgoblinn]

I so need a couple of days to recover from the holidays. I sang the Vigil Mass, Midnight (where I was almost the soloist for the prelude concert, having attended all of 3 rehearsals this season and having Never actually sung the solo parts. Luckily for me, the alto soloist had recovered her voice between Sunday and Monday night.) Got to bed at about 2:30 and had to be back by 9 for the 10 am. Got invited to a brunch (free food, yay), then had Christmas with Wee Hob, then went to his godparents' for dinner and stayed out far later than we'd intended. And now I am at work.

I was thinking about my sequel to "Lost Boys" on the drive in, and how I think it's about forgiveness, with some parallel scenes illuminating the theme. Now I just have to get the draft finished. Here's what I need, though. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Giles tells Buffy that forgiveness isn't given because someone deserves it, but because they need it. I want to use the idea, and maybe the related one that the forgiver needs it just as much, but I can't quote that source, and I am not so much a plagiarist as to lift that bit of wisdom wholesale.

But I suspect that Giles is repeating an older source, one I could conceivably use, and cite. Anyone know where that idea might come into Minerva McGonagall's store of wisdom? In addition to citing Buffy and the older, more legit. source, I'll credit You with a thanks when I get to that place in my tale.

Ruminating on that led to some odd thoughts about how Shakespeare was a plagiarist- not terribly original, but the best you're likely to get from me until this imbalance in my blood/ caffeine ratio has been rectified (in favor of the caffeine.)

Happy Boxing day to all.

Comments

[rahirah]

That general idea runs through a good deal of modern philosophical/religious thought, but I don't know of any one person who originated it. Which doesn't mean there wasn't one, but I'm pretty sure Giles isn't quoting anyone verbatim in that scene.

[hobgoblinn.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was sort of hoping I could quote a similar phrasing verbatim and cite it, because my alternative is to steal Giles' words, or come close enough to plagiarism that I didn't feel comfortable. I'd rather cite both Buffy and some "legitimate" source, if it comes down to it.

But premeditated theft is planned here, either way. I was just hoping to find a better quality source from which to do the thieving. Thanks, though. And Happy Boxing Day.

[gileswench.livejournal.com]

If anything, I would consider it part of the Golden Rule. Do unto others...because, hey, you'd certainly want forgiveness if the shoe was on the other foot. IOW, I think it was a fairly original way of phrasing something that is a base part of any philosophy informed by a Christian background.

The Golden Rule, excerpts from the Sermon on the Mount...it fits nicely into those concepts, while adding a bit of non-religious spin.

As for how it would fit into McGonigal's world...I'm inclined to think she's very human in that she forgives the people she loves best unless they've done something incredibly egregious like, say, try to destroy the world while not under a spell that compells them, and never forgives those she dislikes for failing to hear her ask them to pass the salt. I think that while she'd probably give good lip service to the ideal, she could fall a fair bit short in practice.

But she'd be trying to do better, I feel sure.

[hobgoblinn.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you read my excerpt scene from Nano, but there's a place in the end of that where Minerva apologizes to Severus in advance for how she's likely to act, once her memories are gone, telling him, "I've never been much for forgiveness." In the "present" it occured to me to revisit that exchange, and that's what I need to find the quote for. But yeah, I can probably get away with it as in the common domain, but I'll probably cite Giles as a source anyway, as that's where I know I got it-- it was a flash of that scene that gave me the key to what I want to do.

Thanks, and Happy Boxing Day to you, dear Wenchie.

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a lovely holiday. And I too think it's a general philosophy from a lot of sources.

[whitestar-alpha.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you had a great Christmas :)

I've pretty much heard the idea on forgiveness in various forms from numerous places. Usually it goes something along the lines of "a person needs to forgive not so much for the other person, but for themselves. By not forgiving you remain tied to the other person through your anger and hatred. They have power over you for as long as you can not forgive. Once you forgive them, you reclaim your power and freedom. This doesn't mean that you have or need to forget, only forgive." And that's how I've always thought of forgiveness :)

I would think that the Dalai Lama probably has some good quotes on forgiveness.

[antennapedia.livejournal.com]

Using that would not be plagiarism. If you are worried that your wording for this philosophical concept is very close to Giles's, you mention it in an author's note. No worries!

[stormwreath.livejournal.com]

Rather than quoting "Rupert Giles" as a source, would it sound more respectable if you attributed it to Noxon, Marti 'I Only Have Eyes For You', 1999 ?

[hobgoblinn.livejournal.com]

wonder where dear Marti stole the concept from? Wouldn't have thought she had that kind of wisdom in her.....

The consensus seems to be that I can safely reword this idea to my heart's content, particularly if I refocus it to be for the benefit of the one who forgives, which is more what I want, I think. But yeah, I'll mention the episode in a note.

Thanks. I would have responded last night, but LJ was not letting me on last night.