The power and mysticism associated with sound is discussed by Ong in Orality and Literacy (1982). He suggests that ‘oral peoples’ ‘universally’ (Ong also works within the framework of broad generalizations: he too discusses oral communities from Ancient Greece to more contemporary African communities) consider sound to be magical, and thus powerful: “Sound cannot be sounding without the use of power. [...] In this sense, all sound, and especially oral utterance, which comes from inside living organisms, is dynamic.” (Ong, 32)
Ong examines the thought processes of the oral culture and dismisses the ability or practicality of forming thoughts as one would in a print culture: In an oral culture, to think through something in non-formulaic, non-patterned, non-mneumonic terms, even if it were possible, would be a waste of time, for such thought, once worked through, could never be recovered with any effectiveness, as it could be with the aid of writing. It would not be abiding knowledge but simply passing thought, however complex (3) In fact, Ong has an entire section devoted to the characteristics of orally based thought, citing non-expression, organization and redundancy within texts thought to be transcribed from oral cultures. (38) He also approaches poetry within oral cultures, claiming that the formulaic poetic techniques in the ancient world are evidence of a kind of written thought pattern that marks not only poetry “but more or less all thought and expression in primary oral culture.” (26)
McLuhan’s analysis of oral cultures as simultaneous and balanced is the backbone of his optimistic predictions about the electric age: that with the departure from a strictly print-based or eye-based culture, the possibility for a “seamless web of tribal kinship” exists. (McLuhan and Zingrone 239)
This is naturally related to his medium is the message theory, and relates to Ong’s ideas about technology or communication technologies changing the way we think and the way our senses react. McLuhan and the concrete poets shared this techno-materialist approach to sensory perception. Both recognized the body’s relationship with language and print, and specifically, the binding and linear nature of a society dependant on narratives and meanings put forth by a monopolized medium, its effects on our senses and our lives largely ignored. McLuhan’s preoccupation with the medium and our sensory relationship to media (meaning technology: print, type and ink as well as things like TV and radio) as a cultural concern is reflected in the artistic practice of the concrete poets.
Ong examines the thought processes of the oral culture and dismisses the ability or practicality of forming thoughts as one would in a print culture: In an oral culture, to think through something in non-formulaic, non-patterned, non-mneumonic terms, even if it were possible, would be a waste of time, for such thought, once worked through, could never be recovered with any effectiveness, as it could be with the aid of writing. It would not be abiding knowledge but simply passing thought, however complex (3) In fact, Ong has an entire section devoted to the characteristics of orally based thought, citing non-expression, organization and redundancy within texts thought to be transcribed from oral cultures. (38) He also approaches poetry within oral cultures, claiming that the formulaic poetic techniques in the ancient world are evidence of a kind of written thought pattern that marks not only poetry “but more or less all thought and expression in primary oral culture.” (26)
McLuhan’s analysis of oral cultures as simultaneous and balanced is the backbone of his optimistic predictions about the electric age: that with the departure from a strictly print-based or eye-based culture, the possibility for a “seamless web of tribal kinship” exists. (McLuhan and Zingrone 239)
This is naturally related to his medium is the message theory, and relates to Ong’s ideas about technology or communication technologies changing the way we think and the way our senses react. McLuhan and the concrete poets shared this techno-materialist approach to sensory perception. Both recognized the body’s relationship with language and print, and specifically, the binding and linear nature of a society dependant on narratives and meanings put forth by a monopolized medium, its effects on our senses and our lives largely ignored. McLuhan’s preoccupation with the medium and our sensory relationship to media (meaning technology: print, type and ink as well as things like TV and radio) as a cultural concern is reflected in the artistic practice of the concrete poets.
