Bird by Bird Changed my Perspective

Now that we finished Bird by Bird, I can look at the book as a whole and point out my favorite point made in the book. I must say the most important point that Lamott made in Bird by Bird is the idea of writing as a form of giving back to the community. Until this book, I always saw writing as a form of expression and a job. My idea of a writer was a person with their computer trying to make a living by writing and trying to get published. Bird by Bird turned this idea upside-down. I never imagined that writing can be used to give back to the community. This point moved me the most because it opened my eyes and gave me a new perspective on writing. I never saw writing as a selfless act until now. Lamott effectively drives this point home in “Giving” by relating it to a child who thinks he would have to die to save his sister. The child was asked to give a blood transfusion to his sister, who has leukemia. While the blood is being taken, he asked how soon will he die. He believed that they were taking enough blood to kill him. This moment struck home with me. This is a heartfelt moment and a triumph in writing from Lamott. Her use of dialogue and pathos was perfect. Lamott clearly put a lot of time into this moment because I believe it was written perfectly. There was a lot of tension throughout the story, the characters were pure, innocent, and believable. Lamott states that children truly show her the magic of giving. She explains how children are innocent and pure. She makes a direct parallel between the boy who thought he would have to give his life to save his sister and writing. She believes that the characteristics this boy held when sacrificing his life are the characteristics that writers should have. Lamott believes that writers have a talent that should be used for the better of society. This reminded me of the moment in Spiderman when Uncle Ben says “With great power comes great responsibility. Earlier in the book, Lamott also touches on the point of using writing for others. Lamott had a friend with a sick baby called Brice. Brice died very early. Lamott visited him very often. When given the opportunity to write an essay about anything, Lamott choses to write about Brice and his parents. Brice’s parents highly appreciated this act, and Lamott also got satisfaction from it. This is another heartfelt moment in the book where Lamott uses her skills for others. She did not write the essay for money. She wrote it for Brice’s parents who greatly appreciated her kindness. Bird by Bird always wrote about writing as a selfless act that should not be done for money, but it didn’t come out until Part 4. The idea of writing as a form of service is my favorite part of Bird by Bird. It changed my mind about writing and writers.