
When we think of the writing process we often think of citations, checking for grammatical errors and wondering if we have a comma splice or not in our third paragraph. As students especially, we seldom think of the importance of the process and certainly do not consider the true meaning behind all the madness. After years of experience as an instructor, journalist, and author, Donald Murray learned that the writing process is so much more rich and profound than that and decided to share his discoveries by writing, “The Interior View: One Writer’s Philosophy of Composition”.  In his essay, Murray introduces the “interior view” of composition to his readers. This “interior view”, is his what he believes to be the true writing process and its meaning. Murray states that the writing process and composition as a whole is about the discovery of true meaning in personal experience and life and the expression of this through the written language.  In the process of introducing this perspective and argument, he utilizes many different literary elements. The main element that Donald Murray uses in “The Interior View: One Writer’s Philosophy of Composition” is repetition in order to illustrate his views on the writing process and composition as a whole. 

The structure of Murray’s piece demonstrates how he utilizes repetition to clearly illustrate his argument of the true meaning of the writing process. In the essay he repeats the following passage 8 times in an effort to clearly illustrate his views, “A writer is an individual who uses language to discover meaning in experience and communicate it.” (Murray 26). He not only repeats the passage but follows each part of it up with paragraphs of analysis and explanation. This element of repetition is important because each line contains a vital part of the overall message that the writing process is about discovering meaning in life through composition. By repeating this passage numerous times, he can elaborate on each line and better express himself than if the passage were only mentioned a singular time. This application of repetition helps him better argue his view and illustrate the true meaning of the writing process. While repetitive structure plays a key role in advancing his argument, he also utilizes the element of repetition in other ways such as repeated language.

In addition to format, Murray uses repetition of word choice to illustrate his views on the writing process. There are many repeated words and phrases such as “aloneness, language, and interior view” throughout the text. These words are all components of what he feels are included when engaging in the writing process. For example, Murray uses the word “language” 31 times in different parts of the essay. For each usage of the word, there are different contexts and meanings. He uses this reiterating of word choice to expand on his definition and meaning of the word. This expansion of word meaning helps advance his passage and clarify his argument. 

In his first few paragraphs Murray repeatedly uses the word “language” in his definition of the writing process. He states, “A writer is an individual who uses language to discover meaning in experience and communicate it” (Murray 26). In that statement, he uses the word language as a way to “discover meaning” and then express the knowledge learned through that particular experience. Here, he is stating that through writing, where you use language, you can better understand and explore a topic and then share it. By learning more through the writing process, you can better grasp what the true meaning of life and all its experiences is. This process of research, self- reflection, revision, and sharing is what the writing process is truly about.  As the essay continues, he uses the word in a different context to further clarify his argument on the writing process. 

With the progression of the essay, the word, language, evolves to express a different meaning of the word which aids in advancing his argument. Towards the end of the essay Murray firmly claims, “There are no absolutes in language.” (Murray 30). The word in this instance is used as a broad statement versus being used in a more specific context as in the earlier example. With the quote, Murray is referencing language as a whole, broad term that encompasses all of the aspects he discusses throughout the essay. The use of this particular context illustrates that the writing process cannot be boiled down to a singular thing but encompasses so much more. By using repetition of the word, language, he starts with more specified usages of the word and evolves to the context where it embodies all of the previously discussed connotations. These are just a few instances where Murray uses the element of repetition to illustrate his message and evolve his meaning through word choice. 

In conclusion, Donald Murray does a superb job of utilizing the element of repetition to illustrate his argument on the true meaning of writing process and composition. As a writer, Murray knows that each reader has their own interpretation of the text unless it is clearly stated. Therefore, he uses this knowledge to clearly express his intended meaning by applying literary elements that help reinforce his argument. He uses the element of repetition in many different ways to further evolve his message in the essay. Through his literary work, Murray gives us a clear view of the “interior view of writing” and also gives us a representation on how to properly apply repetition into our own writing in order to better illustrate our arguments. Murray uses methods such as form, word choice, and quotes to insert repetition into the essay. With the essay, he successfully illustrates the “interior view” and the true meaning of the writing process and composition. 
