A lot of public shaming and finger-pointing has infiltrated our media waves after Melania Trump's speech, or that is, Michelle Obama's speech, came together in glorious anti-harmonious splendor. I've spent too many years in school to brush past the videos comparing the Obama/Trump speech scandal. We need to understand what actually happened, or didn't happen, and point out some evidently not so obvious points about cheating and plagiarism in any part of our lives.

First came the question, "Did she really plagiarize? Did she really write it herself? Here's the inside scoop: For a power woman like Melania Trump, she undeniably had help developing this speech. Even the greatest authors, bloggers, columnists and lyricists know that proof-reading is a magic kingdom filled with endless candy to a writer. Proof-read once yourself, give to three others to proof, let your dog proof, let the neighbor proof, proof-read the proofs, proof-reading is the reason completed works of literature art exist. She may have written some of these familiar words in non-sequential order, but this was not a one-man army. She and her publicity team obviously neglected the golden rule of writing. And apparently, Michelle Obama.

Now, we have to dissect her speech like a frog in biology. For anyone that has taken a speech class and has written their own, you know there is a "rhyme or reason" and a sort of template to follow. There are types: informative, persuasive, special occasion. And then beyond that, there are figures and devices. Did she use rhetoric? What was physically in her speech that even made it a speech beyond a simple public address?

Finally, what is the need to plagiarize? Simply the question of why. Now we know history repeats itself in a unattributed way, literally tearing out the bibliography in the book of world history. English literature and the arts are not so repeated as much as they are changing with the tides. The process of building a written piece may be the same: brainstorming, researching, rough drafts, editing, and finalization, but the content should be something that stands alone. Now you may ask, "What about age old sayings we still live by?" The content can be of a similar derivation. Melania could have honestly and innocently tried to capture the same ideas, concepts, and thoughts of First Lady. But here's the problem: the words, the phrasing, the annunciation and emphasis all belong to First Lady Michelle Obama entirely.

What does this mean for students? For literature, for writing, for art? The English language is not limited and is in no way have all variations of sentencing been used. It's been thousands and thousands of years of cultured civilizations in language, art, literature, and writing. Have some things been repeated? Most certainly. It's without a doubt that something may have been used more than once in some similar form. But what does this show students currently creating, currently inventing, currently designing?

Progress cannot be made if we are stagnating in our ways, including repeating ourselves in our writing, repeating ourselves in "discoveries" or inventions. Writing is one of the most age-old arts, letting the beauty of words coming together as well as the meaning and connotation behind them ebb and flow with the page. If we let our generation believe, or not believe, that what Melania Trump did was or was not plagiarism in any form, it can only lead to the end of individual innovation on paper pages, an end to passion and determination to make these revelations and an end to credibility in any light.

We lose writers, creators, innovators and imaginations fueled by their own choice words and their power. This cannot be tolerated. You cannot copy and paste. You cannot share materials, you can hardly share notes without the concern of someone using your ideas as their own. It's like stealing property, but worse, because it's all within the mind and soul until someone takes credit. Be original and true, you weren't meant to be anyone else but yourself.