--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I have my students do erasures, I'm…" description: "\"When I have my students do erasures, I'm always amazed by the way their voice comes through, whether they're doing an erasure of a romance novel or an ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/matthea-harvey-10757_amazed_when-i-have-my-students-do-erasures-i-m_344117.jpg" --- # When I have my students do erasures, I'm always amazed by… ![“When I have my students do erasures, I'm always amazed by the way their voice comes through, whether they're doing an erasure of a romance novel or an encyclopedia. Your sensibility will out.” quote by Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/matthea-harvey-10757_amazed_when-i-have-my-students-do-erasures-i-m_344117.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/matthea-harvey-10757_amazed_when-i-have-my-students-do-erasures-i-m_344117.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/matthea-harvey-10757_amazed_when-i-have-my-students-do-erasures-i-m_344117.jpg) > “When I have my students do erasures, I'm always amazed by the way their voice comes through, whether they're doing an erasure of a romance novel or an encyclopedia. Your sensibility will out.” [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When students erase text, their authentic voice emerges regardless of genre, revealing deeper sensibility. **In simple terms:** Erasing reveals true voice. Key Takeaway Allow space for authentic expression. Themes creativity voice literary technique authenticity Mood reflective inspirational Type literary educational When to use this quote - writing workshops - literary analysis - personal expression - education Key Concepts erasure poetry self‑discovery critical reading Questions to Reflect On - What does your voice sound like when you remove constraints? - How does genre affect your authentic expression? A Different Perspective Erasure may obscure original meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Erasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erasure/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) [Romance novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance-novel/) [Sensibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensibility/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) ## Related quotes > [Erasures are interesting to me because they prove what particular sieves we all are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/erasures-are-interesting-to-me-because-they-prove-what-particular/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [You must often make erasures if you mean to write what is worthy of being read a second time; and don't labor for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/you-must-often-make-erasures-if-you-mean-to-write-what-is-worthy-of/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [“Doomsday, when it came, wouldn't be a physical phenomenon; it would be an all-inclusive erasure of simulectronic circuits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-f-galouye/doomsday-when-it-came-wouldn-t-be-a-physical-phenomenon-it-would-be/) Daniel F. Galouye > [“In all of our lives, there are days that we wish we could see expunged from the record of our very existence. Perhaps we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/in-all-of-our-lives-there-are-days-that-we-wish-we-could-see-expunged-2/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I can't think of any better tribute to the Dozier School Boys than for their story, which is about their literal visceral erasure, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/i-can-t-think-of-any-better-tribute-to-the-dozier-school-boys-than/) [RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/) > [That's what I mean by this sense of erasure. You're inside some event or spectacle and you know you're complicit in it, but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-morris/that-s-what-i-mean-by-this-sense-of-erasure-you-re-inside-some-event/) [Sarah Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-morris/) > [For a long time, I've been interested in cultural memory and historical erasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-trethewey/for-a-long-time-i-ve-been-interested-in-cultural-memory-and/) [Natasha Trethewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-trethewey/) > [The erasure itself became the action. It seemed to suggest a moment in terms of how sad or pessimistic you can feel in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-mehretu/the-erasure-itself-became-the-action-it-seemed-to-suggest-a-moment-in/) [Julie Mehretu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-mehretu/) > [I grew up as a step-kid, always a little outside, always trying hard to follow and fit in. But over time, I've come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-grew-up-as-a-step-kid-always-a-little-outside-always-trying-hard-to/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [Sometimes fear grips me that these fragile moments of life will fade away. It seems that I write against erasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assia-djebar/sometimes-fear-grips-me-that-these-fragile-moments-of-life-will-fade/) Assia Djebar > [Memory is this one attempt to not be erased by time. And I think that ties back to what I learned watching my grandmother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/memory-is-this-one-attempt-to-not-be-erased-by-time-and-i-think-that/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [Was their love worth the erasure of the world and all its stories?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-kate/was-their-love-worth-the-erasure-of-the-world-and-all-its-stories/) [Lauren Kate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-kate/) > [“Writing is not destined to leave traces, but to erase, by traces, all traces, to disappear in the fragmentary space of writing more definitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-blanchot/writing-is-not-destined-to-leave-traces-but-to-erase-by-traces-all/) [Maurice Blanchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-blanchot/) > [“When you’re persistently deleted from history, media, and any other channel to access information – or that information is distorted – it’s far worse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-dallocchio/when-you-re-persistently-deleted-from-history-media-and-any-other/) [M.B. Dallocchio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-b-dallocchio/) > [“At the kitchen table she examined the glass of ice. Each cube was rounded by room temperature, dissolving in its own remains, and belatedly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/at-the-kitchen-table-she-examined-the-glass-of-ice-each-cube-was/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) ## More by Matthea Harvey > [I don't think that you can say by any stretch of the imagination that all Wisconsin or Brooklyn-based poets write in a particular way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-don-t-think-that-you-can-say-by-any-stretch-of-the-imagination-that/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [Not everyone is going to like every carnival ride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/not-everyone-is-going-to-like-every-carnival-ride/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I think poetry involves heightened noticing or imagining as well as creating a certain made shape. On the other hand, that shape can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-think-poetry-involves-heightened-noticing-or-imagining-as-well-as/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [When I get interested in a new topic I teach a class on it. There's a graduate seminar I teach in which the students…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/when-i-get-interested-in-a-new-topic-i-teach-a-class-on-it-there-s-a/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > ["Confessional poetry" is another one of those labels. It goes in and out of fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/confessional-poetry-is-another-one-of-those-labels-it-goes-in-and-out/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I don't think all poems need to be written in conversational language - those are often great poems but there should also be poems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-don-t-think-all-poems-need-to-be-written-in-conversational-language/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I let my narrative embroidering impulses take over in prose poems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-let-my-narrative-embroidering-impulses-take-over-in-prose-poems/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [Whether you're talking about political borders or aesthetic divisions (and clearly, the political ones have much more tragic consequences), it seems like once they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/whether-you-re-talking-about-political-borders-or-aesthetic-divisions/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [Usually form seems to find me in the process of writing a poem, though I have nothing against starting out with the form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/usually-form-seems-to-find-me-in-the-process-of-writing-a-poem-though/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I'm pretty lenient with myself about time - if I feel like taking photographs of small things inside ice cubes or making animal collages,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-m-pretty-lenient-with-myself-about-time-if-i-feel-like-taking/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [Recently, while I was in England, I saw a documentary on the BBC about the border between India and Pakistan at Wagah. When the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/recently-while-i-was-in-england-i-saw-a-documentary-on-the-bbc-about/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [A lot of people are writing poems and don't realize it. They have this limited idea of how the poem should sound or what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/a-lot-of-people-are-writing-poems-and-don-t-realize-it-they-have-this/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I am pretty interested in hybrid forms. I love graphic novels and I think there should be more graphic poems in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-am-pretty-interested-in-hybrid-forms-i-love-graphic-novels-and-i/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I suppose it's useful in designating writing that tends to come from personal experience, work that delineates an "I," but it's a loose lasso,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-suppose-it-s-useful-in-designating-writing-that-tends-to-come-from/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [There isn't a grand plan at work in the progression of the books with respect to the line. I do want the books to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/there-isn-t-a-grand-plan-at-work-in-the-progression-of-the-books-with/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) [Explore all 63 Matthea Harvey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) ## More Amazed quotes > [You will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/you-will-never-cease-to-be-the-most-amazed-person-on-earth-at-what/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [You'd be amazed at pain and tears a single smile hides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-vasquez/you-d-be-amazed-at-pain-and-tears-a-single-smile-hides/) [Christian Vasquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-vasquez/) > [“I am amazed at how being with him changes everything for me, socially speaking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/i-am-amazed-at-how-being-with-him-changes-everything-for-me-socially/) [Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/) > [I'm endlessly amazed by what people are capable of, and incapable of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/i-m-endlessly-amazed-by-what-people-are-capable-of-and-incapable-of/) [Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/) > [Souls love. That’s what souls do. Egos don’t, but souls do. Become a soul, look around, and you’ll be amazed-all the beings around you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/souls-love-that-s-what-souls-do-egos-don-t-but-souls-do-become-a-soul/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [Contrary to a common myth, while there are general guidelines, there is no exact 'right' way to run ... I am amazed by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grete-waitz/contrary-to-a-common-myth-while-there-are-general-guidelines-there-is/) [Grete Waitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grete-waitz/) > [I'm always amazed by writers who tell me they plan everything at the beginning. I feel their writing days must be very bland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/i-m-always-amazed-by-writers-who-tell-me-they-plan-everything-at-the/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [What I am telling you is that you do not need to know to love, and it is right that you feel it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/what-i-am-telling-you-is-that-you-do-not-need-to-know-to-love-and-it/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [My father was truly a great man. I remember one day putting my feet in my father's shoes. I was amazed at the size.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/my-father-was-truly-a-great-man-i-remember-one-day-putting-my-feet-in/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [J. Budziszewski is perhaps the clearest and most eloquent natural lawyer writing today. 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