Blog Post #4: The Invention of Paper

For this assignment I had decided to research the invention of paper. Who created the paper? How was it created? How has it impacted our world? What is it used for today? Throughout this blog you will learn and understand the history of the invention of paper and the impact it has done to our world regarding our ways of communicating and the literature industry. 

Before the invention of paper, people wrote on clay tablets, papyrus, parchment and vellum. Although parchment and vellum were used for communicating, papyrus was the first paper-like product that was created by the Egyptians in the 4^th Century. The materials that were included in the Papyrus were sedge plant and Cyperus Papyrus. Although this was a form of writing material, paper-making was invented in the year of AD 105, by a Chinese creator, Cai (Ts’ai) Lun who was an imperial. Cai was determined to improve the way of communicating by taking the time to create a lightweight and indestructible product that is now called paper.  

Before Cai started his process of the invention of paper, people would communicate through pictures and symbols that were carved into the wood of trees, painted in caves, and marked on papyrus or clay tablets.  As time passed, the people wanted something more effective and efficient  to be creative with their ideas and thoughts. In the beginning of his creation, he started off using bamboo strips and silk tissue. Silk was expensive and the bamboo strips were heavy. Both were inconvenient. So, Ts’ai Lun conceived the idea of utilizing the bark of trees and hemp, as well as old rags and fishing-nets to make chih. He was able to combine the ingredients with water and place it out into the sun which was able to create a soft and thin format that became paper. This invention became convenient and inexpensive for communication to broaden. Due to the success of Cai’s invention, he submitted the process to the emperor in the first year of Yuan-Hsing [+105] and received praise for his ability. From this time, paper has been in use everywhere and is universally called ‘the paper of Marquis Tshai.'” He deserves all the recognition for his creation, because without paper our world would not be the way it is now.   

The invention of paper impacted our world tremendously within the literature field by expanding literature through newspapers, magazines, and books for knowledge to spread. The production and evolving uses of paper have led to the spread of not only knowledge, but has allowed people to find their hobbies within the literature world. For instance, people have the ability to be creative with art by drawing, sketching, and painting. Also, it has improved our communication with one another.  For example, prior to using a computer and phone people would send letters from far distances to communicate with family/friends to share information. We still do it today, but many people use technology, because of how fast you are able to receive and send out digital messages. Lastly, paper is used for wrapping gifts/products. Personally, I love the holidays for gift wrapping and seeing all the beautiful, detailed, and neatly wrapping paper being used to cover the gifts. 

 

While the invention of paper has impacted our world tremendously, it has created negative effects within our environment. After centuries of paper production and consumption, the natural resources used to create paper have decreased greatly. Society has not replaced the trees and materials used by production companies proportionally to the use of the resources. This led to a great increase in deforestation, which cuts down oxygen production, exposes society to a new illness, and ruins the home for a variety of animals. Pulp and paper mills discharge water containing solids, dissolved organic matter called lignin, alcohol, inorganic material such as cholates, chlorine, and metal compounds, causing soil and water pollution, endangering the ecosystem. Today, our society has the technology to help solve these environmental issues and is taking recognition of the damage it has on our world. 

All in all, paper has impacted our world by having the ability to expand our ways in literature and communicating with one another. If it weren’t for the invention of paper, our information would not be able to reach people and our literature wouldn’t be as advanced.