Graffiti: history and nowadays - Research Paper Example

This paper will attempt to show that graffiti is not merely artwork or writing, but it serves a multitude of purposes. It serves as a cultural object which can solidify collective conscience, as well as a means of expression from countercultures and subcultures who feel marginalized by the larger society. It can also serve as a method of aid and relief for hurricane victims. Of course, graffiti does not always serve such a grand purpose; sometimes, as happens with bathroom wall scrawlings, there doesn’t seem to be such a noble purpose.

Indeed, graffiti may also be considered a nuisance because it is not always beautiful, as is the case with many murals, but, rather, unsightly. Therefore, there must be enforcement and discouragement of graffiti, while simultaneously attempting to understand it and put it into context. Therefore, this paper will also spend time explaining how graffiti is discouraged and how well these methods of discouragement succeed. A brief history of graffiti will also be discussed, because, indeed, graffiti can be traced to the dawn of civilization.