Chapter 31

Using sources and avoiding plagiarism makes you scared to ever use someone else’s work unless you are positive you know what you’re doing. I understand the jest of it but I never took it as seriously as the book is bringing it up as. After it scares you, it offers to help you and shows you tips for not copying while it shows you examples of people who did do it and how different it may seem but all in all it is plagiarizing. What were helpful were certain things that aren’t considered plagiarism and are common knowledge which was interesting because usually I would quote everything I didn’t know and thinking back was really unnecessary and pointless. It hard to separate your own thinking and someone else’s, how do you know they didn’t think of the same thing somewhere and you just weren’t careful enough? Another helpful part was how to incorporate the quotes into sentences. I was taught this in high school but haven’t really mastered it. Brackets were something that I was never quite clear on but they have almost a page of explaining how to do it right and change the sentence without changing the idea. They show examples and guidelines to write well thought out summaries and what is wrong and unacceptable. Last but not least they have a box full of words to use to put together quotes, paraphrases and summaries which I find extremely helpful. The paragraph was long but it was full of information that was extremely useful and not full of filler advice that doesn’t help me.

Chapter 30

Researching the web wisely was a chapter that in cooperated our discussion into it and developed it farther. It was a short chapter but it taught a lot about not looking at the surface and deciding whether it is an appropriate website or not. In the first section it answers why and convinces me to be more careful when looking for sources. I enjoyed the pictures and gave me a sense of understanding what they were talking about instead of blindly following them trying to figure it out. Not only were the pictures helpful but the use of Google which is something we can all relate to and understand shows that they are connecting with us as an audience which incorporates their own book into their work. They have a checklist to evaluate the reliability of a web site which is helpful to pinpoint the pros and cons of a webpage. Inside the checklist they have written a little paragraph explaining which each point means. I think it was a really short chapter and have a feeling there is more to it than they put. I wish they could have an example of a website and using the checklist so we can see firsthand what it entitles.

Chapter 28

Developing a search strategy was the chapter on starting your paper and getting everything you need. Unlike previous papers we’ve done you can’t just start writing the rough draft, first you need to get everything together and then you can start writing the paper. I’m glad they told us the difference between different sources and how to get them. I used to get really confused with the difference between a primary source and a secondary source was. Not only does it tell you what the difference is but how to attain it. What was interesting is a primary source can be questionnaires and interviews because you’re asking people firsthand about their opinion. Not only that but you can observe people and what they are doing if it has something to do with what you’re writing about. There are many different types of documentation styles which is ironic because in high school they prepare us for college and in college we don’t really use MLA that much. I’m really horrible with bibliographies because I always do it wrong so I feel I can improve that part of my writing with the help of the section and the paper. I’m glad I got refreshed on what an annotated bibliography was just in case for the future. This chapter is filled with information that makes you a better writer but not only that it goes above that. It gives you tips to take the information to a whole new level and get the best out of the tip. I found the chapter interesting and will definitely hang on to this book for a long time. If you have any questions it tries to answer them, I find it more helpful than a person for the fact that I can have it to my disposal.

While reading the paper I feel skeptical about this whole process. I like the idea of being anonymous but a simple grade from the teacher seems a less stressful way to go about it. I’m personally scared about this and consider myself not an “8.” The process is useful in some ways to push a professional edge to the portfolio and learning to follow directions. Perfecting a paper seems futile but maybe possible to a degree. Another good reason is to reflect on how you’ve improved with your writing and what each of your essays is about. It’s a good way to improve your writing skills with something to strive for and not just turning in everything in the class but it’s a little bit intimidating.

Readings

The first reading had so much power to it telling you a story without boring you or talking too much. This man took in someone who had been through so much and listened to his story and put it so simply into a poem. Even though he told the story from his point of view it was really about the General’s experience in the Vietnam War. He was descriptive in making him stand out as an individual and believe that you would recognize him straight away if you met him in real life. He brought life to the words he used to explain the life of this man in only a short piece of work. The purpose of Dr. Harrington’s poem was to explain the life of General Apache and the process of writing it, through understanding the turmoil of his life, putting it all on paper and showing his true colors as he wishes to be seen as.

The writer William Zinsser makes a point of how today’s society uses to many words and “clutters” a piece of work and how simplicity is becoming less and less noticeable. He calls it a “disease” and how no one can understand what you’re trying to say. He believes in simplicity and compares it to how hard writing can be. He says “very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time… if you find writing is hard, it’s because it is hard.” He uses examples that we can relate with like pilots saying it’s going to rain in the most elaborate way possible. He doesn’t blame the reader for being stupid, just not careful enough to not paying attention to each word and how it relates to the piece of writing. Not only does he use examples, but he uses them from his own life experience and how he felt about them. Even though we didn’t have the same happening as we did we can relate to the overall message that he is trying to establish. People writing today make it much more complicated than need be.