When I read the plagiarism readings, I was honestly a little confused about what patch writing is. I have never heard of patch writing before; to me, it just sounded like paraphrasing. How are the two distinguished? From our discussion in class, I concluded that it basically is paraphrasing, but just using too many phrases that are the author's exact words. I did like how Howard emphasized that students should be asked to rewrite something that is patch writing (because of the belief that patch writing occurs when a writer does not really understand the source he is trying to paraphrase), rather than immediately calling it plagiarism and giving them a failing grade. She brings the idea of intent out, also. I think it is really important that intent is considered in cases of plagiarism. If a student actually intending to plagiarize and "pull one over" on their teachers, then, by all means, I believe the student should be punished accordingly. If the student plagiarized by accident, however, I really think that student should be allowed to explain what he or she was trying to do. I do not think we can just totally do away with the idea of plagiarism, as Howard mentions at one point, but I do agree with her on the issue of intent.

After reading Ong's essay, I have to say that I agree with him that many writers fictionalize their audience. I have had much experience with this recently. In trying to prepare essays for my medical school applications, I have had to imagine what type of person is reading my essay. I have based my responses on what I think the admissions board wants to hear. I had some help from a doctor I met over the summer who is on the admissions board here at UW. He read the first draft of my personal statement and pointed out ideas and even certain words that I should stay away from so that I do not offend anyone on the admissions committee. At one point, I talked about my parents' marriage and what I have learned from them, but he told me not to use this because of board members who may be divorced. He also told me not to use words like "blessed" because some board members are atheist. Eventually, I learned what types of things are good topics, but in doing so I have had to create an image of my audience without actually knowing who they are and what their background is.

Week Two: Rhetorical Analysis

I plan to write my rhetorical analysis on Nixon's Checkers speech. When I first read Nixon's speech, I was struck by his bravery to stand in front of the nation and share some very private details about his life. I admire that he confronted the issue and the accusations against him rather than just sweeping it under the rug. I was especially surprised when he began to lay out the financial status of his family, as that is not something that people like to share. I did not like, however, when he brought up some of the other politicians who had similar accusations brought against them. I feel that he used these other men as scapegoats to try to take some of the negative attention off of himself. To me, this seems like a somewhat tactless approach. I would like to analyze this speech further and determine what aspects of his style helped make the speech effective.

The question "What is style?" immediately made me think of a writer's voice. I like to equate the words style and voice. In my own writing, I prefer my style to reflect the way I actually speak. Often when I write papers or essays, I speak many sentences out loud to make sure that they flow and that my voice comes through in the writing. I have found that this is also a very effective way to proofread. The style reading we did for Wednesday's class placed so much emphasis on figures of speech in writing, but I believe that style encompasses everything about a piece of prose: language, sentence and paragraph structure, and the overall flow of ideas. Ultimately, I think a writer needs to be comfortable with the mechanisms they employ in their writing otherwise their work will sound awkward and insincere. Style is understanding what makes your own writing effective, not just compiling ten different kinds of figures of speech in each paragraph.

Response to Manguel

"But not only totalitarian governments fear reading. Readers are bullied in schoolyards and in locker-rooms as much as in government offices and prisons. Almost everywhere, the community of readers has an ambiguous reputation that comes from its acquired authority and perceived power. Something in the relationship between a reader and a book is recognized as wise and fruitful, but it is also seen as disdainfully exclusive and excluding" (Manguel, 21). As I read this passage, it reminded me of a conversation I had with my physiology professor over the summer. I was telling him about a volunteer program that my family and I take part in. The program, Project Self-Help and Awareness, brings children from a poverty-stricken area of Mississippi to stay with Wisconsin families for a few weeks each summer. We help the kids with their academics and give them opportunities they do not have at home, such as swimming lessons and sports camps. I told my professor how the father of our "summer son" did not like him coming to stay with us, perhaps because we are a white family. My professor then told me an experience he had teaching science to inner city kids. He explained that the children's parents thought it was disrespectful of the children to be smarter than they were; therefore, the children neglected their studies to ensure that they would not become smarter than their parents. The way the military government in Manguel's country banned certain titles and authors reminded me of how these parents tried to keep their children from learning too much. I believe the reason these parents try to keep knowledge from their children parallels Manguel's government's reason: they feel that their authority would be threatened by ideas and knowledge. While I can empathize with these parents, I am still angered that they let their pride get in the way of their children's future.

Introduction

Hello English 201-ers,
My name is Brianna, and I am from Neenah, WI. I am a senior majoring in biochemistry. I am taking English 201 because I am applying to medical schools right now, and some schools require six credits of English composition. Some other exciting news in my life right now is that my sister is getting married in four weeks, and I am her maid of honor! I look forward to getting to know all of you this semester.