Suggesting the Unsuggestible

In order to get my English class prepared to write our first essay paper, we were asked to read "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift. Swift presented his answer to the serious issue of rampant starvation that was caused in Ireland during a period in history called The Great Irish Potato Famine. By his use of satire, Swift suggested a solution so ridiculous and unbelievable, it made solutions that were common sense seem obvious. Since families had too many children, and no way to feed them, Swift proposed that mothers begin "fattening up" their newborns, so that at one year old, these babies could be sold to the well-to-do to eat! As I was reading the story, at first, I was a bit confused as to what he was actually suggesting, but the more I read, the clearer it became to me that he was being sarcastic. He presented valid points as to why his proposal would work, as well as reasons opponents would shoot it down. Take away the whole inhumane part of his plan, and it would actually work. The fact is that people don't normally eat other people though, so to normal people, what he wrote was on the far side of extreme. I enjoyed reading the story, and then dissecting his meaning and the many different types of genres that he used in our classroom discussion afterwords. Swift was trying to get people to understand that if they wouldn't do what was needed to help improve their situation, then he wouldn't put forth the effort anymore to get their help.
Using the idea of a proposal, like Swift did, our first paper requires the topic of an issue, and what solution we'd come up with to fix it. For days, I struggled with my topic, because it can't be something that's been proposed already, and that's pretty difficult. I want to be original, have a good idea, and be entertaining all at the same time, but kept coming up blank. Then one day after work, I was walking to catch my bus, and not once, but three times, I encountered someone who just wasn't polite. For no reason, these 3 people acted rudely, and as a result, it affected others around them. It was at that moment, I found my topic. I want to cure rudeness, or least make people think twice before they are rude to others. Plain and simple. I think that once my idea catches on, everyone will be on board, and the world will be a much more pleasant place to live. I don't want to give too much information on what I'll be proposing here, just that I am sure that its going to be very popular and supported by everyone who is frustrated by rude people!

Don't Swim For 30 Minutes After Eating...Plus Other More Important Rules....

The college curriculum includes MLA-style format as the most-taught format in paper-writing so that students understand all elements of writing style and don't hand in papers that are messy and incorrect. Much like college English students are taught the values of writing essays in the MLA format to ensure uniformity among each of their papers, and to make sure all the rules of "proper" English are followed, i.e. spelling, punctuation, length, citations, rules and formats are applied in society. In life, formats and rules are created as well, so that certain things are done in a uniform manner and the level of chaos is kept to a minimum. Generally, I agree whole-heartedly with having distinct definitions of how things needs to be handled. For instance, traffic laws - even down to the lane lines painted on the roads - have been created so that, while driving, people know where they should be, where they should stop, how fast they should go. Have you ever come to a 4-way stop where the traffic lights are out? If there are 4 cars each going a different direction, without the right light to tell the drivers who gets to go when, either everyone tries to go at the same time, or no one goes. Without defined lanes, cars would just drive all over the place and there would be major confusion, accidents, and frustration. The format of drivers ed, which teaches all new drivers the same rules, is very necessary to the health and well-being of our population. In the U.S. the guidelines for children to receive immunizations has greatly reduced sickness in our country and since these shots are required before a child can enter kindergarten, people are "forced" to comply, which ensures the purpose of immunizations has positive results. Some countries don't have these same immunization rules, and there are illnesses that run rampant in their populations because of it.

Speaking of school, the format in the U.S. for children to attend school was put into place to give the opportunity of education to every child. Since the format of school is kindergarten though twelveth grade, a person is deemed fit for society after having fulfilled the school requirements. As I said, I agree that regulated "rules" are generally very necessary for society, because, let's face it, not everyone in this country has the best common sense. Most people need to have direction. If there were not laws and guidelines created for the protection and advancement of society, people would just do whatever they felt like, whenever they wanted, and we would fail at being a productive society. The next time you go to the store, stop and actually pick things up, and read the warning labels on them. Some of them are so hilarious, you can't believe that someone would ever need to be told NOT to do what they are showing not to do, but since they need the warnings, its obvious someone did. The most obvious are the scariest - plastic bags with stickers showing not allowing children to use them as toys, lawn mower directions showing how NOT to use for trimming hedges, and so on. Its very discouraging to think that in this day and age in our country, that people need to be told these things instead of just using common sense.

On the flip side of good rules, sometimes I feel the disguise of "keeping people safe" rules and laws go a bit far. Although I feel I am of sound mind to make the best decisions for myself and my family, at times, lawmakers decide for me what's best, while limiting me in my decisions, and that makes me mad. Unfortunately, because so many people do need to be told how they need to live though, rules can't be made only for a specific few. What applies to one, must apply to all, so to speak. Recently, in an attempt to curb obesity, NY tried to pass a ban on large drinks served throughout their state. To me, this law was an absurd waste of tax-payer money, and useless at that. People who drink those big drinks would just buy more smaller drinks in order to drink the same amounts, and people who don't drink them don't care either way, but would have had their choice taken away if they wanted to. This type of regulation is unnecessary, and the same effort put forth to pass this law should be used for enforcing laws already in place, such as child abuse and neglect laws and drunk-driving laws.

I've been discussing actual laws, and guidelines that must be followed to avoid punishment of some sort, but sometimes, there are unspoken rules that everyone follows as well. These tend to make for a better, more civilized society and although not everyone adheres to them, I am proud when I see someone using one. Many times, while riding the bus to or from work, I've seen a young man give up his seat so that a woman wouldn't have to stand. When people hold doors for others, say "Please", "Thank you" and " You're Welcome", and be considerate of those around them, they are following a certain format. These "rules" must be taught, and usually children learn them by example. If parents behave appropriately and abide by these unspoken rules, their children will learn correct behavior and grow up doing the same!

“Any fool can make a rule, and any fool will mind it.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

Be Polite, Always Cite!

As defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, plagiarism is : the act of using another person's words or ideas without giving credit to that person : the act of plagiarizing something. A person who takes something that someone else thought up, and attempts to pass it off as their own, usually does so because they think it will be easier than actually putting the effort forth for an original thought themselves. Whether intentional or unintentional, plagiarism is stealing, and, if caught doing so, the offender will face consequences. Generally, writing papers is the primary avenue for plagiarism, so affects college students in greater numbers than anyone. In college, a student could be expelled of the offense is severe enough. The pressure to receive a good grade prompts students to write papers that they've copied from a source, neglect to state their information is from that author, and present the ideas as their own. Not only does this action affect how much the student has actually learned from having to do the actual research on a subject, but, if caught, that student's college career could forever be marked.

In my time in school, both grade school and college, I can't say that I've ever intentially committed plagiarism. I am sure though, that when writing papers, I may have read paragraphs and changed words around just enough to not "copy" word for word. Since this practice is considered plagiarism at some level, I suppose I am guilty. I am aware while writing papers, however, that I must use my own ideas, or give credit to those I've taken my information from, so I have been very careful to proof-read, and proof-read again anything I've written before I turn it in. Not all people are so consciencous of that though, and I've actually been in a class where someone turned in a plagiarized paper and was caught and dismissed from class. I think the repercussions are greater in the college setting, but it still doesn't deter people from doing it, becasue its easy and they think they can get away with it.

Cheating on any level is wrong, both morally, and ethically. Plagiaizing a paper, cheating on a test, taking credit from something you didn't do, for whatever reason, impacts everyone. I will admit it, when I was in grade school, I know I tried to cheat on tests a few times. Writing on our palms in ink was a popular attempt at cheating among classmates, so when I tried it, it proved to be fruitless since all the words were smudged by the time I had the test. Without the aid of cell phones like kids nowadays, we relied on little "cheat sheets" with vocab words, defitions, whatever we thought we needed to know. More times than not, though, nothing we took the time to write out was included on the test, so it was all for nothing! By the time I reached junior high, the stress and lack of success steered me on the path of just studying and using my brain for tests. I can remember when I was in the 7th grade, there was a boy who sat next to me that cheated off me for every one of our tests. He played football, was always practicing, and claimed he just didn't have time to study. He begged me to let him look at my answers, and being the push-over that I am, I allowed him to. The risk of both of us getting caught and punished was always on my mind, and I know that because I was trying to keep from being seen by the teacher, make sure he could see my answers, and actually answer the questions for myself, I didn't always have the focus I needed to get the best grade. I finally got the courage to tell him I wouldn't allow him to copy anymore, so the very next text we took, he came in to class with all the test answers written in blue ink across the bottoms of both his size 10 white high-top tennis shoes! He apparently would go to any length to pass, except actaully study!!

People work hard and should be given the credit they deserve, no matter what. Most people aren't looking for a pat on the back for everything they accomplish, but recognition for a good idea that they came up with is important. Now that I have been in the business world awhile, I see daily what importance giving credit where it is due has. Thankfully, I no longer work with a person who didn't have a brain in her head, knew how to manipulate those around her for her own advancement, and was just down-right annoying. When she came to my office, we worked together daily, and bacame friends, or so I thought. Little did I know, everything she and I discussed about work, the ideas I had about things, and just my general knowledge about our job, she was talking to our boss, relating those ideas to him without my knowledge, and passing them off as her own! It was very frustrating watching her get recognition for my work, and since she had passed them off as her ideas, I couldn't figure out how to take my due credit for them without sounding catty. That was when I learned not to share anything with her, and without my help, she stumbled. Our boss left for a new job, I wouldn't help her any longer, and it became very clear to everyone that she wasn't as smart as she had portrayed herself. The "story" she created fell apart, and when it didn't work in her favor any longer, she left the company. The only benefit any of this served was that it compelled me to speak up with my ideas, which got me recognized for what I know, and allowed for me to be promoted to a higher position with more responsibility.

Plagiarism, cheating, stealing ideas at your job, cheating on your spouse, fudging your taxes, all of these things affect society in one form or another. If someone cheats, and gets away with it, they make it alright with their conscience, and when they cheat again, each time it is for a bigger result. If guilt alone could curb cheating, no one would do it, but since some feel the reward is greater than the risk, there will always be people out there taking what doesn't belong to them. If it's not yours, its not alright to use it, unless you recognize who's it is. End of story!

I before e, except after c.... the beginnings of my latest class... English 1020

Hello! Welcome to my blog! This first entry is supposed to be about what I've learned thus far in my college English II class, but I can't find where I put the notes I took for directions and pages in the book to read, so I hope what I do write will be appropriate. As I prepare for the newest semester of my on-going college career, I eagerly anticipate my English class on Tuesday nights. English as always been one of my strongest subjects, especially the writing part, but I don't always make time to explore and improve my writing abilities. Having someone tell me actual topics that I need to write about, and getting a grade based on how well I write, well, will help me to get with it, and write! Already this semester, 2 weeks in, we've had assigments for writing a letter, or essay, twice. Keeping the correct format was basically the only requirement, so I got to write about what I wanted, which is much easier, in my opinion, than trying to write about, say, a class-assigned topic of the invention of the light bulb. I tend to write too much, and that is a fault that I hope to improve in this class. I want to be able to get my point across, descriptively, while not boring the reader with un-needed "fluff". The essay I wrote was to show my teacher what writing skills I have, what I need to improve, etc, and I'm hoping I did a pretty decent job with it. I'd like to think I am good at writing, so we'll see! Another project I am truly excited about is this blog! I have wanted to be a blog-writer for as long as there have been blogs, but I just never had anything to motivate me into creating one. I love reading blogs, and would love to share my life and experiences and/or experience in something with other like-minded readers. Our task was to create this blog for class assigments, but I am really hoping that is only just the start to my blogging career, and now that the seed has been planted, I can make it grow into a bean stalk! I will keep my dreams of being an award-winning novelist on the back burner for now, focus on my class, and my blog, and eventually, learn all the skills to master this blog. After that, who knows? New York Times best-seller list... here I come!