Alex Gilkerson
ENG 1510
9-16-12
Summary
James Porter writes an article about his way and ideas of how a good paper should be. He explains his idea that no body is original. He believes that somewhere, someone has written something similar to what you have written. Porter feels that if you read an article and want to write a similar paper that some of the prior authors ideas will have rubbed off on you causing you to take some of his/hers understandings or ideas.
Synthesis
This article has some similarities and differences between some of the past articles we have read. It is similar due to the fact that it’s just an author explaining his way of writing a paper to its best potential, just a different way from others. Some of the other articles we read told us to frame the writing or to have your own voice in your writing. This particular article talks about having “acceptability”. He explains the differences between plagiarism and not plagiarizing.
Questions for Discussion
4. Porters way of mastering writing is on the acceptability of the paper. Before reading this article, I’ve been told a few different ways to view writing. One way that Stuart Green explained to be the best way was to frame the paper. Framing the paper got your views out there and didn’t explain the other sides of the argument. Another way that I have been taught recently, voice. Having a voice in your writing gives it a sense of originality and puts it in your own words and tells how you think/feel toward a certain topic. This is different from the way I normally lean when writing. I will try and stick with voice. I feel it is easier for people to get where you’re coming from just like in Stephen King’s article we recently read. He tells what the topic is about, then tells the reader a little bit about himself. This shows everyone how and why he thinks the way he does.
5. I feel Porter’s article most definitely reflects itself. There are so many authors and professional writers in the world that this article cannot be one of a kind. There has to be at least one, if not more article that talks about the same problem. He brings up a really good point, even if it isn’t his original thought. If you read an article and want to write an article similar, you will have to take a few examples out of the text and at least put them into your own words. That isn’t original. You are taking the idea of someone and putting your thoughts an ideas into it.
Applying and Exploring
2. Plagiarism: Cheating—whether by claiming another’s ideas or work as your own (fraud) or making up or falsifying information (fabrication)—will result in a course grade of F and a report to Community Standards. You are at all times responsible for handling sources ethically by acknowledging the author and source of directly borrowed ideas and language in your writing. The way that Porter is talking about is not cheating. You are just using there idea but putting it into your own words. It is cheating if you copy it word for word or even paraphrase it. You have to be careful about how you do it. It is very easy to think you are doing it correctly and screw up. You must know all the criteria to plagiarism.
Meta Moment
Porter didn’t really change my view on writers. The one thing that did stick out to me is the importance of not plagiarizing, especially in college. That is the quickest way to get thrown out of school. Unless you try to burn down Shivley Hall or something. You have to be very precise when using the ideas of a different writer. You have to cite them correctly, or else it is basically stealing.
Personal Reflection
I personally agree with James Porter’s ideas. It is pretty hard to be original. There are billions of people who write everyday so it’s pretty impossible to find one paper that is completely different from any other. The one thing I didn’t agree with totally is his view on calling that plagiarism. If you have no idea what the person who you “copied” wrote then I wouldn’t call it plagiarism. Simply just a mistake. Even though it is a slim possibility, it could still happen.
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