Summary for Chapter Five

Chapter five of Rules for Writers gives you some guidance on how to design any document that you make. It's important to design it well because it will support your writing and promote readability. First of all you'll have to select an appropriate format. Next you can move on to headings, which need to be used appropriately. The third step requires using lists. Finally you can focus on visual aids.

When it comes to formatting, you basically have to worry about five things. The layout, margins and line spacing, alignment, fonts, and different kind of font styles. When deciding on all these factors you want to remember that more than anything, you want your document to be readable and understandable. Also it's important to take into consideration your purpose and audience. You can look at examples of different types of writing to ensure that your document's formatting is appropriate. Headings can be helpful cues, especially when used in complex documents. By using headings you can give the reader a preview of your document. Hacker mentions that headings should be brief and consistent in style. When using lists in a document, keep in mind that you don't want to clutter the document by using too many lists. Their purpose is to guide the reader which means that they should be easy to read. Finally, using visuals can greatly improve your document. This can be true if visuals are used wisely. You need to employ visuals that support your writing. They should also be placed in the right spot and they must be labeled. If you used a visual that you found online, you need to cite the source. If your document is going to be published outside of class, you need permission to use borrowed visuals.

It's rare the occasion when I actually use lists and visuals in my writing. They haven't really been necessary in the essays that i've written. If I were to use them I would like to have a good understanding of how to use them appropriately. Lists can help out my reader. Maybe I could somehow incorporate a list into a document of mine and if doing so, I would remember to use them when necessary. I shouldn't use them all over the place. I can also try to use visuals. In the past I have used pictures, but not recently. It's nice to have a bit of a refresher on the matter. It's important to pick the correct visuals because they can support your document in ways that words can't. I'll keep this in mind next time I have to make use of a visual.

Writing About Film Summary

"Writing About Film" presents an interesting point. When we're watching a film, we tend to ignore a lot of the elements and details that go into making a film. Gocsik mentions that these little details hold a lot of valuable information that can help us compose a good analysis. We don't simply want to review a film, but instead we want to pay attention to specifics. In order to properly write about a film you'll need to first off know what kind of analysis you'll be composing, then you must watch the film, and finally you'll need to do plenty of research.

There are various kinds of analysis that you can employ when writing about film. There is a formal analysis, film history, ideological paper, cultural studies, and discussion of the auteur. When watching the film, you want to pay close attention to the scenes. Often as viewers we don't look at what kind of camera angle is being used or how the scenes transition from one to the other. If you're going to analyze a film, you must try  to be more attentive in this aspect. Gocsik also talks about research. It's vital to familiarize yourself with as many things as possible about the film Like for example, who made the film, under what circumstances the film was made, and other such things. When investigating these matters, avoid having the internet as your only source. Instead, go to a library and search for some books. This will provide you with more reliable information.

I don't usually write about films. It's been the case that i've had to do a lot more writing on literature and because of this, I found the article to be helpful. The article mentions that when you write about film you have to be able to pay attention to a lot of things. The characters and their actions are important, but you have to also look beyond that. This is going to help me a lot because when I watch a film, i'm going to try to look closely at little details. They can tell me a lot about the film and what the filmmaker was trying to get across. Also I need to avoid using "I" as much as possible. I have to try to be a little more objective.

Essay Three Workshop

Sarahi Carranza

Lauren Servais

English 100

April 18, 2011

Essay Three

             A major theme in Smoke Signals is forgiveness. It plays a large role in the development of the story. We specifically see a few characters that have to heavily implement forgiveness into their life. Victor is one of these characters, but he has a bit of a hard time moving on. Thomas is the other character and he’s somewhat of an example for Victor.

            Victor is an intriguing character. He’s very complicated for the fact that he’s emotionally damaged because of what he’s had to experience as a child. Both of his parents were alcoholics. This angered him very much and we can see that in the film. In one of the scenes in the film, his parents are passed out in the middle of the day with beer bottles surrounding them. Victor is outside breaking beer bottles and you can see the frustration and anger that he’s feeling. It’s hard for a young child to see his parents deal with addiction. It’s even harder when they don’t try to better themselves for the sake of their children. Victor experiences this situation and that frustration begins to build.

            To make matters worse, his father abandons him. Victor chases after his father and tries to convince him to stay, but his efforts are in vain. This only adds to his pain, which in return worsens that anger and frustration. He doesn’t hear about his father until he’s informed about his passing. This is a lot for him to deal with. His father’s death

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makes a lot of feelings resurface. He’s always had resentment, but he didn’t deal with it appropriately. This is especially apparent after his father’s death.

            In order for Victor to find peace of mind and to overall improve his emotional health, he needs to come to terms with the things that have happened to him. He needs to forgive his father for the wrong that he did. It’s understandable that this is something very hard for him to accomplish, but it’s necessary. You can’t hold grudges and expect to lead a satisfying life. If you let negative feelings accumulate, you’ll damage yourself more than you’ll damage others.

            Arnold wasn’t a horrible man even though he did leave his son. He wasn’t happy about the choice he made and Victor didn’t consider that this might be the case. Susie mentions to Victor that Arnold didn’t mean to die out there in Arizona. He wanted to return to his son, but something prevented him from going back. It could have been the guilt that he felt or the fear of being rejected by his family. Whatever the case, he longed to be home with his son. Once Victor recognizes that his father didn’t absolutely hate him and he disposes his hate, he begins to heal.

            Thomas is also required to forgive others. The obvious person that he has to forgive is Victor. There has been a lot of hostility coming from Victor. He talks down to him and he often becomes aggravated with him. When he becomes annoyed, he yells at Thomas. This has been going on for a while, but when Victor needs money to travel to Arizona, Thomas is willing to give him the money. He doesn’t ask for repayment, he only asks to come along on the trip. This shows a very admirable quality from his part. He

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doesn’t resent Victor for the treatment he’s giving him. Instead he shows kindness and generosity.

            He’s also had to deal with plenty of hardships. He was a baby when he lost his parents in a fire. This meant that he never enjoyed the company and love that parents have to offer. This alone would be enough to cause someone to become bitter. Once again we see Thomas overcome the bad. He’s not aware that Arnold started the fire that killed his parents, so he can’t directly forgive him. Judging from his character, we can almost be positive that he would forgive him without thinking twice. This attitude has benefited him so much. He has a refreshing personality and we can sense that he’s content with how things have turned out for him. He doesn’t have any regrets or pent up frustration.

            If we stop and take a look at the life that Victor leads and the life that Thomas leads, we see just how important it is to forgive. Smoke Signals permits us to see this a bit more clearly. The changes that Victor makes are a clear indication of what part forgiveness plays in the film. He begins to heal as soon as he accepts his father’s abandonment. If we think about it, one of the most important things in life is growing as a person. Thomas doesn’t have to make many changes, but it’s still a good experience for him. Forgiveness isn’t an issue with him, but after accompanying Victor, he can help him move forward.

            

This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona

"This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona" is very similar to Smoke Signals. Regardless, I was still able to find a new meaning when reading the story. Victor and his father have had a falling out. They have only talked a few times within a span of a few years. We can see just how distant they are as father and son. When Victor hears that his father has passed away he's still impacted by the news. "There [is] still a genetic pain" (59) that he feels. This shows us a lot about Victor and about human nature.

Even though Victor hasn't shared a close relationship with his father, he's still saddened by his death. We can discern the love that he continues to have for his father. This still continues to be the man that made it possible for him to be born. Not only does he feel sad, but he also wants to do what he can to travel to Arizona to pick up his father's ashes. He swallows his pride and accepts the help that Thomas offers him. Thomas and Victor have hardly talked and yet the situation calls for an exception. It's a matter of setting old feuds aside and moving forward so that Victor can be a good son.

This can not only be said about Victor, but about people in general. We can never fully close out people that we have once loved. This is especially true when it comes to our immediate family. Even if we've had a falling out, we still continue to care. If we hear about some unfortunate event that has occurred to them, we tend to feel a certain amount of compassion and hurt. If possible we try to do what we can to help them out. Victor's reaction to his father's death supports this well. He never stopped loving his father.

Smoke Signals

Smoke Signals is a very moving film. It addresses a lot of things about the struggles of life and how difficult it is to overcome these struggles. At first, Victor came across as a mean guy that picked on others for no apparent reason. That's not quite the case, he has suffered a lot and that's caused him to be angry. Both of his parents were alcoholics when he was younger. Even though his mother decided to give it up, his father wasn't as willing. Not only did he continue to drink, he abandoned his family as well. Victor didn't know how to deal with this and instead of trying to seek help, he closed everyone off and let that resentment and hurt build up.

This shows just how difficult it is to deal with pain. When someone hurts us we tend to brush it off. Instead of dealing with the situation, we do what we can to ignore the problem. It's easier than actually facing what has happened. Victor does this and we can notice it very clearly throughout the film. Every time Thomas brings up his father he becomes uncomfortable. He feels rejection from his father. He feels that his father didn't want him because he wasn't a good enough reason to stick around. Victor lets this take ahold of him for ten years. This is a long time to be feeling so bitter. Instead of moving forward, he's preventing himself from healing.

In order for him to move on he has to forgive his father. We find out later on in the film that Victor's father regretted leaving his son. He wanted to go back, but he wasn't able to. Even if that wasn't the case it would have been better for Victor to rid himself of the resentment he felt. He was taking it out on his loved ones, including his mother, and he was also harming himself. We can see that overall the situation he faced wasn't ideal and was worsened by how he reacted.

Summary for Chapter 51

Chapter 51 of Rules for Writers talks about plagiarism and how you can avoid it. It's all about keeping a good record of the sources that you've used. Hacker lays out three steps that you must take. Keep a working bibliography, keep track of the material that you use, and avoid unintentional plagiarism.

A working bibliography is a record of the sources that you've made use of. You can annotate this bibliography with the key points, which will help you avoid plagiarizing. Next, insure that you keep track of your source materials. It's a good idea to have a photocopy or printout of the sources because you can annotate the source. It will allow you to get a start on your note taking. Finally, while taking notes, avoid unintentional plagiarism. When taking notes, avoid looking at the source. This way you're able to take notes without plagiarizing. If you want to use direct quotes from your source you must give credit to the author. There are three kinds of note taking, summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting. All these types of notes require page references.

I've never had much trouble with plagiarism. I do worry about it though because you can unintentionally commit this offense. In order to avoid doing this, i'm going to try to take Hacker's advice. When i'm taking notes I am going to make sure to write down the page numbers from which i'm extracting quotes. Sometimes I do this at the last minute and I can't find the page from which i'm quoting the author. Also when taking notes I have to be better about not looking at the source so much. This way I can write things down in my own words and it won't be as likely that i'll plagiarize.