Answers to Final Exam III

Answers to Final Exam III

Part 1 – Literary Appreciation

1.Protagonist: main character whose thoughts and actions play a leading part.
Dynamic: Datta was leading a quiet and monotonous life. Later, a desperate moment leads him to do fraudulent deed.
Indifference: “Datta with his habitual indifference, ignored him (the customer)”
Businesslike: Datta was not interested in the customer’s story about the old man. He interrupted by asking the type of frame preferred.
Deviousness: Datta saw the possibility of finding an acceptable substitute; the photo.

2. a) gold: high status/the best/respects to the highly worshipped and respected(main in the photo)
b) decay shop: sensitive/ experienced/ impatient/ indifference/ old age.

3. During the WW2: Kathleen had to evacuate the house and moved to the country side. She led an ordinary life. Assuming that her lover is dead, she got married.

After the WW2: She went back to her house in London. The cracks in the structure of the house, left by the bombing reminds her of her fiancé. She saw the letter and started to become paranoid.

4. Internal: Her heart problem, her looks, her status as the third wife, her status as a mother
External: Avoid conversation about the other wives and Mustapha’s late arrival, polygamy

5. “What goes around comes around” – explanation: Steal the second wife’s ‘three days’, conceived her third child during the second wife’s “three days, kept Mustapha long into the night, embraced him the whole day preventing Mustapha to carry out his marital duties elsewhere, washes his boubous when it was other wife’s turn.
introduction/exposition: The young man renting a room
conflict: The young man experiences a supernatural encounter
climax: The young man committed suicide
resolution: Mrs McCool enquires Mrs Purdy on her reasons of keeping the young woman’s suicide a secret when the young man asked.

PART 2: Reading and Vocabulary

1. Jasmine’s boss felt threatened by her because of her outspoken manner, the speed of her decisions and her strong presentation skills.
2. The final incident that took away al the faith she had on “The System” was she was passed over for promotion by a junior colleague
3. We can infer that Jasmine’s working environment was discriminatory and had a very inefficient management.
4. The complications were: the uncertain economy, the high-tax rate, getting a job and getting a place to stay.
5. Simile: ‘her office appeared to be a dangerous minefield.

B. Vocabulary
1. fumed
2. derogatory
3. concrete

SECTION B: SYNTHESIS ESSAY

Thesis statement: Internet addiction is caused by the fascinating facilities, the limitless information, the sense of belonging and the convenience of masking embedded problems.

1. fascinating facilities: online games, music and gambling
2. limitless information: constant updates, little censorhip
3. sense of belonging: chat room, mailing list/groups
4. convenience of masking embedded problems: pornograpy, gambling, personal problems.

Literary Elements

Dear students,

To view the lectures notes on "literary elements", click on the title of this blog. It will redirect you to my other blog with the notes. Happy studying.

Her Three Days

Sembène Ousmane
Senegalese writer and film director, a modern griot, storyteller and chronicler, best-known for his historical-political works with strong social comment. Sembène has often turned his short stories and novels into films. He is considered one of the founders of the African realist tradition. Sembène's image of Africa has been more self-critical, less romanticized that Leopold Sedar Senghor's, who more or less glorified the past.

Sembène Ousmane was born in Zinguinchor-Casamange region of Senegal in the colonial French West Africa. After a brief period of the Ecole de Céramique at Marsassoum, Sembène turned to various occupations in order to support his family. Since the age of fifteen, Sembène has earned his living. He has worked as a plumber, bricklayer, apprenticed mechanic. During the World War II he served in the French Army in Europe. Following France's official surrender to Germany, Sembéne joined the Free French forces in 1942 and landed with them in France in 1944.
After the war Sembène returned to Senegal where he participated in the Dakar-Niger railway strike of 1947. Later, he returned to France, joining community of dock workers in Marseilles. He taught himself to read and write in French and published his first novel in 1956. The work was based on his own experiences in France.

In the 1960s Sembène developed an interest in the cinema and studied film production in the U.S.S.R. His La Noire de.. (The Black Girl from...) was the first film ever produced by African filmmaker and won a prize at the 1967 Cannes Film Festival. It was a story of a girl, Diouna, who leaves her own family to become a housemaid in Antibes, France. She commits suicide, and her employees, a white retrund to Dakar, to explain what cannot explain.

As a writer Sembène made his debut as a novelist with LE DOCKER NOIR (1956, The Black Docker). It was born quite accidentally. Sembène was forced to leave work for several months, during which time he wrote down his personal experiences as a dock worker. The protagonist is Diaw Falla, who works on the docks. He kills a white woman who had tried to take credit for a prize-winning book that he himself wrote, and ends in prison in life.


Plot

- A story about Noumbe, the third wife of Mustapha, who was making all the preparations and sacrifices to welcome her husband home for her three days of having him alone. It also tells us the importance of “three days” to the narrator.
-Introduction : Introduces Noumbe as the third wife
Introduces Aida, the next door neighbour as Noumbe’s confidant.
Introduces the setting
-The conflicts : Internal conflicts - her emotions towards her husband
External conflicts - her emotions towards other characters, the village
women, her children.
-The climax : After all the preparation and sacrifices done, her husband, Mustapha
didn’t come home for her “three days”.
-The falling action: Mustapha, her husband came home.
-The ending : Noumbe’s bitter reactions towards her husband’s return

Setting

-Place : North Africa, Mali, unknown village, Noumbe’s shack
-Time : Three days durations
-Weather Condition : Very hot
-Social condition : close knit among the womenfolk

Symbol

Noumbe’s hut. “She went into her one-room shack sparsely furnished; there was a bed with white cover and in the corner stood a table with pieces of china on display. The walls were covered with enlargements and photos of friends and strangers framed in passé-partout.” The bareness of the house symbolizes her emptiness and longing for her husband’s affection.

Character

-Noumbe – the third wife (protagonist)
-Musthapa – the husband (antagonist)
-Aida – next door neighbour, her confidant.(minor character)
- Mustapha’s second wife – (flat character)
- Mactar – Noumbe’s son (flat character)

Point of View

Limited Omniscient (3rd person)
Only introduced to the narrator’s (Noumbe) thoughts

Tone

Nostalgic – when Noumbe reminiscing the sweet moments whilst the husband
was around.
Sorrowful – when Noumbe expresses her thoughts on Polygamy
Anger - when Noumbe showed her unstable emotions upon her husband’s return

Theme

Gender bias among the African.
How husband is worshipped above all; children and self.

Jasmine's Father - Analysis

Paul Tan

Paul Tan Kim Liang has published three volumes of verse. Curious Roads (1994) and Driving into Rain (1998) won prizes at the Singapore Literature Prize competitions. His most recent collection is first meeting of hands (2006). His writings have appeared in publications like The Straits Times, The New Straits Times and Commentary.

Criticism : A Wilting Bloom
Short Stories : The Oriental Grocer
Short Stories : Jasmine's Father
Jasmine’s Father

Plot

Introduction
The story basically revolves around the flashbacks of the protagonist/narrator who essentially remains unnamed. The plot starts off with a realization by the protagonist/narrator of the irony of his present situation in the light of his daughter’s behavior and sharing with him. We are then introduced to the daughter, Jasmine ,who is the only named character in the story The story moves forward through a chronological order of the changes in Jasmine’s life as seen through the eyes of the protagonist when she first started working until the day she left for Canada.

Significant milestones in the plot are as follows:
o Introduction : The narrator recalls the irony of his present situation and that of his daughter’s current situation
o Conflict: The father remembers that the daughter’s present condition as being due to Jasmine’s workplace
o Climax: When the father was informed of Jasmine’s decision to migrate
o Resolution: Acceptance of the migration and of life alone.


Setting

The story has no definite setting; the settings that are presented are set in the mind of the protagonist/narrator and remain essentially there. The only clear setting was during the flashback to the pivotal point in the story where Jasmine breaks the news of her impending migration. The setting for this point was the garden.

Symbolism

The main symbolisms in the story are:
□ The omission of the name of the boss to represent the society that Jasmines lives and works in.
□ The entire patriarchal society of Singapore is personified as a single entity in the form of “The System”

Characterization

□ The main characters in the story is the protagonist/narrator, Jasmine and the System
□ The protagonist, who is only identified as Jasmine’s father is seen as a loving father who does open channels of communication between him and his daughter and who in the end changes to acceptance of his empty nest status in life.
□ Jasmine, the daughter, is portrayed here through the eyes of her father is presented as being:
o Opinionated
o Self-confident
o Determined Modern
□ The antagonists in the story is the personification of the patriarchal working society in Singapore in the mind of Jasmine as the System

Point of View

-First Person. Limited Omniscience
-We are introduced to the narrator’s thoughts but are only given to speculations concerning Jasmine’s rationale for her actions.

Tone
Continuum of Ironic moving on to Fondness and finally Acceptance

Theme
Coping with Change, Generation Gap, Conflict between Value Systems

The Demon Lover - Analysis

Elizabeth Bowen
AKA Elizabeth Dorothea Cole
Born: 7-Jun-1899
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: 22-Feb-1973
Location of death: Kent, England
Cause of death: Cancer - Lung

Elizabeth Dorothea Cole Bowen (7 June, 1899 – 22 February, 1973) was an Anglo-Irish novelist and short story writer. Bowen was born in Dublin and later brought to Bowen’s Court in County Cork where she spent her summers. When her father became mentally ill in 1907, she and her mother moved to England, eventually settling in Hythe. After her mother died in 1912, Bowen was brought up by her aunts.

She was educated at Downe House. After some time at art school in London she decided that her talent lay in writing. She mixed with the Bloomsbury Group, becoming good friends with Rose Macaulay, who helped her find a publisher for her first book, Encounters (1923). In 1923 she married Alan Cameron, an educational administrator who subsequently worked for the BBC.

Bowen inherited Bowen's Court in 1930, but remained based in England, making frequent visits to Ireland. During World War II she worked for the British Ministry of Information, reporting on Irish opinion, particularly on the issue of Irish neutrality.

Her husband retired in 1952 and they settled in Bowen’s Court, where Alan Cameron died a few months later. For years Bowen struggled to keep the house going, lecturing in the United States to earn money. In 1959 the house was sold and demolished.

Bowen received recognition for her work, being awarded Doctorates in Literature by Trinity College, Dublin (1949) and the University of Oxford (1952). She was also awarded the CBE.
After spending some years without a permanent home, Bowen settled in Hythe and died of cancer in 1972, aged 73. She is buried with her husband in Farahy church yard, close to the gates of Bowen’s Court. A commemoration of her life is held annually in Farahy church.

Assessment
Elizabeth Bowen was greatly interested in ‘life with the lid on’ and what happened when lid came off. Her work deals with innocence and betrayal and theirs that lie beneath the veneer of respectability. Her style is highly wrought and owes much to Henry James. She was also influenced by Marcel Proust and by the techniques of Film. Place has a central role in her work. Few have evoked London in wartime as well as she did.


Plot

Exposition-Mrs. Kathleen Drover returned to London from her house in the country in order to pick up some things from the house that she and her husband abandoned because of the bombing of London by the Germans during 1940-41.
It was a humid day in late August when she went back to her mostly deserted street. When she entered the house, she saw all of the telltale stains and dust left when she and her family moved out. The house had some cracks in it because of the bombing, and she wanted to check on it.

Conflict-As she was passing her hall table, she noticed a letter addressed to her—a strange sight, considering that the caretaker did not know of her return and that her house was boarded up and all of her mail had been forwarded to the country address. She wondered who was it from and how the letter got there?

Climax-Kathleen boarded the taxi in her attempt to escape from her dead lover and when the taxi driver turned around to look at her from the glass panel.

Resolution- Kathleen continued to hallucinate as the taxi drove off into the deserted country road.

Setting

Place: London
-The story takes place in a house with "some cracks in the structure, left by the last bombing" that is situated on a deserted street and gives an eerie atmosphere to the story.
Time: Post World War II era
Weather Condition: Wet and humid in late August
Social condition: Deserted and quiet

Symbol

War – symbolises troubled times and troubled minds/trauma

Houses and ghosts - are also attributable to war. Houses play a prominent role in The Demon Lover, as a symbol of cultural and family values threatened from without. The Demon Lover also employed the motif of ghosts, which portray war-shocked characters with a "saving hallucination" and to re-create the sense of a blurred distinction between reality and fantasy created by war.

Piano – symbolizes joy, happiness, peace, warmth and harmony. When the piano was left when they moved away from London – Kathleen’s life becomes melancholic – her tranquility erased.

Character

Main Character: Mrs. Kathleen Drover
The story is seen through Mrs. Kathleen Drover.The story centers on the perceptions and actions of Mrs. Kathleen Drover. When she finds a letter addressed to her in her abandoned London home, she thinks back to her former nameless soldier-lover during World War I. She is keenly aware of her surroundings: the atmosphere, weather, and particularly, a sense of strangeness. The letter lying on the table compels her to imagine the various possibilities for how the letter got there in the first place.
Because of the overwhelming sense of the strangeness of her situation, Mrs. Drover rushes upstairs to check herself in the mirror: her "most normal expression was one of controlled worry, but of assent.” [she] “had . . . an intermittent muscular flicker to the left of her mouth, but . . . she could always sustain a manner that was at once energetic and calm." To her family Mrs. Drover is a picture of stability and dependability.

Flat Character:
The ‘Lover’ a.k.a. Kathleen’s ex-fiancé
Twenty-five year absence of the lost soldier is said in the story to have begun with his departure for the Great War in 1916. The ‘soldier-lover’ is portrayed as an over-bearing persona in Kathleen’s life as a young girl. Before he left for France, he met Kathleen for the last time and reminded her of their promise. Although Kathleen was quite apprehensive about it, but he kept on insisting that “I shall be with you, sooner or later. You won’t forget that. You need do nothing but wait.”
The taxi driver
“Through the aperture driver and passenger, not six inches between them , remained for an eternity eye to eye.”

Point of View

-3rd person (Limited omniscient)
The story is seen through Mrs Kathleen Drover.

Tone

-Mystery: The letter from the dead lover requesting that Kathleen keep to the promises she had made – what are the promises and how did the letter get there.
-Suspense: The ‘meeting’ that is supposed to take place at the ‘hour’ agreed during their anniversary.

Theme

Doubt and Ambiguity:
The theme of appearance and reality is central to "The Demon Lover." The dubiousness of the appearance of the letter puzzles Mrs. Drover. How did it get on the table? Who placed it there? Her house is obviously deserted and untouched, which makes the appearance of the letter even more enigmatic. To verify her own conception of reality, Mrs.Drover looks in the mirror, and she sees herself, looking familiar and reassuring.

Her mind races, however, back in time to her mysterious, nameless soldier-lover with whom she was in love as a young girl. This vision reinforces the sense of him as potentially the "demon lover" of the title. He is remembered not with warmth but for his sense of his power or control over her. Mrs. Drover's association of the letter with the soldier-lover makes the reality of the letter questionable, although it is a physical object. When she escapes into a taxi, she sees the face of the driver.

Guilt:
Mrs. Kathleen Drover is caught in her own guilt for not keeping to her promises to her ex-fiance. She gets annoyed upon seeing the letter because she knows that it could only come from one person – her lover and it could only serve to remind one thing – the promise that she has broken.

The Furnished Room - analysis

O. Henry (1867-1910)

O. Henry is the famous non de plume of William Sydney Porter, but why he chose such a pen name is a mystery, the most likely explanation being that it was done as a joke. Born in North Carolina in 1867. In 1884 at the age of 17 he moved to Texas where he worked on a ranch, but it was not long before he was on the staff of a newspaper. A year later O. Henry bought and ran his own newspaper, but his venture into commerce was not a success, so he went to South America and remainded there for some years. When he returned to Texas he worked in a drug store, but this type of work did not suit his creative bent and he soon found himself in New Orleans. In 1896, while he was employed as the teller of an Austin bank, a shortage in the cash accounts was attributed to him, and he was sentenced to a term in jail. It was during his imprisonment that he assumed the name of O. Henry and began work in earnest as a writer of short stories.

Upon his release he went to New York, living there until he died of a wasting disease at the age of 43 in 1910. Within 14 years, the success of his stories was so great that he was contributing one every week to the "World" and many more to the leading magazines of the country. He wrote over 270 stories, but not one novel.

It has been said that O. Henry wrote funny stories, but this is only applicable in its widest sense for his stories always seemed to contain a moral which was not always portrayed in a funny way. He was a master of the anecdotal plot and the surprise ending, often in the last paragraph. Many of his stories are meretricious, with an excessive trickiness in the plotting and a flashy glitter in the style. At his best, however—as in the volume, The Four Million—the emotion is real and the humour and pathos ring true. He loved to write about New York—which he affectionately called Bagdad-on-the-Subway—about its small clerks, its aspiring young actors and artists, and all the horde of little people and failures who also lived in the great city where the egregious Ward McAllister could find only "four hundred" who were worthy of notice and consideration.

If we look for the man behind the stories we see a whimsical, shy unassuming, yet generous man who shunned the limelight. It is said that when he was dying his wit was still with him for, he is reputed to have said, "Don't turn down the light," then suddenly remembering the words of a popular song he added, "I'm afraid to go home in the dark."

O. Henry very rarely touched the note of the supernatural, but "The Furnished Room," with its ghostly fragrance, is among the best of all his stories.

Plot
- This is a story about a young man’s search for his sweetheart in a large city. and his subsequent suicide after not being able to find her. He dies without ever knowing that his sweetheart had also committed suicide in the same room only a week earlier.
-Exposition: The story begins with a young man renting a room.
-Conflict: The young man experiences a supernatural encounter.
-Climax: The young man asks the housekeeper about his sweetheart, but gets a negative reply. Dejected, he kills himself with the gas from the lamp.
-The story ends with the two housekeepers talking about the girl, whom the young man was searching for, who died in the room.

Setting
-the worn, bruised, furnished room
-in a city

Symbol
-poor condition of the room represents the cruelty of the people in general. “a glow of pseudo-hospitality, a hectic, haggard, perfunctory welcome like the specious smile of a demirep

Characterization
- Major character/Protagonist: the young man
- Minor characters/Static: Mrs. Purdy and Mrs. McCool (nothing much is revealed about them)

Point of View
- Limited omniscient (3rd person )
- The story is seen through outside observer (the author is not part of the story – not one of the characters)

Tone
-Anxiety “Restless, shifting, fugacious as time itself.” -Isolation & loneliness being an individual in a big city.

Theme
-The struggles and uncertainties that young people face, in search of self and identity.

The Gold Frame - Analysis

Plot

-The story is about Datta, who is the owner of The Modern Framework Shop. The old man lives by framing pictures.

-Exposition
One day a customer gives him an elderly person’s photograph to frame. For long he talks about the old man’s excellent qualities. After scrutinizing for a long time, he selects the supposedly best gold frame in the shop and places his order for the picture to be set in an oval cut mount.

-Conflict
Looking for his misplaced pencil in his cluttered and chaotic shop, Datta upsets and topples a tin of white enamel paint on the much valued photograph. Trying to wipe it away, he makes the mess worse, and is left with a ruined photograph that is beyond redemption.

-Resolution
His desperate mind thinks of a way to solve the problem. He manages to find an acceptable substitute from his pile of old photographs and puts it in the dazzling gold frame. The possibilities of his fraud being discovered makes him think of arguments to cover himself.

-Anticlimax
Finally the customer comes in seems to be impressed by the beauty of the gold framed photograph. Suddenly he is very upset that the old man did not use the cut mount oval shape when framing the picture! The irony of his not realizing the truth makes the reader smile

Setting

- The Modern Framework - Datta's shop

Symbol

The decay of old age.
clutter – surrounded by a confusion of cardboard pieces…and other odds and ends-clumsiness, forgetfulness

Character
-Protagonist: Datta - The main character in the story whose thoughts and actions play a leading part.
-Minor character: the customer, though a minor character who appears for a short duration, he brings out the deviousness in Datta’s nature.
- Static/dynamic: Datta is leading a quiet, monotonous life. Later, a desperate moment leads him to do a fraudulent deed.

Point of View
-Limited omniscient ( third person )
-The author is not part of the story. It is revealed through external observation.

Tone
-Deviousness - saw the possibility of finding an acceptable substitute
-Desperation - ‘That’s the picture you brought here for framing. Take it or throw it away.’
-Suspense and anxiety - The customer would surprise him at an unguarded moment making him bungle the entire carefully thought-out plot
-Indignance and ignorance - ‘What have you done?’; ‘I clearly remember asking for a cut mount with an oval shape. This is square. Look!’

Theme
-Desperate situations call for desperate measures

Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises

Dear students,

Here are extra exercises on direct/indirect speech. I will be posting the answers into this blog a week before you mid term exam. Till then, you'll have to try out the exercises without any help and only check your answers later once i have posted the answers.

Put these sentences into reported speech.
"Do you like fish, Mary?", she asked. She asked Mary if she liked ish.
He said, "I've failed my exam". He said he had failed his exam.
"I went to market this morning", she said. She said she had
"Don't lose the money!", she said to her son.
She said, "I didn't have my eyes tested yesterday". he said she "When did you see me?", he asked her.
The teacher told one of his pupils, "You'll come to harm if you don't work."
"Don't clean it yourselves!" mother said to the children.
The boy said, "I couldn't come because of my father's illness".
"Don't drive so fast", Susan shouted to John.
"I got up early this morning", he said.
She said to me, "Don't worry about it".
"Do you have to leave so early?", he asked her.
"Have you had a good sleep", he asked her.
"What are you going to do tomorrow?", she asked me.
He said, "I didn't notice the speed limit".
"We'll get some tickets tomorrow", they told me.
"I'm leaving", the sailor said.
"They were here last week", Mr Benson told her husband.
"He always feels very cold", mother told the doctor.
"The children went to bed early today", father said.
"You look smart in these clothes", she told her daughter.
"Get out of my pub", the landlord said to the drunkard.
The children asked: "Shall we have to bring our books tomorrow?"
He asked the secretary: 'How do you feel when the manager asks you to have dinner with him?"
He asked her. 'Can you spare me a minute?'
He said, 'I don't know how long it will take me.'
I asked mother, 'How much did this book cost?'
I asked him, 'Did anybody see you?'
The teacher said: "I want you to do your best, boys.
Mother said: "Susan, don't leave the door open! "
Mrs Brown asked Maud: "When did the Mortons sell their house ?"
David asked his father: "Are you going to London tomorrow ?"
She said, "I don't think we shall be late if we hurry".
"I'm not very well today", Susan said.
"You must send for the doctor at once", Mrs Johnson told her husband.
"You can go now, if you like", the teacher said to the boys.
"I think I'll have a holiday on Monday", the manager said.
"I've finished my work", the workman said.
"My wife is cooking the dinner", Mr Dickens said.
"We'll stay here until Tuesday", he said.
"I think it's going to rain", Tom said.
"Was Mr Gilbert's operation successful?" he asked
"I can do this exercise,"he said.
"I forgot to ask her name," he said.
"I've already had lunch," he said.
"I'll retire soon," he said. He said he would retire soon.
"What did you have for breakfast?" she asked Tim.
"I'm inquiring about a certain patient," Mr Gilbert said.
Tom said, "I saw you in town but you did not see me".
She asked him, "How old are you?"

Synthesis Writing

Thesis
This study has therefore revealed that children who play computer games on a regular basis experience a number of medical problems. The evidence suggests that the most serious problem is crooked posture, which is caused by their being hunched over their computers for considerable periods of time. Another common problem associated with playing computer games over long periods (when the same moves are constantly repeated) is that of pain in the hands. (extracted from p. 141) Brown, M.J. (2000). The impact of computer games on children’s physical health. Journal of Physical Health, 23(1), 129-142.

Anti-thesis
It is claimed that computer games have negative physical effects on eyesight, hands and posture. However, all of these are caused by the computer hardware and equipment, not by the software. The same physical effects occur from prolonged usage of computers for any reason, such as word-processing. In fact, carpal tunnel syndrome was identified as a workplace ailment caused by office programs, not games. These physical effects can all be reduced or eliminated by better hardware and more attention to ergonomics, such as higher-resolution and higher-contrast screens, and supportive furniture. Smith, A. J. (2003). Synthesis. Retrieved October 26, 2004 from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The English Language Centre Web site: http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/CILL/eap/synthesis.htm

Example 1. Although Brown (2000, p.141) states that computer games can cause physical problems such as bad posture and pain in the hands, Smith (2003) argues that these problems are caused by the hardware, not the games. In my opinion the games cause physical health problems because they encourage long periods of computer use on harmful hardware.

Example 2. Brown (2000, p.141) suggests that computer games can cause physical problems such as bad posture and pain in the hands. However, Smith (2003) points out that these problems are caused by the hardware, not the games. I believe that the physical health problems are caused by games as they encourage long periods of computer use on harmful hardware.

Example 3. According to Brown (2000, p.141) computer games can cause physical problems such as bad posture and pain in the hands. Smith (2003) disagrees, and argues that these problems are caused by the hardware, not the games. I contend that the physical health problems are due to the long periods of computer use on harmful hardware which occur when children are playing computer games.

Question 1:

Thesis:

As was noted earlier, the majority of computer games produced today have violence as their principal theme. Despite the growing concerns of parents and teachers in the past decade, it would appear from my research that violence in computer games is becoming increasingly realistic and explicit. We are thus faced with the familiar question: Does playing violent computer games lead to aggressive behaviour in young people? This is clearly a highly complex issue. Research conducted in the past decade has revealed that young people who regularly play violent computer games have a tendency to be more aggressive than those who do not. Perhaps not surprisingly, my findings tend to support this position. (extracted from p. 116) Walker, A. (2001). Computer games and adolescent aggression. In N. Peters (Ed.), Research into the effects of computer games (pp. 108-124). London: St Martin’s Press.

Anti-thesis:

On the issue of violence, the modern media surrounds us with violence. Movies such as 'The Matrix', television programs such as the news, newspaper reports of sports such as boxing, and radio dramas often involve violence. It is difficult to watch TV for one evening without seeing an explosion, car chase, death or violence. Children's programs are especially violent, as is shown by Tom and Jerry. If young children are expected to realise that it is only a cartoon, teenagers playing computer games can also recognise that it's only a game.In addition, many computer games are non-violent, for example, 'The Sims' is a very popular game of social interaction, and football playing and management games involve almost no violence. Smith, A. J. (2003). Synthesis. Retrieved October 26, 2004 from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The English Language Centre Web site: http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/CILL/eap/synthesis.htm

Sampel answer:

Walker's findings (2001, p.116) show that 'young people who regularly play violent computer games have a tendency to be more aggressive than those who do not'. If this research compares children who have been equally exposed to violence in other media, Smith's (2003) arguments about violence in the media are not relevant. In addition, Walker only examined violent computer games, so Smith's argument about non-violent computer games is irrelevant.

Question 2:

Thesis:

Clearly, one of the most serious problems associated with playing computer games is that they are highly addictive. Parents often find that when their children start playing games they simply cannot stop. There is some evidence that as a result of their compulsive involvement in computer games, some young people tend to ignore more important activities such as homework and reading. There are also concerns that their solitary absorption in computer games prevents them interacting with family and friends. Davies, S. (2003). Computer games and personal development. Family Forum. Retrieved October 26, 2004 from http://www.ff.org/.

Anti-thesis:

Popular activities of any sort can be addictive. Some people are addicted to sport, and some to television, for example. Both these examples, and many others, can be harmful to one's health and social life if done too much. In addition, the quality of a computer game is an important factor that may cause people to play it a lot, in fact, some players think that a good computer game should be addictive.
Smith, A. J. (2003). Synthesis. Retrieved October 26, 2004 from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The English Language Centre Web site: http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/CILL/eap/synthesis.htm

Sampel Answer:

Davies (2003) argues that addictive computer games are addictive and cause children to spent too little time on reading, homework and social activities. However, Smith (2003) states that any popular activity can be addictive, not just computer games. He also claims that good computer games perhaps should be addictive. Although this may be true, it does not address the topic of whether computer games are harmful. Therefore he does not refute Davies' argument. I believe that to solve this problem, parents and teachers should educate their children to lead balanced lives.

Note: Question 3 and 4 are good examples of how a good paraphrase is written. The left column is the original source, while the right column is the paraphrased version.

REMEMBER: THE DUE FOR YOUR FIRST DRAFT FOR ACADEMIC ESSAY IS ON THE 27 JULY 2007. THE FIRST DRAFT IS YOUR ESSAY (REMEMBER TO PARAPHRASE AND SYNTHESIZE). SUBMIT YOUR FIRST DRAFT TOGETHER WITH YOUR OUTLINE AND ARTICLES.

Sampel answer to paraphrasing exercises

1. According to Jacques Cousteau, the activity of people in Antarctica is jeopardizing a delicate natural mechanism that controls the earth's climate. He fears that human activity could interfere with the balance between the sun, the source of the earth's heat, and the important source of cold from Antarctic waters that flow north and cool the oceans and atmosphere ("Captain Cousteau" 17).

2. During the twenties lawlessness and social nonconformity prevailed. In cities organized crime flourished without police interference, and in spite of nationwide prohibition of liquor sales, anyone who wished to buy a drink knew where to get one. Musicians like Louis Armstrong become favorites, particularly among young people, as many turned away from highly respectable classical music to jazz. One of the best examples of the anti-traditional trend was the proliferation of young "flappers," women who rebelled against custom by cutting off their hair and shortening their skirts (Yancey 25).

3. The use of a helmet is the key to reducing bicycling fatalities, which are due to head injuries 75% of the time. By cushioning the head upon impact, a helmet can reduce accidental injury by as much as 85%, saving the lives of hundreds of victims annually, half of whom are school children ("Bike Helmets" 348).

4. Matisse paintings are remarkable in giving the viewer the distinct sensory impressions of one experiencing the scene first hand. For instance, "The Casbah Gate" takes one to the walled city of Tangier and the Bab el Aassa gateway near the Sultan's palace, where one can imagine standing on an afternoon, absorbing the splash of colors and the fine outlines. Even the sentry, the bowaab vaguely eyeing those who come and go through the gate, blends into the scene as though real (Plagens 50).

5. How much higher skyscrapers of the future will rise than the present world marvel, the Sears Tower, is unknown. However, the design of one twice as tall is already on the boards, and an architect, Robert Sobel, thinks we currently have sufficient know-how to build a skyscraper with over 500 stories (Bachman 15).

Paraphrasing exercise and lecture notes.

Paraphrasing & Synthesizing

Introduction
Writing an academic essay, you will need two skills of incorporating ideas and information:
- Paraphrasing
- Synthesising

1.0 Paraphrasing

1.1 What are the differences among quoting,
paraphrasing, and summarizing?

- Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author.

- Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.

- Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.

1.2 A paraphrase is…
- Your own rendition of essential information and ideas expressed by someone else, presented in a new form.

- One legitimate way (when accompanied by accurate documentation) to borrow from a source.

- A more detailed restatement than a summary, which focuses concisely on a single main idea.


1.3 Paraphrasing is a valuable skill because...
- it is better than quoting information from an undistinguished passage.

- it helps you control the temptation to quote too much.

- the mental process required for successful paraphrasing helps you to grasp the full meaning of the original.

1.4 Some Examples to compare:

The original passage:
Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): 46-47.

A legitimate paraphrase:
In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).

An acceptable summary:
Students should take just a few notes in direct quotation from sources to help minimize the amount of quoted material in a research paper (Lester 46-47).

A plagiarized version:
Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many of them in the final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy should consist of directly quoted material. So it is important to limit the amount of source material copied while taking notes.

1.6 Exercises

1. "The Antarctic is the vast source of cold on our planet, just as the sun is the source of our heat, and it exerts tremendous control on our climate," [Jacques] Cousteau told the camera. "The cold ocean water around Antarctica flows north to mix with warmer water from the tropics, and its upwellings help to cool both the surface water and our atmosphere. Yet the fragility of this regulating system is now threatened by human activity." From "Captain Cousteau," Audubon (May 1990):17.

2. twenties were the years when drinking was against the law, and the law was a bad joke because everyone knew of a local bar where liquor could be had. They were the years when organized crime ruled the cities, and the police seemed powerless to do anything against it. Classical music was forgotten while jazz spread throughout the land, and men like Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie became the heroes of the young. The flapper was born in the twenties, and with her bobbed hair and short skirts, she symbolized, perhaps more than anyone or anything else, America's break with the past. From Kathleen Yancey, English 102 Supplemental Guide (1989): 25.

3. the more than 1000 bicycling deaths each year, three-fourths are caused by head injuries. Half of those killed are school-age children. One study concluded that wearing a bike helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent. In an accident, a bike helmet absorbs the shock and cushions the head. From "Bike Helmets: Unused Lifesavers," Consumer Reports (May 1990): 348.

4. Matisse is the best painter ever at putting the viewer at the scene. He's the most realistic of all modern artists, if you admit the feel of the breeze as necessary to a landscape and the smell of oranges as essential to a still life. "The Casbah Gate" depicts the well-known gateway Bab el Aassa, which pierces the southern wall of the city near the sultan's palace. With scrubby coats of ivory, aqua, blue, and rose delicately fenced by the liveliest gray outline in art history, Matisse gets the essence of a Tangier afternoon, including the subtle presence of the bowaab, the sentry who sits and surveys those who pass through the gate. From Peter Plagens, "Bright Lights." Newsweek (26 March 1990): 50.

5. While the Sears Tower is arguably the greatest achievement in skyscraper engineering so far, it's unlikely that architects and engineers have abandoned the quest for the world's tallest building. The question is: Just how high can a building go? Structural engineer William LeMessurier has designed a skyscraper nearly one-half mile high, twice as tall as the Sears Tower. And architect Robert Sobel claims that existing technology could produce a 500-story building. From Ron Bachman, "Reaching for the Sky." Dial (May 1990): 15.

Summarizing

Click on the link below and summarize the article in not more than 120 words.
http://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2006/11/9/lifeparenting/15923590&sec=lifeparenting

Below is an example of how to summarize an article. The bold sentences are the main point and key points to be included in the summary.

Global Implications of Patent Law Variation

A patent is an exclusive right to use an invention for a certain period of time, which is given to an inventor as compensation for disclosure of an invention. Although it would be beneficial for the world economy to have uniform patent laws, each country has its own laws designed to protect domestic inventions and safeguard technology. Despite widespread variation, patent laws generally fall under one of two principles: the first-to-file and first-to-invent. The first-to-file principle awards a patent to the person or institution that applies for a patent first, while the first-to-invent principle grants the patent to the person or institution that was first to invent – and can prove it. Most countries have adopted the first-to-file system. However, the United States maintains a first-to-invent system, despite obvious shortcomings. A result of countries employing different patent law principles is inconsistency of patent ownership.

Patent ownership is not recognized globally. On the contrary, ownership may change depending on the country. It is not uncommon for an invention to have two patent owners – one in the United States and one in the rest of the world. This unclear ownership often has economic consequences. If a company is interested in using a patented invention, it may be unable to receive permission from both patent owners, which in turn may prevent manufacture of a particular product. Even if permission is received from both owners, paying royalties to both may be quite costly. In this case, if the invention is useful enough, a company may proceed and pass on the added cost to consumers.

International economic tension has also been increasing as a result of differing policies. Many foreign individuals and companies believe that they are at a serious disadvantage in the United States with regard to patent ownership because of the logistical difficulties in establishing first-to-invent status. Further, failure of the United States to recognize patent ownership in other countries is in violation of the Paris Conventions on Industrial Properties, which requires all member nations to treat all patents equally. The conflict surrounding patents has prompted the World Intellectual Properties Organization (WIPO) to lobby for universality in patent laws. WIPO maintains that the first necessary step involves compelling the United States to reexamine its patent principle, taking into account the reality of a global economy. This push may indeed result in more global economic cooperation.

Writing the Summary:

When writing the summary there are three main requirements:
1. The summary should cover the original as a whole.
2. The material should be presented in a neutral fashion.
3. The summary should be a condensed version of the material, presented in your own
words.
* Also do not include anything that does not appear in the original. (Do not include your own comments or evaluation.) and be sure to identify your source.


For example:
In his paper “Global Implications of Patent Law Variation,” Koji Suzuki (1991) states that lack of consistency in the world’s patent laws is a serious problem. In most of the world, patent ownership is given to the inventor that is first to file for a patent. However, the United States maintains a first-to-invent policy. In view of this, patent ownership can change depending on the country. Multiple patent ownership can result in economic problems; however, most striking is the international tension it causes. The fact that the United States does not recognize patent ownership in other countries, in violation of the Paris Convention on Industrial Properties, has prompted the World Intellectual Properties Organization (WIPO) to push the United States to review its existing patent law principles.