Srikar's WRA-110 Website

Plagiarism...:

   As stated in the "What This Handout is About" section, the main idea of this article is to explain "what plagiarism is and [outline] steps students can follow to avoid plagiarizing." This article uses a series of subsections to back up its main idea. The first subsection describes what plagiarism is and the following sections address major problems with plagiarizing in the academic world. The article itself does not reference any outside sources and is primarily told through the perspective of a student talking to himself. The author constantly addresses the reader as "you" and keeps saying what "you" should do. I believe that that would classify it a second-person narrative. Based on the author referencing to the reader as "you", the targeted audience is most likely students. This can be backed up by the author providing techniques in which a student can identify when they would need a citation and how to spot when they've plagiarized. The author also uses titles such as "How Can I Tell Whether I've Plagiarized".

   Personally, I wish I had read this article a long time ago. One of the main issues it helped me resolve is addressed in the "Change your attitude about using citations" section. Throughout high school, I would limit my use of citations because I thought the teacher would reprimand me for not using more of my own content.

The Importance of...:

   This short article is about the very real subject of whether or not the ability to write well is important in the workplace. The main idea is supported mainly by personal opinion mixed in with facts. There are a few sources which are listed as "related reading[s]" where the author may have gotten ideas. In the introduction of the article, the author mentions a fifth grade classroom with students whining about if they will need to know writing in the future. This is the type of audience the author probably directed this article towards. However, this article could be directed towards anyone who thinks writing will not be important in their future.

   I remember when I was in middle school and I would complain endlessly about how writing is annoying and how you won't need it unless you become an author or journalist. However, when I started doing extracurricular activities and I had to send emails to other members of the group, I realized the importance of knowing how to say something in the most professional way.