Post-Short Paper Bootcamp

1. Addressing the Minor Issues and Preparing for Research: Post-Short Paper Bootcamp

2. Words and Constructions to Never Use Again. • THINGS (uuuuuuuuuuggggggggggggggh) • IT IS (at the beginning of the sentence; the “it” never stands for anything) • WITH THAT BEING SAID (implies a connection with what’s next- so articulate the connection instead) • “White Noise” (well, you can obviously use it, but we’ve seen from our readings that you need to offer your definition)

3. Present Tense • When Jack wakes he could sense something was different and it was. • When Jack wakes he can sense something is different and he is correct. • Removing the it was also removes a vague pronoun

4. Passive Voice • A passive construction occurs when you make the object of an action into the subject of a sentence. That is, whoever or whatever is performing the action is not the grammatical subject of the sentence. • To the point: it happens when the subject is acted upon instead of acting

5. Passive Voice • Why was the road crossed by the chicken? • The death fear is experienced by Jack to such an extent that it affects his whole life. • Death is essentially caught by Jack much like a flu.

6. Passive Voice • Jack being too plain a name was changed to J.A.K, which Jack didn’t feel was truly him. • Despite the indiscretion that Bab’s has, Jack still loves her.

7. Vague Pronouns • As the story progresses, Jack’s reaction to life, and the challenges that he faces cause him to draw on what he truly believes in. We see this come to a climax near the end of the book. • What is “this?” Jack’s reaction to life? His challenges? His facing them? His drawing on what he believes in?

8. Vague Pronouns • In a novel where DeLillo has structured the novel with short, clipping paragraphs, this highlights this section. At the least, this could mean that DeLillo meant for it to stand out so his reader would notice it.

9. Over Wordiness • Instead, the closest emotion that could be said to be shown by Jack is shock. • Instead, the only emotion Jack shows is shock.

10. Over Wordiness • This attests to the first point that I wish to make which is that Jack and Heinrich are both non-judgmental individuals. • This scene demonstrates that Jack and Heinrich are both non-judgmental individuals.

11. Over Wordiness • We come to see that Wilder’s crying marathon that continues on and on is the only way he can possibly express a death fear without having any language at his disposal. • Wilder’s crying marathon is the only way that he can express a death fear without language.

12. Confidence • I think Babs is saying that the world is more complicated to adults because children have less fear. • I’m probably stretching things here, but it seems like Murray operates as the little imaginary devil on Jack’s shoulder.

13. The 5 Comma Rules You’ll Ever Need to Memorize

14. 1. Use Commas to separate items in a series (three or more things) • The werewolf smells bad, runs fast, and kills cheerleaders. • Werewolves are known for their extreme moodiness, antisocial behavior, and uncooperativeness at dinner parties. • Parallel Structure: keep the first items in the list parallel in grammatical structure (extreme moodiness and antisocial behavior both follow an adjective/noun formation). The third item can break this structure.

15. 2. Use the comma to connect two independent clauses (with a connecting conjunction like and, but, yet, so) • She tried to run away, but the werewolf’s supernatural speed proved too much for her puny human legs. • The werewolf bought a comb, but he found it far too difficult to use with his horribly misshapen claws. • The werewolf’s first attempt to kill the girl scout cookie seller failed, so he doubled his efforts and made a valiant second attempt.

16. 3. Use a comma to set off introductory elements • According to some, werewolves are known to enjoy the musical stylings of Ashlee Simpson and Fall Out Boy • Running towards the lake, the werewolf suddenly realized that the water would leave his fur horribly matted.

17. 4. Use a comma to set off parenthetical elements- defined as a part of the sentence that could be removed without changing the essential meaning of the sentence. • The werewolf’s goal, which is to live a normal life twenty-six days out of the month, is closer than ever before since he decided to stop watching American Idol. • Mildred, the werewolf’s girlfriend, is tired of the werewolf crawling into her bed after a long night of murder, mayhem, and questionable life choices.

18. 5. Use commas to separate coordinate adjectives • Coordinate adjectives appear in a sequence to modify the same noun. • Rule of thumb: If you’d say “and” then you probably need a comma • The tall, grey-furred werewolf used cunning, vicious tactics to stalk his prey. • You might say “The tall and grey-furred werewolf used cunning and vicious tactics.” • He is a small old werewolf who now spends his wolfy evenings playing Poker with elderly vampires. • You probably would not say “He is a small and old werewolf .”

19. MLA

20. Titles • Novels and other long form works are italicized • White Noise • Romeo and Juliet • Two and a Half Men • Essays, shorter works, pieces within a larger work are in quotations • “Death and Dying in the Market Place” • “The Road not Taken” • “The One with the Poker Game”

21. Works Cited (Book) • DeLillo, Don. White Noise. New York: Penguin, 2009. Print. • Note the addition of Print. This is new as of about three years ago.

22. Works Cited (Journal Article) • Weekes, Karen. “Consuming and Dying: Meaning and the Marketplace in Don DeLillo’sWhite Noise.” Literature Interpretation Theory. 18 (2007): 285- 302. Print. • 18 is volume. When there’s a volume and issue it looks like this: 18.2 : with the volume # first.

23. Works Cited (Web Sites) • Johnson, Diane. “Conspirators.” nybooks.com. 14 Mar 1985. Web. 19 Mar 2012. • We no longer include URLS • Author/Title of Piece or Page/Title of Master Site/ Publication Date/ Web./ Access Date

24. Works Cited (No author) • Start with Title • "Blueprint Lays Out Clear Path for Climate Action." Environmental Defense Fund. 8 May 2007. Web. 24 May 2009.

25. In Text Citations. • According to some, dreams express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184), though others disagree. • According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (184). • Punctuation comes out of quoted material and is moved after the parenthetical. • Author’s name needed only if not signaled in the actual sentence. • Sentence must read grammatically correct as if the quotation wasn’t there.

26. In-Text with no Author • The author concludes, "Of all the things that happened there, that's all I remember" (“Blueprint”). • "Blueprint Lays Out Clear Path for Climate Action." Environmental Defense Fund. 8 May 2007. Web. 24 May 2009.

27. Note the Punctuation • According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (184). • Before the punctuation, but after the quote, is where I place parenthetical notes. • Learn it, love it, live it.

28. Attribute Quotes • “She said something in German. I failed to understand” (305). • Jack thinks, “She said something in German. I failed to understand” (305).

29. Attribute Quotes • There is some debate, but quote attribution sounds better (to me) before the quote. • “It sounds better to attribute a quote before the actual quote” (45), according to Pepper. • According to Pepper, “It sounds better to attribute a quote before the actual quote” (45).

30. Continuing Reference • MLA allows the reader to assume the following: • If no other source has come up since the last citation, then each subsequent citation is from the same person. Therefore, a page number is all that’s needed in the citation.

31. Continuing Reference • Blah blahblahblahblahblah. Blah blah, “blah blahblahblahblah” (Weekes 56). Blah blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah. Blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah, “blahblahblahblahblahblahblah” (57). Blah blahblahblahblahblahblahblah. blahblahblah, “blahblahblahblahblahblah” (Bonca 87).

32. Research

33. Boolean Search Logic • Consists of three operators: • OR • AND • NOT • And punctation: • Parenthesis • Quotation Marks

34. Quotation Marks • Placing a search term in quotation marks will ensure that the terms are searched in that exact order • “white noise” • “environmental disasters” • “postmodern theory”

35. AND • “And” narrow down your search by retrieving only results with every keyword you enter • “white noise” and “don delillo” • This is important with our novel since searching just the term “white noise” may bring you all kinds of articles related to science.

36. OR • “or” expands your search by finding items that contain either/or of the keywords you search • technology or computers • College or university or campus • Semiotics or semitoician or signs

37. NOT • “not” limits your search by retrieving the first search term but not the second one • “white noise” not “don delillo” • You may want to do this when looking for resources that are actually about the term and not the novel

38. Combined and/or logic • Parentheses force the order of processing (much like in a math equation) • “white noise” and (language or linguistics) • The parenthetical term will be treated first as a unit and then applied to the first term • “hitler” and (genocide or suicide)

39. Databases • Academic Search Premier (broadest and quickest search; available on front page of website) • JSTOR (excellent humanities database) • Project Muse (literature, history, sociology) • Digital Dissertations (an often overlooked source) • Philosopher’s Index (as it sounds- try searching “postmodernism” and “consumerism” . . . Very fruitful • Our library also has a few books of collected essays on DeLillo. Go get ‘em. They tend to check out fast!