Vietnam War. I Would Begin

¶ … Vietnam War. I would begin my research on this topic with a trip to the library. I would look at books that were about the war itself and well as history books that might offer up interesting information. I would then go to reputable websites that might have any information about the war. After obtaining enough information about the war, I would look at the most interesting aspects of it and narrow the subject down to say, the effect of the war on the soldiers or the public in general. I might also look at what made it a success or a failure. The most interesting of these choices might be how the war impacted the soldiers.

How did the Vietnam War affect American soldiers?

Are there any personal accounts of what happened in Vietnam?

The war had irreversible negative effects on American soldiers

Personal accounts and research established over time

I have always known that war in Vietnam was a "mess" and that while it was going on, the United States was in conflict over whether or not the war was right or wrong. I learned more about the conflicts the war caused in school.

3. I feel as though I am fairly skilled in Internet research. I use the Internet daily and can be pretty resourceful when I need to be. I always look for credible resources when I am on the Internet, staying away from sites that do not site resources.

4. Search language is how a search engine performs the act of searching. A search engine is the tool that does the searching for you.

5. An expert is someone that has gained knowledge in a particular field or from experience. An expert's knowledge will be recognized in his or her community. Any information published by or about the expert should be easily located and scrutinized. It is best to interview an expert and record the interview, so answers will not be forgotten. It is also best to be prepared with ample questions for the expert.

6. There are many methods information can be integrated into research paper. Books, articles, interviews, credible websites, DVDs, movies, and personal experience can all be important integral aspects of a research paper.

7. Plagiarism is wrong because it is stealing. It can be avoided by simply writing one's own work and citing any sources that are used.

8. When analyzing a writing sample, I first look to see if the paper makes sense to me. Do I know what the thesis is before I go to the second paragraph? Is it clear? Then I read the paper to see if the rest of the content makes sense and flows. I also look to see that the paper does not wander off the subject. I also look to see if paragraphs could be arranged in a different order that might make the paper read better. I look for sentences that are wordy or perhaps too long. I also look to see what kind of paper I am reading and check to see it that paper does its job. For instance, if I am reading a persuasive paper, I want to feel like I could be persuaded by the argument. Finally, I will look for grammar issues with the paper.

9. Revision is necessary because things rarely ever get to the completed stage on the first draft. Revision needs to occur so that writers can see what it is that are saying in comparison to what they intended to say. When writers take time to revise, they might see another point-of-view they had never considered in the process of writing. This could lead to another point-of-view or another paper completely.

10. When I revise, I try to make sure that my focus is clear so my topic will make sense. I need to make sure that I have done what I wanted to do, which would be to convince the reader of something that I researched. To do this, I would need to make sure that I said all that there was to say. In other words, I would need to make sure that I covered everything. At this point, I would check to see if I have not said enough about one thing or perhaps said too much about something. I would also make sure that the essay flows well. I would make sure that each paragraph is complete and that they flow well into each other. Each paragraph needs to back up the thesis in one way or another. This process allows me to figure out if the paper seems confusing in any way and if it does, I will look at those areas and try to strengthen them. I also look at grammar when I revise, fixing any mistakes.

11. Three elements of literature are point-of-view, setting, and characterization. These elements can help when writing a literary analysis because they make the story more than just a story. When I think of a narrator's point-of-view, I am beginning to think of the narrator as someone I might know. This allows me to see this individual as human. It also allows me to think of things that I might not have considered before. Another point-of-view can be powerful whether I am reading it in a story or whether I am talking to someone at school. Different points-of-view round us out as individuals and, eventually, make us more accepting of those that might be different than we are. Characterization allows me to understand everyone in the story. Point-of-view is extremely important in Frankenstein because we get to see the world through the monster's eyes. Without this aspect of the story, it would lose nearly all of its meaning. Without sufficient characterization, the story falls flat because the characters are not anything I can believe in. Stephen King always has great characters in his stories. Even if his stories are weird or weak, we can almost always bet that they will contain rich characterization. Real characters will make real stories. The setting of a story is important because it gives me something to go on. When something occurs can be very important to the story and if it is, then readers need to know it as soon as possible. For example, the Scarlet Letter would not make much sense if we did not know the setting.

12. Gwendolyn Brooks explores the listless world of poverty in her poem, "The Bean Eaters." Through setting and tone, Brooks brings us glimpse of an impoverished couple as they sit in their tiny, empty kitchen. In "The Bean Eaters," one element of literature that Brooks employs is the theme of poverty. Her point is powerful because she uses elements that we associated with poverty to make her point. For example, we know the couple is old and that dinner is nothing but "casual" (Brooks 2). Their lives are ordinary and empty and it appears that all the couple can do is look back to better days. Their poverty is not just a lack of things - it is a lack of spirit. They appear to have nothing to look forward to and do not seem to be driven to change that because they are getting old.

To match this lack of spirit, Brooks incorporates actual poverty around the couple. We can know this because the poet tells us that they "eat beans mostly" (1) and that they eat on "plain chipware" (3) and they use "tin flatware" (4). This is powerful imagery that allows us to see how the couple lives day in and day out. In addition, we have the setting in this poem, which is "rented back room that/is full of beads and receipts and dolls and cloths,/tobacco crumbs, vases and fringes" (12-3). Another important aspect of this poem is the tone. It is a somber one that seems to find joy in memories. We can know this because the poet tells us that the bean eaters remember 'with twinkling and twinges" (11). These images are of a couple that has seen the worst of times together and will probably see each other until the very end. Their poverty and their lives become oppressive because they have not.