Reflective Essay on Plagiarism

Reflective Essay on Plagiarism Introduction Plagiarism or academic dishonesty as it is commonly known is a rampant vice among college students which is committed both intentionally and unintentionally (Maureen and Joyce 2006). There is a growing concern about the increasing levels of plagiarism among students who are either too lazy to do their assignments or are turning to doing group work and then turning assignments as their original work. Different forms of plagiarism exist which to fairly new students in college may be quite hard to master. For instance copying from internet sources without giving credit, paraphrasing of other peoples work and not acknowledging the original author and the most common one is whereby students fail to cite even when they have referenced their work (Plagiarism Statement 2006). My position on this issue is that plagiarism should be discouraged using the strongest and enforceable terms possible. The first step is to give an F in the particular assignment or test and then proceed to reassign the test again but first making sure that the student understands what plagiarism is and why he or she is repeating the assignment. To make sure that the student is serious with work, the possible total marks that can be awarded in the second attempt of the paper is seventy percent and not a hundred in order to make the student to work harder. On top of redoing the work again, the student involved in plagiarism should appear before a specially constituted board of staff members in the department of the student and also the parents should be present (Jack and Michelle 2009). Failure of following the above procedure by the student will lead to failure in the course and subsequently no graduation for such a student. This stand may seem harsh but it is the only way of curtailing a culture that is threatening to kill innovation and originality among our future scholars. In the field of research, originality of ideas is encouraged although those ideas must be from prior similar work which someone took a lot of time to compile and acknowledgement would be in order. It would also deem to be unfair as a tutor to award marks to all students on the same scale considering that some have done their honest work and turned it on time whereas others have taken a short cut and copied from their friends at the last time to avoid failing in the paper (Jack and Michelle 2009). There has been a mushrooming of many internet sites that have custom written papers which a student can download an essay for quite an exorbitant fee in order to avoid doing the assignment. This trend pits students from rich backgrounds who can afford to buy professionally written papers in order to out do their counterparts against other students who depend sorely on their natural abilities to research. In the long run, some students may pass not because of their natural abilities and intellect but because they used shortcuts (Maureen and Joyce 2006). Some faculty members and teachers have argued that punishment that is doled on students in the case of plagiarism is sometimes extreme and impacts negatively on the lives of students who may sometimes be suspended for two years. According to an article appearing in The Daily Princetonian, as many as ten students were asked to leave the Princeton University for two years on various charges of plagiarism. In addition, twenty two students were slapped with suspensions and expulsions while the degrees of other students were withheld by the university (Jack and Michelle 2009). Most of the punishment is seen as draconian and unfair which is not the case especially when there are clearly outlined penalties for plagiarism which are available to every student in college. To counter this, many people argue that plagiarism is in many forms which should carry different penalties and not a viewed as equal (Plagiarism Statement 2006). While there may be different forms of plagiarism, the bottom line is that it all amounts to plagiarism and it should be treated the same. The only thing that may make difference in penalty is whether it is a first time offense or a repeated offence. The penalties are also not just handed but a committee sits downs and passes the sentence based on admissible evidence of plagiarism, laid down regulations and their expertise on such matters (Maureen and Joyce 2006). Conclusion There is no other way to show the seriousness of dealing with plagiarism other than to hand out stiff penalties on offenders in order to discourage the vice in our future scholars. However, considerations can be made on to what form of plagiarism because there are usually cases of mistakes and students end up paying severely. To avoid the penalties that come up with plagiarism, students have to make sure that they acknowledge their sources even if they have paraphrased the original thought, cut or copy pasting of material from the internet is not an option and all materials that is cited should be within the reference and the reference materials should be cited within your work. Work cited   Jack Ackerman and Michelle Wu. Doling Out Discipline. 29th April, 2009. 24 August 2009, Maureen Dawson and Joyce Overfileld. Plagiarism: Do students know what it is? 18 July 2006. 24 August 2009, Plagiarism Statement. Union County Public Schools Graduation Project Implementation Guide. 23 Jan, 2006. 24 August 2009.

Short Story Essay

The characters In the science fiction genre are too small minded to see the big picture. These characters are unable to evaluate the consequences of their actions. The characters are also resistant to the warnings of others. As a result, their ignorance may not only have jeopardized their own life and freedom, but may also have Jeopardized the lives and freedom of others. Characters in the science fiction genre are unable to evaluate the consequences of their actions and as a result jeopardize their own lives and freedom or the lives and freedom of others.To begin, in the short story â€Å"Men are Different† by Alan Bloch, the Robot is unable to see that treating the man as he would a fellow robot could result in the mans death, and ultimately the end of mankind. In the story the Robot decides that the man needs to be fixed and attempts to see what Is wrong with him: â€Å"†¦ His thermostat circuits were shot†¦ I turned him off without any trouble† (Bloch 1). The robot archeologist Is here studying the last man In the system. When the man begins complaining of the heat the Robot assumes he can fix him by opening him up as he loud do to another Robot.This shows that the Robot is unable to evaluate the consequences that may occur if he tries to fix this man. He is unable to see that he does not have the knowledge to fix a human and ultimately ends up killing the man, and ending mankind as a whole. Next, in the story â€Å"Random Sample† by T. P Caravan, the little girl could not see that by being mean and aggressive towards the aliens she could be putting her life, and the lives of others in Jeopardy. The little girl is telling the psychologist about her encounter with the aliens when she explains, â€Å"Anyway, hey paid a lot of attention to him, so I went over and punched him a couple of times.I'm afraid we broke up the insides of their spaceship a little† (Caravan 2). Here, the little girl Is telling the doctor about how s he Interacted with the aliens. She starts explaining what happened and It Is shown that she was very mean and aggressive towards them. By misbehaving and hurting the aliens and their spaceship, it proves that the little girl was unable to evaluate the consequences that would follow her actions. Ultimately, by acting this way towards the aliens she gave them a bad impression of humans which made them return to earth and kill off the human race. Lastly, in the story â€Å"Before Eden† by Arthur C.Clark, the scientists were unable to think about the consequences to Venus and its life forms if they buried their waste on the planet. After Hutchins and Garfield burry their waste and leave, the carpet plant comes back and discovers the garbage they left behind: â€Å"As the carpet crawled back to the lake, it carried contagion to all Its world. Even as the Morning Star set Its course for her distant home, Venus was dying† (Clark 6). When Hutchins and Garfield bury their garba ge on Venus, they do not think about how It could affect the planet. The carpet ends up coming back, finding the garbage and then eating It.The concentrated food, chemicals and nicotine from cigarette butts end up infecting the their garbage on the planet, they ultimately killed off all of the life on Venus. In conclusion, these characters in the science fiction genre were unable to evaluate the consequences of their actions and in all cases either put their own lives and freedom r the lives and freedom of others in Jeopardy. The characters in the non-fiction genre are resistant to the warnings of others and as a result, put their own lives and freedom or the lives and freedom of others in harms way.To start, in the story â€Å"The Weapon† by Frederick Brown, the doctor does not listen to the warning of Mr†¦ Maenad about his creation of the weapon. When Mr†¦ Maenad comes to Dry. Graham's house he expresses his concern about what Dry. Graham is creating: â€Å"Dry. Graham, you are the man who's scientific work is more likely than that of NY other man to end the human race's chance for survival† (Brown 1). As soon as Mr†¦ Maenad enters the doctors home, he warns him of how dangerous the weapon he is creating will be to mankind. Dry. Graham is resistant to his warning and claims that he is only advancing science.Ultimately, Dry. Graham ignores the warning and creates a weapon that could destroy mankind. It is only when Mr†¦ Maenad gives a gun to his mentally ill son, that he realizes how destructive the weapon really is if put in the wrong hands. Next, in the story â€Å"A Sound of Thunder† by Ray Bradbury, the hereafter Sickles does not listen to Travis' warning about leaving the Path and how it could change the future. When Sickles asks why they cannot leave the Path, Travis explains, â€Å"Step on one mouse and you leave your print, like a Grand Canyon, across Eternity.Queen Elizabeth might never be born†¦ There m ight never be a United States at all. So be careful. Stay on the Path. Never step off† (Bradbury 7). Here, Travis is explaining to Sickles why it is important to never leave the Path. While Travis is explaining this, Sickles questions him and does not believe that what Travis is saying sakes any sense. Sickles ignores the warning and later on in the story when he is running back to the time machine, he steps off the Path and changes the future.Ultimately, he puts peoples lives and freedom in danger by ignoring the warning and changing the future. Lastly, in the story â€Å"The Murderer† by Ray Bradbury, Mr†¦ Brock does not listen to the warning the psychiatrist gives him about damaging technology and as a result Jeopardizes his own freedom. When the psychiatrist is speaking to Mr†¦ Brock, he asks him if he's aware that the technology he is damaging is not his and says, Mimi don't want any further help from the Office of Mental Health? You're ready to take the consequences? (Bradbury 4). The psychiatrist is here explaining that because the technology he destroys is not his, if he does not take help from the Office of Mental Health he will be punished. Mr†¦ Brock ignores the warning and says it is only the beginning. By ignoring the warning, Mr†¦ Brock puts his own freedom in jeopardy and therefore has to remain in prison. The characters in the non fiction genre were too resistant to the warnings of others, and as a result put their own lives ND freedom or the lives and freedom of others in Jeopardy.In the science fiction genre, characters put their lives and freedom or the lives and freedom of others in Jeopardy. Characters in this genre cannot evaluate the consequences of their actions. The characters are also resistant to the warnings of small minded and blinded by what they want. The characters go by their own agenda rather than considering the greater good. They do not look at the bigger picture which results in their own de ath and loss of freedom, or the death and loss of freedom of others.

Passage Analysis Essay †The Lord Of The Flies by William Golding Essay

â€Å"†¦. he was thin and bony, and his hair was red beneath the black cap. His face was crumpled and freckled, and ugly without silliness. Out of this face stared two light blue eyes, frustrated now, and turning, or ready to turn, to anger.† This is a description of Jack’s physical self. Apart from the fact that his eyes were to turn red because of frustration, Jack sounds like an adorably cute twelve year old. Just like we are always told to never judge a book by its cover, we should never judge a person based on their physical appearance. Jack Merridew is far from an adorable kid. Behind those pretty light blue eyes lies not a human being but a snake, a dog, an ape. An evil prehistoric man, as described on pages 48 and 49. This passage is important because it plays as an introduction of Jack’s true personality, element that is essential in the rest of the novel. In this passage, it is said that Jack is seduced by the sound of pig footsteps on the ground, showing how obsessed he will become later in the book about death. The fact that in this passage he does not succeed at achieving his goal, and becomes frustrated, contributes to the brutality in his future hunts and the creation of a celebration dance. It also contributes to Jack’s realization that he cannot do this alone, bringing the rest of the hunters in to his world of mad savagery. The passage is significant to the whole plot of the book, since it explains the involvement of the other boys in the killing scenes and Jack’s blood driven personality. The scenery described in the passage is also important. It achieves its goal in demonstrating the difficulties presented when being inside the jungle. The dense air that is trapped in between the trees, under their branches makes it a hard place to breathe in. The tangled creepers, branches and bushes in general, make the jungle a hard place to walk through. Another important aspect of the jungle description in the passage, are the pig runs. These will be important in the future of the book since they are the only â€Å"clearing† in the thick jungle and witnesses of the deaths that will occur on them. As said before, the true personality of Jack comes afloat, for the first time in the book in this passage. The way he is described as a snake, is symbolic to the strong evil force in him. Symbolic of how, later on, in the book, he betrayes Ralph and stops at nothing to achieve what he wants. Complete power over the island and its inhabitants. The description of him as a dog is symbolic of his actions. How he just goes ahead with what his instincts tell him, and not really thinking about the consequences of his actions. He is just driven by the fun and freedom these momentarily provide. And last, but not least, his description of being like an ape symbolizes the decrease of civilization in each and every one of the boys. It is a visual comparison of Jack to a prehistoric animal. How he is going back into the basics of mankind. In conclusion to all the reasons presented, on why this passage is significant in the story of Lord of the Flies, it is to be summarized into just one phrase. This passage is simply an excellent introduction to one of the most influencial characters in the novel; Jack Merridew.

Do Not Feed The Wildlife - 1917 Words

Do Not Feed The Wildlife. Walking along a nature trail, a female deer walks up to a family without fear. The youngest girl goes to feed it some crackers she had in her pocket, but her dad stopped her. He points to a sign that states Do not feed the wildlife. He explains to the little girl, The more we feed wild animals, the more animals become dependent on humans. It is amusing how the Department of Agriculture can get it right about the care of animals, but society cannot get it right about people. The welfare system in the United States has allowed a lot of people to lose what self worth they may have. While welfare programs help to assist families with getting out of poverty, the increase of people abusing the system will destroy the economy. In the beginning, it the founding fathers recognized the need to take care of the sick and the indigent. Nevertheless, it was recognized that local families and communities should decide any welfare that would be provided to the sick and indi gent. This was the belief because it would be too hard for the government to decide who is truly needed and who is abusing the system (http://dailycaller.com/2011/07/05/what-would-the-founders-do-about-welfare/). On August 14, 1935, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act of 1935 into law. The Social Security Act of 1935 was the first step in creating social welfare into what it has become today. The Social Security Act was meant to assist individuals of age thatShow MoreRelatedWhy Hunters Should Not Hunting871 Words   |  4 Pagescourse differs for every state they have the same mission. To teach hunters to be ethical, engaged, well-informed and safe. In Texas kids who are sixteen and younger must take the hunters safety course online but they must also attend a field day. 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