t w writ t h e forum
TRANSCRIPT
A publication of the Texas A&M International University Writing Center
http://www.tamiu.edu/writingcenter
Volume VII Issue II January/ February 2008
Writers’ Forum “Write here, write now”
In This Issue:
Jolly Vocab,
Secondhand
Sources,
Tutors to know,
A Crossword,
A Comic,
&
So Much More
Brandon Charlton
THE WRITERS’ FORUM Page 8
Printed by TAMIU Copy Center
“Flames & Ashes”
By Melissa Duran
I walked into his lips
and felt the fire in my heart.
I touched his left cheek
and my hands were frozen.
The black dry rose still lies
in my past with him.
The night he gave me this gift,
was a cold and rainy night
with the moon shining upon us.
I've wished we both
could stay together.
Nothing is what it seems,
As long as I felt it once in my life,
but if I could get it all back
just for one day. I will do
anything to hear his voice again.
If only I could touch him once more.
If only I had told him,
that the flames turned into ashes
and I want to feel the burn again
in my heart. If only…………
I could have told him
that I loved him. “Low Melting Point”
By Evelyn Martinez
I’m lonely, untouched
By human arms
Isolated as ice
Hot tears fight to warm me
But I refuse to let anything melt me
Because
Then who would I be?
A puddle
Perhaps I am like dry ice…
I’d like to think I am dry ice
Ever-solid
Inviting
Hot and untouchable
Gravity pulls at my heart
I am not dry ice
Rather than evaporate
I can melt and drown
(How perfectly useless and messy)
Once my heart
Loses its war
With physics
“Th
e B
urn
ing P
arad
ox”
by M
ich
el M
artí
n d
el C
amp
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200
7, d
igit
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edia
)
“Th
e W
hit
e W
itch
” b
y M
ich
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The
Volume VII Issue II
TTTH EH EH E WWWR I T E R SR I T E R SR I T E R S ’ ’ ’ FFFO R U MO R U MO R U M
A publication of the Texas A&M International University Writing Center
Volume VII Issue II Page 2 THE WRITERS’ FORUM
Writing Center
Location
Billy F. Cowart Hall 203
Hours
Monday – Thursday
8:00am – 8:30pm
Friday
8:00am – 3:00pm
Saturday
11:00am – 4:00pm
Sunday
1:00pm – 6:00pm
Phone Numbers
326-2883 - Front Desk
326-2884 - Helpline
Forum Editors:
Andy Benavides
Ariel Sauceda
Michel Martin del Campo
Director
Kimberly Thomas
326-2885
Associate Director
Destine Holmgreen
326-2907
“Write here, “Write here, “Write here, write now”write now”write now”
Layout:
Michel Martin del Campo
Andy Benavides
The London Experience: Fireflies By Joe Molina
“Do you all have fireflies back in the States,”
my professor, Nigel, asked as he walked before us like a
lawyer addressing a jury. He resembled a thin Robin
Leech minus the champagne wishes and caviar dreams
but always wore a smile.
“In South Carolina they come out on summer
nights and make the sky glow; gosh they’re beautiful,”
Sandra said with a Dolly Parton accent. Her Statue of
Liberty green eyes trailed off into space as she imagined
the fireflies back home.
“They don’t really come out a lot in Boston,
but when they do, they light everything up like winged
stars,” Lindsey, a thin blonde girl pondered aloud while
she twirled a few strands of her spaghetti hair around her
pointer finger.
Then, Courtney, a chain-smoking, trash-
talking Barbie-look-alike from Arkansas, spoke up, “If
you squeeze their butts and put the juice on your fingers,
it looks like you’re wearing glow in the dark mittens.”
Everyone’s eyes shot at Courtney, and she sunk into
her seat like it was quicksand, “Sorry, I’m from the
backwoods.”
It was Nigel, his back straight and chest forward
like Superman, who saved Courtney from death by em-
barrassment. “Right. Well it seems that even though
you’re all from different parts of the country, there are
still common threads you can identify with.” He placed
his hands on his hips, making his black blazer expand
like a cape, “I imagine 9/11 had the same affect, what
with the notion of national identity and all.” He paced to
the other end of the classroom, “The subway bombings
here a couple of summers ago had a similar affect, but
we Brits seem to take this kind of thing more causally.”
He faced us, “I suppose we are used to it what with the
Nazi Blitz and IRA bombings. Life just moves on, I
suppose.” He rubbed his chin with his right thumb and
pointer finger, “My first girlfriend was killed by an IRA
bomb.” Nigel said it more to himself than the class, but
the smile and color faded from his face as he slipped
into the emotional scab he had just opened.
Suddenly fireflies didn’t matter much anymore.
After a few minutes that felt like hours, Nigel, his
shoulders slumped like deflated balloons, snapped out of
his trance and stumbled through his lecture for a few
minutes before dismissing class early. Nigel’s frowning
face stalked me like a burglar the rest of the day as I
tried to digest the image of a young Nigel crying over
his murdered girlfriend even though no number of tears
would ever bring her back; maybe the worst goodbyes
are the ones that never get said.
I drifted off to sleep that night wrestling with the
idea of how, even though life takes time to create, death
can strike at any moment like a cobra attacking a blind
man.
Boom. Boom.
My eyes shot open; my bedroom window was filled
with orange and red light. With my hair askew like Tim
Burton, and drool dripping down my face, I stumbled
out of bed and shuffled like a zombie to the window. My
hands went cold.
Fireballs bathed the London skyline in a blanket of
Nickelodeon-orange, and I felt like I was in Baghdad.
The whole scene was so real it was surreal. I trem-
bled as I thought about home and everything I’d never
see again: my mom and her linen-soft Chewbacca-
brown hair, the friends who I played Monopoly and
Cranium with, and my cat, Chucky, who was once run
over by a car but lived to tell about it.
Boom. A green light in the night and then a blue
one; they glowed like giant fireflies.
I rubbed my eyes and looked more closely at the
multicolored explosions and realized what they were:
fireworks.
Once my hands began circulating blood and became
warm again, I slipped back into bed, as ashamed as
Courtney was in class but grateful nobody was around to
watch me contemplate my mortality over nothing. I
watched the fireworks through my window like giant
Christmas lights, and even though a few seconds earlier
I’d thought the world was ending, it didn’t, and as Nigel
said, life went on.
Volume VII Issue II Page 7 THE WRITERS’ FORUM
Gladys Benavides
Having graduated from Martin High School and attended LCC and UT
-Pan-American, Gladys finally joins us. She explains, “Being a writing
tutor is not a new experience for me. I worked as both a reading and
English tutor for about three years.” She is a junior majoring in Early
Childhood Education with a Bilingual specialization. Aside from
teaching, she enjoys “women’s studies and learning about the contri-
butions of women to society, even more when they are obscured by
other contributions by men,” listening to music from classical to hard
rock, and reading anything that inspires her curiosity.
Tony Casarez
A pre-law student and English major? Yes, Tony is these and so much
more. He enjoys reading renaissance and classical literature, watching
movies on the weekends, volunteering in the community, and practicing
“Brazilian ju-jitsu with [an] International Brazilian affiliation.” This TA-
MIU junior is outdoorsy and has a bit of an artistic streak. Tony loves “to
travel, hunt, fish, and mountain bike”; on the other hand, he enjoys seeing
plays and is currently producing a short film of his own: Pachanga de los
Muertos, a Laredo version of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
Magdalena “Maggie” Omaña
Born and raised in Eagle Pass, Texas, Maggie graduated from
high school in 2006 and is now an English Major. She enjoys cre-
ative writing and plans to be an English teacher. She muses, “I
always try to be there whenever I can help out with whatever I
can.” She reads everything —Dracula, Frankenstein, and Anne
Rice novels. Being a bit of a tomboy, she ADORES videogames,
explaining, “I’m weird, but it’s the weirdness that brings people
together.”
Lorraine Ramirez
“I was born in Amarillo, Texas, and moved to Laredo back in
1996,” Lorraine tells us. She is majoring in English with a minor
in Art History and plans on graduating in December 2008. She is
considering graduate school or law school. Lorraine is unique and
enjoys listening to country, jazz, big band, classical, and opera,
and reading pieces by Bret Easton Ellis, Anne Rice, and Henry
David Thoreau. Writing, reading, and solving word games are her
favorite pastimes.
Do you know...
Page 3
Volume VII Issue II Page 6
THE WRITERS’ FORUM
Breaking Barriers by Gladys Benavides
Imagine walking into a classroom filled with un-
known faces. No one speaks your language, you try to speak to
someone, but no one seems to understand you. You are com-
pletely lost. Now imagine feeling like this every day you go to
class. This is a typical situation English language learners often
encounter when pursuing their educational goals. As students
bring diverse backgrounds to the Writing Center, we must use a
variety of teaching methods to move students toward educa-
tional success and integration into the larger society. A variety
of formats is needed to meet the multiple needs of diverse stu-
dents. As tutors, we hold the keys to help ESL students aug-
ment their skills and develop the language effectively. Various
pointers can be used to accomplish these goals. These are clas-
sified into three areas: environmental, linguistic, and non-
linguistic.
The environment is fundamental in the development
and education of English language learners. Therefore, we
need an atmosphere where students feel at ease and so are able
to learn. Following are some general guidelines to improve the
setting for an ESL student:
Create a climate to show students that their first languages
are valued and are important for learning.
Create a stress-free environment to encourage risk taking
and respect for all students and their endeavors.
Make eye contact with non-English speakers to give a
sense of inclusion.
Validate diverse cultures and languages to promote learn-
ing by providing access to resource materials in other lan-
guages and using displays in multi-languages.
During tutoring sessions, follow predictable routines. This
helps students know how the session flows and minimizes
confusion.
For ESL students, their primary language is some-
times the only one they have to communicate. However, tutors
must not allow this to become their crutch; instead, by follow-
ing the guidelines below, we can make the English language
more accessible for learning.
Speak at a slower rate and articulate clearly to help estab-
lish clear word boundaries and allow more time for pro-
cessing information.
Use common vocabulary
words that are most likely to be
familiar.
Avoid use of slang and idi-
oms. Maintain usage of linguisti-
cally and grammatically correct
English.
Use simplified sentences and
avoid fragmented speech.
Use codeswitching, translating chunks of information,
rather than “concurrent translation,” translating each sen-
tence verbatim. The latter can confuse students because not
enough information is given in either language at one time.
Ask open-ended questions to monitor comprehension. If
you are not sure what the student is saying, ask clarifying
questions.
Allow “wait time” after asking a question. Phrase ques-
tions simply, and give time to process the question and
formulate a response.
Use context clues. Provide realistic frameworks in the
presentation of material.
Be aware of and explain synonymous terms, and avoid
ambiguous terms to eliminate confusion.
Repeat and stress key concepts and terminology.
Focus on communication and encourage discourse.
Rephrase statements to correct structure and “build on”
emergent English speech. DO NOT correct every single
word English learners are saying.
In addition to their oral and written language, English
learners must also rely on kinesthetic communication to im-
prove their learning. Non-linguistic strategies like the ones
listed below are useful in helping these students.
During a tutoring session, incorporate visual displays. Use
charts, graphs, photographs, objects, newspaper and maga-
zine clippings, manipulatives, and audio-visuals through-
out the session.
Address visual, aural, tactile, and kinesthetic modes of
learning.
Make and facilitate lists of vocabulary to be previewed
before starting a full on session. Write down key terms and
instruction on paper.
Have students create and maintain a register of terms.
Along with these guidelines, tutors can further assist
our English language learners by following a preview-teach-
review tutoring plan. First, preview the writing assignment in
the student’s primary language, if possible. If not, try to present
as much information in a simpler format. Then, tutor the stu-
dent in English. Follow the steps for a regular tutoring session.
Also, allow students to ask questions in their primary language
if you understand it, but always reply in English. Finally, re-
view the writing assignment, in their native language if need be
and possible, to clarify any remaining questions the student
may have.
Through encouragement, versatility, flexibility, and
accommodation of the needs of students at different levels of
ability tutors can make ESL students’ writing experiences more
engaging and effective.
? Welcome Greetings
Volume VII Issue II THE WRITERS’ FORUM
Secondhand Sources By Monica Luna and Jonathan Martinez
Have you, while scouring through dozens and dozens of printouts, ever come across a fantastic quote that you must use, but can’t because the quote doesn’t belong to your source? This is called an indirect source, and as you continue writing es-
says and research papers, you will need to know how to properly cite such sources. Enjoy this in-formative account of how to use indirect sources in MLA and APA format. MLA Format: In MLA, if you quote or paraphrase “someone’s pub-lished account of another’s spoken remarks,” then, after the quote or paraphrase you will put qtd. in (“quoted in”) in your in-text citation. Examples: Edgar Johnson argues Ebenezer Scrooge is “nothing other than a personification of economic man” (qtd. in Morris 46).
Works Cited
Morris, William E. “The Conversion of Scrooge: A
Defense of That Good Man’s Motivation.”
Studies in Short Fiction. 3.1 (1965): 46-55.
APA Format: In APA, an indirect source is cited in text by naming the original work or author. In your in-text citation, you will put as cited in followed by the citation for the secondary source. Examples: Edgar Johnson (as cited in Morris, 1965) stated Ebenezer Scrooge is “nothing other than a personifi-cation of economic man” (p. 46).
Reference List
Morris, W. E. (1965). The conversion of Scrooge: A
defense of that good man’s motivation. Studies in
Short Fiction, 3(1), 46-55.
Simple, right? Now, before going off to cite
all your indirect sources, please, let us provide you
with some sound words of advice: always try to use
the original source in your work. When doing re-
search, it is best to examine and study scholars’ or
researchers’ direct works [this way you get a feel for
what is being said or claimed]. However, sometimes,
whether it is because an article or book is no longer
in print or because it is rare, you have no choice but
to use indirect sources. In those cases, feel free to
use your newfound knowledge. Good luck with your
papers and happy writing!
Blithe, adj.
Pronunciation: [blīth, blīth]
Definition:
The state of being merry or happy, having a cheerful disposition. The children loved Pennywise the Clown’s blithe spirit
—blithely – adv.
The manner of being cheerful; merrily, happily. The salty scally-wag sang his songs of the sea blithely.
—blitheness – noun.
The state of being jolly; merriness, happiness. The angst-filled teenager composed a sonnet about humanities futile pursuit of blithe-ness.
Synonyms: Merry, happy, cheerful, jocund, jaunty, mirthful, light-hearted, vivacious, sunny, sprightly, blissful, jolly,
Etymology:
The current meaning of blithe is derived from the Old Norse word bliðr—mild, gentle, and kind— and the Gothic, the East Germanic language of the Goths, word bleiþs—―kind and merci-ful.‖ The original use of the word meant to be kind, sympathetic, or affectionate to others. However, in Old English, heavily influ-enced by Old Norse and Germanic dialects, bliðe was used to describe the act of being happy. In Modern English, blithe be-came known as being carefree or indifferent.
Blithe in use:
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822) – ―Ode to a Skylark‖
Hail to thee, blithe spirit!
Bird thou never wert—
That from heaven or near it
Pourest thy full heart
In profuse strains of unpremeditated art.
It’s the Word of the Month
Sources: “Blithe.” The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. “Blithe." Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1). Lexico
Publishing Group, LLC. 28 Oct. 2007. <Thesaurus.com http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/blithe>.
by Jonathan Martinez
Volume VII Issue II Page 5 THE WRITERS’ FORUM
THE WRITERS’ FORUM Volume VII Issue II Page 4
Down
1) A religious, literary, and philosophi-
cal movement that lasted from 1836-
1860.
2) I went to the woods to live deliberate-
ly.
3) Where did the movement flourish?
4) I have not accurate knowledge of my
age, never having seen any authentic
record containing it.
7) Thoreau
9) Readers are plentiful; __________
are rare.
Across
5) I was born in 1803 and died in 1884.
6) Male and female represent the great
radical dualism.
8) I died for ________, but was
scarce.
10) The role of the __________ scholar
is to raise, to cheer, and to guide.
11) ___________ is counted sweetest
still to those that ne’er succeed.
12) I sing of _________
Nature’s PUZZLE by Lorraine Ramirez
...to be
awake is to
be alive….
“What Fourth Wall?” by Michel Martín del Campo and Chelsea Comer