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

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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