Using and Documenting Sources

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Using and Documenting Sources
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Why Quote?

• Authority
• Unique Language
• Unmistakable Attribution
• To Oppose

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Quotes are effective when

• Used selectively.
• Particularly interesting, vivid, unusual, or apt.
• Accurate and in-context.

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Avoid

• Over-quotation makes your readers think youre
  boring and/or unoriginal.
• Inaccuracies if you change anything in the
  quote, make it clear youve made changes.
• Quoting out of context.

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One reason competitive sports are bad for
children is that they entice kids into actions
that are bad for growing bodies. For example, a
twelve year old attempting to throw a curve ball
may put abnormal strain on developing arm and
shoulder muscles (Koppett 294). Furthermore,
kids, by nature, want to preserve their
well-being and bodily integrity, and too often
competitive sports require them to go against
their own instincts. As Thomas Tutko, a
psychology professor at San Jose State University
and author of the book Winning is Everything and
Other American Myths, says, Sports like pee wee
football force kids into actions that are
inherently bad for them. It is simply foolish to
allow kids at that stage of development to crash
into other kids over and over (qtd. in Tosches
A1). And sometimes, kids experiences can be
borderline abusive. A reporter watched the
following scene between an adult coach and seven
year old pee wee player Coach, my tummy
hurts, the boy cried. Theres nothing wrong
with your stomach. Its all in your head. Now
get in there like a man and play. When the
coach turned his head, the boy stuck his finger
down his throat and vomited on the ground.
Coach, the little boy said, pointing to the
ground, see, I told you Im sick. (Tosches
A22) Clearly, while children may often enjoy
playing competitive sports, too often they are
coerced into doing things that are bad for them.
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One reason competitive sports are bad for
children is that they entice kids into actions
that are bad for growing bodies. For example, a
twelve year old trying to throw a curve ball may
put abnormal strain on developing arm and
shoulder muscles (Koppett 294). Furthermore,
kids, by nature, want to preserve their
well-being and bodily integrity, and too often
competitive sports require them to go against
their own instincts. As Thomas Tutko, a
psychology professor at San Jose State University
and author of the book Winning is Everything and
Other American Myths, says, Sports like pee wee
football force kids into actions that are
inherently bad for them. It is simply foolish to
allow kids at that stage of development to crash
into other kids over and over (qtd. in Tosches
A1). And sometimes, kids experiences can be
borderline abusive. A reporter watched the
following scene between and adult coach and seven
year old pee wee player Coach, my tummy
hurts, the boy cried. Theres nothing wrong
with your stomach. Its all in your head. Now
get in there like a man and play. When the
coach turned his head, the boy stuck his finger
down his throat and vomited on the ground.
Coach, the little boy said, pointing to the
ground, see, I told you Im sick. (Tosches
A22) Clearly, while children may often enjoy
playing competitive sports, too often they are
coerced into doing things that are bad for them.
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Works Cited   Coakley, Jay J. Sport in Society
Issues and Controversies. St. Louis Mosby,
1982.   Koppett, Leonard. Sports Illusion,
Sports Reality. NY Houghton, 1981.   Kutner,
Lawrence. Athletics, through a Childs Eyes.
New York Times 23 March 1989, late
ed.C8.   Schmitt, Eric. Psychologists Take
Seat on Little League Bench. New York Times 14
March 1989, late ed. B2.   Smith, Nathan, Ronald
Smith, and Frank Smoll. Kidsports A Survival
Guide for Parents. NY Addison-Wesley,
1983.   Toshes, Rich. Peewee Football Is it
Time to Blow the Whistle? Los Angeles Times 3
Dec. 1988 A1.
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Weaving in a Quote
Clearly, one of the problems facing the modern
worldor maybe it is more accurate to say that it
is a problem the modern world forces us to
faceis our utter fixation on the new. We love
whats new and novel. If it isnt
innovative, it is not worth discussing, and it
is certainly not worth our time and money. This
is a problem because, as author Wendell Berry
writes, Devotion to the new enforces a
devaluation and dismissal of the old (121). In
our love affair with novelty, weve turned our
backs on some of the best humanity has to offer
simply because it is old. We too often reject
traditional practices and pieces of wisdom on the
grounds that they are useless relics from
previous generations. What we dont see is that
their endurance is an indication of their value.
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Weaving in a Partial Quote
Clearly, one of the problems facing the modern
worldor maybe it is more accurate to say that it
is a problem the modern world forces us to
faceis our utter fixation on the new. We love
whats new and novel. If it isnt
innovative, it is not worth discussing, and it
is certainly not worth our time and money. This
is a problem because devotion to the latest can
lead to a devaluation and dismissal of
important, valuable gifts from previous
generation (Berry 121). In our love affair with
novelty, weve turned our backs on some of the
best humanity has to offer simply because it is
old. We too often reject traditional practices
and pieces of wisdom on the grounds that they are
useless relics from previous generations. What
we dont see is that their endurance is an
indication of their value.
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Building on a Quote
Wendell Berry once wrote, Devotion to the new
enforces a devaluation and dismissal of the old
(121). Berrys short proclamation points to one
of the most significant problems facing the
modern worldor maybe it is more accurate to say
that it is a problem the modern world forces us
to face. The problem is our utter fixation on
the new. We love whats new and novel. If
it isnt innovative, it is not worth
discussing, and it is certainly not worth our
time and money. And it is this love affair with
novelty, Berry says, that has caused us to turn
our backs on some of the best humanity has to
offer simply because it is old. We too often
reject traditional practices and pieces of wisdom
on the grounds that they are useless relics from
previous generations. What we dont see is that
their endurance is an indication of their value.
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Using a Quote as Evidence
Lots of people today recognize the problem of the
cult of innovation, and lots of people are aware
of the consequences of this cult. Wendell Berry
has written, Devotion to the new enforces a
devaluation and dismissal of the old (121), and
T. Barry More has said that It is our
fascination with a cheap future that has caused
us to give away our priceless past (54). Even
pop culture icons like Brittany Spears, in her
unique way, recognizes the problem A lot of
people are so focused on the latest that dont
realize that the fashions of yesteryear are still
hip (qtd. in Shintz C1).  
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Dont Simply Drop It In
Clearly, one of the problems facing the modern
worldor maybe it is more accurate to say that it
is a problem the modern world forces us to
faceis our utter fixation on the new. We love
whats new and novel. If it isnt
innovative, it is not worth discussing, and it
is certainly not worth our time and money.
Devotion to the new enforces a devaluation and
dismissal of the old (Berry 121). In our love
affair with novelty, weve turned our backs on
some of the best humanity has to offer simply
because it is old. We too often reject
traditional practices and pieces of wisdom on the
grounds that they are useless relics from
previous generations. What we dont see is that
their endurance is an indication of their value.
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Lt. Colonel Claus Phillip Maria Schenk Graf von
Stauffenberg, who attempted to assassinate Adolf
Hitler  Better I be a
traitor to my country than a traitor to my
conscience.
Most people would probably agree that following
the law of the land does not ensure a moral life.
In fact, just the opposite following the law
can lead to an immoral life, and breaking the law
can be an intensely moral act. The Boston Tea
Party, the Underground Railroad, the labor
strikes of the early 20th century, the civil
rights marches, and the Vietnam protests are all
examples of illegal actions that were the morally
correct actions. And yet, even though we may all
agree with this in principle, the vast majority
of people unthinkingly adhere to the law and
assume that those who break itfor any reasonare
always wrong, or at least we initially suspect
that they must be in the wrong. The result of
this is that we sometimes act according to laws
that are immoral, and thus we become party to an
immorality. We dont notice it at the time
because our community and country rewards us (or
at least doesnt punish us) for following these
immoral laws, but what we are also doing is
sacrificing a part of ourselves. Each time we
allow ourselves to be complicit in an immorality
for the sake of country, convenience, and
comfort, we give up a part of our ethical being,
a part of our conscience.
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When the orders came for the assault on My Lai
the members of Charlie Company viewed the mission
as a chance for revenge. They were only at 60
of their normal strength, they had not received
any reinforcements or had any time off from
combat patrols, and when they finally got the
chance to strike back at what they had been told
was an enemy stronghold they jumped at the
chance. A soldier in Charlie Company said that
that day everyone was more or less doing
something that shouldnt be and way down inside
they knew it wasnt right. But we felt we were
getting revenge, and we rationalized this to
ourselves by convincing ourselves we were
destroying the enemy (Gershen 29).
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As one author stated in a history of My Lai,
The men of Charlie Company were
psychologically twisted, emotionally disturbed
wrecks of boys who had arrived in Vietnam three
and a half months earlier (Gershen 13).
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The legal consequences were not so devastating,
at least for most of the participants. Out of
the 300-plus people who had personal knowledge of
My Lai or who were directly involved, thirty men
were indicted by the U.S. Army investigation
(Cosmas 343).
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A newspaper article that was quoted in In the
Lake of the Woods briefly highlights the plight
of these unfortunate men after the war. It tells
of a homeless alcoholic who lived under a bridge
and was shot to death in the middle of the
night. According to police investigating the
murder, The victim was heard shouting Need an
evac helicopter now! and then there was silence
(qtd. in OBrien 261).
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The consequences of My Lai would be felt
throughout the entire lives of the participants.
As J.W. Appel asserted, The psychiatric
casualties are as inevitable as gunshot and
shrapnel wounds in warfare (1470).
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Idea One readily understandable danger of overly
competitive sports is that they entice children
into physical actions that are bad for growing
bodies. For example, a twelve-year old trying to
throw a curve ball may put abnormal strain on
developing arm and shoulder muscles, sometimes
resulting in lifelong injuries (Koppett
294).   Word for Word   WRONG Contact sports
like football can be even more dangerous. I am
strongly opposed to young kids playing tackle
football. Its not the right stage of
development for kids to be crashing into other
kids (Tutko A1).   CORRECT Contact sports like
football can be even more dangerous. Thomas
Tutko, a psychology professor and author of the
book Winning is Everything and Other American
Myths says, I am strongly opposed to young kids
playing tackle football. Its not the right
stage of development for kids to be crashing into
other kids (A1).   Partial Quote   The group of
parents reported seeing a young boy on the
sidelines hide from the coach and stick his
finger down his throat to make himself throwup
so that he wouldnt be forced to continue playing
in the game (Toshes 1).