Tutor profile: Maryellen J.

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism has several definitions. Using someone else’s work is plagiarism. But other things are considered plagiarism as well. Copying and pasting small sections of someone else’s work without citing it, giving credit (in MLA, APA, or Chicago citation format) is plagiarism. Turning work written, and graded, for one class into another instructor is considered plagiarism. Plagiarism has many ramifications including receiving a zero on the assignment, failing the course, and expulsion from school.

How does the story of Rip Van Winkle inform the myth of the American Dream?

The notion of the American Dream is that Americans work hard and can—and do rise above any obstacle standing between them and success. In Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle, we see just the opposite. Rip, is apathetic; he would rather spend his days lounging about, or drinking at a local tavern. And then Rip falls asleep. He sleeps through one of the most important moments in American history, The Revolution, not caring enough to be engaged. As with all literature, we must examine how the text relates to today’s world. Rip Van Winkle becomes a cautionary tale. Don’t be apathetic, or the whole world could change while you’re napping. Be engaged with your family, community, politics; work for a better world. It is American Apathy that is the norm and not the myth of the American Dream.

What was the importance of the Eire Canal?

The Eire Canal, completed in October of 1825, connected the New York City to the Great Lakes. In a time before railways, when pack animals and wagons were the common mode of transport, the canal, which ran 363 miles, allowed more, heavier, goods to be carried great distances in a shorter amount of time. Boats on the Eire Canal transported everything from fresh seafood (a thing unheard of in the Midwest) to life-saving medicines. The Canal changed the way Americans did business and the face of American economics.