In chapter 7 of the text, the author brought up many excellent points. It was recognizable that one of themes of the chapter was to not steal ideas from others. The author did a great job providing specific examples. One example that stood out was President Obama’s use of words from another politician in his speech . That part resonated with me, because I remember watching coverage of the story on different networks. In the past, I have been fairly cautious when it comes to using sources. So cautious, that I would not use them unless I absolutely had to. This chapter helped me pinpoint some of the reasons why. The first reason is because I did not want to cite sources incorrectly. At times it can be difficult to properly cite a source. If you site it appropriately you’re an academic, if you don’t you lose credibility. Second, I was mistakenly under the impression that if you do not use many sources, you are an expert. Using sources does not take away from your expertise, it adds to it. People actually view you as more trustworthy when they can reference your work. I have always thought of using sources as lacking creativity. That’s why the section about there being nothing new under the sun was refreshing. Finally, I learned that there is nothing wrong with gaining “inspiration” from a variety of sources, as long as you credit them. This actually makes a great deal of sense because you are honoring the person who created the work by acknowledging their efforts.

Troy Swanson.” Mash It Up…Gracefully”. “Why White Rice? -Thinking Through Writing”. Kendal Hunt Pub. 2010. p.163-174