I’m serious. That is what I’ve been thinking about even though I don't have a platform or wear high heels.
This week I had to write a term paper for my World History Class. Whoa. Before two days ago, I had not written a term paper since 12th grade with Miss Popplewell, but I quickly learned it is much easier writing a term paper using Microsoft Word than using a manual typewriter. Microsoft Word doesn’t require organized note cards or care if you forget a quote or footnote and want to add it into the first paragraph after the last paragraph is written. Typewriters do. Typewriters make you start all over, but Microsoft Word just scoots everything down and then politely reminds you to save your work when you’re finished. Typewriters also don’t count words, but do require carbon paper and correction fluid. All in all, term paper 2009 was a much more pleasant experience than term paper 1980.
Of all the term paper topics I read about in that very thick World History textbook, this sentence (found in the middle of the book) was the one I kept thinking about:
“Just as Christians have a missionary duty to spread their faith, so Muslims have the obligation, as individuals and as a community, to extend the power of Islam.”
I knew the two religions were at odds over Abraham’s birthright, but I thought that grudge could be resolved somehow. What I didn’t realize was that their ministry purposes were at complete odds. How will the world’s two largest religions ever come to peace pulling in opposite directions? I don’t know. I just wrote the term paper. I didn’t find a quote that gave an answer. (However rest assured, when it is found it can be added in with ease with Microsoft Word.)
5 comments:
I would have been in big trouble if I would have written term papers with typewriters. Those "5 am morning of" incoherent thoughts were easily rearranged, prodded and pushed into an acceptable paper.
On second though, I think it would have been good for me. (My mom's dearest friend typed, re-typed and re-typed her husband's masters thesis on a typewriter. I cannot imagine doing revisions like that.)
Are you back in school? Sounds like fun.
Casey is a little shocked it's not astronomy ;-)
(He retyped the emoticon- much snazzier than the standard smile I was trying to pass off.)
Oh Jane, what a huge endeavor for a term paper! Wow! I must admit, my typing, organizing, and general approach to writing has certainly degraded since Microsoft Word. I remember laughing at my typing teacher when he told me that everything I was learning would significantly decrease in quality as soon as I started using a Word Processor. He was right. But, I wouldn't trade it. No way.
Mom,
That was a Clever (with a capital C) post. I loved your last paragraph the best. I am so proud of you taking these classes. I was never as proud of my grades... as I was when you passed Physical Science. Holy Hannah, that was a HUGE accomplishment. I can't wait until you get into your English classes. I know you'll sail right through those (not that you didn't sail through Physical Science -wink-)
WOW! What a topic for a term paper. Where did you start? In church last week we watched the film "Obsession: Radical Islams' View of the West" It was shocking to see how much they hate Americans (Christians). Today we are finishing the film. Pastor is tieing it into his sermons on Revelations. We will be going through the whole book for the next couple of months. Eye-opening!
As for typewriters, I remember my mom would type people's term papers to make a little extra money. I am happy we have Word now.
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