Summary Of Plagiarism In A Cut And Paste World

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The article “Plague of Plagiarism in a Cut-and-Paste World” by Russell Smith addresses the new methods taken by universities to reduce the increasing plagiarism. The article states that youth in today’s society are immoral lack virtue and methods must be implemented to ensure that they do not commit wrongdoings. Russell Smith supports his thesis using both contrast and generalization as methods of development. The time of the author’s youth and the modern world today have much contrast on the methods of plagiarism. The methods taken to plagiarise have greatly altered since the time of the author’s youth. Today, in the modern world, most plagiarism is completed “over the Web,...without even the bother of photocopying…[paid]...with credit cards”. …show more content…
He first writes “Why is Plagiarism such a hot issue at the moment?” Smith uses this question to truly showcase how much of an issue plagiarism is through the methods being used to plagiarise and drawing comparisons to other generations. Smith concludes the article by stating “if you are not cheating, then what do you have to worry about?” The closing statement discards the other arguments distinctly stating that the only reason students have so many arguments is because they are in fact plagiarising because honest people would not be bothered at all. This leaves a lasting impression on the reader and provides more evidence to support the idea of the immorality of today’s youth. Metaphors are also used by the author to convey his message and develop tone. The title of the article is “Plague of Plagiarism”. Plagues are diseases that quickly spread across nations and the globe and causes sickness and death. In this context, a plagiarism is compared to a plague. It quickly develops the unpleasant tone and the uneasy mood that accompanies that statement. The reader is instantly given the idea that plagiarism affects almost everyone and that there are many plagiarists across the country though no official statistics are given. This statement is followed by the mention of university students protesting, tying them to the idea of the plagiarism plague. Using such vocabulary the author creates an image that portrays plagiarism as a terrible disease that must be cured by new methods while rhetorical questions are used to belittle other arguments and advocate his