1. Summaries:
The
How-­‐To
Guide
Many
of
your
professors
throughout
your
collegiate
career
will
ask
you
to
summarize
various
texts.
If
this
request
has
had
you
paralyzed
with
fear
in
the
past,
fear
no
more!
This
short,
handy
guide
will
give
you
the
basic
tools
you’ll
need
to
summarize!
First,
it
is
good
to
properly
understand
what
the
point
of
summaries
is:
Summaries
include
the
major
points
of
a
specific
text,
working
to
identity
the
main
gist
of
the
piece
of
writing.
Identifying
the
main
idea
or
argument
the
author
is
trying
to
communicate
(as
well
as
the
points
they
use
to
communicate
that
idea
or
argument)
is
how
you
summarize.
In
a
way,
summarizing
is
all
about
identifying
the
author’s
thesis
statement.
Here
is
an
example:
Original
Text:
Today,
pornography
attempts
to
make
its
audience
focus
their
fantasies
on
specific
people.
The
"Playmate
of
the
Month"
is
a
particular
woman
about
whom
the
reader
is
meant
to
have
particular
fantasies.
In
my
view,
this
has
a
more
baneful
effect
on
people-­‐-­‐makes
them
demented,
in
fact,
in
a
way
that
earlier
pornography
didn't.
Today's
pornography
promises
them
that
there
exists,
somewhere
on
this
earth,
a
life
of
endlessly
desirable
and
available
women
and
endlessly
potent
men.
The
promise
that
this
life
is
just
around
the
corner-­‐-­‐in
Hugh
Hefner's
mansion,
or
even
just
in
the
next
joint
or
the
next
snort-­‐-­‐is
maddening
and
disorienting.
And
in
its
futility,
it
makes
for
rage
and
self-­‐hatred.
The
traditional
argument
against
censorship-­‐-­‐that
"no
one
can
be
seduced
by
a
book"-­‐-­‐was
probably
valid
when
pornography
was
impersonal
and
anonymous,
purely
an
aid
to
fantasizing
about
sexual
utopia.
Today,
however,
there
is
addiction
and
seduction
in
pornography.
From:
Decter,
M.
(1998)
The
Growth
of
Pornography
in
Society
London:
Raymonde
Press.
Summary
of
Text:
Decter
argues
that
because
pornography
is
more
realistic
now,
using
photographs
of
people
with
names
and
identities,
it
is
more
harmful
to
its
readers
and
viewers,
who
can
easily
grow
dissatisfied
and
frustrated
with
fantasies.
From:
"Writing Tips: Summaries." The Center for Writing Studies. Center for Writing Studies, n.d. Web. 20 Jan 2014.
<http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/writers/tips/summary/>.
Now
that
you
understand
what
summaries
are,
how
do
you
do
it?
Here
are
some
helpful
steps:
•
•
•
•
Underline
various
parts
of
the
text
while
reading.
(Using
various
colors
may
be
helpful:
green
for
possible
thesis
statements,
blue
for
supporting
details,
etc..)
After
reading,
outline
the
article
from
memory
(beginning
with
the
text’s
thesis
statement).
Set
the
text
aside
and
do
this
from
your
own
memory!
This
will
help
you
better
engage
with
the
text.
Now
that
you
have
your
outline,
incorporate
the
items
you’ve
highlighted.
Make
sure
to
keep
your
summary
specific,
not
simply
repeating
back
the
article.
Remember:
A
summary
is
supposed
to
give
the
basic
idea
and
supporting
details
from
the
text…
NOT
A
RUNTHROUGH
OF
THE
ENTIRE
ARTICLE!
Pull
from
your
established
outline
when
writing
your
summary.
Present
the
main
idea
clearly
and
how
the
author
communicates
that
idea.