High School Handbook - River Dell Regional School District

The Original Source Passage
Apparently some stern decree has gone out from the upper reaches of the Hollywood establishment that love
between married people must never be portrayed on the screen....The top grossing film of 1990 was “Ghost,” one of a
series of sex-after-death fantasies that the movie industry has churned out in recent years. In this crafty tear-jerker, the
film makers seemed to make a point of the fact that the central couple, connected by a love so deep that it survives into
the afterlife, have never taken the trouble to get married....
As part of the continuing struggle we must do more than protest the bad; we should also begin promoting the good....keep
in mind that the entertainment industry is one area of endeavor in which a few gifted individuals can still make an
enormous difference. The American people have shown that they are ready to respond when given the opportunity, as
witness the utterly unexpected, $100 million success of a wholesome life-affirming project like “Driving Miss Daisy.”
Michael Medved, “Popular Culture and the War Against Standards.”
Imprimis (Feb.1991)
Virtually Verbatim Plagiarism
Apparently some stern advice has come from the upper reaches of the Hollywood establishment that love between
married people must never be portrayed on the screen....The top grossing film of 1990 was “Ghost,” one of the series of
sex-after-death fantasies that the movie industry has churned out in recent years. In this crafty tear-jerker, the film makers
seem to make a point of the fact that the central couple, connected by a love so deep that it survives into the afterlife, of
never taking the trouble of getting married. (sic)
As part of the continuing struggle we must do more than protest the bad; we must fight it actively....Keep in mind
that the entertainment industry is one area of endeavor in which a few gifted individuals can still make an enormous
difference. The American people have shown that they are ready to respond when given the opportunity, as witness the
utterly successful film, bringing in $100 million recently, “Driving Miss Daisy.”
H. Joachim Maitre, Commencement Address: May 12, 1991
Comment
The underlining shows the extent of the crime. Maitre has taken the entire Medved passage and simply inserted it
into his speech. The few changes in language are insignificant and, ironically, actually weaken the passage. Along with the
language, of course, comes Medved’s ideas
– and all without the slightest hint of attribution. A most obvious case of plagiarism. But there are also less obvious ways
of using sources improperly.
The Original Source Passage
Apparently some stern decree has gone out from the upper reaches of the Hollywood establishment that love
between married people must never be portrayed on the screen....The top grossing film of 1990 was “Ghost,” one of a
series of sex-after-death fantasies that the movie industry has churned out in recent years. In this crafty tear-jerker, the
film makers seemed to make a point of the fact that the central couple, connected by a love so deep that it survives into
the afterlife, have never taken the trouble to get married....
As part of the continuing struggle we must do more than protest the bad; we should also begin promoting the good...keep
in mind that the entertainment industry is one area of endeavor in which a few gifted individuals can still make an
enormous difference. The American people have shown that they are ready to respond when given the opportunity, as
witness the utterly unexpected $100 million success of a wholesome, life-affirming project like “Driving Miss Daisy.”
Cobbled Plagiarism
It seems that some stern decree has been issued from the higher echelons of the Hollywood establishment that
love between married couples should never be shown on the silver screen....Ghost, the biggest grossing film of 1990, is
one of a series of sex-after-death fantasies that Hollywood has pumped out recently. In this crafty tear-jerker, the main
couple are joined by a love that lasts into the beyond; but the film makers apparently did not think it was important that the
couple never bothered to tie the knot.... Protesting the bad is not enough; we must also promote the good....The movie
business is one area of endeavor in which outstanding artists can still make an enormous difference. The American public
has shown that it is ready to respond when given the chance, as is evidenced by the entirely surprising $100 million
success of a wholesome, life-affirming film like Driving Miss Daisy.
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