Strunk & White 5

          In this last chapter of the book, the authors take a different approach to explain style in writing. The authors give a brief introduction about the style of writing, in which they point out that style is very hard to define. They also talk about how style is the increment of writing that there is no foolproof guide for. After this introduction, the authors go on to give general rules about how to find a style that fits you and your writing. These rules are much less definitive than those of other chapters, and they are a little more open to interpretation in how you chose to define them. The authors, nevertheless, still continue the brief, and right to the point descriptions of each rule to explain their ideas thoroughly.
          I really liked that the authors introduced style as a mystery. I thought the way they approached this chapter was really clever and relatable. Also, I think their rules were practical and good as just general reminders of the dos and don'ts of writing. This was a really strong way to conclude their short book, and I think that all of the ideas that were included in this chapter finished everything really well. I think these past few précis chapters have been my favorite to read so far, and I will probably be keeping them for future reference, because they were certainly helpful as well.

Strunk & White #4

          In this chapter, the authors go over and explain words and expressions that are commonly misused. The title gets right to the point by telling you exactly what you'll be reading within this chapter. Each point starts with a subtitle, or idea of the blurb, in bold print, and a brief explanation following the issues the author has with the misusage of that word. Occasionally, an example will be given to further clarify what the author expresses. The points are alphabetized so a neat and organized structure is established.
          I know that I am definitely guilty of misusing several of these words and phrases, and they are habits that I should break. There were a lot, so I may have trouble remembering all of them, but I have marked the ones in my packet that I commonly mess up. Some of the points seem like simply common sense, but I'm sure that I have probably messed those up somewhere along the way too. I know the authors hit me right away with "Aggravate. Irritate." because I'm almost positive that I mess that up daily. As the chapter went on, I ended up feeling worse and worse about my writing, and I hope that I can catch and consider these mistakes in the future.

Strunk & White #3

In these chapters, the authors talk about the elements of style in writing and some typical details of format. They begin with creating a main design for your paper, and move on to paragraph formation and so on. Instead of simple grammar rules, the book has moved on to formation and structure rules that will help make writing clearer, easier to read, and more organized. I thought the bit about negatives was interesting, because most of the parts seemed like common sense, but that one was not something I'd know right away. I also though Chapter 3 was particularly helpful, as these are rules that I was never taught in school, but always expected to know.
A couple of interesting points I took note on:
In Mr. Halaw's class, we recently discussed active and passive voice, and the section in this reading was a complete flashback to everything we talked about. Also, in the "put statements in positive form" section, there is an example about studying latin being a waste of time. I thought this was particularly ironic. "Omit needless words" was the section that I recall being mentioned in the introduction, and I wonder why here, it is not as prominent as I thought it would be. Lastly, I liked that he ended Chapter 2, with a rule about putting the emphasis on the end. The irony was just killing me... intentional or not. I know this was not the format of a regular precis, but I figure it proves that I actually read, so Mr. V. won't be too mad... Please accept my dearest apology, as it is late, and I have not slept for quite some time.

Strunk & White #2

This chapter was all about grammar rules and usage. Strunk and White gave the first 11 major rules to follow when writing anything in English, especially an essay or research paper. These are rules that generally everyone should know and follow, with 3, 4, 5, and 6 being the most important in the writers's opinion. This chapter covers major grammar mistakes in a concise, straightforward, and not overly confusing way. Of course, one could go on about grammar forever, (Mr. Halaw) but these rules cover the most information with the shortest amount of writing.
I think it's funny that the author(s) chose to begin with the simple rule that they do. I guess because this is such a common question, the author(s) thought it necessary to address it right away, instead of something more complex or insightful. Also, I was a little confused between the restrictive vs. unrestrictive sentences, as I didn't completely understand the difference between them when looking at the examples. Surprisingly enough, I learned a lot about grammar for myself during this chapter. It reminded me of Mr. Halaw's grammar lessons, but much shorter and a little more to the point.

The Elements of Style Foreword and Intro Precis

E.B. White, in the Foreword and Introduction of his revised edition of "The Elements of Style", introduces Will Strunk, and the origins of the book. Will Strunk, White's professor at Cornell pre-1920s, had a "little book" which he used to teach his English 8 course. Strunk eventually passed, and after he did, White was asked to revise and remake his "little book", which included many grammar and language rules of English. White generally kept the book the same, not wanting to lose the character or flavor the professor put into the book, but added a few ideas of his own as well within the introduction and chapter on writing. He seems to think highly of his old professor, as he describes him with the utmost respect and reverence. Strunk himself is characterized as a funny little man with a distinctive, but pleasant personality, who would have been a joy to meet and converse with.
These two sections of the book captured my attention with the slight humor, and story behind the writing. I'll be interested to read Strunk's and White's ideas about writing itself, and the few basic rules that must be followed. I'd like to see how I add up in their eyes (whether I make the mistakes or not while I write). I think that it's so funny that "omit needless words" was his number one rule, because that is something so many people, including myself, struggle with, but is so crucial to strong, concise writing.

Chapter 17 and The Ethics of Research

Chapter 17 talks about revising, and especially about sentence structure. Shaping your sentences so that the reader can understand your argument is incredibly important to make your argument come across clearly. You must present your essay clearly and concise, and Chapter 17 helps to break down sentences so you can do just that. 'The Ethics of Research' mainly concludes the book and wraps up everything the authors have said up until this point. It gives you a couple commandments to follow as going through your research (basically reminders not to do anything unethical), and advises you on the social part of research. When you research, you research for the community, and and dishonest act you perform reflects on them as a whole, not only on yourself. Research is not only for you, but for the society, and sharing it is key to progressing it in the future.
I wasn't overly crazy about Chapter 17, because it was a lot of grammar. It was interesting in the way they explained breaking down sentences to really strengthen your argument, but it was mainly stuff that I already knew. It still had some good input that I will keep in mind while forming my sentences and revising my work. 'The Ethics of Research' was a reminder not to plagiarize, which I know already, thank you very much. I liked the motivational suggestions that research was for the community though, it was a good attempt to make me want to write!

Precis Chapters 14 &16

These chapters talk about revising and introducing/concluding your research essay. Chapter 14 focuses on telling the reader how to revise their essay. The authors explain that revision is important, but especially hard, because you must look at your work from your reader's point of view. They also give you a systematic process by which to go about revising your paper in order to get the most objective look at it. Revising does not simply mean editing, like many new researchers think that it does; it includes looking at all aspects of the paper, right down to the wording of the main argument itself. Chapter 16 focuses on including a strong introduction and conclusion in the research essay. There is a step-by-step process the reader can follow which might help make their beginning and ending stronger and more crisp. I especially enjoyed the part that talks about the first and last few words of the paper, and also the title, as I found them especially helpful.
Revising will come a little later in the writing process for me, so I am not much concerned about chapter 14 right now, but I did find chapter 16 very helpful. Introductions and conclusions are something I'm not overly good with, so this chapter could really guide me through the process of writing really strong ones. Also, I always have trouble with creating a catchy/interesting title, so the little bit about that gave me some useful information as well. When I get around to the revision process, chapter 14 will really come in handy, because it was a really good guide to showing me how to look at my paper. Overall, these chapters were really helpful (I guess they all have been in their own ways) and I will totally refer back to them when I need them in the future.

Planning Again, Chapters 12 and 13

These three sections of the book talk about planning and drafting for what will eventually become your final research paper. Planning Again talks about how forming an outline before you start is not the most important thing, because sometimes it is more helpful to begin writing and THEN create your outline. There is no set time or set procedure to follow; just do what you feel you have to do when you're comfortable doing it. Planning Again also talks about when to start a first draft and topic-based vs. point outlines. Chapter 12 talks about planning your report. It discusses the major mistakes many new researchers make, how a plan can be a good guide, and how it can simplify writing when you sit down to do it. Chapter 13 talks about drafting, and how it is equally as important as planning to the research. It can help you discover new ideas and enhance them, and also work out all of the kinks that you have had in the research up until now. The last section also talks about my biggest challenges, procrastination and writer's block, and helped me not look so warily at the task I must do.
Because my first draft of my essay is coming up soon, these chapters were important for me to read. They will guide me through my first steps toward writing my paper and planning out what I will do in the future. Furthermore, they gave me new ideas to use when planning what I will say, and a new form of an outline that may be helpful. I especially liked the part about procrastination and writer's block, because between the two of them, they will be my downfall. I will take the steps the author's gave on how to avoid it and tackle my research project in smaller, but manageable steps.

Precis The Craft of Research - Part 3: Chapters 10 & 11

Chapter 10 talks about how to respond to other points of view in your essay. In order to write a full, and thoughtful research paper, other points of view must be acknowledged and responded to accordingly; otherwise, the argument will seem one-dimensional and incomplete. Explain the cracks in other points of view, and also why yours seems to be the better alternative. The authors give you a probable solution to just about any problem you might encounter while looking at other arguments. They also give you good ways to think of other points of view if you have trouble coming up with them on your own. Chapter 11 talks about warrants, or statements that connects reasons to claims. The authors discuss everything from creating your own warrants to questioning the relevance and significance of others warrants, and how to address them in your writing.
These chapters are both helpful to me, because they are the first main chapters that address how to look at other points of view. Also, they introduced me to the new term 'warrant' which I will now be keeping an eye out for. In my last essay, I did not generally address other points of view, or include warrants (that I was aware of), and now that I know how to do both, I will use these chapters to do that to the best of my ability.

Precis for Chapters 8 and 9

Chapter 8 talks about your research 'claim', or the answer to your research question. This serves as the main point of the paper, so it is important that it is clear and significant. There is no right or wrong claim, but there are ways to improve to upon the ones you make. For example, by asserting that your claim is specific, while giving you enough to talk about. The claim must also be significant and persuasive to the reader. Chapter 9 discusses the two ways to support your claim, reasons and evidence. Reasons help you logically order your essay in order to make it make sense, while evidence helps support those reasons. The evidence must be reliable and presented in such a way that it makes the reader believe what you are saying, which will be different for all readers.
These two chapters, especially chapter 9, will be helpful to me when I go to plan out my essay. I will need a strong and specific research question and claim, two things that I did not have before. which will help me focus my essay a little better on one, singular goal. Also, the reasons and evidence structure will be useful to follow while planning out my writing, and it will also remain a strong structure on which to build my paper. So far, I have found these two to be some of the most helpful and interesting chapters so far, and I will certainly keep them in mind as I move further into my research.

Precis for Assembling a Research Argument and Chapter 7

In this section of the book, the authors begin to talk about what you are to do once you have collected all of the research you need. One does not want to simply present the facts within the paper, but expand them and apply them to your relevant research problem. This will help you find a solution, and once that is understood, you will have a research argument. The prologue simply introduces this idea and explains how the next few chapters will go deeper into it, while Chapter 7 expands upon it and describes the characteristics of a good research argument. The authors give 5 questions that help examine your research argument; therefore, help you write the essay in a straightforward and to-the-point way. A strong argument leads to a strong paper, and it is a good way to organize your research and thoughts before the actual writing begins.
This process will be helpful to me, because it will help me narrow the idea of my essay and focus in on what specific information I want to include and/or need. For the most part, I skipped this step while writing my last paper, and it may have hurt me and hindered me while I was trying to write my essay. Although I am not far enough along in my research, nor deep enough into analyzing my topic to begin this step, it will be good to keep in mind and a smaller goal to work towards instead of tackling the big essay all at once.

Precis Chapters 5 and 6

Chapters 5 and 6 are about finding, utilizing, and applying sources to support your research. Chapter 5 focuses primarily on locating and identifying helpful ad reliable sources, while chapter 6 focuses on what to do with them once you have them. Chapter 5 broke down how to go through articles, books, or other support you find in a way that best gives you appropriate information on the source. It talks about the best places to find good support, and how to make sure it is useful to you once you find it. Chapter six talks about putting the sources to good use by finding your argument through them, or enhancing it. No source is a waste, and every one must be used for some reason. Taking notes while going through sources is helpful, and can lead to less problems in the future. Overall, I found 5 and little more useful than 6 at this point, but both had really good, interesting information.
With the upcoming assignments on our sources, these two chapters I found particularly helpful. When I go through JSTOR, I have an idea of what to look for, how to decide whether what I find will be helpful or not and also how to decide relevance and reliability. I found the description of primary, secondary, and tertiary sources interesting. I didn't know exactly how to characterize secondary and tertiary, but now that I know the difference, I will be sure to steer clear of tertiary. Chapter 6 was helpful, because it is all about actually applying the sources an the information you draw from them. Although this will be more useful to me as I go on, it is good to keep in mind as I search for support.

Precis for "Planning your Project" and Chapters 3&4

           The first article of this section talks about picking a plausible topic, and the kind of evidence you will need to support it. This may help you narrow down after having a couple options, because it lends a new perspective to the way people look at their topic themselves. In Chapter 3, the authors talk about narrowing a topic down to focus on every little detail and idea about it. They also discuss research questions that must stem from your topic and their significance to your research in general. Chapter 4 is about turning a question into a problem that will guide your research as you go along. The authors explain that this is a hard step, but one that is crucial to any researcher's work. These chapters have not gone into the depths of research yet, but have shown how important it is to start research off correctly.
          At this point, I think my topic pretty much fits all of the general criterion, but I still have a lot more to do concerning research questions and problems. I haven't gotten much of a chance to delve into my research yet, but once I do, I will make sure to explore what chapters three and four were talking about. I really enjoy these precis, because I think they're really helpful to our research and much more meaningful to our purpose. I'm learning a lot and hopefully that can help me improve while writing this paper.

Reflection on the last lines of our translation!

In these lines, Anchises is going on about Marcellus and all of his amazing accomplishments. Then he goes on to give Aeneas a general prophecy of what Rome and all of its heroes will be. He makes Aeneas proud to be the founder of this city, so he will continue upon this quest.
Vocab:
- alumno
- impune
- tulisset
- foderet
- donis
- aeris
- gerenda
- nitens
- candenti
Grammar:
-879- illi=Marcello - dat. with obvius
- tulisset - apodosis of a ctf condition
- si rumpas - protasis of future less vivid condition
- 884-885 - color indicative - ut implied
-viro- dat. of agent
- fugiat/ferat - subjunctives
- 899 - ille: Aeneas

Precis for Preface and Becoming a Researcher

The preface to the book, and the article, "Becoming A Researcher,"  serve as an introduction to the book, stating the authors' purpose for the book and also giving a general idea on how to look at and define research in general. The Preface gives the reader the aims of the book, the reasons it was written, what this new addition includes, and also what it is lacking. The article, or prologue, talks about what it means to 'research' and general ways to go about and begin it and utilize the book for it. Booth, Colomb, and Williams look for ways to educate all people on the art, or craft of research itself and how it should be done, without targeting one specific group of people.
These two pieces can help me with my research by giving me an introduction into what I'm about to start. They were a good way to introduce me to the lengths of research and how it will differ from the Aeneid project that I have just completed. This reading was a good way to show me how extensively research is supposed to be done, and prepare me for the effort I will need to put in (according to the book). I think the book will be really interesting and a good way to prepare me for college and other research in the future.

Reflection on lines 847-874

In these lines, Aeneas talks to his father in the underworld. He sees future Roman heroes, Marcellus is mentioned here. Anchises explains a little about future life in Rome and life in the underworld while they talk.
Vocab:
- excudent
- caelique
- melius
- debellare
- opimius
- tumultu
- sistet
- parum
- instar
- circumvolat
- obortis
- quaere
- propago
- gemitus
- praeterlabere
Grammar:
- dicunt=vocabunt
- pacis - gen. Not dat.
-862 - abl. Of description
- gnate=nate
- 871 - contrary to fact condition
- mavortis- modifies urbem, and campus

Reflection on lines 450-476

In these lines, Aeneas sees his ex-lover, Dido, in the Underworld. The sight of her, and the way she acts towards him brings Aeneas to tears. He pities her, and feels bad for all of the pain that he caused her, but she wants nothing to do with him, so ignores him and turns her back on his pleas.
Vocab:
- vulnere
- stetit
- surgere
- adfatus
- cessi
- dolorem
- ciebat
- tuentem
- sermone
- pristinus
- casu
- iniquo
Grammar:
- 453-454 - simile
- amore - abl. Of manner
- torva- neut. acc. Pl. used as an adverb
- lenibat=leniebat
- vultum - acc. Of respect
- illi - dat. Of reference

Reflection on lines 384-425

In these lines, Aeneas and Sibyl try to cross the river Styx, but Charon is unhappy with them, and does not want to bring living souls across. When Sibyl, however, shows him the golden bough, he agrees to bring them across. The pair drugs Cerberus, the three-headed dog, and continues in through hell.
Vocab:
- adegreditur
- istinc
- soporae
- thalamo
- adorti
- exsangues
- imas
- limen
- corda
- glaucaque
- puppim
- frugibus
- sepulto
- inremeabilis
Grammar:
- 385- indirect statement
- ripae - dat. of direction
- 388 - anastrophe
- 392 - litote
- lacu - abl. Of place
- 394 - concessive clause
- ille.... Hi - the former.... The latter
- agnoscas - subjunctive use for polite command
- 408 - abl of comparison
- alveo - synizesis
- 415 - anastrophe
- 419 - indirect statement
- fame rabida - abl. Of cause of description
- 424 - abl. Absolute

Precis for "The Craft of Research - Part 1: Chapters 1 & 2"

Booth, Colomb, and Williams, in the first two chapters of this book, have shown the reader why research is so incredibly important, and have started to introduce how it should be done as well. They talk about all kinds of research, from a school project to a big industry project, and explain that having the right techniques and plans can help immensely by making the research more interesting, accurate, and insightful. Chapter one talks about being skeptical of all that you research, and also about why we should write. The authors come up with very good, convincing reasons for both arguments, and it makes theirs even better. In chapter two, the authors describe writing as a conversation to be continued on indefinitely, and goes over what role writer and reader both play. The target audience for this book is just about everyone ever planning to write a research paper, or simply do research on their own.
I thought this section was really interesting, and much easier to read than a lot of the articles. My favorite idea was when the authors said something like "look at research as a puzzle," meaning I should take the time to go over all I my options to make sure everything fits just right. I think I can apply everything I've read today to my next research topic to make me feel more optimistic and passionate about it. I don't think I have any lingering questions, but I am interested in what ideas the book will give me about further research!

Book VII Reflection

The Roman army in this Book, unlike others, never loses their enthusiasm. Maybe because they sense an end to the war, and are eager to have it go in their favor. Even without grain, and while their rebuilding the bridge, they never lost hope or drive. This is, however, the first time they get in trouble for being disobedient (even if it was a small occurrence). They still fight with bravery and even when outnumbered this time, they fight to win and do not flee. They struggle without Caesar at the times when he leaves them, but they are strong and certainly something to be admired by all of the other armies.
Although he has to leave on political business many times in this Book, Caesar still leads with the same courage, skill and wisdom that he had in the past. It only just occurred to me that he leaves other people in charge a lot for him, but that makes sense, because if he tried to control everything, he'd fail. Still, his trust in others is what causes his death in the end. In my opinion, one of the most admirable things about the leader is that he doesn't like to be rash, and he thinks about every decision (or at least that the way he makes himself out to be. In this Book, Caesar uses a few new tactics in the war. First, he offers prizes to those in the army that perform well, and he also sets up some of his men to be captured and lie, which is unlike him, but reminds me of the Trojan horse scene in the Aeneid. He always seems to have a plan and be two steps ahead, and that's what makes him so successful.
I think there are a couple speeches that could be noted in this Book. The Vercingetorix says a few words to rally the troops, and lie to allies to make them side with him. Litaviccus also gives a small speech to his people, instructing them on what to do. Critognatus gives a speech on 187, and I though Caesar gave one, but I can't find them, and forgot to write them down while I was reading. Generally, the leaders make speeches, and they are usually to gain some type of power, or to persuade people of something (at least that seems to be the common theme in this text). The also generally work in what they were meant to be for, and persuade people/gain the power that was intended through the speech itself.

Conclusion

Overall, I think Caesar was a little hard to get through. I really love action, but when I'm reading it, it's not as influential as when I'm seeing or experiencing it. I definitely prefer the Aeneid, but I don't think that this was completely unbearable. I also wish I did this with more time to focus and enjoy it, because I probably would have liked it a lot better if I didn't put it all off.
At this point, my top two topics are the Roman Army, and Caesar: Facts vs. Propaganda, because I'm not really as into the speech topic as I was thinking I would be in the beginning. I found a lot more information on those two topics, even though my Facts vs. Propaganda topic turned into a Caesar psychological evaluation topic. There are plenty of examples and evidence for me to write a strong paper about both, and at this point, I'm still not entirely sure what I'd pick.
The Roman Army is a cool topic, but I see on the blog list that a lot of other students are doing the same topic. Seeing as this is what the book is mainly about, I would have to make my paper a little interesting and talk about something like morality, or ethics on the battlefield, or the psychological structure of the army itself. They differ from other armies in the book in many ways, and I could also do a comparison thing if I chose to. I think I got the wrong impression of the army from the introduction, because I figured them to be a little more bloodthirsty and less restrained, but I know in some ways, they were that way, because you probably can't win a war with a heart a mile wide. I think the thing that really got me though was their obedience, and that was what made them so successful.
Caesar is interesting to look at because although the book in written in third person, he is writing about himself. This could make the information a little biased, and maybe even a little fictional, because he wants to make himself look good. Readers in the past and present probably interpret this approach different ways, and finding all of the ways that you could look at Caesar would be something I'm interested in. Just like you could with the army, you could also compare him to other leaders in the book and show how that makes him look better or worse in his leadership tactics. You have to look at him as an author AND a character, and I think that's what makes this topic so cool.
The hardest thing for me when reading was keeping all of the names straight. I kept forgetting who was with who, and who was from where, and that made it the hardest to follow. So I'd have to keep my topic simple so I wouldn't confuse myself, but I'd still get a deeper understanding of the text. I'll do my best on this paper, but I'm definitely looking forward to May, where I get to chose my own topic:)

Book VI Reflection

The army in Book VI, still remains completely obedient under all circumstances, but there seems to be a change within them. They seem stronger and more passionate than they were in the very beginning, which is most likely because of their position in the way. They still, however, flee when they are outnumbered or at a disadvantage in battle. They do not fight until the death, as they seem to value their lives more than their honor to their country. This is understandable, because it makes much more sense than sacrificing yourself when you know your death will not mean anything. The Romans still, in both situations win a battle afterwards that somewhat makes up for their defeats. When they have calvary on their side, they fight well, but without it they are utterly helpless.
Caesar in this book still holds up his image of a wonderful leader, but I now think I see his flaw. He trusts very easily and wants to settle things peacefully as often as he can. I don't necessarily know if this is considered a flaw, as it is probably pretty wise, but often, he sees people turn on him due to his trust in them. Next, I'm a little confused by Caesar's character as I'm not sure if he's in it for the glory of battle, protecting Rome, or the property and wealth he gains from triumph. Maybe he looked to present himself this way? Aloof and mysterious, but still very commanding. I've also noticed that Caesar's character seems a little different in this book than book I, because he seems much more ready and eager for battle than he did then, but then again he does stop to give the whole history spiel. Maybe it's a steady progressions throughout all of the books that I've just missed. Furthermore, he's taking prisoners and hostages much more readily and demanding than he was before, and I'm not quite sure why that is.
There are no significant speeches in this book; however, there are a couple little ones. For example, the one given by Labienus, about readying for battle. It seems that when there are more speeches in a chapter, there is less action, and vice versa. There is little need for words in war, other than commands and preparing for battle, so in reflection, this topic was probably not the smartest idea. I'm not really feeling it anymore anyway, as I'm much more interested in the other two, but maybe I'll find a really great speech in Book VII and be drawn back to it.

Book I Reflection

I'm not getting the totally ruthless impression of the Roman army that I was given in the introduction; however, I can see that they are wonderful fighters and are incredibly loyal to their leader. Their advantage seems to be in battle strategy, but up until now they lack a real passion for the fight. This is most obvious when the Roman men hear rumors about the German troops and how intense they are, and many look for excuses to leave or ways to avoid the fight. Caesar's words, nevertheless, rally them, and they seem ready to fight once again. Another observation I've made about the army is that they are very good at taking orders. They listen to and do what they are told in every circumstance, and this seems to benefit them. They have two pretty big victories in this book, and a few small defeats, but nothing of extreme significance (like a turning point in the war) has occurred quite yet.
Caesar is a very inspiring character up to this point. I've noticed that he seems to look to resolve things by negotiation rather than war most of the time. This makes him look very wise, but it also makes me question whether this is completely truthful. He looks for the peaceful way out, and only when he cannot find it, does he start to strategically plan for war. Another observation I've made about Caesar is that none of the other leaders we have encountered have matched him in strategy, wisdom, or leadership skill itself. Some are weak, some are cruel, and some are presented as evil, although not necessarily bad leaders. This could be a subtle way of making him look better, as if no other leader rules quite as well, he looks much better than them. Another thing I've noticed about Caesar is that he has a very steady head and is not influenced by the enemy trying to provoke him. This, along with the fact that he is a wonderful supporter and rallyer (I know I just made that word up), is a very important leadership skill. He hasn't demonstrated any major flaws yet, and it makes him seem almost too good to be true.
I think the major speech in this book is the one that Caesar himself makes, so I'm going to focus on that one. (For my project, I think the best approach might be to chose a speech from each book and analyze each one individually and then together). It's a really inspiring speech, and demonstrates his leadership and orator abilities quite well. I'm sure he cannot remember the exact words he said to his troops, nor their exact reaction; however, this speech seems pretty reliable to me after all I've heard about his public speaking ability. Turning a crowd around like that is a pretty amazing ordeal, and making them ready for battle, when only moments ago, they were terrified, and it makes me want to analyze the speech more in depth.

Introduction Reflection

I'm not a fan of introductions. Never have been, never will be, and this one was no different. I have, nevertheless, found some topics that I might be interested in researching. The first is the Roman Army and the justifications of their actions, the second is fact vs. propaganda within Caesar's writing, and the third is major speeches that main characters make, as Caesar was an excellent orator, and it will be interesting to see how he writes these speeches within his own work.
My first topic, I chose because after reading about it on page XX of the introduction, I found the Roman army particularly intriguing. They are described as an organized, ruthless killing machine, and I've always found this idea interesting. I'd be interested to examine how they justify their aggression and how their morals are shaped because of what they do in war. In the process, I would examine the army as a whole, as individuals, and also look at the leadership, so I could get a full understanding of how and why they are the way they are. Furthermore, I would look at their actions and how they feel about what they do, and also why they do it. Lastly, I would figure out in what ways the army reflects and shapes Caesar himself, and vice versa.
My second topic, I found in the section titled Caesar's Writings. Caesar is writing his own success story here, and the idea that some of the information might be made up or exaggerated must be considered. If I chose this topic, I could look at the reasons that Caesar writes in third person instead of first. He was there, so why not narrate yourself? Also, I would find some places where fact and fiction might overlap, or the truth is not totally clear. Then, I could look at how writing in first person, and boasting within the book could effect the reading of the book itself and change the reader's perspective (as opposed to it being written the other way).
My last topic came to me on page XXIV of the introduction where the author mentions that many famous writers in that time would compose dramatic speeches for main characters in important times. This idea caught me because I had known that Caesar was an orator, and it might be interesting to see how the speeches he writes within his book compare to those he wrote for himself. Also, to see what public speaking techniques he commonly uses and to find any flaws or weak moments within these speeches. I could look at their significance to the writing and how they characterize the orator, and also how and if they influence any other characters.
Overall, I think these are a good three topics to work with, where I can find a lot to say and write about all of them. I'm not quite as excited for this project as I was for the Aeneid one, but maybe with time, I'll get there.