I Read the News Today, Oh Boy.

[In my English class, we had an assignment on properly quoting an article; as sort of a way to commemorate the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's death, I'm sharing this assignment in here].

Reference List Entry for Article:

Costello, Maureen [December 8, 2010]. I Heard the News Today, Oh Boy. Retrieved from here.


Direct Quotation and Internal Citation:

Maureen Costello, a contributing author for Teaching Tolerance, recalled this memory upon the 30th anniversary of the death of John Lennon:

I don’t remember the next day [after John Lennon’s murder] very well, but one of my former students, Denise, does. We reconnected at her high school reunion last year, and shortly afterward, we became Facebook friends. On December eighth, she sent me this message:

"Twenty-nine years ago, you canceled your history class and played The Beatles’ music for us. I believe you even turned off the lights, and said something like, “I have no words, so let's listen to his.” As I recall, we all sat in silence. It was a beautiful tribute, since there really were no words. I never thanked you for that ... thank you!”

Another student chimed in, “I can't believe you remember that!”

Denise replied, “I never forgot it; I just never had the opportunity to say, 'Thanks'. It made a terrible day a little better for us.”

Paraphrased Material and Internal Citation:

In her contributing article for Teaching Tolerance, Maureen Costello states that, even though there was music that John Lennon still had to give the day he died, and was denied the chance to share it; even though we can only imagine the work that he would have continued to do for peace in his later years – he still continued to have a powerful affect on us today, when it comes to displaying tolerance, peace, love and a sense of self – even in death. Listening to music in the classroom together, and as a sort of community, morphing together in shared retrospect and tribute, brought a sense of togetherness – and that became a very memorable, moving and powerful lesson for the entire class that day. [Costello, Maureen; December 8, 2010; Retrieved from here.]

* * * * * *

Yes, we have to say it. Remember, this is just a football game - no matter who wins or loses. An unspeakable tragedy confirmed to us by ABC News in New York City: John Lennon, outside of his apartment building on the West Side of New York City - the most famous, perhaps, of all of The Beatles - shot twice in the back, rushed to Roosevelt Hospital: dead on arrival. Hard to go back to the game after that news flash - which, in duty bound, we have to take.

- Howard Cosell
[Reporting Lennon's death on-air during Monday Night Football on December 8, 1980]