The Paper Market

"The Paper Market" is an interview with a former term paper writer, Nick Mamatas. It is a follow-up to his work I wrote about in my previous post, The Term Paper Artist.

Nick's tone and voice show how he felt about his job. He seems as though he didn't take the job too seriously. He was just trying to make some easy cash while having some fun, whenever possible. He did seem a bit nervous, though, as he talked rather quickly through some parts of his interview.

Nick's diction helped show his personality. Nick used a fairly average vocabulary, showing that he isn't fancy. His diction also showed that he doesn't have a holier-than-thou attitude, unless you are an illiterate or rude customer of his. The man seems pretty laid-back, for the most part.

The fact that this interview was recorded and not typed helps give us an idea of what Nick is like. Had this interview been written, we would not know whether Nick was actually interested in his job. From what I can tell, he seemed to be legitimately interested. Nick didn't sound like he thought his job was boring, but also didn't sound as if he thought it was the greatest job ever.

The Term Paper Artist: An Explication

                Nick Mamatas’ essay, The Term Paper Artist, tells about his job as a term paper writer and the many humorous experiences that can come from it. It pokes fun at the intelligence that many of his customers lack. He knows that his job isn’t exactly glamorous, referring to it as his “horrible secret.”  

                Nick reassures us that his job is legal. “Thanks to the First Amendment, it’s protected speech.” He goes on to compare it to controversial topics, such as neo-Nazism and conspiracy theories. This helps reinforce the fact that his job isn’t perfect.

                Growing up, Nick always wanted to be a writer. It isn’t exactly the easiest career to get started in, though, saying that “nobody ever puts a classified ad in the paper that reads “Writers Wanted.” Nevertheless, Nick never stopped searching and finally found an ad in the Village Voice.

                Nick then goes on to describe his average types of customers. There are three groups, which he refers to as “DUMB CLIENTS,” “one-timers,” and “well-educated professors who simply lack English-language skills.” “DUMB CLIENTS” are uneducated people who should never go on to college. “One-timers” are those who just need summaries, rather than full papers. Finally, the “well-educated professors” that lack English-skills are usually foreign scientists, who send in their own papers to be edited.

                Nick is right when he tells us that his job isn’t the best thing out there. He tells the reader that his job “was never good money, but was certainly fast money.” The job really doesn’t benefit anyone but the writer. The writer makes small money to do someone else’s work. The customer does not learn much, as they are having the work done for them, which is wasting the money that was spent to take the class.

                Many of Nick’s points were comical, however. An example would be the miserable English used by a customer, which is included at the end of Nick’s article. I’m still trying to figure out what the customer was trying to say when he typed, "Not two much words, because i will still write it back in clsss go straight to the point and write me the conclution at end of the two story, the second story different introduction, themes, topic and character.” Another example of humor is shown when Nick used imagery to describe his friend’s difficulty while writing a paper. While Nick’s job doesn’t assist people in the long run, he is making money doing what he loves, and getting to have a few laughs while he does it. That’s all that’s important in the long run.