After Professor Chandler reviewed my excerpts from my interview, I would like my short analysis topic to be about the cultural stories of revision. By having the subject talk about how English majors would know better with revision and how high school students don't care, I think it will be an interesting paper. Also, I could find better explains for it in my interview, such as how even I believed it is more expected to revise in English classes than in science classes, while my subject saw it differently. I'm not sure if this is correct, but hopefully in class today, things will become more clear.
Side Note to Dr. Chandler : After our discussion in class, I don't think I can do this topic. I wanted to focus on the culutral stories that came up in the interview, but isn't that an aspect to the assignment itself? Now I am truly at a loss for a topic. . . I feel like everything I think to do as an alternative is wrong. Would I be able to focus on the cultural stories or do I have to pick something else? If then, then how do you suggest I pick a topic, not suggest a topic, but if you have tips for picking a topic, I would appreciate it.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Blog 13: Analyzing Transcript Excerpts
A.
1. H – Okay. Um, so how do you revise your papers? 1:35
A – Um, I usually (not definite or always) at first (starts
what she was saying again and uses transition) I’ll read through my entire, my
entire paper like on the computer. I’ll read it out to all of my family members
(the value and consideration of family’s opinions) to make sure there’s nothing
wrong with that either. (shows the importance of reading work aloud) Then, I’ll
print it out and I’ll cross out words. Print it out again, highlight what’s
wrong. I’m, I’m pretty crazy (sees thorough revision as crazy) when it comes to
looking at my paper over and over again. (Laughter) (laughs at herself)
2. In this story, Subject A tells the story of how she
revises. Taking the process from beginning to end helps one understand the
whole picture of her revision style. Her mention of reading her paper out to
her family shows that she cares about what her family thinks. Lastly, there is
a cultural story that thorough revision is crazy, as she calls herself crazy.
3. My paper is about the revision of high school students
vs. the revision of college students. Subject A is a college student so it
helps me show insight and evidence into what I’m studying exactly.
B.
1. H – (Laughter) Um, so when did you first like learn about
revision?
A – Honestly, (honesty = trust) this is gonna be really
embarrassing, (embarrassed to share, but
she did) but like in high school, (showing time period) I never revised any of
my stuff. I kinda (not owning it, just kind of admitting it) just handed it in
and I didn’t care. (high school students don’t care) Um, my freshman year of
college (time period reference) I learned my revision and like taking the time
to actually go print things out and relook at it over again. Freshman year of
college (Laughter) That’s sad. (laughing at herself to show that it isn’t that
big of an issue)
2. This story explains how Subject A revised in high school.
Talking about both high school and college, she used time references to show
what time she was referring to. Also, she admitted she was embarrassed by past
behavior and opened up to me. That showed trust and respect for my study.
Lastly, Subject A said how she never revised, but didn’t care. This shows a
cultural story that high school students and teenagers don’t care about school
work.
3. Just like the first story, this one ties in directly to
my topic and it would be vital to my study.
C.
1. H – Okay, um. How did your high school English teacher
tell you to revise? 3:33
A – Um, it depends on the one that you—(stopped herself and
clarified) what I was talking about because like every single year each one would
be of a different kind of intensity. But my senior year, my um AP (showing her
above average intelligence) like College Writing teacher, who was like English
teacher technically, she taught (passive) us to do the same thing like that I
learned my freshman year of college, but I didn’t listen. (admits her own
failing in the situation) She told me to also, like print out a couple of
times, look it over, like go talk to my parents about it. Like read it out to
them and stuff, but that’s all they (the teachers) really went into detail (seems
to be blaming them, not herself = contradiction).
2. In this story, I found Subject A was in almost an
internal battle with herself. She kept going back and forth to whether it was
her teachers’ fault for her not knowing revision until college or that it was
her fault for not listening to their instruction. I feel like it is a mixture
of both, but she didn’t know how to express that.
3. This excerpt tells me that the issue isn’t just black and
white and that there is a gray area. Therefore, if I include it in my study, I
will show that too. It would be good support for that argument.
D.
1. H – Okay, sounds good. Um, is there anything that we
haven’t talked about with revision that you feel like that you want to add? Any
topic?
A – Uh, uhhh. (She doesn’t know or doesn’t know how to say
it) Just about how like I think (her opinion directly) it should probably be
taught (passive) at an earlier age. (revision isn’t taught early enough in
school) Like I think in high school (time reference) it should be taken a lot
more seriously (revision isn’t serious in high school) so that way it isn’t
just something you learn when you’re in college. Like people would get into way
better colleges if they knew that beforehand. (really showing her support to
revision) Like they could have written way better essays. Like unless you were
at home and your mother was like an English major, (English majors revise
better than others) you’re not gonna know how to do all those revision things
or unless you went to like some preparatory school (prep schools teach better
than normal schools) in like the richest place ever (rich = best education). So
I think it should be taught at an earlier age. (Reaffirming her statement)
2. This story showed how
passionate Subject A was about revision being taught too late in school. It was
the only question that was not guided in my interview and it made such an
impact. It was so important to her that she had to include it. Also, throughout
this story, she refers to cultural stories. For example, that English majors
revise better than most and that being rich means a better education. Then, she
said that if revision is taught too late, which is passive. She didn’t say that
she learned it too late, but that she was taught too late. She is reflecting
blame to another place. Finally, she said her statement a few different times,
constantly declaring her opinion.
3. This was a complete surprise in my interview. It makes so
much sense though! I’m not sure, but I want to incorporate it into my paper.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Blog 12: Full Interview Transcript
Full Transcription of
Subject A Interview
H – Today is March 14,
2014, at 11:00 am and I am here with Subject A for our interview on revision.
So to start off, what’s your major?
A – Um, Psych Rehab.
H – Yes nice. Um, how
old are you?
A – I’m 20.
H – Okay. Um, can you
tell me about a time you revised a paper?
A – Uh, I had to revise
a paper like last week for my lab report and I had to print it out like four
times to make sure I highlighted everything, cross it out, make sure everything
was there correctly.
H – So that’s how you
usually like revise?
A – Yeah, usually.
H – Okay, tell me about
a time you didn’t revise a paper.
A – Uh, one time I
forgot to do my homework and I had to hand it in an hour later, so I typed my
paper really fast and handed it in. (Laughter)
H – (Laughter) Fair
enough. (Laughter) Procrastinator problems.
A – Yeah, I just
forgot.
H – (Laughter) We’ve
all been there. Um, okay. So my next question is, what’s the reason you didn’t
revise, but it’s because you didn’t have time.
A – I didn’t have time,
yeah.
H – Okay, so would you
mind telling me like which paper you did better on?
A – Uhhh, I actually
did pretty good on both of ‘em. Like I actually got A’s on both, uh but the
like higher A was the one I revised because I actually took the time to go
through everything. Um, the one I rushed through, I ended up getting a lower
grade because I missed stupid grammar mistakes.
H – Okay. Um, so how do
you revise your papers? 1:35
A – Um, I usually at
first I’ll read through my entire, my entire paper like on the computer. I’ll
read it out to all of my family members to make sure there’s nothing wrong with
that either. Then, I’ll print it out and I’ll cross out words. Print it out
again, highlight what’s wrong. I’m, I’m pretty crazy when it comes to looking
at my paper over and over again. (Laughter)
H – How many times do
you usually like go through the cycles?
A – Um, I try to do my
paper days ahead of time so that way I can come back a day later and relook at
it because if you keep looking at your work like over and over again you’re not
gonna see the mistakes. You have to do it over a period of days.
H – So. . .
A – About four times I
say I look back at my paper.
H – Okay. That’s good.
I really like revising. (Laughter)
A – Me too. I’m crazy.
H – (Laughter) Um, so
when did you first like learn about revision?
A – Honestly, this is
gonna be really embarrassing, but like in high school, I never revised any of
my stuff. I kinda just handed it in and I didn’t care. Um, my freshman year of
college I learned my revision and like taking the time to actually go print
things out and relook at it over again. Freshman year of college (Laughter)
That’s sad.
H – No, that’s when I
learned like the really good revision techniques too. Yeah, I wasn’t that good
in high school either. (Laughter)
A – Yeah.
H – With revising. Um,
speaking of high school, could you describe the high school you went to?
A – Sure, I went to a
private high school, Cardinal McCarrick High School and like we all had to wear
uniforms and like we had a really intense academic curriculum. Like I was in
honors since I was like a freshman, so it was really intense. And like senior
year, when everybody else was goofing off, I was like in all AP Courses.
H – (Laughter)
A – So everyone was
like, “Yay,” and I’m like, “Wah.” (Laughter)
H – (Laughter)
A – So, yeah, it was
really intense.
H – Okay, um. How did
your high school English teacher tell you to revise? 3:33
A – Um, it depends on
the one that you—what I was talking about because like every single year each
one would be of a different kind of intensity. But my senior year, my um AP
like College Writing teacher, who was like English teacher technically, she
taught us to do the same thing like that I learned my freshman year of college,
but I didn’t listen. She told me to also, like print out a couple of times,
look it over, like go talk to my parents about it. Like read it out to them and
stuff, but that’s all they really went into detail.
H – Mhmm, so like when
you were in like your freshman year of high school, did you—
A – They didn’t really
talk about it.
H – Okay.
A – Honestly, they
didn’t really say like, “Oh you should go home and like revise it a million
times.” They don’t even really talk about revision. They just say, “Do your
paper.” (Laughter)
H – So it wasn’t until
you were like a senior that you really felt they actually emphasized it?
A – Yeah, definitely.
H – Okay, interesting.
Um, so did you like find yourself following that method of revision in high school
or . . .
A – Um, when I was in
high school, no. But now that I’m in college I don’t even remember like half
the stuff they talked about in high school. I kinda just remember what I’ve
learned in college because it’s been a whole different experience. I haven’t
really been following everything they said to do, just what my professors tell
me now.
H – Hmm, okay. Um, so
how were you taught to revise in college?
A – In college, all my
professors like tell me to take my time and actually go through all of my work
and like do it days ahead of time like I said earlier, rather than like wait
til the last second and like look it over then ‘cause that’s not accurate. You
have to wait like a couple of days so like you see, uh, like your mistakes you
made. So that’s mainly what they say, you know, just make sure you do it ahead
of time.
H – Yeah, I was told to
always look at it with like “new eyes.” Like that’s why you had to wait the
hours or a day. Yeah. Um, so I assume that you, um, you follow that method of
revision now.
A – Yeah, definitely,
all the time, other than the way that they taught me in high school ‘cause the
way that they taught me in high school doesn’t seem like college level. It
seems more of like a high school kind of way. 5:57
H – Yeah, that makes
sense. How do you feel about revision like overall?
A – Um, I think it’s
really important. Like the people who don’t do it and like they ask me to look
at their paper, I’m like, “Look at all these mistakes. Like you could have got
a lower grade.” I do that all the time. I revise people’s papers and like I
think it’s kind of exciting to do because your paper in general could be really
good, but like you’re kind of just adding make-up to it to make sure that it’s
perfect. You know? Okay. (Laughter)
H – Nice analogy with
adding make-up!
A – Yeah, that’s what
you’re doing, just fixing up the little corrections. I like it. Revising is
really important, to me anyway.
H – Now do you feel
that, um, like English majors, that they revise better than other majors or
like it doesn’t really matter?
A – I feel like they
probably do because like they know all like the mistakes they have to look for.
I have to say I don’t like look if there’s like a verb in a sentence, but
they’re probably going to ‘cause they know what to look for.
H – Your revision seems
really good for like another major like psychology. Like you seem like you have
more of a—oh no, this sounds really assuming—but you seem like you have more of
an English background.
A – Yeah, only because
of like, uh, the first college that I came from. Uh, usually people consider it
a joke, but when I went to Middlesex County College, they had a really good
English program there and they made sure that like all the students knew what
they were doing. So, yeah, I have a little bit more of an English background
than a regular college student might have if they didn’t go there.
H – Do you find
yourself ever like writing like outside of school, like not for graded
assignments, like…
A – Oh yeah, definitely. I keep my own journal
with my boyfriend. We both write in it all the time. Um, I used to write
poetry. I used to write short stories and stuff like that, but now I don’t like
do it much anymore because I’m always in college doing stuff. I try to write
whenever I can. It’s fun.
H – Did you ever find
yourself revising that, like that outside work?
A – Um, not really. I
mean like when I was into poetry like I had to I guess because I was handing it
into somebody, even if it was for fun, because I’m part of an online writing
community also, so I had to revise it for them, but not for anything else really.
I never had to like revise my journal.
H – (Laughter) Darn!
Um, how would you define revision in your own words? 8:30
A – Hmmm, if I had to
define revision, I would say that revision could be, um, looking at all the
mistakes of your paper, whether they be like spelling, grammatical, or anything
else and making sure that they are all corrected and like how they need to be.
Like as I made the analogy before, like it’s kinda like putting make-up on your
paper. Like you’re fixing up every little correction and just making it the
best it can be. Yep.
-We took a brief break
because I got a little tongue-tied and needed to regroup.-
H – Now, um, so you, do
you feel more, um obligated to revise if the assignment is graded?
A – Uh, yeah definitely
because I wanna get a better grade on something. If they’re not gonna like
grade it, then I’m probably not gonna sit there and like go through every
little word and print it out a million times.
H – Okay. Do you feel
even more obligated if you’re in like an English or a Writing class, like a
class that the main focus is writing. Do you feel more. . .
A – Yeah, I feel more
obligated there too, but I wouldn’t say that’s like my number one class where I
feel obligated to revise. Science is my number one class where I revise things
because I know that their grading is much worse than any English class.
H – Really?
A – Yeah, science is
insane, especially since you can’t use first-person ever, no matter what. I
notice in some English classes they’re more lenient with that rule. Um, in
science you can only use third-person, like the group, the people. Like you
can’t say, “Oh, well, me and my group.”
H – No?
A – Yeah, so science is
my main subject area when I focus on like making sure that I revise, not really
English.
H – And have you, like
was it like that in high school too or…?
A – Oh my God,
definitely! Science has always been a constant struggle for me because like
every single teacher that you have in science looks at every little detail in
the experiment. Meanwhile, in like English, they’re not gonna take the time to
look over like whether you used first-person or third-person. That’s not their
concern. They want like the details so…
H – I’ve never heard of that before. Like most of the
uh science teachers that I’ve had, it’s just like if your information is
correct, that’s what I’m looking for. I’m not looking for …
A – Really? See for me
it’s always been the exact opposite. Like my science teachers have always been
to the point like, oh my God, it’s crazy. They grade like harsher than anyone
else, especially now in college. Forget about it. 11:36
H – What do you usually
write like in science?
A – Um, like lab
reports, um, essays on like specific kinds of research that you were like
talking about before. You know, like interview someone or look up scientific
articles. It’s a pain in the butt. (Laughter) And like it’s difficult because
I’m not like used to writing like “the group,” ”the people.” Like I’m not used
to that, so it’s kinda hard for me.
H – Um, this is, this
is because I’m not that into science, but what do you usually like write with a
lab report? I never had to do it before.
A – Really? For like a
lab report you always have to do, um first you have to do an introduction of
what the experiment was about. Then you have to like do like um all the
materials you used in the experiment. Then like the method so your methods
alone can be like five pages. It’s literally step-by-step of what you did
during the entire experiment. So if the experiment took two hours, you have to
do every single step. So my Biology lab every week is three hours, so I have to
do three hours of steps.
H – Oh my gosh!
A – Yeah, and then you
have to discuss why you did the experiment, even if you didn’t want to. (Laughter)
And then you have to do like graphs and conclusions. It usually comes to about
thirteen pages for like a three hour lab.
H – Wow!
A – And like they pick
the lab subjects so it’s whatever they choose.
H – See, that’s crazy
to me.
A – I have to do one
every two weeks.
H – Oh my gosh! Well,
good for you though!
A – Well, in high
school I was kind of already prepared, at least I have like a foot in the door
already ‘cause everyone in my class is like an idiot. And like they were like,
“Oh, I never had one before. I never went to biology!” I’m like, “Where were
you? Like you didn’t go into Biology ever. . . ” (Laughter)
H – (Laughter) Um, so
this is kinda like seguewaying into another topic. Let’s just go with it!
(Laughter) Um, do you think that revision is only like proofreading?
A – Umm, no. I think
proofreading is taking it more lightly. I think that –clears throat- excuse me.
Proofreading is kinda just going over it
a couple times on your computer, not really going through the whole process of
crossing out and highlighting and speaking it to other people. Proofreading to
me is just a quick look over. 14:00
H – So you feel like
there’s definitely a difference between revision and proofreading?
A – Oh God, yes!
Revision is much more serious, at least in my opinion. I take it to the
extreme!
H – No problem with
that!
A – (Laughter) I want
my A!
H – Um, do you feel
that like professional writers, do you think that they revise more or like
they’re more serious about it?
A – Honestly, no. Like
I feel like they probably don’t even have to revise half as much as we do
because they already know like everything they have to do correctly. Like I’m
sure they look over their stuff. That’s not what I’m saying, but I highly doubt
that they like print it out as many times as like a college student would. They
probably just look it over once and say, “Okay, it’s fine.”
H – (Laughter)
A – Because I’ve seen
mistakes in books before a million times
H – Really?
A – Yeah, definitely.
I’ve looked at professional books and articles and there’s spelling errors so
clearly they didn’t look it over as many times as I would.
H – Maybe they should
call you to revise! (Laughter)
A – Yeah, I’ll be their
editor! (Laughter)
H – Yeah, see, I feel
that they don’t, um, revise as much because they have like an editor there, but
I don’t know. I mean different people do different things.
A – Yeah, I don’t know.
Like maybe people take it more seriously. I guess if it was like a scholarly
journal, maybe they would look over it more better. It needs—(Laughter) more
better—because it needs to be like for professors and people that actually have
like a high scholarly title, rather than just average people who are reading a
book that wouldn’t notice spelling mistakes. So, I guess it depends on who’s
writing it and what it’s for.
H – Yeah, that makes
sense. Um, I see, well, I’ve seen through this interview that you’ve had like a
change from high school to college with your revision. Do you think as you go
forward, like I don’t know maybe five years, ten years in the future, do you
think, if you’re gonna have to write that your revision style would change or
you’re pretty much. . .
A – I think it would
pretty much stay the same. Um just because like what I’ve learned in college I
kind of plan on taking with me everywhere I go. Just because I feel like that
is the best method. There’s no point in getting lazy after this point. Once
you’re crazy, you’re always crazy. That’s not changing. So like I think it’s
like better to keep the habits I have now, rather than decline and possibly go
back to what I did in high school, which was nowhere near as proficient, you
know? So I would keep the way I do things now forever more.
H – Um, what career are
you looking to get into?
A – Honestly, I don’t
think they’ll be any writing involved with it, but I plan on working in a
psychiatric hospital, hopefully as something known as an Illness Management
Recovery person who actually helps out um people with mental illnesses and
helps them gain goals for when they get out of the hospital. Help them possibly
get home, you know jobs that they could look into, and stuff like that. I don’t
really think there’s any writing in that, but if there is, I know how I’m going
to already overcome everything like regarding my revision with my patients and
stuff.
H – Okay, sounds good.
Um, is there anything that we haven’t talked about with revision that you feel
like that you want to add? Any topic?
A – Uh, uhhh. Just
about how like I think it should probably be taught at an earlier age. Like I
think in high school it should be taken a lot more seriously so that way it
isn’t just something you learn when you’re in college. Like people would get
into way better colleges if they knew that beforehand. Like they could have
written way better essays. Like unless you were at home and your mother was
like an English major, you’re not gonna know how to do all those revision
things or unless you went to like some preparatory school in like the richest
place ever. So I think it should be taught at an earlier age. 17:49
H – Do you feel like
you would have benefited much more if you would have learned it at an earlier
age?
A – Definitely!
(Laughter) Like I would have been in a way better place right now because I
know that like when I was younger, I was able to write, I’ve always been able
to write like good, but it was never the best it could possibly be and I really
believe that’s because nobody took the time to sit down with me and be like,
“Get to the point.” Like nobody ever told me, how to get to where it should be,
they just said, “Okay, it’s fine. You did it.” You know? So, I definitely would
have come out as a better person if it would have been introduced to me
earlier, smarter even!
H – Um, how early do
you think it should be taught?
A – I think it should
be incorporated into curriculums like as soon as possible like maybe even as
soon as middle school. Like revision should be started at that age, not like
intense, like print it out a million times, but like by then, it should be
introduced to them. And by like the freshman year of high school, you should
already know what it is and you should know like the clear difference between
proofreading and revision. That isn’t something you shouldn’t know, you
shouldn’t have to wait until your senior year to know how important revision is
for a college essay, you know? So, freshman year is when it should get really
intense, in my opinion.
H – It’s smart. I think
that’s good, yeah.
A – Especially for SATs
and stuff because they comes up like a year later! You have to be ready for
everything. Um, I don’t know about HSPAs because I didn’t go to a public
school. I don’t know if there’s any writing with that, but I’m sure that would
help. I’m sure if there’s a reading section or something else, by knowing
writing skills, you’re going to be able to pick out things and reading is a lot
easier also. It’s not only just the writing, so.
H – So you feel that
revision can even help you—
A – In other subjects,
I mean like if you have to read something, I know on the SAT section, there is
a critical reading section, where you have to pick out specific words that may
have been spelled incorrectly or something with a grammatical error. It can
definitely help. If you’re taught revision at a young age, you’ll be able to
pick things out easier, so I don’t know. I know I did pretty bad on that
section so if I would have been taught that earlier, it would have helped a
lot.
H – And you also said
you feel like it helps when you’re reading too, like reading critically?
A – Yeah, definitely.
Um, if you, uh, I know when you have midterms in college sometimes, I know
specifically in English courses, you may have to read passages and pick
specific things out. I know I had to do that in my English class. And I feel
like that would help so much because you know how to revise other people’s work
and think logically about what they have to say. Revision can help in so many
ways and like it helps in all subjects, not just English or anything else. It
helps with speeches, with science, like I said before. It’s so important in my
opinion.
H – Thank you. That was
a good point, it really was a good point!
A – Yeah, you can use
it everywhere.
H – Alright, thank you
for interviewing with me on my first interview! You were a great subject!
A – Aw thanks.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Blog 11: Revised Interview Protocol
Purpose of Study: Investigating the techniques and opinions of revising graded writing assignments from the point of view college students. Also, to have subjects reflect on their revision in high school in order to compare and contrast the two education levels.
What is your major?
How old are you?
Tell me about a time you had a writing assignment and what
you did after you first wrote it all out.
Define revision in writing assignments in your own words.
Tell me about a time you revised a paper.
Tell me about a time you didn’t revise a paper.
What was the reason you didn’t revise it?
How do you revise your papers?
How do you feel about revising your writing?
When did you first learn to revise a paper?
Describe the high school you went to.
How did your high school English teachers tell you to revise
a paper?
Do you follow that method of revision? Why or why not?
How were you taught to revise papers in college?
Which method do you follow and why?
Do you revise more in college than you did in high school?
Why or why not?
Is there anything I did not mention that you would like to
talk about?
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Blog 9: Cultural Stories within our Topics
Conversations about My Research Topic: A Look at the Revision of Grades Writing Assignments, Behavior and Opinions of High School and College Students
- To get a good grade on a paper, you have to revise it.
- To revise effectively, you have to do it exactly as your English teacher taught you.
- Revising is the same as proofreading.
- Students do not revise their papers because they are lazy.
- Students don't revise their papers because they procrastinate until the last minute and leave no time for revision.
- You only have to revise when it's required.
- You only have to revise papers assigned in an English class.
- Writing majors are the best at revision.
- Writers always revise.
- I don't have to revise, whatever is on the paper as I write is what it is meant to be.
- College students revise .more than high school students.
- If I revise my paper, I will have to rewrite it completely over.
- Having to revise your paper means you are a bad writer.
- Authors never revise their works.
- I only have to revise once and my paper is perfect.
- Editors do the revising of professional writing.
- Life is too short to revise.
- To get a good grade on a paper, you have to revise it.
- To revise effectively, you have to do it exactly as your English teacher taught you.
- Revising is the same as proofreading.
- Students do not revise their papers because they are lazy.
- Students don't revise their papers because they procrastinate until the last minute and leave no time for revision.
- You only have to revise when it's required.
- You only have to revise papers assigned in an English class.
- Writing majors are the best at revision.
- Writers always revise.
- I don't have to revise, whatever is on the paper as I write is what it is meant to be.
- College students revise .more than high school students.
- If I revise my paper, I will have to rewrite it completely over.
- Having to revise your paper means you are a bad writer.
- Authors never revise their works.
- I only have to revise once and my paper is perfect.
- Editors do the revising of professional writing.
- Life is too short to revise.
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