Biographical Nonfiction

Biographical studies give and develop Historical background/context Characteristics and traits of subject Skills associated with the person’s role Details to develop a central point about that person’s role (often an implied thesis) Impact felt by others

Content Facts and artifacts –Evidence is collected from multiple sources Interviews, researched essays, photos, documents Anecdotes –An anecdote is a story that illustrates a point –Anecdotal evidence has literary/story qualities 1 st hand accounts Opinion statements

Style Journalistic (fairly unbiased) account with implied opinion Use of quotes Literary qualities (imagery, metaphor, characterization, etc.) Cohesion (has purpose and a focus) Chronological order or metaphor/anecdotal frame typical Doesn’t include everything/has relevance

Biographies answer these questions: What makes this person different/ interesting? What kind of effect did he or she have on other people? What are the adjectives you would most use to describe the person? What events or actions in his/her life illustrate those adjectives? How did this person interact with the world? What events effected this person's life? Did he or she overcome any obstacles?

Assignment Choose a family member, living or deceased, and write a biographical study on him or her You will need to gather evidence, including interviews, photos, news articles, etc. If you want to do a genealogical study, consider using the Ohio Historical Society and More details to come