DISCUSSING ESSAY 1 Discussing Narration and Description Grammar: The Parts of Speech Continued

Share reading responses Let’s discuss the reading for today: “The Beautiful Laughing Sisters-An Arrival Story” p. 522— 527 Discussion Questions: 1. What is the point of this narrative? Why is the author telling it? 2. What are some of the details that help you to understand the narrative? 3. Find a place where she has a lot of detail and tell me why you think she decided to focus there You can turn in your homework questions now.

“Beautiful Laughing Sisters” and the Idea of a “Cultural Broker” A “broker” is like a middle-man. This word is often used for people with lots of knowledge about a complicated subject who help “normal” people to understand it. A real estate broker can help people hunting for a home to navigate complex property laws. A stock broker buys and sells stocks for clients who do not have as much knowledge of the stock market. We use the phrase “broker a deal” when a third party convinces two opposing sides to compromise. So, a “cultural broker” is a person who has knowledge about his or her culture who shares that information with someone who is new to that culture.

“Cultural Broker” Activity Briefly, think about the city you live in. What would you tell someone who was new to that city if you were acting as a “cultural broker”? Where to go, where not to go Best places to eat and shop Customs and “what to do” and “what not to do” Interesting local attractions Other information you think a new person should know

Pass out Essay 1 Prompt Essay 1 is a Narrative based on the idea of “cultural brokers” Let’s read the full prompt together carefully. Highlight things you need to remember, and take notes of any ideas you have. This essay is a narrative essay and a descriptive essay. This means it will use both narrative and description to get its point across. We will discuss Narrative Essays and this Essay Prompt more next week. Bring your Essay Prompt back to class with you!

The Basic Steps in Writing an Essay Step 1: Know what is required of you. Read and re-read your prompt until you understand fully what is being asked of you. If you don’t understand, ask your professor to clarify EARLY ON. If you ask the day before the essay is due, IT IS ALREADY TOO LATE. Know the minimum requirements and take them seriously. These include: page length or word count, format, works cited/research required. ALL DUE DATES.

Step 2: Brainstorm and Freewrite Write down everything you know (or think you might know) about the topic. Then, write down questions you have about the topic. Then, write down your ideas about how to make the prompt/topic personal to you. Freewrite Do idea bubbles Lists/Outlines

Step 3: Write a Rough Draft Don’t leave your writing until the last minute. Even if your teacher does not require you to turn in a rough draft like I do, it is always a good idea to write a rough draft. Here is the truth about writing assignments: no matter what, you will write a rough draft. The question is: will you be turning that draft as your final product, or will you have time to make it better?

Formatting in Academic Writing Use an accepted font. If you don’t know what fonts your teacher accepts, Times New Roman is almost always a safe choice Font size: Unless your professor says otherwise, always use size 12. Spacing: Always double space, unless you are told otherwise. Remove automatic formatting that adds extra spaces between paragraphs (each time you hit “enter”) [Show how to change] Margins: Always 1 inch on all sides, unless otherwise specified. [Show how to check margins]

Don’t Forget! Basic Things to Do or Include Type and print all of your essay assignments Always include assignment information (heading) on the left hand side! Your Name: Firstname Lastname Class: English 21 Professor: Lawson (last name only is ok) Assignment and Draft: Essay 1 Final Draft Date: Day/Month/Year Month/Day/Year (Day) Month Spelled (Year) * Open Format Example

BREAK TIME Please return in minutes

BACK TO NARRATIVE

Narratives and Narration p Narration is one of the most common types of writing because it does two things. – It tells an interesting, intriguing story – It makes a point or discusses the significance of the story to the author or the audience. A narrative essay is usually told chronologically which means that events are in time sequence order Narrative essays use a variety of methods to get the readers to feel like they are THERE, experiencing the events of the story.

Narrative Writing is… a story or account of events, experiences, etc, whether true or fictitious. Narratives convey action and detail. Narratives are a detailed account, not a brief sketch. Makes the reader feel like he or she is THERE in the scene, experiencing along with the author. Contains conflict/tension

Narration and Reflection: The Perfect Pair Reflection is where the author takes a step back from the narrative parts of their essay to think about their significance. what they meant for his or her life how they might connect to other experiences or subjects how they relate to the outside world. The “Camera Lens” metaphor—Zoom In, Zoom Out

Practice Identifying Narratives Look at “Paragraph 1” on p.370. Now, read “Paragraph 2” right below it. Why is Paragraph 2 a narrative when Paragraph 1 is not? Read Together: “Handling Transition” on p. 412 Is this a narrative? Does it have a beginning, a middle, and an end? How do you think an author of a narrative should decide when to stop? What was the point of the essay? Why did he tell this story? To put it another way, what was the author’s purpose? What is the best/most interesting part of this essay? Why?

How to Make Your Readers Feel Like They are “There” Use descriptive writing. (See p. 373) Use sensory details that appeal to the five senses. Smell, Sight, Hearing, Taste, and Touch Ask “the reporter’s questions” Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How Constantly ask yourself, “What would someone who wasn’t there need to know?” Think about the attitude or feeling you want to get across in each part of your narrative and choose words and pieces of description that support that feeling.

Essay Development: Using Specific Details Wherever possible in your essay, use specific details instead of general ones. – Use examples to explain and illustrate. – Refer to people who are important to the narrative by their names whenever possible. – Refer to specific numbers, times, and places. – Add facts and explanation to statements that might mean different things to different readers. – Remember, you are drawing from your experience. Make it unique to you.

Examples of Specific Details Not specific at all: “I eat some things some people I know consider weird.” “Things” is a very vague word. The same thing goes for “stuff” and “some.” Try to avoid these words in your essay. How could this sentence be improved?

Improved Sentence: Original Sentence: “I eat some things some people consider weird.” Improved: “I eat Sushi, Indian food, or Thai food at least once or twice a month, and some of my older relatives find this strange because it’s not what they are used to. My dad’s parents are both from the Midwest where the staples of a good dinner are steak and corn on the cob, and they are confused by the fact that their granddaughter loves raw fish, spicy curry, and slippery clear noodles.

Importance of Transitions However you choose to arrange the details and events in your essay, you will need transitions to guide your reader from one idea to the next. – Transitions tell your reader how each new section or detail connects with what came before. – Transitions help your readers to understand the order of events. – See lists of common transitions for different purposes on page 486.

Homework for Next Week Let’s look at the full schedule for the class— now up on the Class Blog!