1. Nonfiction Unit
“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known”
-Blaise Pascal

2. What is nonfiction?
Nonfiction is “true” writing. It is factual, tells a true story, and uses research to present a topic in an often entertaining way. It often has a historical background.
It can have opinion in it, and at times you may even find a detail or two that is exaggerated or not completely true, but as a whole, the work is true and engaging.
Nonfiction writing can vary in length. For example, “The Gettysburg Address” is only 246 words (a little over 2 minutes). Whereas, the biography, 1000 Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House is over 1100 pages long!!! How long might it take you to read that?

3. BORING!!!

4. NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!
Not all non-fiction reads like an encyclopedia or dictionary entry. For example, look at the following short list of movies that are based on true, real-life, events and people.
INVICTUS COACH CARTER THE EXPRESS
SOUL SURFER UNSTOPPABLE VALKYRIE
WE BOUGHT A ZOO FIGHTER
127 HOURS THE KING’S SPEECH
SECRETARIAT MONEYBALL
THE BLIND SIDE J. EDGAR

5. Examples of Nonfiction
Literary Criticism/ Essay (like your Romeo and Juliet paper!)
Memoir
Speech
Biography
Autobiography
Personal Documents (letters, diaries, etc.)
Documentary Films
Instructions on Craft
News/Research Stories
Examples of Nonfiction

6. Literary Criticism and Essay
Literary criticism extends a challenge to the reader while analyzing particular works. It should force the reader to think about: themes, relationships, issues, etc. from a particular work.
It gives information and opinions, but also asks questions about the effectiveness of a piece of writing and its connection to life.
Plain and simple: It’s an essay that analyzes one or more pieces of writing. Essays use research to inform/persuade its audience about particular subject or work.

7. Examples of Literary Criticism and/or Essay…
“Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Story-Telling” by George Eliot
“The White Rose: Long Live Freedom” by Jacob Hornberger
** We will be reading this essay in class. It details the student movement of a group called The White Rose. They resisted Hitler’s rise in 1942 and promoted freedom.
Discuss: What were the topics of some of the essays you’ve written during your education so far?

8. The White Rose: Long Live Freedom
Before Reading:
What is Treason? Where have we seen treason discussed and addressed previously this year?
“The White Rose” vehemently resisted Hitler’s regime and this literary essay discusses three books titled:
1) The White Rose
2) A Noble Treason
3) An Honorable Defeat
What was the “Hitler Youth”?
After Reading:
Address question on CLASS BLOG.

9. Are usually “found” nonfiction writing, made public and studied for its historical importance.
Letters
Diary, Journal Entries
Personal
Documents

10. Examples… The Diary of Anne Frank Letter from Dachau *
The experience in letters from an American Soldier who is writing to his family on his experience entering the concentration camp Dachau.

11. Speech
A person generally gives a speech in order to motivate his/her audience to believe or agree with a particular philosophy, or to rise to action.
Most speeches are relatively brief.
They often include a “tagline,” slogan or motto that drives home the point of the speech, or is used to make its point memorable. Many speeches are still quoted today.
Speeches usually use many of the poetry elements we’ve discussed previously. There is often alliteration, repetition, personification, etc. throughout…
Discuss: Why do you think speeches are often so poetical?

12. Some memorable lines from famous speeches…..
“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country…”
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself…”

13. Examples of Speeches… “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr.
“The Gettysburg Address” by Abraham Lincoln
“Hope, Despair and Memory” by Elie Wiesel

14. Nobel Peace Prize
Every year since 1901 the Nobel Prize has been awarded for achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and for peace. The Nobel Prize is an international award administered by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden. In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank established The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prize. Each prize consists of a medal, personal diploma, and a cash award.

15. Hope, Despair & Memory
Elie Wiesel gave this speech as an acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize in December of 1986.
Time 2:53
Tour of Aushwitz (Elie Wiesel describes his experience arriving)

16. Memoir
** Derived from the French word memoire, meaning “memory,” the classic memoir is the recollection of a particularly vivid and important time in the author’s life.
** Memoirs are an extremely popular genre of writing today. Several have climbed the rungs of the NY Times best seller list and have been nominated for prestigious awards.
** Memoirs are based on factual information. Even though the author relies on memory, much research is conducted to support his/her story.

17. Is a memoir an autobiography?
Well…. YES and NO.
In a sense it is because it details part of the author’s history. BUT, an autobiography is the whole story (it generally covers the author’s life from birth to present time)
Memoir, instead focuses on a specific time in the authors life, or centers around on particular theme.
Is a memoir an autobiography?

18. EXAMPLES OF MEMOIRS…. Night by Elie Wiesel
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain
My Dog Skip by Willie Morris
Marley and Me by John Grogan
Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Album
Million Little Pieces by James Frey

19. Examples of Autobiography
** Remember: Autobiographies generally cover an author’s entire life from birth until the present time. They are written by the author, about the author. Many times the word “autobiography” appears in the title of the work. Autobiography of Malcolm X Mark Twain’s Autobiography (this was published after his death) The Story of my Life by Helen Keller Black Boy by Richard Wright Since we can’t read an ENTIRE autobiography right now, we will be reading an excerpt from Gary Paulson’s The Fine Madness of Iditarod.

20. The difference between biography and auto- biography?
The only difference between a biography and autobiography is WHO wrote it.
If the author writes his own life story, it is an autobiography.
If it is the life story of someone other than the author, it is a biography.
The difference between biography and auto- biography?

21. Examples of Biographies…
Marilyn by Norman Mailer
Into the Wild by John Krakauer (also made into a movie). We will be reading an excerpt from this book in class!
* We will also be reading a short biography of Lizzie Borden.