Genre: Narratives and AnalysisTechniques: Explication, Annotation,

Outlines

Thursday, August 20

Part I: Housekeeping

• LSC Orientation• Collect Proposal #1• Collect Mini #1

(Hold onto your extra copies for later)

BTW: Foundation Office is currently accepting scholarship applications from all majors. Deadline for application acceptance is September 2, 2015. Students will need to complete one general application which can be accessed at www.chaffey.edu/scholarships.

Discussion

“Drama is anticipation mingled with uncertainty.” – William Archer (playwright, essayist, and critic)

What makes for a good story? What makes it memorable? How can storytelling be used to put forth an

argument (a larger point)?

Provide some examples.

Why do we tell stories?

• Sharing an anecdote conveys larger meaning• How does this relate to thesis creation? • Cautionary Tales, Parables, Allegories, Fables, Myths• Conveys an example and moments to relate to the

audience?• Instructive: teaching the audience something

Narrative Essays: Basic FeaturesA well-told story often uses a dramatic arc

• Exposition/Inciting Incident: Background information, scene setting, or an intro to the characters or an initial conflict or problem that sets off the action, arousing curiosity and suspense.

• Rising Action: The developing crisis, possibly leading to other conflicts and complications

• Climax: The emotional high point, a turning point marking a change for good or ill.

• Falling Action: Resolution of tension and unraveling of conflicts; may include a final surprise.

• Resolution/Reflection: Conflicts come to an end but may not be fully resolved, and writer reflects on the event’s meaning and importance—its significance.

What are these?

Flow chart for chronological sequencing

Basic Features Cont.

• Vivid Description of people and places, naming, detailing, comparing (try to invoke the 5 senses)• “The cars’ tires laid behind them on the snowy street a

complex trail of beige chunks like crenellated castle walls. I had stepped on some earlier; they squeaked.” (Dillard, par. 5)

• Autobiographical Significance• This is the point the writer is trying to make—the purpose

for writing to a particular audience• Remember feelings and thoughts from when the event took place• Reflect on the past from the present perspective• Choose details and words that create a dominant impression

Using Dialogue:

Quoting: dramatize dialogue through combo of spoken words and descriptive speaker tags• “Elementary, my dear Watson,” he uttered assuredly.

Paraphrasing: reports content of what was said but doesn’t quote the actual words or use quotation marks• I asked her if I could have money for the movies. She

said I could only if I finished my chores and walked the dog.

Summarizing: gives the gist without the detail.• I was read my rights and questioned. (Brandt, par. 19)

Diction in Sentences: Show and Tell• Effective writing = specifying rather than generalizing. • Expressing emotion or using description? “show” the reader your subject rather

than “tell” the reader about it.

“Showing” means you give the reader specific details appealing to multiple senses—sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. You show your audience specific objects, images, and sensations that convey the idea rather than simply stating the idea.

• Bad use of generality: “I was nervous and excited as I heard the news.”• Good use of specific details: “My hands trembled and my heart quickened as I

heard.”

• Bad use of generality: “It was a winter day. It was cold as I walked outside.”• Good use of specific-details: “Frost coated the ground as birds shivered in naked

trees. My breath misted the air, and every step I took crunched the snow.”

Note: sometimes, generalizations serve your purpose as well. Short, stark statements add emphasis. However, specific description creates a sense of realism. It makes the reader participate in your writing.

Pro-tip: “telling” usually involves using a weak “to be” verb (is, am, are, was, were, be being, been), and if you remove the verb and replace it with an action verb, you will be one step closer to “showing” with specific diction. Similes and metaphors also help.

Part II Analysis

Take notes during the video

Focus Questions: • How did watching the video give you a different

impression than reading?• How can media help or distract from our

understanding?

David Foster Wallace (2005)

This is Water

Audience: He gave this commencement speech at Kenyon College

in 2005. Who is his audience? Anybody else?

Purpose: What is DFW arguing for? What is the significance, the

big so what, of this speech?

Style: What stylistic devices can we take form this story and

apply it to our essays?

DFW, “This is Water”

http://www.metastatic.org/text/This%20is%20Water.pdf

ACTIVITY: GROUP OUTLINE AND DISCUSSION

PARAGRAPH SAYSPARAGRAPH DOES

Close Reading includes Annotating

Annotating (dfn): marks, underlines, highlights, and/or comments you make on the page as you read. Record immediate reactions and questions. Outline and summarize main points. Evaluate the ideas and points of view.

What does this mean?- Read with a pencil in hand and think of all the ways

you can connect with what you are reading

User Guide• Define words or slang• Make connections to other parts of the text• Make connections to other texts you have read or seen• Draw a picture when a visual connection is appropriate• Re-write, paraphrase, or summarize a particularly difficult passage

or moment• Make meaningful connections to your own life experiences• Describe a new perspective you may have now• Offer an analysis or interpretation of what is happening in the text• Point out and discuss literary techniques that the author is using.

Example) Annotated example fr. MLK, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (p. 295)

“Explication”

Close Read = read with purpose- mark up the text- Look for patterns in the things you’ve noticed about

the text (repetition, contradiction, similarity)- ask questions (esp. how and why)

Your Turn:• Annotate and Close Read Anne Lamott’s essay, “Shitty

First Drafts”

http://wrd.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/1-Shitty%20First%20Drafts.pdf• When done, answer questions 2 & 3

Discussion: What’s going on stylistically? How is she persuading

readers to agree with her?

Assigning the Outline (pp. 286-87)

Purpose:• To invent what you want to say in an essay and a way to

organize your ideas and info• To see at a glance the essay’s weaknesses and strengths,

which can help you revise more strategically during the drafting process.

Topic outline / sentence outline: more formal than a scratch outline (a long list) because they follow conventional format of numbered and lettered headings and subheadings.

http://www.dianaluu.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Eng1A_Essay-1-Outline.pdf

Rough Structure of Narratives• Introduction• The “Hook” : Start your paper with a statement about

your story that catches the reader’s attention, for example: a relevant quotation, question, fact, or definition• Set the scene: Provide the information the reader will

need to understand the story: who are the major characters? When and where is it taking place?• Thesis statement: (slightly different than argumentative or

expository essay) it can offer a moral or lesson learned “I’ll never hike alone again” or identify a theme that connects the story to a universal experience “ Journeys bring both joy and hardship.”

Body Paragraphs (one ¶, one idea)• “Show, don’t Tell”: details, descriptions that help readers

understand the experience (5 senses)• Supporting evidence: personal narr = your experiences

prove the thesis (which is about you)—for the movie worldview part (use aspects of the movies: characters, dialogue, setting, music) the evidence should demo the lesson learned/significance to you• Passage of time: chronologically? Sequentially? • Transitions: change in action; move from action to

reflection • (ex: end of one ¶ “I turned and ran, hoping the bear hadn’t

noticed me” … next ¶ “There are many strategies for surviving an encounter with a bear; ‘turn and ran’ is not one of them.”)

Paragraphing (pp. 319-20)

- Groups related ideas and details- signals when a sequence of related ideas begins

and ends- helps readers judge what is most important in their

reading(Pro-tip: writers usually emphasize important info at the two points in the

paragraph where readers are most attentive—the beginning and the end.)

Topic Sentences (p. 320)

Announces the Topic (main idea sentences): - Usually at the beginning of the paragraph- Lets readers know the focus of a paragraph in simple

and direct terms- Topic sentence is a cueing strategy for the paragraph ~

thesis (or forecasting statement) is for the whole essay- Since ¶s usually signal a shift in focus, readers expect

to be reoriented in the opening sentence - (i.e. Will the new ¶ introduce another aspect of the topic or

develop one already introduced?)

Topic Sentences: Making a Transition• Not all TS simply point to what will follow• Some link paragraphs:

Examples-Within its broad traditionalism and anonymity, however, variations and distinctions developed.-Regionally, too, distinctions were introduced…-Finally, out of such regional and other variations come individual, signed achievements…

Conclusion:

• Moral of the story? Significance? • Not a place for new information • Closing action of the event , but also some

reflection/analysis of the significance of the event (This is the home stretch…you’re wrapping it up)• TENSE: Reporting vs. Reflecting

Part III: Pitching the Proposal

I heard, I noticed, and I wondered.

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Directions: One student reads the proposal while the other one listens. The listener

then composes these three statements, and then reads the responses back. Reader then takes notes on the listener’s responses. Then, switch.

I heard: summarize what you think the essay is about. (as a writer, listen to this section and try to hear whether or not you

communicated what you were trying to say)I noticed: tell the author what things attracted your attention. What

worked well? What details seemed vivid or striking? What will you remember about this proposal?

(think about why your reader noticed these things, why was it effective?)I wondered: did you have any questions after the reading? What do you

anticipate the writer will need to elaborate on? Were there any parts that were difficult to understand? Do you suspect something might have worked better another way? Do you have any suggestions about the essay’s tone/structure/development to help your peer?

(try to answer the reviewer’s questions. Look at your writing again and see if there’s any way to make those points/ideas clearer.)

HW- Complete E1 Outline (Make sure to follow the guide,

use complete sentences, and format it in MLA)- Start draftingReview:• pp. 1-13 (for prewriting strategies, and

remembering events) • Pp. 284-87 (outlining)• pp. 294-316 (for annotating and outlining) • pp. 317-31 (cueing the reader, thesis statements,

paragraphing, topic sentences, transitions)