We began by going over the assignment sheet for Essay 1: Personal Narrative. Then students began filling out the Personal Narrative Pre-Writing Worksheet using their neighborhood photos as inspiration.
We also discussed “A Coney Island of the Mind” by Katie Roiphe as a great example of: (1) using present tense to slow down and put us in the moments of her story; (2) making the setting of Coney Island an individual character – we could feel exactly what the historic Brooklyn neighborhood looks, sounds, and feels like!; and (3) character development (showing us how a character changes through a particular turning point in her life).
Homework:
(1) Using the Personal Narrative Pre-Writing Worksheet that you completed in class, write your personal narrative introduction. This introduction will need to be posted online before 12pm on Sunday, September 16. Details can be found by clicking the “Discussion” tab, then clicking “Personal Narrative Introductions.”
(2) Print, read and annotate “The Way We Live Now: 11-11-01; Lost and Found” by Colson Whitehead. Create: (1) a vocabulary list; (2) a 1-2 paragraph summary of the reading; and (3) at least 2 critical thinking questions for us to discuss.
(3) Review the following stories we already read:
Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie
“Hers; The Ignominy of Being Pregnant in New York City” by Anna Quindlen
“A Coney Island of the Mind” by Katie Roiphe (handout)
Note all of the elements of what makes a great story. Pay particular attention to how the stories unfold, how the authors develop characters, the incorporation of vivid detail and imagery to “show” us moments rather than just “tell” us about them, plot development, the “so what?”, and so on!
Ricardo Sharpe
Prof. Choi
English 1101
D348
Having a home is a very important piece to your life, now imagine finding out your moving to a bigger and better house on Christmas day. My parents broke the news to me and my sister and we couldn’t help but feel relieved. We had been waiting on this moment for years the current house we were in was beginning to get smaller and smaller as me and my sister began to grow more older so it was only fitting that we moved out and found a better place. But this new house was unlike anything we could’ve imagined, the house was in a suburban area which was already a positive compared to our previous house which was more in a ghetto area and also the house was roomy and had so many different floors and areas of space, that moment changed Christmas forever for me and my family.