In class we looked at two different stories and explored how the writers created and developed interesting characters. In "Me Talk Pretty One Day" specifically we looked at how the narrator revealed aspects of his personality through the voice he uses to tell the story (a very light-hearted, sarcastic tone). The same thing happens in "The Lesson." Sylvia's tone of voice is very hard, aggressive, full of bravado, a voice, we as readers realize she is using as a front to hide her feelings of shame and vulnerability. Also in both The Lesson and Me Talk Pretty One Day, we are able to learn things about the narrators based on how they interact with others. Because we see David cower underneath his teachers scrutiny, we know he is sensitive to criticism but we also know he doesn't give up easily because he continues to work even though the teacher makes him feel so insecure. We know Sylvia is a bully not because she tells us so but because of the way she interacts with her cousin Sugar. Also keep in mind the ways that Bambara is able to quickly introduce and characterize a huge cast of characters in The Lesson, through what they do and what they say.
We did an exercise today where I had you write all of the things in your bedroom and then had your classmates try and guess things about you based on the contents. The point of this exercise is for us to practice showing who a person is instead of just telling the reader who they are.
Here is a video of David Sedaris reading another essay from his book, Me Talk Pretty One Day, titled "Jesus Shaves."
We looked at setting in Face by Alice Munro and the techniques she uses to establish the setting of the piece. She doesn't directly tell us it's a mostly white, upper-class town with traditional values, but we can gain that from her descriptions of the people there and their customs. She shows us the difference between the cottage and the main house not only through physical description but also by describing the various activities that occur in each place and the feelings that are present in the characters when they are in each dwelling. I also wanted us to see how a place that may seem ordinary to others (the old shed that used to be a cottage in a backyard) but can have great significance for others and the story of how that place became significant to you could be a great jumping off point for your narrative.
The main lesson of this week is SHOW not tell. How can you show what's it like for you (or your character) to grow up in your neighborhood? How can you show how great or how awful of a person a character is? What moments can you provide us that illustrate your point so you can keep your readers engaged in your story?
Homework
- One Page Description of a Person or Place that has been very Influential to You (Due Friday 9/23) via ELI Review (if you missed today please email me for the class code so you can get setup in ELI)
- Read "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway underneath Class Documents (Due Friday 9/23)
- Read "The Unauthorized Autobiography of Me" by Sherman Alexie underneath Class Documents (Due Friday 9/23)
- Read "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan in Readings for Writers (Due Friday 9/23)
- If you missed today, you want to read over the Narrative Assignment Sheet. There you will see the requirements for your first major papers.
Here is a helpful link for those of you who may need help getting setup on ELI or who are having trouble submitting your one page description on ELI. Also remember I am always available via email. http://elireview.com/learn/tutorials/students/
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