Identity, Storytelling & Narrative Writing
What is the difference between telling and showing in narrative writing?
Telling states what happens; showing uses description, dialogue, and detail to immerse the reader.
This is the name of the director of Barbie (2023).
Who is Greta Gerwig?
Who is the author of 1984?
Who is George Orwell?
This poetic device compares two unlike things using “like” or “as.”
What is a simile?
What punctuation mark comes at the end of a rhetorical question?
What is a question mark?
This part of a narrative grabs the reader’s attention from the start.
What is the hook?
What color dominates Barbie Land’s mise-en-scène?
What is pink?
This is the government system in 1984.
What is totalitarianism or The Party?
What is the central theme of “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan?
The search for peace, justice, and answers in a time of social unrest.
True or False: “Ain’t” is in the dictionary.
True
In our personal narrative unit, we said this enhances the power of storytelling.
What is self-awareness?
What item in Barbie Land first starts to “malfunction,” showing cracks in her perfect world?
What are her high heels / feet / cold shower / burnt toast? Any of these are acceptable.
What is the name of the practice where contradictory ideas are accepted at the same time?
What is doublethink?
What does Kendrick Lamar’s repeated use of the word “HUMBLE.” suggest about the song’s message?
It critiques ego, materialism, and hypocrisy—calling for self-awareness and groundedness.
This literary genre uses figurative language to evoke emotion or image.
What is poetry?
Name two elements of a well-developed character.
Motivations, backstory, flaws, growth, relationships, etc.
What is significant about Ken wearing mink and shades after visiting the Real World?
It’s part of his transformation and embrace of patriarchy—his costume reflects newfound “power.”
What is the role of the telescreens in 1984?
Constant surveillance and propaganda control.
How can the structure of a song (like verse, chorus, bridge) contribute to its overall message?
The structure can emphasize key ideas, build emotional momentum, or mirror a narrative arc; for example, repetition in the chorus reinforces themes.
This is the term for the repetition of initial consonant sounds.
What is alliteration?
What’s one reason people might present a “single story” of someone else, according to Chimamanda Adichie?
Lack of exposure, power, stereotypes, or incomplete perspective.
In the final scene, Barbie wears earth-toned clothes instead of pink. What does this costume change symbolize?
Her transition to real womanhood / embracing complexity / letting go of perfection.
What modern phenomenon did we compare to Newspeak?
Internet slang, algorithmic bias, TikTok brainrot, or simplification of language.
How do music and lyrics work together to shape a listener’s understanding of the song’s message? Give one example.
The tone, pace, and instrumentation reinforce the mood created by the lyrics—e.g., slow tempo + somber lyrics = emotional depth.
What’s one thing you learned in English this year that wasn’t academic?
Open-ended — accept all honest reflections