Memoir Writing
What is the topic of a memoir?
A personal experience/life story
What is one way you can proofread your paper?
Examples: check spelling, check punctuation, reread paper
Who was Frederick Douglass?
A former slave and author
In the poem "Sympathy," why did the caged bird sing?
The bird was not happy. He wanted to get out.
What is Ms. Jennings' favorite animal?
a cow
What type of statement is part of your intro paragraph?
Thesis statement
What two types of words are needed to create a complete sentence?
subject and verb
What is the central idea of this excerpt from Frederick Douglass?
As a boy I watched the white children carry their schoolbooks while I carried heavy pails of water. Each page they turned was to me a golden door locked tight. Yet I learned that even a locked door may yield to a patient hand. At night, by the dim light of the kitchen fire, I traced letters in ashes as if planting seeds in secret soil. From those seeds grew a tree whose roots cracked the stones of my bondage. I remembered the story of Moses leading his people out of Egypt, and I dreamed of a day when my mind would part the waters of ignorance.
Learning to read is difficult but gives the narrator hope for freedom
In this passage, Which line best supports the idea that the bird is physically harmed by its confinement?
I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;
When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals—
I know what the caged bird feels!
I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting—
I know why he beats his wing!
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings—
I know why the caged bird sings!
“Till its blood is red on the cruel bars”
What does solitude mean?
alone
What is the high point of a memoir where the main character faces their problem?
Climax
How can you fix this fragment?
Fell asleep and woke up late.
I fell asleep and woke up late.
How does Ernesto Galarza feel about is teacher in "Barrio Boy?"
He is shy at first, but grows to appreciate her and her encouragement makes a big difference in his life.
old school was small, new school was big
What is the first story we read in this class?
Nurse and Spy in the Union Army
What perspective/narrative do you use when writing a memoir about YOUR life?
1st person perspective
How do you fix this run-on sentence?
Suzie is my silly sister she eats goldfish with ketchup.
Suzie is my silly sister. She eats goldfish with ketchup.
Suzie, my silly sister, eats goldfish with ketchup.
Suzie is my silly sister, and she eats goldfish with ketchup.
“To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society. I am not solitary whilst I read and write, though nobody is with me. But if a man would be alone, let him look at the stars. The rays that come from those heavenly worlds will separate between him and vulgar things. One might think the atmosphere was made transparent with this design, to give man, in the heavenly bodies, the perpetual presence of the sublime.”
In this passage from Nature, what can be inferred about the author’s view of solitude?
solitude happens when a person connects with the natural world
Excerpt from “Solitude” by Henry David Thoreau
“Men frequently say to me, ‘I should think you would feel lonesome down there, and want to be nearer to folks, rainy and snowy days and nights especially.’ I am tempted to reply to such,—This whole earth which we inhabit is but a point in space. How far apart, think you, dwell the two most distant inhabitants of yonder star… Why should I feel lonely?”
What does this excerpt suggest about Thoreau’s view of loneliness?
He does not feel lonely because he sees himself as part of something much larger
A. The atrocious, adorable puppies curled up on my lap.
B. Atrocious rain knocked on my window, making me fall asleep easily.
C. The participation of slavery is part of our atrocious history, something we want to forget.
D. The boy attempted an atrocious British accent; he sounded like he was from there!
C
What does GUM stand for in GUM: Writing effective sentences?
Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics
Give an example of how to write dialogue correctly between two people. *Remember punctuation for the points!*
answers vary. Example:
"Here is how you write dialogue correctly," said Ms. Jennings.
"Oh, I get it now," said Suzie.
In "A Cub Pilot," which line best shows that a pilot's job is stressful?
"The growth of courage in the pilot-house is steady all the time, but it does not reach a high and satisfactory condition until some time after the young pilot has been "standing his own watch" alone and under the staggering weight of all the responsibilities connected with the position."
"under the staggering weight of all the responsibilities"
"I don't remember much of the trip, but after we reached the segregated southern part of the journey, things must have looked up. Negro passengers, who always traveled with loaded lunch boxes, felt sorry for "the poor little motherless darlings" and plied us with cold fried chicken and potato salad. Years later, I discovered that the United States had been crossed thousands of times by frightened Black children traveling alone to their newly affluent parents in Northern cities, or back to grandmothers in Southern towns when the urban North reneged on its economic promises."
In this passage from "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," how is the author developing a central idea?
she is introducing the challenges of racism and abandonment early on
Every person on your team must turn on their camera for 10 seconds (counted by me)
:))