Chapter One: Narration
Narration is as good a place as any to launch a composition class for beginning college writers. Even the most reticent students can be prompted to recall interesting experiences--involving themselves or others--and to explain their significance. Moreover, the natural movement of events in a story line relieves students of the burden of manipulating facts and ideas into more complicated organizational patterns like those they will learn about later in the text.
Narration, then, can help build the writer's confidence. But don't leave students with the notion that writing stories is a less difficult, less important, or less valid way to approach a topic than, say, illustration, comparison/contrast or formal argument. Remind them that narration is a powerful tool for making a point and that it lies at the heart of both journalistic and technical writing. Point out similarities between the essays in this chapter and those in Chapter Three: Process and in Chapter Eight: Cause and Effect. Emphasize the fact that all three types of writing rely heavily on chronological order and use transitions to create clear and logical connections. Finally, explain that anecdotal information can play an important part in many of the more "esoteric" kinds of prose found in the chapters on analogy, definition, classification, and even argument.
Most first-year students should have little trouble with Hughes's "Salvation"; it is short and easy to read. Discussed with the selection by Angelou, which is longer but just as accessible, it provides an interesting springboard for classroom discussion and for writing about important themes arising from the kind of emotional pain we associate with growing up. Malcolm X's "Coming to an Awareness of Language," another great example of autobiography, can be discussed in this group as well, for like the other two, it clearly shows that narration can become a vehicle for self-discovery and definition.
Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" a classic of the English essay, illustrates the uses of narration as a tool for social and political criticism. It makes for excellent class discussion. Hong Kingston's "No Name Woman" and David Sedaris's "Me Talk Pretty One Day," though very different in purpose, provide examples of other uses for narration. Both can be used to help students learn important rhetorical techniques as they develop their own voices. "No Name Woman" never fails to spark active class discussion and to inspire the kind of writing in which students can attempt serious exploration of concerns important to the individual and to the community. "Me Talk Pretty One Day" shows students how effective narration can be as a tool for satire. It is also an effective vehicle for teaching techniques for creating a unique voice.
George Orwell: Shooting an Elephant
Questions for Discussion
Content
a. The speaker's attitudes toward the Burmese and the British are obvious. He
pictures himself as the servant of two odious masters.
b. In paragraph 2, Orwell seems to hint at the rise of the totalitarian states that
became world powers in the 1930s; these include Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany,
and the Soviet Union.
c. Paragraphs 7 and 9 tell us much about Orwell's view of the nature of imperialism.
d. Orwell tells us that he does not want to kill the elephant because of its value as a working animal. In paragraph 6, he displays an impeccable logic about the problem he faces, but we know even then that such thinking cannot prevail against the pressures exerted by his native audience.
e. Paragraphs 1 and 2 are worth analyzing in response to this question.
f. This metaphor is at the heart of Orwell's purpose. Put more prosaically, "power
corrupts."
g. The two opinions expressed in paragraph 14 reflect the conflict within the
speaker.
Strategy and Style
h. Shooting an Elephant" is clearly political commentary, but Orwell does not
simply attack imperialism. He painstakingly analyzes its effects both on the
oppressor and the oppressed. However, this essay is also self-examination
and self-criticism.
i. This is an essay about conflicting values and aims, and Orwell presents each
side thoroughly and incisively.
j. The physical setting is far less important to Orwell's purpose than the
sociological context.
k. Throughout the essay there is a thematic undercurrent that bursts to the surface near the end. Orwell's recollection of the death of the elephant contrasts the puniness of human beings--whether British or Burmese-- with the magnificence of nature.
Engaging the Text
Both of these questions make excellent prompts for short writing. Students should be reminded to make specific reference to the text.
Suggestions for Sustained Writing
The first prompt works well, but students must be reminded that, although they are writing a narrative, they must also make a point. Remind them too that selection of detail is very important here and that details not supporting the writer's argument should be removed or de-emphasized. The second prompt requires careful analysis of all three essays in question. Students who choose this option should be fully grounded in the basics of narrative technique. The third item allows students to use narrative as a tool for historical exposition, but it does require them to state a clear thesis and support that thesis with material that is well-documented. Make sure they know the fundamentals of library/Internet research and documentation before you assign this one.
Langston Hughes: Salvation
Questions for Discussion
This is a good time to explain that the arrangement and labeling of essays in a textbook via rhetorical categories is really only a convenient way for editors to present a variety of materials. In truth, most essays are a blend of various kinds of details. For example, students should be made aware of descriptive details in
Hughes's work. You might also want to explain the role comparison plays in this essay by asking them about the differences they find between Langston and Westley. This essay also provides the opportunity to begin explaining the function of figurative language in expository prose.
Engaging the Text
Item a can be a way to combine narration with comparison/contrast. You can ask students to write a narrative as a first response to this prompt, then ask them to write a comparison of their experience to that of Hughes, or their experience to that of a classmate. Writing and sharing these second writings can be used as one class period's activities, or students can exchange copies of their first writings
and do the second writing at home as a journal entry or as a draft of an essay.
Item b is probably best used as a short in-class activity to break up class discussion or as a way to begin a class period.
Suggestions for Sustained Writing
The most accessible of the three prompts is the first. The second prompt requires that you explain techniques relevant to comparison/contrast, but it can be very successful. As for item c, asking students to address someone who is skeptical about the value of religious observances is a good way to show students the power of narration as a tool for persuasion.
Maya Angelou: Grandmother's Victory
Questions for Discussion
The first of these questions usually prompts a great deal of discussion among students who have read the narrative carefully. Discussing the kind of detail Angelou includes (items b through f) is a good way to illustrate the notion that writers exercise control over their materials and make careful choices about what to include or exclude when recalling a story.
Angelou's use of dialogue is more extensive than what we see in Hughes and Orwell, so this selection provides an excellent opportunity to begin discussing techniques for incorporating quoted materials if you haven't done so already. "Grandmother's Victory" also contains more detailed portrayals of character than what we see in the two previous selections; students usually have little trouble talking about Grandmother Henderson and discussing the techniques Angelou uses to describe her. Finally, don't miss the chance to discuss the importance of tone in this essay and to show how well Angelou controls and manipulates it to hold our attention and to enrich her recollection of the incident.
Engaging the Text
Both of the prompts for this selection ask for definitions; however, they can serve different purposes. Item a will get students to return to the text to do a closer, second reading. Item b focuses on the student's self, and can be used to encourage a narrative response as a means of coming to a personal definition of "victory." Item b can also be used as a prompt for sustained writing.
Suggestions for Sustained Writing
The first prompt is the easiest to approach. However, students should be cautioned that their writing will remain flat and uninteresting unless they make good use of the narrative elements illustrated in Angelou's essay. The other two assignments are somewhat more difficult, but most beginning college writers find them interesting. Remind students that they must closely analyze and refer to the text if they are to define the sources of "Momma's Victory." Those who choose the last prompt should already be skilled in techniques used in comparison/contrast.
Maxine Hong Kingston: No Name Woman
Questions for Discussion
An effective way to discuss this essay is to begin with a close look at Hong Kingston's style and organizational techniques before taking on the specific questions included here. Ask your students to find the places in the essay where the focus changes abruptly. For instance, the first change happens between paragraphs 8 and 9, when Hong Kingston moves from the narrative of her aunt to a childhood memory of her own. Other such shifts occur after paragraphs 15, 19, 21, 30, and 39. Ask students what they can make of Hong Kingston's rhetorical purpose of each section and why she might have juxtaposed these sections as she did. The Questions for Discussion, then, can be used to draw students' attention to particular aspects of the sections.
Engaging the Text
Students tend to find this selection difficult, mainly because Hong Kingston negates their expectations about nonfiction narrative. As a result, they often distance themselves from the essay. These short writing prompts help students make personal connections to the piece. If you use these items as journal prompts, you can begin class discussion by having students read aloud from their journals.
Suggestions for Sustained Writing
The first assignment asks students to experiment with form much in the same way that Hong Kingston did. The second prompt requires close analysis. Students who choose this one should re-read both the Hong Kingston and Angelou selections and take careful notes. The third prompt allows students to explore their roots and the character of their immediate cultures. It also allows them to combine academic research with first-hand observations in a natural way.
Malcolm X: Coming to an Awareness of Language
Questions for Discussion
Content
The questions in this section are easily answered by making specific reference to the essay. You may want to review them one by one in class if you think your students need direction to fully understand the text. If not, you might want to skip these questions.
Strategy and Style
Items i and j should produce active, if not energetic, class discussion. Indeed, students may express significant differences of opinion on question i. As far as item h is concerned, you might remind students that mentioning such names adds realism and thus credibility to the essay.
Engaging the Text
Both suggestions offer an effective way to get students to practice analytical skills, even in response to a narrative essay. Before you ask them to attempt item b, however, you might want to define the concept of voice.
Suggestions for Sustained Writing
Few students have difficulty with the first item. However, they should be reminded that this assignment combines analysis with narration. They must explain the change that occurred because of their achieving a goal. The second prompt offers a more ambitious challenge, and it often requires classroom discussion about the importance of using details from both of these texts. The third prompt provides a manageable way to introduce students to research and the incorporation of research. However, they must be warned to limit their essays as recommended.
David Sedaris: Me Talk Pretty One Day
Questions for Discussion
Content
a. The essay may be viewed as a satire of many things, including current
language education. But it is a self-satire as well.
b. In paragraph 22, Sedaris tells us that "learning French is a lot like joining a
gang." This seems to be the controlling metaphor, but some students might
disagree.
c. Sedaris does not paint a pretty picture of his classmates, a fact that helps support his thesis as expressed in paragraph 22.
d. The author recalls a scene from his childhood in which his mother, having had a bit too much wine, engages in the ridiculous. Through implicit comparison, that reference highlights the nature of his current predicament.
e. Few students will have trouble understanding this metaphor or appreciating the humor.
Strategy and Style
f. References to the "threat of bodily harm" and to "a cartoon stegosaurus sitting
in a canoe and eating…a ham sandwich" in paragraph one create incongruity,
which prepares us for the almost surrealistic world of the French classroom
Sedaris is about to describe.
g. This question relates directly to the previous. Students have no problem seeing the humor in the tortured sounds that emanate every now and again from the teacher's mouth.
h. Ask students to review paragraphs 16 through 22 to find good examples.
i. Examples of hyperbole can be found in paragraphs 8 and 15. Sarcasm drips constantly from the mouth of the teacher, but it is used frequently by Sedaris as well. Take paragraph 3 or paragraph 21, for example.
j. This is a debatable question. Some students might argue that Sedaris's portrait of his teacher is exaggerated.
k. Sedaris's purpose is clearly to make us laugh. That would have been harder to do had he recalled only one incident in detail. After all, the events he is recalling are not riveting and inspiring. They are simply funny, and comedy works only when the material is fresh.