Course Recap for Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Last week we talked about how to describe inanimate objects.  This week we are going to talk about describing people. 

Characterization

How do we characterize other people?  How do we show people who we are?  We looked at several pieces to determine the kind of details we can use to reveal important information about our people.

In Sister Flowers, Mrs. Bertha Flowers is a classy, intelligent, forbidding, yet kind woman.  We learned this from information about the way she dresses (she wears gloves), the way other people act around her (people carry her groceries), the way she speaks (she enunciates everything very clearly), and the way she treats others (the respect she shows Marguerite's mother).  These are all examples of showing information instead of telling it.  Angelou could have just said that Mrs. Flowers was well-educated but she decided to show us this fact instead. 

In the prose poem "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid, we found out a lot of information about the speaker based on the advice she gives us.  We were able to determine she was a poor, minority woman who believed in keeping up appearances.  She values traditional gender roles but she also want her daughter to stand up for herself.  Nowhere in the poem does the speaker say "I am old-fashioned" or "I'm Caribbean" but we can infer this from the little details she provides us about her everyday life.  The same thing is true for "The Day Lady Died" by Frank O'Hara.  We were able to determine that the speaker was a white, wealthy, super-educated, older (possibly retired) male who loves Billie Holiday without him telling us those things directly.  We know this based on the details he provides us of his daily routine. 

Your challenge over the next few days is to write about a place or person significant to you.  You need to determine first what overall impression you want the reader to leave with in the end. Let that guide what details you decide to include.  Try and be specific as possible and avoid telling whenever possible.  Instead of saying Mike is really neat, say Mike wipes every surface of his house with a wet cloth everyday.  Instead of saying Shelly is really sweet, tell us about how when you first met Shelly she offered you her umbrella when it was pouring rain because she knew you had to walk down the street to your car.  Don't just say the park was empty.  Tell us how you were able to hear the squirrel climbing up the tree even though he was several feet away from you and how each breath you took echoed loudly in the darkness.  Not only will it paint a more vivid image, it will also be a lot more interesting to read.

Homework

• 500 word paper describing a person or place that is significant to you via Google Docs. (Due Thursday)
• Friday's Blog Post Prompt: What is story?  What makes a good story (Due Friday)