Class 2

1. EWRT 1B
CLASS TWO

2. AGENDA
• Presentation: Terms
• Discussion: “Uncle Willie”
• Personal Passing Experience
• Being Judged by Concrete Identifiers
• Lecture: Writing Strategies for in-class
essay #1
• Basic Features of a Personal Narrative
• In-Class Writing
• A Well-Told Story
• A Vivid Presentation of Places and People
• An Indication of the Event’s Significance

3. TODAY’S PARTICIPATION
MEASURE
• Take out a piece of paper. Write your first and last name on it: This is
how I will take roll today.
• Using hash marks, keep track of your contributions to today’s class.
• Give yourself 1 point for being here. Give yourself another point any
time you read aloud, ask a question, or make a comment that furthers
our discussion.
• At the end of class, total your points and write the number at the top of
your paper, near your name.

4. TERMS
1. Bias: A preference or an inclination, especially one that inhibits
impartial judgment; an unfair act or policy stemming from
prejudice.
2. Culture: Behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, language, institutions,
and all other products of human work and thought.
3. Difference: A characteristic that distinguishes one person from
another or from an assumed norm, or the state of being
distinguished by such characteristics. Social justice issues such
as racism, classism, sexism, and heterosexism usually center
on the negative perception of difference by the dominant group.
Viewed positively, difference can be a catalyst for equity,
recognition of interdependence, and a source of personal
power.

5. 4. Discrimination: Treatment or consideration based on class
or category rather than individual merit; partiality or prejudice.
5. Diversity: The quality of being diverse; a respect in which
things differ; variety.
6. Equality: The state or quality of treating everyone in an equal
manner.
7. Ethnicity: A perception of being alike, a sense of peoplehood
by virtue of sharing a common ancestry (real or fictitious),
values, and behavior.

6. 8. Fluid Identity: The concept that identity is not rigid but can
and does change. This idea is often used in terms of gender,
sexuality, and race, as well as other factors of identity. This
concept is fundamentally contrary to binary systems. People
who feel their identity is fluid often believe that rigid categories
are oppressive and incapable of accurately describing their
experience and identities.
9. Oppression: Arbitrary and cruel use of power; using severe or
unjust force or authority. An unjust situation where,
systematically and over a long period of time, one group
denies another group access to the resources of society. Race,
gender, class, sexuality, nation, age, ethnicity, disability status,
and religion constitute major forms of oppression.

7. 10. Passing: Historically, passing has been defined in terms of racial
passing. It refers to a deception that allows a person to take
advantage of certain roles or opportunities from which he or she
might be barred in the absence of this posed identity. The most
common racial passer, of course, was the African American who
lacked those characteristics typical of his race. These mixed race
people had physical appearances that allowed them to be perceived
and treated as if they where white.
But passing is not limited to African Americans assuming white roles
in society; it is not even limited to a racial basis. People pass in a
variety of ways and for a variety of reasons—from Blacks who pass
for white, to Jews who pass as Gentiles, to gays who pass for
straight, for women who pass for men—and the opposite of all of
these. Reverse passing, though less prevalent, also exists in
multiple forms.

8. “UNCLE WILLIE”
FROM I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS
BY MAYA ANGELOU
1. Characters: Who is in this story?
2. Setting: Where are they?
3. Summary: Give a brief overview of the story
4. Themes: Which broad concepts are discussed?
5. Questions
a. How and why does Uncle Willie pass?
b. Why does it matter what strangers think of him?
c. Does he want to fit in, just this once, or is there a
deeper motive for his behavior?
d. Is his behavior understandable? Reasonable? Fair?
Ethical?

9. How do we express our own
identities?
How much do we reveal
about ourselves and when do
we do so?
How do we decide?
What does society expect
from us in terms of revealing
who we are?

10. DISCUSSION
From Post #1
1. Describe a time when you were
unfairly judged on concrete identity
characteristics.
1. Describe a time when you passed
as someone or something you were
not. The passing can be either
purposeful or inadvertent.

11. IN-CLASS ESSAY PROMPT
#1: THE NARRATIVE
ESSAY

12. • This essay exam will be at our next meeting.
• You can use a one page outline from which to write.
• You will have approximately 90 minutes
• Bring a blue or green book, pens or pencils, and your outline
In a narrative essay of 500-1000 words, respond to one of the
following prompts:
1. Tell about an experience when you were unfairly judged based on
concrete identity characteristics.
2. Tell about an experience when you passed as someone or
something you were not. The passing can be either purposeful or
inadvertent.

13. BASIC FEATURES OF A PERSONAL
NARRATIVE:
 A Well-Told Story
 A Vivid Presentation of Places and
People
 An Indication of the Event’s
Significance

14. A WELL-TOLD STORY
• Choose an interesting story
• Write an introduction that sets the
stage for your tale
• Shape it into an exciting or memorable
experience
• Arouse curiosity, build suspense, and
conclude action with the climax
• Prepare your readers to understand
the significance of your event.
A Well-Told
Story…Hm
mmm

15. WHAT STORY WILL YOU TELL?
• Where and when did it happen?
• Make a quick narrative ladder:
• Exposition (Setting)
• Rising action
• Climax
• Falling Action
• Resolution

16. DEVELOP YOUR STORY•Develop your story in the body paragraphs
• Use action verbs and verbal phrases (the –ing
or “to” form of a verb: laughing, to laugh)
• She drew the shades; I took my position;
nudging her aside, I passed the crowd;
• Use temporal transitions to cue readers and
move the narrative through time.
• Just after; when; still; no longer; after a
few days; for a week or so; before long;
one afternoon

17. USE PREPOSITIONAL
PHRASES TO DESCRIBE
•He chased Mikey and me around the
yellow house and up a backyard path we
knew by heart: under a low tree, up a
bank, through a hedge, down some snowy
steps, and across the grocery store’s
delivery driveway.

18. THE GOAL: CREATE A VIVID
PRESENTATION OF PLACES
• Recreate the time and place of the event
• Ground readers in specifics:
• When? Christmas morning; one day in late fall, Saturday night
• Where? At a 7-11 in San Jose, at my Aunt Helen’s Easter party, In the
back alley of a club in Sunnyvale
• Name specific objects
• White, spherical snowball
• City clothes
• Translucent skin
• Dirty sidewalk
• Use similes and metaphors to draw comparisons
• Simile: The car rumbled like an approaching storm.
• Metaphor: I wanted to slingshot myself into the future. (compares himself
to a stone)

19. DESCRIBING THE PLACE
The shopping center was swarming with frantic
last-minute shoppers like ourselves. We went
first to the General Store, my favorite. It carried
mostly knickknacks and other useless items
which nobody needs but buys anyway. I was
thirteen years old at the time, and things like
buttons and calendars and posters would catch
my fancy. This day was no different. The object
of my desire was a 75-cent Snoopy button.
W
h
e
r
e
When
Active Verb Metaphorically
suggests bees
Temporal
transition
Naming
specific
objects
Who
and
What

20. THE STRATEGY: LISTING
KEY PLACES
• Make a list of all the places where the
event occurred, skipping some space
after each entry on your list.
• In the space after each entry on your
list, make some notes describing each
place. What do you see (except people
for now)? What objects stand out? Are
thy large or small, green or brown,
square or oblong? What sounds do you
hear? Do you detect any smells? Does
any taste come to mind? Any textures?

21. THE GOAL: MAKE A VIVID PRESENTATION OF PEOPLE
•Descriptive details of behaviors or actions
• She stuck her hand in the bag and picked up the poor,
little dead squirrel.
• He drew his hands through his long, greasy hair
•A bit of dialogue
• “Poor dear,” she murmured
• “Get out of my house,” he screamed
•Detail the person’s appearance
• A thin woman: all action
• He wore dress clothes: a black suit and tie

22. DESCRIBING THE
PEOPLE
• It wasn’t until my father opened the door that I realized
something terrifyingly life altering was about to be
revealed. Always movie-star handsome, he looked older
than I had remembered him, and his light green eyes
had gone dull.
• When I showed up, my father’s eyes were Caribbean
clear, yet huge and eerily calm, though it was hard to see
the rest of his face through all the white tape and the
plastic tubing.

23. THE STRATEGY:
RECALLING KEY PEOPLE
• List the people who played more
than a causal role in the event
• Describe a key person: Write a
brief description of a person
other than yourself who played a
major role in the event. Name
and detail a few distinctive
physical features or items of
dress. Describe in a few phrases
this person’s way of moving and
gesturing.

24. WRITING KEY SCENES IN
DIALOGUE
Next thing I knew, he was talking about calling the police and having
me arrested and thrown in jail, as if he had just nabbed a professional
thief instead of a terrified kid. I couldn’t believe what he was saying.
“Jean, what’s going on?”
The sound of my sister’s voice eased the pressure a bit. She
always managed to get me out of trouble. She would come through
this time too.
“Excuse me. Are you a relative of this young girl?”
“Yes, I’m her sister. What’s the problem?”
“Well, I just caught her shoplifting and I’m afraid I’ll have to call the police.”
“What did she take?”
“This button.”
“A button? You are having a thirteen-year-old arrested for stealing a button?”
“I’m sorry, but she broke the law.”

25. THE STRATEGY CONTINUED: USE DIALOGUE
TO CONVEY IMMEDIACY AND DRAMA
• Reconstruct one important
conversation
• Try to remember any especially
memorable comments, any unusual
choice of words, or any telling remarks
that you made or were made to you.
• Try to partially re-create the
conversation so that readers will be
able to imagine what was going on
and how your language and the other
person’s language reveal who you
were and your relationship.

26. THE GOAL: INDICATE THE EVENT’S
SIGNIFICANCE
• Show that the event was important
• Dramatize the event so readers can understand your feelings
about it.
• Show scenes from your point of view so readers can identify
with you.
• Tell us that the event was important
• Tell how you felt at the time of the experience
• Tell how you feel about it now, in reflection.

27. AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL
SIGNIFICANCE
•Telling the story from your point of view:
•As the officers led me through the mall, I sensed a hundred pairs of
eyes staring at me. My face flushed and I broke out in a sweat. Now
everyone knew I was a criminal. In their eyes I was a juvenile
delinquent, and thank God the cops were getting me off the streets.
The worst part was thinking my grandmother might be having the
same thoughts. The humiliation at that moment was overwhelming. I
felt like Hester Prynne being put on public display for everyone to
ridicule.
•Show and tell how you felt at the time:
•I felt like a terrible human being. I would rather have stayed in jail
than confront my mom right then. I dreaded each passing minute that
brought our encounter closer.

28. THE STRATEGY: RECALL
REMEMBERED FEELINGS AND
THOUGHTS
• What were your expectations before the event?
• What was your first reaction to the event as it was happening and right
after it ended?
• How did you show your feelings? What did you say?
• What did you want the people involved to think of you? Why did you
care what they thought of you?
• What did you think of yourself at the time?
• How long did these initial feelings last?
• What were the immediate consequences of the event for you
personally?
• Pause now to reread what you have written. Then write another
sentence or two about the event’s significance to you at the time it
occurred.

29. THE STRATEGY CONTINUED: EXPLORE
YOUR PRESENT PERSPECTIVE
• Looking back, how do you feel about this event? If you understand it
differently now than you did then, what is the difference?
• What do your actions at the time of the event say about the kind of person
you were then? How would you respond to the same event if it occurred
today?
• Can looking at the event historically or culturally help explain what
happened? For example, did you upset racial, gender, or religious
expectations? Did you feel torn between identities or cultures? Did you feel
out of place?
• Do you see now that there was a conflict underlying the event? For example,
were you struggling with contradictory desires? Did you feel pressured by
others? Were you desires and rights in conflict with someone else’s? Was the
event about power or responsibility?
• Pause to reflect on what you have written about your present perspective.
Then write another sentence or two, commenting on the event’s significance
as you look back on it

30. GOAL: FORMULATING A
TENTATIVE THESIS
•Readers do not expect you to begin your narrative essay
with the kind of explicit thesis statement typical of
argumentative or explanatory writing. If you do decide to tell
readers explicitly why the event was meaningful or
significant, you will most likely do so as you tell the story, by
commenting on or evaluating what happened, instead of
announcing the significance at the beginning. Keep in mind
that you are not obliged to tell readers the significance, but
you must show it through the way you tell the story.

31. NARRATIVE ESSAY
THESIS EXAMPLE
• “When the Walls Came Tumbling Down”
• by Trey Ellis
•A year before his death, my dad was forced to come
out to me. I thought he was in Paris for a vacation.
Instead, he was there for treatment with AZT, which in
1986 was experimental and not yet approved in the
United States for people infected with the virus that
causes AIDS.

32. STRATEGY: REVIEW THE
EVENT’S SIGNIFICANCE
•Write a few sentences that
briefly summarize the event for
the reader.
•Sometimes, this summary of
the event (and its significance)
can serve as a thesis. Whether
you are going to use it in your
essay or not, writing a clear,
brief summary of your story is a
good idea. If you can see how
and why the story is important,
you will be able to stay focused
as you write.

33. THE GOAL: WRITING A GOOD INTRODUCTION
• The Strategy:
• Arouse readers’ curiosity
• Begin with a surprising announcement
• Establish the setting and situation
• Get readers to identify with you
• Tell them a few things about yourself
• Begin in the middle of the action or with a
funny or important dialogue

34. THE GOAL: WRITING A GOOD
CONCLUSION
• The Strategy:
• Conclude with reflections on the meaning of the experience?
(avoid tagging on a moral)
• Should you be philosophical? Satirical? Self critical?
• To underscore the event’s continuing significance, can you
show that the conflict was never fully resolved?
• Could you contrast your remembered and current feelings and
thoughts?
• Should you frame the essay by echoing something from the
beginning to give readers a sense of closure?

35. FRAMING:
INTRODUCTION
“Calling Home” by Jean Brandt
As we all piled into the car, I knew it was going to be a
fabulous day. My grandmother was visiting for the
holidays; and she and I, along with my older brother and
sister, Louis and Susan, were setting off for a day of last-
minute Christmas shopping. On the way to the mall, we
sang Christmas carols, chattered, and laughed. With
Christmas only two days away, we were caught up with
holiday spirit. I felt light-headed and full of joy. I loved
shopping— especially at Christmas.

36. FRAMING:
CONCLUSION
Not a word was spoken as we walked to the car. Slowly, I sank
into the back seat anticipating the scolding. Expecting harsh tones, I
was relieved to hear almost the opposite from my father.
“I’m not going to punish you and I’ll tell you why. Although I
think what you did was wrong, I think what the police did was more
wrong. There’s no excuse for locking a thirteen-year-old behind bars.
That doesn’t mean I condone what you did, but I think you’ve been
punished enough already.”
As I looked from my father’s eyes to my mother’s, I knew this
ordeal was over. Although it would never be forgotten, the incident
was not mentioned again.

37. FRAMING
• Framing is a narrative device that echoes the
beginning in the ending. The reader will then think
of the beginning while reading the ending.
• In our example, Brandt begins her essay in the car
on the way to the mall. She ends her story on the
car ride back home; at this time, she reflects on the
incident, adding some discussion of the significance
of the event.
• Take a few minutes to consider how you might
begin and end your story using framing.

38. HOMEWORK
• Post: #2 Finish in-class writing and post
it: Basic Features: dialogue,
description, anecdote, framing,
outlining, significance
• Read: Begin Larsen’s Passing
• Study: Terms
• Bring: A brief outline for your essay. The
only part you may copy is your explicit
thesis. Do not write an introduction!
• Bring: A large Examination Booklet and
a blue or black pen or #2 pencil.