Writing Prompt #9

Think about someone you know--a friend, relative, co-worker, the crazy guy in your home town--making sure this person has some sort trait that can be researched.  For example, if a friend of yours has some sort of disorder or illness that you could research further, or if you wanted to write about a family member and decide to research the reltionships between siblings or parents and children--all of these are fair game.

Identify this person, listing physical attributes, habits they have, things they say.  Identify what it is you could research that pertains to this person.  If you decide to write about a coworker, for example, you could do research on the company where you work or about the workforce in general.  If you know someone who has gotten involved in drugs or has had legal issues, you can incorporate laws, punishments, etc. into your narrative.

I'm leaving this prompt open and vague so that you take it in any direction you seem fit.  You don't necessarily have to bring research into this blog post; rather, this is a way to help you brainstorm ideas for possible research topics that pertain to a person or people you know.

In-Class Prompt #8

Make a list of your interests/passions/obsessions. The example in class was Steve Almond's obsession with candy. After you've made your list, choose one of the items and write about it.

Include the following:

-Identify the interest

-Describe what's involved (ex.: if you love a sport, describe how the game is played, the rules, its national popularity)

-How did you get interested in this?

-Why do you love this activity/interest so much?

-Has this activity taught you anything or made you look at the world differently? If so, how or why?

Reading Assignment for Monday, October 26th

Read the following essays and be prepared to discuss them in class on Monday. If you come across something during the course of your reading, please feel free to bring it up during our class discussion.

"Alpha Girl," by Laura Sessions Stepp

"Offensive Play," by Malcolm Gladwell

In-Class Prompt #7

To be completed as homework--post to your blogs by Monday, October 12th:

Write about the worst teacher you've ever had. Make sure you identify the teacher (you don't have to use his or her real name), the class (English, Math, etc.), the grade level/your age when you were under the instruction of this teacher. Provide as many concrete details as possible about this person: what does s/he look like, what did s/he say, and how did s/he act? These details should be used to paint a specific picture of this person and to convey your mood toward him or her.

For the purposes of this blog post, write a scene about a specific event that showcases why you feel the way you do about this teacher. Include scene description, dialog, and action. If you decide to use this prompt and develop it into a rough draft, you can include more than one event, more than one scene (the way Sedaris does in "Me Talk Pretty One Day").

In-Class Discussion

Respond to the following questions on your blogs. Remember to include examples from the text--"Me Talk Pretty One Day"--to support your claims.

-What's happening on the surface of this essay?
-What's below the surface (the focus/main idea/the 'so what')
-What's the tone of the piece?-Why might the writer be using this tone?
-What effects could this tone have on a piece of writing?
-What's the writer's attitude toward his subject?