Short Writing Assignments

• First writing assignment:
  1) Which text have you chosen? Mark Sibley-Jones' "Ducks on a Pond"
  2) What would you say is the text’s central claim or argument? In other words, what would you say is the text’s main point? For a man to meet who saved his fathers life, it seemed sort of a closer for the man.
  3)Identify one short yet compelling passage that you feel is central to understanding the text. Remember, the more difficult and rich your selection is, the easier it will be for you to do the close reading. Make sure the passage isn’t too long. Indicate the passage by line or page numbers. Pg.259 "I couldn't shake...me of what we'd lost"
  4)Identify examples of important choices of grammar, punctuation, metaphor, alliteration, tone, diction, words, figures of speech, symbols, and/or images. Identify recurrent patterns. Words that were significant are spinner,careening, circulated,mutiated,...
  5) Does your passage have significant instances of rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, etc? What are the effects of these? Little bit of repetition and imagery. To add to the depth of impact on the story.
  6) In what way do the features you’ve identified in 4 and 5 (above) contribute to or undercut the message you identify in 2? Shows why and how the story about the man saving his fathers life impacted his own life so strongly.

Thesis~ A child always is wonderous at the lives their parents led before they existed in the world, especially those hidden stories that their parents seem unable to even speak.

• Second Writing Assignment: In "Ducks on a Pond" a man is finally given the opportunity to discuss his dads favorite sport, baseball, with the man who saved his father's life. The man has always wanted to meet the guy who sacrificed his hand, which also means his whole career in baseball, for someonw else. The story is quite understandable, for a child always is wonderous at the lives their parents led before they existed in the world, especially those hidden stories that their parents seem unable to even speak.