Monday, September 29, 2025

WEEK 4

Good morning!

Because there is no post on 10/6, you have TWO weeks to get this work done. 

YOUR WORK...

1. You MAY need to revise your descriptive essay (if there's an "FD" in the essay title or if your score is 100/100, then you don't need to revise it).


2. Read this post on narration.


3. Read this introduction to the form. It suggests some pre-writing strategies and exercises, but these are NOT assignments. You're welcome to do them, but I'm not assigning them as work. I only need you to read it.

(You MUST do #2 and #3, which show you what narrative writing is, before you do #4 and #5, which have you doing your own narrative writing.)

Just like we did with the descriptive essay, we'll start the narrative essay by practicing with some paragraphs first. In the next post I'll assign the actual essay. After that the pace increases to (roughly) a new essay every week. 


4. Using events from your lit source, write your own 100+ word paragraph for each type of event below. 


a. a character's interaction with another character
b. an event where something bad happens
c. an event where something good happens
d. an everyday occurrence (something mundane like Luke purchasing a new droid or Mr. Darcy writing a letter, or Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy going on a stag hunt)


Obviously, these won't be experiential (at least not to you, for a character maybe), but they will be narrative. And if you would like to write in the first person and pretend they're your experiences, knock yourself out.


5. Write FOUR narrative paragraphs (100+ words each) based on FOUR DIFFERENT PERSONAL EXPERIENCES FROM YOUR OWN LIFE. TWO OF THESE MUST COVER NO MORE THAN AN HOUR OF TIME. The time span of the other two are up to you. 


One of these may end up being your essay topic, but don't worry yet -- you're not committing to anything. The idea here is to practice the form and if some brainstorming leads to an essay topic, great. If not, you can worry about that next post. *See the brainstorm list below for help with topics.


6.  LBGB..You get a week off from LBGB. You're welcome! 



That's an essay revision (maybe), some reading, and 8 paragraphs. Put the paragraphs in the "MISC" section of your google doc. 

Everything is due by NEXT Friday @ midnight. Not this Friday, next.


* I borrowed the following list from a writing resource. You can come up with your own ideas or use these to get things rolling. If nothing else, reading through it will at least give you a sense of the unlimited range of possible material for narration.
  1. 1 wedding or funeral
  2. one minute of a football game (or other sporting event)
  3. your first day at a new school
  4. your first day at a new job
  5. your last day on a job
  6. a disastrous encounter with someone of the opposite gender
  7. a moment of failure or success
  8. an encounter that changed your life
  9. an experience that led to renewed faith
  10. a strange job interview
  11. an experience that demonstrated how labor-saving devices can be more trouble than they're worth
  12. an experience that left you disillusioned
  13. an embarrassing experience
  14. a frightening experience
  15. a memorable journey
  16. an encounter with someone or something you were afraid of
  17. an occasion when you experienced rejection
  18. your first visit to the country (or to a large city)
  19. the breakup of a friendship
  20. an experience that showed how we should be careful of what we wish for
  21. a significant misunderstanding
  22. a dangerous experience
  23. an experience that showed how appearances can be deceiving
  24. an account of a difficult decision that you had to make
  25. an event that marked a turning point in your life
  26. a historic event
  27. a memorable encounter with someone in authority
  28. an act of heroism or cowardice
  29. an imaginary encounter with a real person
  30. a rebellious act
  31. a brush with greatness
  32. a brush with death
  33. a time that you took a stand on an important issue
  34. an experience that altered your view of someone
  35. a trip that you would like to take
  36. a vacation trip from your childhood
  37. your introduction to a hobby you now love to do
  38. your first time away from home
  39. two different versions of the same event
  40. a traffic accident
  41. a day when everything went right (or wrong)
  42. an experience that made you laugh until you cried
  43. the day you decided to change your life
  44. the experience of being lost
  45. an unexpected encounter
  46. surviving a hurricane or a tornado (or other natural disaster)
  47. an experience that taught you a lesson
  48. an important discovery
  49. an eyewitness account of an important event
  50. an experience that helped you grow up


HAVE A GREAT TWO WEEKS! 

Monday, September 22, 2025

WEEK 3

 Good morning!


Your work for the week...

But first... 

1) Don't resolve comments! I need to see those when I re-grade work. I'll resolve them if I need to.

2) You may write everything in single or 1.15 spacing. In fact, I'd prefer it. I may have changed your google doc to that spacing. If not, go ahead and do it yourself.

3) Your google doc is divided into two parts (look for the highlighted words): a place for essays and a place for everything that's not an essay. Move stuff around now if you need to.

4) A word about essay draft grades. No matter which draft it is, I always grade them on the final-draft scale, so a 50/100 doesn't mean you wrote an E paper. It just means you're about half way in the revision process. I rarely give first-draft grades any higher than a 75/100. They're usually in the 50-70 point range. So you over-achievers, don't panic.


Now here's your work...


1.  video on commas. 


Your task...
watch the video and write A SET OF NOTES ON THE 5 RULES I COVER. INCLUDE IN YOUR NOTES... 

  • THE RULE ITSELF
  • ONE EXAMPLE THAT I USE FOR EACH RULE
  • ONE ORIGINAL SENTENCE (that means a sentence of your own creation) THAT DEMONSTRATES EACH RULE.

ORGANIZE YOUR NOTES BY THE RULES, SO THAT YOU HAVE FIVE SECTIONS, EACH SECTION CONTAINING THREE ITEMS. 



2. Everyone's got 2nd drafts of the descriptive essay to work on. That's the HARD work for this week. And many of you will be tearing your writing down to its bare bones and (almost) starting over. That's normal revision, and we need to get comfortable doing it. REMINDER: When you're writing about a thing, what's the real point? (Every essay should have a point; otherwise...what's the point?)


3. LBGB. Read chapter 2 and do the following: 

a) Look at the opening paragraphs. Consider both metaphors: the sentence as a truck and the sentence as a stage. Explain how each metaphor works.

b) Define and provide a sentence example for each: subject, verb, complement, action verb, linking verb, state of being verb.

c) Flip these sentences (if it's active make it passive; if passive make it active):
i. "The ball was thrown threw the window by me."
ii. "Billy washed all the windows."
iii. "My cats killed four moles last week."

d)  Write correct sentences using each of these (you may model my examples):
i. less
ii. fewer
iii. immigrate
iv. emigrate
v. imply
vi. infer 



EVERYTHING IS DUE FRIDAY at midnight.



Have a great week, guys!


"Revision is the worst and best part of writing."

                                   ~ me

Monday, September 15, 2025

WEEK 2

GOOD MORNING!

A FEW GOOGLE DOCS reminders:

1. Only put full essay drafts in the ESSAYS section. Everything else goes under MISC.  

2. For subsequent drafts of essays, keep the assignments grouped together. So, for example, if you have three drafts of the descriptive essay, make sure they're all next to each other with the latest draft at the top

VERY IMPORTANT: Do NOT revise or omit the draft that has my comments on it, and don't resolve the comments. I need to see those (and the essay exactly as you wrote it) when I go to grade the next draft. So just copy, paste it above, and then revise that draft. But leave the old one and the old comments, ALL the old ones. Yes, this will end up being a very long doc.

3. REVIEW MY COMMENTS in your writing even if you got full credit for that assignment. I'll often give full credit and still add instruction in the document.

4. Write everything in 1.15 spacing. I know you've learned that double spacing is the norm, but that's really only for papers that you're printing up or publishing. Because we're keeping everything in one doc, tighter spacing is better. 



YOUR WORK FOR THE REST OF THIS WEEK:


1. Revise your 6 paragraphs from last week. If you got a 100/100 then you have nothing to revise. 


2. Write ONE paragraph summarizing the four "Google docs reminders" points in red above. Come up with a clear topic sentence [highlight it, and remember it doesn't have to go at the top] and write your paragraph. Keep it succinct: 50 - 75 words should do it. 


3. Read each essay below. Hopefully you can see that descriptive essays have a lot of purposes and that all of them go beyond description for description's sake. Whether it reflects, informs, or entertains, a descriptive essay should have a point!

A descriptive article by Annie Dillard. She's describing an activity that was an integral part of her childhood. Notice how she's doing a lot of reflecting as she describes. Description for its own sake makes for boring and pointless writing (unless of course your teacher asks you to do it as an exercise, like last week). The point for Dillard is the reflection. The mode she uses is description. 

A descriptive essay by Flannery O'Connor. (make sure you go to the 2nd page). This is an excellent example of the descriptive mode with a lot of the author's voice coming through. She's describing life with peacocks, but you're learning a lot about what kind of person she is. You'll like Flannery (and probably peacocks) by the end.

A descriptive essay by yours truly. I'm not really describing lilacs, I'm describing the activity of seeing. It's reflective, but not in the childhood-reminiscing way of Dillard. It's reflective in the I-wonder-and-you-should-wonder-too sort of way. My point is to make you think, but my mode is description. This one is also printed at the back of LBGB if you'd rather have an old-fashioned book in your hand. It's on page 110.


4.  For each of the essays above, write a short summary that includes...
I. the author's name
II. title of the essay
III. main points
IV. [50+ words] conclusion (What's the point? What does he or she want us to take from the writing?) 

For example, here's one I wrote just now on the book of Romans: 

"The book of Romans" by the apostle Paul is a letter to the Christians of Rome. Paul discusses such things as the universal problem of sin, justification by faith, new life in Christ, and the future of Israel. He concludes the letter with some practical ways of living out the Christian life." 

Your summaries don't need to be any longer than that, but they must be at least 50+ words.



5. Write a descriptive essay on a thing (object, place, activity, idea, work of art, etc.) of significance in your life. (See below for help on finding a topic.) If you're not sure that your "thing" qualifies, run it by me. I'm flexible. I know the course description includes the option of writing about a person, but I changed my mind on that. Your thing cannot be a person. MOST of your writing in this draft should be in the descriptive mode (as opposed to the narrative mode where you're telling a story or recounting an event. There can be some of that, but the focus of the writing should be to describe. And remember, every essay must have a point. Describe away, but do it with a purpose. No one wants to read about your grandma's attic, unless there's a good point to it. 

This is a first draft, but it must meet these criteria:


1. 800-word minimum (to get a sense of scale, the 4 essays you read are each in the 1000 to 2000 word range); this figure may go up depending on what happens with subsequent drafts. For example, I may ask you to add a paragraph or more detail or other support. I also may ask you to cut something, which would then require more be added. We'll see.

2. Organization. This too may change with revision, but you need to make a first attempt at intro, body, conclusion (beginning, middle, end). The essays you read each have these parts, though they may be hard to decipher because of the variety in paragraph and style. 

We'll do a second draft of this essay next week. 


6. Little Black Grammar Book work...

a. Read the introduction and chapter 1 "Parts of Speech."
b. Summarize the introduction in one paragraph of 50+ words. 
c. Define each of the 8 parts of speech (don't worry about the sub-categories [some parts of speech have lots of sub-categories]). Provide two short-sentence examples for each. You can use my examples as models, but as models only. Write your own.
d. Style & Usage: Explain the problem for each of these sections: Avoid Deadwood, Avoid Redundancy, Avoid Superfluity of Diction
e. Provide your own (correct) examples of these usage problems: all ready / already,  __ and I / __ and me,  more / most


For help in coming up with a topic, you might try one or more of these:

1. a brainstorm - take a few minutes to list every "thing" in your world you can think of; don't self-edit but write down even the silliest.

2. free-write - force your hand (or fingers if you're typing) to write continually for five minutes about significant things in your world. This may feel foolish as you can think of nothing to write (but the rule is you HAVE to write) so you write, "I can't think of what to write" a hundred times. Stick with it. On the 101st time, something will click and you're off!

3. Look for categories to drop things into: hobbies, places, things in your bedroom, things your family likes to do, green things, circular things, whatever (the category is just a trick to get you into more "files" in the brain).

4. Draw a life map. Go through your years, one by one, and draw any "things" that you remember (you can always turn an event into a thing; for example, I had to do this assignment in college so I wrote about a memorable event from child by describing the airplane my grandpa owned. My point was reflection on the event of falling in love with flying, but the method was description of a thing)

5. If none of these work, ask your parents.





Due Friday at midnight.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK! 


Monday, September 8, 2025

WEEK 1

Welcome to our first Monday Morning Meeting!

The format for this course is simple: every Monday check in here and over the next five days do whatever I tell you to do, and then turn it all in on Friday. How you manage your time over the week will be up to you. 


Here's what I'm telling you to do for this week. Read every word...


1. Read "The Course" under PAGES on the right side of the blog.


2. Read this (a GOOGLE DOCS FYI): Over the weekend I created a google document for each student and shared it with you (unless I don't have your gmail address yet!). This is where you will put all of your work. You can draft the actual work however you want as long as the final work that I see and grade (the work you'll turn in by Friday at midnight) is IN YOUR GOOGLE DOC.

You don't need to "send" your work to me. You don't even need to save it. In google docs it happens automatically. However, you DO need to email me if your work is going to be later than 5pm Friday. I don't want to open your portfolio and look for work that's not there.  

A WORD ABOUT LATE WORK: I know you home schoolers are busy people. If you let me know in advance [48 hours or more] that you'll need more time to get something done, I'll work with you. If you tell me the day it's due or after the fact, it will be counted late and will affect your grade for that work. DON'T WAIT UNTIL MID-WEEK to look at the assignments. I post them Monday at 6am. Managing your whole week is up to you, so take into account the whole week, not just how much English you can cram in on Thursday or Friday.  [I'm not wagging my finger at you. I just know how procrastinators work. I am a recovering one myself.] 



3. Write four topic sentence paragraphs (watch this video for examples and instructions for the assignment; one of the examples cuts off--don't worry about it). This is also the video that explains your LIT SOURCE! 


4. Complete two descriptive writing exercises. Here they are:

I. Find any one-square-foot, flat surface and in 250+* words, describe it in close detail. (It might look like this: "The desk top in front of me is of a tight, dark brown and black grain running horizontally [from my perspective as I sit and type]. This particular square foot is well used; the varnished has rubbed away in tiny spots which creates a light-brown speckled effect. One such spot is an eighth of an inch in diameter and resembles a football. Next to it are two smaller specks, and running through all three is a thin line of light brown where the varnish is missing from a deeper grain in the wood..." Notice the writing involves CLOSE DETAIL. That's the idea.)

II. Using your lit source, put yourself (pretend to be a character) anywhere within the plot and describe it using the senses of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. (250+* words) Sorry, no example for this one. You'll just need to take a deep breath and plunge in on your own.


* The + signifies a minimum; writing more won't necessarily improve your grade, but writing under the minimum will definitely hurt it.




5. Proofread your writing (all six paragraphs) carefully. Put them in the appropriate section of the google doc (they're NOT essays). Label them "WEEK ONE WRITING EXERCISES" (After this week you can choose how to label things, but "week #" is a minimum. You can be creative after that.





DUE DATES: All assignments (unless I specify otherwise) from the Monday posts are due at midnight on Friday of that week.



HAVE A GREAT WEEK!


Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Narrative Example

Excerpt from Hospital Sketches, by Louisa May Alcott


...Hardly was I settled again, when the inevitable bowl appeared, and its bearer delivered a message I had expected, yet dreaded to receive:
"John is going, ma'am, and wants to see you, if you can come."
"The moment this boy is asleep; tell him so, and let me know if I am in danger of being too late."
My. Ganymede departed, and while I quieted poor Shaw, I thought of John. He came in a day or two after the others; and, one evening, when I entered my "pathetic room," I [Page 55]  found a lately emptied bed occupied by a large, fair man, with a fine face, and the serenest eyes I ever met. One of the earlier comers had often spoken of a friend, who had remained behind, that those apparently worse wounded than himself might reach a shelter first. It seemed a David and Jonathan sort of friendship. The man fretted for his mate, and was never tired of praising John–his courage, sobriety, self-denial, and unfailing kindliness of heart; always winding up with: "He's an out an' out fine feller, ma'am; you see if he aint."
I had some curiosity to behold this piece of excellence, and when he came, watched him for a night or two, before I made friends with him; for, to tell the truth, I was a little afraid of the stately looking man, whose bed had to be lengthened to accommodate his commanding stature; who seldom spoke, uttered no complaint, asked no sympathy, but tranquilly observed what went on about him; and, as he lay high upon his pillows, no picture of dying stateman or warrior was ever fuller of real dignity than this Virginia blacksmith. A most attractive face he had, framed in brown hair and beard, comely featured and full of vigor, as yet unsubdued by pain; thoughtful and often beautifully mild while watching the afflictions of others, as if entirely forgetful of his own. His mouth ws grave and firm, with plenty of will and courage in its lines, but a smile could make it as sweet as any woman's; and his eyes were child's eyes, looking one fairly in the face, with a clear, straightforward glance, which promised well for such as placed their faith in him. He seemed to cling to life, as if it were rich in duties and delights, and he had learned the secret of content. The only time I saw his composure disturbed, was when my surgeon brought another to examine John, who scrutinized their faces with an anxious look, asking of the [Page 56]  elder: "Do you think I shall pull through, sir?" "I hope so, my man." And, as the two passed on, John's eye still followed them, with an intentness which would have won a clearer answer from them, had they seen it. A momentary shadow flitted over his face; then came the usual serenity, as if, in that brief eclipse, he had acknowledged the existence of some hard possibility, and, asking nothing yet hoping all things, left the issue in God's hands, with that submission which is true piety.
The next night, as I went my rounds with Dr. P., I happened to ask which man in the room probably suffered most; and, to my great surprise, he glanced at John:
"Every breath he draws is like a stab; for the ball pierced the left lung, broke a rib, and did no end of damage here and there; so the poor lad can find neither forgetfulness nor ease, because he must lie on his wounded back or suffocate. It will be a hard struggle, and a long one, for he possesses great vitality; but even his temperate life can't save him; I wish it could."
"You don't mean he must die, Doctor?"
"Bless you there's not the slightest hope for him; and you'd better tell him so before long; women have a way of doing such things comfortably, so I leave it to you. He won't last more than a day or two, at furthest."
I could have sat down on the spot and cried heartily, if I had not learned the wisdom of bottling up one's tears for leisure moments. Such an end seemed very hard for such a man, when half a dozen worn out, worthless bodies round him, were gathering up the remnants of wasted lives, to linger on for years perhaps, burdens to others, daily reproaches to themselves. The army needed men like John, earest, brave, and faithful; fighting for liberty and justice with both heart [Page 57]  and hand, true soldiers of the Lord. I could not give him up so soon, or think with any patience of so excellent a nature robbed of its fulfillment, and blundered into eternity by the rashness or stupidity of those at whose hands so many lives may be required. It was an easy thing for Dr. P. to say: "Tell him he must die," but a cruelly hard thing to do, and by no means as "comfortable" as he politely suggested. I had not the heart to do it then, and privately indulged the hope that some change for the better might take place, in spite of gloomy prophesies; so, rendering my task unnecessary. A few minutes later, as I came in again, with fresh rollers, I saw John sitting erect, with no one to support him, while the surgeon dressed his back. I had never hitherto seen it done; for, having simpler wounds to attend to, and knowing the fidelity of the attendant, I had left John to him, thinking it might be more agreeable and safe; for both strength and experience were needed in his case. I had forgotten that the strong man might long for the gentle tendance of a woman's hands, the sympathetic magnetism of a woman's presence, as well as the feebler souls about him. The Doctor's words caused me to reproach myself with neglect, not of any real duty perhaps, but of those little cares and kindnesses that solace homesick spirits, and make the heavy hours pass easier. John looked lonely and forsaken just then, as he sat with bent head, hands folded on his knee, and no outward sign of suffering, till, looking nearer, I saw great tears roll down and drop upon the floor. It was a new sight there; for, though I had seen many suffer, some swore, some groaned, most endured silently, but none wept. Yet it did not seem weak, only very touching, and straightway my fear vanished, my heart opened wide and took him in, as, gathering the bent head in my arms, [Page 58]  as freely as if he had been a little child, I said, "Let me help you bear it, John."
Never, on any human countenance, have I seen so swift and beautiful a look of gratitude, surprise and comfort, as that which answered me more eloquently than the whispered–
"Thank you, ma'am, this is right good! this is what I wanted!"
"Then why not ask for it before?"
"I didn't like to be a trouble; you seemed so busy, and I could manage to get on alone."
"You shall not want it any more, John."
Nor did he; for now I understood the wistful look that sometimes followed me, as I went out, after a brief pause beside his bed, or merely a passing nod, while busied with those who seemed to need me more than he, because more urgent in their demands; now I knew that to him, as to so many, I was the poor substitute for mother, wife, or sister, and in his eyes no stranger, but a friend who hitherto had seemed neglectful; for, in his modesty, he had never guessed the truth. This was changed now; and, through the tedious operation of probing, bathing, and dressing his wounds, he leaned against me, holding my hand fast, and, if pain wrung further tears from him, no one saw them fall but me. When he was laid down again, I hovered about him, in a remorseful state of mind that would not let me rest, till I had bathed his face, brushed his "bonny brown hair," set all things smooth about him, and laid a knot of heath and heliotrope on his clean pollow. While doing this, he watched me with the satisfied expression I so liked to see; and when I offered the little nosegay, held it carefully in his great hand, smoothed a ruffled leaf or two, surveyed and smelt it with an air of genuine delight, and lay contentedly regarding the glimmer of [Page 59]  the sunshine on the green. Although the manliest man among my forty, he said, "Yes, ma'am," like a little boy; received suggestions for his comfort with the quick smile that brightened his whole face; and now and then, as I stood tidying the table by his bed, I felt him softly touch my gown, as if to assure himself that I was there. Anything more natural and frank I never saw, and found this brave John as bashful as brave, yet full of excellencies and fine aspirations, which, having no power to express themselves in words, seemed to have bloomed into his character and made him what he was.
After that night, an hour of each evening that remained to him was devoted to his ease or pleasure. He could not talk much, for breath was precious, and he spoke in whispers; but from occasional conversations, I gleaned scraps of private history which only added to the affection and respect I felt for him. Once he asked me to write a letter, and as I settled pen and paper, I said, with an irrepressible glimmer of feminine curiosity, "Shall it be addressed to wife, or mother, John?"
"Neither, ma'am; I've got no wife, and will write to mother myself when I get better. Did you think I was married because of this?" he asked, touching a plain ring he wore, and often turned thoughtfully on his finger when he lay alone.
"Partly that, but more from a settled sort of look you have; a look which young men seldom get until they marry."
"I didn't know that; but I'm not so very young, ma'am, thirty in May, and have been what you might call settled this ten years; for mother's a widow, I'm the oldest child she has, and it wouldn't do for me to marry until Lizzy has a home of her own, and Laurie's learned his trade; for we're not rich, and I must be father to the children and husband to the dear old woman, if I can." [Page 60]
"No doubt but you are both, John; yet how came you to go to war, if you felt so? Wasn't enlisting as bad as marrying?"
"No, ma'am, not as I see it, for one is helping my neighbor, the other pleasing myself. I went because I couldn't help it. I didn't want the glory or the pay; I wanted the right thing done, and people kept saying the men who were in earnest ought to fight. I was in earnest, the Lord knows! but I held off as long as I could, not knowing which was my duty; mother saw the case, gave me her ring to keep me steady, and said 'Go:' so I went."
A short story and a simple one, but the man and the mother were portrayed better than pages of fine writing could have done it.
"Do you ever regret that you came, when you lie here suffering so much?"
"Never, ma'am; I haven't helped a great deal, but I've shown I was willing to give my life, and perhaps I've got to; but I don't blame anybody, and if it was to do over again, I'd do it. I'm a little sorry I wasn't wounded in front; it looks cowardly to be hit in the back, but I obeyed orders, and it don't matter in the end, I know."
Poor John! it did not matter now, except that a shot in the front might have spared the long agony in store for him. He seemed to read the thought that troubled me, as he spoke so hopefully when there was no hope, for he suddenly added:
"This is my first battle; do they think it's going to be my last?"
"I'm afraid they do, John."
It was the hardest question I had ever been called upon to answer; doubly hard with those clear eyes fixed on mine, forcing a truthful answer by their own truth. He seemed a [Page 61]  little startled at first, pondered over the fateful fact a moment, then shook his head, with a glance at the broad chest and muscular limbs stretched out before him:
"I'm not afraid, but it's difficult to believe all at once. I'm so strong it don't seem possible for such a little wound to kill me."
Merry Mercutio's dying words glanced through my memory as he spoke: "'Tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church door, but 'tis enough." And John would have said the same could he have seen the ominous black holes between his shoulders; he never had; and, seeing the ghastly sights about him, could not believe his own wound more fatal than these, for all the suffering it caused him.
"Shall I write to your mother, now?" I asked, thinking that these sudden tidings might change all plans and purposes; but they did not; for the man received the order of the Divine Commander to march with the same unquestioning obedience with which the soldier had received that of the human one; doubtless remembering that the first led him to life, and the last to death.
"No, ma'am; to Laurie just the same; he'll break it to her best, and I'll add a line to her myself when you get done."
So I wrote the letter which he dictated, finding it better than any I had sent; for, though here and there a little ungrammatical or inelegant, each sentence came to me briefly worded, but most expressive; full of excellent counsel to the boy, tenderly bequeathing "mother and Lizzie" to his care, and bidding him good bye in words the sadder for their simplicity. He added a few lines, with steady hand, and, as I sealed it, said, with a patient sort of sigh, "I hope the answer will come in time for me to see it;" then, turning away his face, [Page 62]  laid the flowers against his lips, as if to hide some quiver of emotion at the thought of such a sudden sundering of all the dear home ties.
These things had happened two days before; now John was dying, and the letter had not come. I had been summoned to many death beds in my life, but to none that made my heart ache as it did then, since my mother called me to watch the departure of a spirit akin to this in its gentleness and patient strength. As I went in, John stretched out both hands:
"I knew you'd come! I guess I'm moving on, ma'am."
He was; and so rapidly that, even while he spoke, over his face I saw the grey veil falling that no human hand can lift. I sat down by him, wiped the drops from his forehead, stirred the air about him with the slow wave of a fan, and waited to help him die. He stood in sore need of help–and I could do so little; for, as the doctor had foretold, the strong body rebelled against death, and fought every inch of the way, forcing him to draw each breath with a spasm, and clench his hands with an imploring look, as if he asked, "How long must I endure this, and be still!" For hours he suffered dumbly, without a moment's respire, or a moment's murmuring; his limbs grew cold, his face damp, his lips white, and, again and again, he tore the covering off his breast, as if the lightest weight added to his agony; yet through it all, his eyes never lost their perfect serenity, and the man's soul seemed to sit therein, undaunted by the ills that vexed his flesh.
One by one, the men woke, and round the room appeared a circle of pale faces and watchful eyes, full of awe and pity; for, though a stranger, John was beloved by all. Each man there had wondered at his patience, respected his piety, admired his fortitude, and now lamented his hard death; for the [Page 63]  influence of an upright nature had made itself deeply felt, even in one little week. Presently, the Jonathan who so loved this comely David, came creeping from his bed for a last look and word. The kind soul was full of trouble, as the choke in his voice, the grasp of his hand, betrayed; but there were no tears, and the farewell of the friends was the more touching for its brevity.
"Old boy, how are you?" faltered the one.
"Most through, thank heaven!" whispered the other.
"Can I say or do anything for you anywheres?"
"Take my things home, and tell them that I did my best."
"I will! I will!"
"Good bye, Ned."
"Good bye, John, good bye!"
They kissed each other, tenderly as women, and so parted, for poor Ned could not stay to see his comrade die. For a little while, there was no sound in the room but the drip of water, from a stump or two, and John's distressful gasps, as he slowly beathed his life away. I thought him nearly gone, and had just laid down the fan, believing its help to be no longer needed, when suddenly he rose up in his bed, and cried out with a bitter cry that broke the silence, sharply startling every one with its agonized appeal:
"For God's sake, give me air!"
It was the only cry pain or death had wrung from him, the only boon he had asked; and none of us could grant it, for all the airs that blew were useless now. Dan flung up the window. The first red streak of dawn was warming the grey east, a herald of the coming sun; John saw it, and with the love of light which lingers in us to the end, seemed to read in it a sign of hope of help, for, over his whole face there broke that mysterious expression, brighter than any smile, which [Page 64]  often comes to eyes that look their last. He laid himself gently down; and, stretching out his strong right arm, as if to grasp and bring the blessed air to his lips in a fuller flow, lapsed into a merciful unconsciousness, which assured us that for him suffering was forever past. He died then; for, though the heavy breaths still tore their way up for a little longer, they were but the waves of an ebbing tide that beat unfelt against the wreck, which an immortal voyager had deserted with a smile. He never spoke again, but to the end held my hand close, so close that when he was asleep at last, I could not draw it away. Dan helped me, warning me as he did so that it was unsafe for dead and living flesh to lie so long together; but though my hand was strangely cold and stiff, and four white marks remained across its back, even when warmth and color had returned elsewhere, I could not but be glad that, through its touch, the presence of human sympathy, perhaps, had lightened that hard hour.

Saturday, November 30, 2013

process analysis essay

2. (Due Wednesday at noon) Process-Analysis essay readings...
Similar to the definition essay, the P.A. essay is an expository piece that walks the reader through a process. However, there is something of the narrative mode of discourse here too, since you'll be writing about things that happen in sequence.

And like the definition essay, the P.A. essay has a wide range of topics and forms. Read these and provide a brief outline of the steps for each process: 

How to deliver a calf...You can really hear the narrative mode in this excerpt (note: it's an excerpt; there is no introduction. These would be the body paragraphs.) And yet, he's narrating a process.

How to tie a "Manhattan"...A typical piece in the "how-to" format. Notice the numbered sections. You can do that with this essay. If it helps the reader to follow your process, go ahead and use numbers or letters. 

How to eat lobster...This one's not-so-typical, but it is clearly organized. It's also highly narrative. In fact, this would work as a narrative essay (remember, the modes of discourse aren't fixed categories; they just represent the different ways we use language in writing. But we mix them all the time depending on our purposes, our styles, the topic, etc.). The essay stops at "Where to buy lobster..."

Notice these are all "how-to" pieces. Your process analysis doesn't have to be how to. It can be a "how-does?" How does the body fight infection? How does a bill become a law? As long as your analyzing (breaking down into smaller parts) a process, it doesn't have to be a how-to.  

Again, start with an area of interest to you. Are you a hunter? Write about how to gut a deer. Are you a computer geek? Write about doing a system restore. Are you a motorhead? Write about changing a carburetor. 

Send me your proposed topics, please! By Friday night is good for me.

Have a great week.