Unit 1 - Activity 3 - Narrative Discussion 1 PDF

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Activity 3: Narrative Discussion 1 What I need to read: Read the following "Narrative" essays from How To Write Anything: A Guide and Reference with Readings, Fourth Edition: • •

"Mint Snowball", by Naomi Shihab, p. 815-16 "Acting French", by Ta-Nehisi Coates, pp. 818-28

What I need to do: • Your instructor has started some discussion threads based on the readings to give you practice in analyzing narrative strategies. Choose the thread(s) that interests you, read any responses that have already been posted, and contribute to the discussion as follows: o Unit 1: Activity 3: Post a reply either to one of the original topic threads, or to at least two of your classmates’ responses. Your responses this week should total about 250 words. • Remember that your discussion contributions should always add something new to the discussion, not merely repeat what has already been said in previous posts. Question 1: Mint Snowball Nye uses sentence fragments in this essay. Examine these incomplete sentences, particularly in the first two paragraphs of the essay. How is the content of each of these shorter sentences similar, and how does this work within the essay? Answer 1: The use of short sentences in the essay gave it a very informal tone and worked well with the format of the essay. Sentence fragments can be used in an essay in several ways but the purpose is the same - they are mainly used for emphasis. The fragments are from the author's mother and the memories she has of the shop. They may have been used due to the withering memory of the mother and therefore the author used the thoughts exactly how they were described to him. In the first paragraph, short sentences seem to be used to describe the scenario of the shop. By doing so, Nye allowed the readers to break apart the ideas and actually be able to imagine how a regular day at the shop would have looked. It is more eye-catching and descriptive than stating the information in complete sentences with commas. The fragments in the second paragraph seem to be used to express the unique process of making the mint syrup with "secret ingredients" and how it was served. The author also mentions her "mother [taking] a bite of [the] minty ice and ice cream mixed together". This works well into the essay because it shows the importance of the recipe and how it could not be the same with even one factor missing. Nye also refers to her mother's memory of the Mint snowball tasting like the winter and comparing it to the roofs and the "glistening, dangling, spokes of ice". Here she is trying to relate the snowball to her greatgrandfathers' childhood and his experience. The author uses the fragments to emphasize and to refer to the memories of her mother. The small yet descriptive information allows the readers to be creative with their ideas of the atmosphere of the shop. The author describes the process of making the snowball as if it's magical and special. The author successfully keeps her readers attached to the personal essay....