Monday, November 9, 2009

Writing Assignment for Tonight

I am sorry that this is finding you so late--with that being said, do your best with this task...the more you get done tonight the easier your HW tomorrow will be.

Tonight, please brainstorm ideas you have regarding Toby's identity, or lack thereof. Your brainstorm can be in the form of a free write, a cluster, an outline, etc. I think it would be wise to include page numbers or pieces of textual support that will helpful for you to write a thesis, topic sentences, and later an introductory and body paragraph.

As always, let me know if you have any questions.

With thanks,
AK

Saturday, November 7, 2009

HW For The Weekend

Please write a letter to Tobias Wolff...

This letter can be typed or hand-written.
You can ask him questions or state the importance of what his work means to you.

Toby wrote to you from his heart
So
Please write to Toby from you heart.

Let me know if you have any questions.


You do not need to publish your comment on the blog--you can submit in hard copy form tomorrow if you are more comfortable with that.

Best,
AK

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Forget Symbols, Forget Themes

Instead....

Think about this:

Why does Father Karl come into the book, how does he relate back to Sister James, why is it important that he just nearly survives the concentration camps, and has Toby finally confessed--if so, how?

Tomorrow can be great--so my question is, will it?

Best,
AK

Monday, November 2, 2009

Character

A character is a person presented in a dramatic or narrative work, and characterization is the process by which a writer makes that character seem real to the reader. A hero or heroine, often called the protagonist, is the central character who engages the reader’s interest and empathy. The antagonist is the character, force, or collection of forces that stands directly opposed to the protagonist and gives rise to the conflict of the story. A static character does not change throughout the work, and the reader’s knowledge of that character does not grow, whereas a dynamic character undergoes some kind of change because of the action in the plot. A flat character embodies one or two qualities, ideas, or traits that can be readily described in a brief summary. They are not psychologically complex characters and therefore are readily accessible to readers.

I would encourage you to start a list of the essential characters in This Boy's Life--I will provide feedback for you as these submissions start rolling in.

Best,
AK