III Finish one of the following stories: 1. As a boy I lived in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. Many were the stories of panthers I heard Occasionally we would hear from the forest a piercing shriek which we all believed to be the voice of the dreaded raider. recited around our evening fire. One night the shriek sounded nearer than usual. Brother Tom and I peeked out the window to see What did you see? What did the animal do? Be sure to develop suspense. Did it prove to be a panther? If so, what happened? It might have been a large dog. 2. My chum and I knew that there were fish in Cape Cod Bay and we were out after our share. Rowing the heavy dory seemed to us landlubbers like climbing a sand bank, but we did unfortunately succeed in getting a couple of miles away from land. Almost without a moment's warning a thick fog shut down all around us. We could not see Finish the story. Bring in conversation to show feeling. Develop suspense. Show how the boys finally escaped. 3. "Johnson, batter!" yelled the score keeper. He did not need to call my name. As I stepped to the plate, I looked out at three full bases. I well knew that this was the last half of the ninth inning, with the score one against our team and two men out. The pitcher Describe the strikes and balls and all the plays. Did the catcher miss? to show your feeling. Did you knock a foul? Be sure 4. A girl twelve years old goes to stay with her aunt while her uncle is away on a trip. There have been stories of burglaries which have aroused people. The uncle advises that all windows be kept closed. Because of the heat they open one window. In the middle of the night Do they have a gun? Is it a burglar? Is it the cat? 2. TELLING A STORY I In telling your story, bear in mind the following points: 1. A narrative should be divided into three parts: the introduction or setting, the body in which suspense is developed, and the conclusion or closing. 2. The introduction or setting should be short and to the point. It should arouse curiosity, or the desire to know what is to follow. It should tell only what is necessary for the understanding of the events which follow. 3. The body or development of the story should proceed quickly, giving events in the order in which they happened. The body of the story should lead up to a point of greatest interest. This should come at the end. This point of greatest interest is called the Climax is a Greek word meaning "ladder." Why? climax. What a suitable word! Doesn't one's curiosity climb to this highest point of interest step by step? 4. The conclusion or closing should be short. Would it be a good plan to go on talking after you have told the most interesting point in the story? Why not? Very well, then, remember, after you have reached your climax, to bring your story to a close quickly. Your classmates will vote on the following points: 1. Who made us most anxious to hear how his story would end? 2. Who showed the best manner in story telling? This includes standing position in front of class, pronunciation, enunciation, and tone of voice. When reading books and magazines, note such stories as you think your classmates will enjoy hearing. Practice telling them at home; then tell them in class. II TEST DRILL-NARRATION 1. Name the three parts of a story. 2. What is meant by "the three w's"? Where are they usually found? 3. What do you understand by the term plot? 4. What is the climax of a story? Where is it placed? Why? 5. What purpose does the conclusion of a story serve? What can you say as to its length? 6. Name some ways in which the interest of readers is gained and held by story writers. Assignment for fast workers. Select from your history an episode which you think you can rewrite in Select your story form for your school magazine. characters; give details as to their appearance, dress, mode of speech, etc. Decide upon the scene of your story; get a few geographical points which will help to make your descriptions vivid. Select from the account given in the history a few happenings which you think will hold the interest of your readers until a climax is reached. Work on your story whenever you have a few spare moments in class, "polishing" it to the best of your ability. If you continue writing historic stories, you will soon note your own increased skill in describing people and places, and in developing plots. It is I. It is he. It is she. 1. Common Errors Corrected 3. MEMORY WORK SONG FROM PIPPA PASSES Pippa was a little Italian girl who worked in a factory and had but one holiday in the year. When that day came, she was so happy that she could not keep from singing as she walked about the town. Everywhere Pippa went, her songs did good. The sick were revived and the sad cheered. The miser became less stingy and the tyrant less cruel. The poem, Pippa Passes, was written by Robert Browning. The beautiful song given for memorizing is one of the songs sung by the little Italian maiden who had but one holiday in a year. memory. Commit the song to The year's at the spring, The hill-side's dew-pearled; All's right with the world. -Robert Browning 4. PUNCTUATION Read the following lines: Every lady in the land Hath twenty nails upon each hand, Twenty nails on each hand? But is it? change the punctuation. Every lady in the land Hath twenty nails. Upon each hand 1. The doctor said, "The professor is wrong." Let us The punctuation here makes the professor wrong in the first sentence and the doctor wrong in the second sentence. |