Champion of the World by Maya Angelou

1. “The last inch of space was filled, yet people continued to wedge themselves along the walls of the Store.”….“The apprehensive mood was shot through with shafts of gaiety, as a black sky is streaked with lightning.

Following Angelou’s lead, write a line that you might use to set the mood at the beginning, or at another critical moment in your essay. Weave an element of figurative language into your line as she does in her writing. Try following her sentence construction as a model.

2. Note Angelou’s use of the vernacular and how it evokes the mood of the people in the store as they watch the fight. Through their words, she shows us what they are feeling WITHOUT telling us directly what they are feeling. Add a line to your story that captures the way that someone in your story would really speak.

3. What is the tone of paragraph 12? Why does she choose to include this cultural allusion?

4. What voice does she adopt in this essay? Why? Select a line where this voice is effective. How does the voice help her to achieve her purpose?

5. What is ironic about her closing line? Is this a fitting closing? Why or why not?

The Chase by Annie Dillard

“I like short sentences. They’re forceful, and they can get you out of big trouble.” – Annie Dillard

1. Read the first paragraph of Dillard’s piece. Pick out three short, simple sentences that stand out to you.

2. Look to your own essay. Find a place where you use short sentences for effect. If you cannot find this in your essay, find two places where you might add in a simple sentence for emphasis.

3. Why does Dillard choose to include the names of the boys? What does this bring to the story? Does it distract?

4. Look closely at paragraph 14. What is notable about Dillard’s sentence structure in this paragraph?

Find a place(s) in your essay where you might mimic this style. Take an existing sentence or write a new one to follow Dillard’s style.

5. Dillard states, “I got into trouble throwing snowballs and have seldom been happier since.” How is this a paradoxical statement?

Is there a paradox under the surface in your narrative? Is there a line you might add that would state this implicitly?

“It starts with a definite subject, but it might end with something entirely different. When I start a project, the first thing I do is write down, in longhand, everything I know about the subject, every thought I’ve ever had on it. This may be twelve or fourteen pages. Then I read it back through, for quite a few days, and find – given that subject- what its rhythm is. ‘Cause everything in the universe has a rhythm. So if it’s free form, it still has a rhythm. And once I hear the rhythm of the piece, then I try to find out what are the salient points that I must make. And then it begins to take shape.” – Maya Angelou

“I always have to condense or toss openings. I suspect most writers do. When you begin something, you’re so grateful to have begun you’ll write down anything, just to prolong the sensation. Later, when you’ve learned what the writing is really about, you go back and throw away the beginning and start over.” – Annie Dillard