Literature for Readers and Writers - Perfection Learning

MANY VOICES

LITERATURE

COLOR B LOCKS #55. © Nancy Crow, 1994, 41" x 43", 100% Cottons, photo by J. Kern Fitzsimons

Literature

L i ter a tur e

LITERATURE

f o r R ea de r s an d Wr i t e r s

A rich and varied collection of classic and contemporary writing with a strong emphasis on understanding the written word and developing the craft of writing

A special focus on writing helps students •

understand how successful writers go about their work

•

learn how to write in various modes to further their own understanding

•

practice writing longer genre pieces in order to become accomplished in various writing styles

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Printed in the U.S.A.

#29992

Pe r f e c t i o n L e a r n i n g ®

This outstanding anthology for high school students contains canon pieces as well as the latest contemporary works by writers such as Homer, Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson, James Thurber, O. Henry, Sarah Ruhl, Alice Walker, Margaret Atwood, and Amiri Baraka. The thematic organization focuses on issues important to students— growing up, family ties, nature, the world at large, crossing boundaries, and the past.

Perfection Learning ® Corporation Logan, Iowa 51546-0500 perfectionlearning.com

Liter a tu r e for R ea d er s a n d Wr iter s

MANY VOICES

for Readers and Writ ers

Pe r f e ct i on L e a r ni ng ®

10/9/07 3:11:45 PM

To

the

Student.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii

UNIT One

Rites of Passage

The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant W.D. Wetherell

short story.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

P o e t r y C o n n e ct i o n Oranges Gary Soto

poem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11

from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou

autobiography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Through the Tunnel Doris Lessing

short story.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

P o e m s o f P a ss a g e First Lesson Phillip Booth poem.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

On Turning 10

Hanging Fire

Billy Collins Audre Lorde

poem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 poem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Vegetarian Enough Annie Choi

autobiography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

from My Forbidden Face Latifa

autobiographical narrative. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Unfinished Business Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

interview.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

P o e t r y C o n n e ct i o n “Good Night, Willie Lee, I’ll See You in the Morning” Alice Walker

poem.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Wr it e r s on Wr iti n g Introduction to Shelf Life Gary Paulsen

book preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

A Wr i t e r ’s Wo r k s h o p

iv

Autobiographical Narrative.. . . . . . . . . . 90

n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n

Family Ties

UNIT Two The Scarlet Ibis James Hurst

short story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

from Riding The Bus with My Sister Rachel Simon

memoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

A Christmas Memory Truman Capote

Poems

of

short story.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

M oth er s

and

G r an dmoth er s

Memory

The Courage That My Mother Had

Lineage

Lucille Clifton

poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Edna St. Vincent Millay Margaret Walker

124

141

poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

142

poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

142

My Brother’s Keeper Jay Bennett

short story.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

144

from Letters to a Young Brother Hill Harper

letter.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

160

P o e t r y C o n n e ct i o n Wild Geese Mary Oliver

poem.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

168

Wr it e r s on Wr iti n g Grandfather’s Blessing Julia Alvarez

autobiography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

170

P o e t r y C o n n e ct i o n I Remember My Father’s Hands Lisa Suhair Majaj

poem.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


Short Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

180 182

v


The Forces of Nature

UNIT THREE The Interlopers Saki

short story.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

188

from Of Wolves and Men Barry Holstun Lopez

Poems

of

essay.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

N at u r e

Birches

Haiku

Haiku

Spring is like a perhaps hand

Robert Frost

poem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Kaga no Chiyo Basho¯

poem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

poem.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

E. E. Cummings

207

poem.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

from An Inconvenient Truth Al Gore

nonfiction.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

T s u n a m i 20 0 4

The Deadliest Tsunami in History?

Orphans Give Indian Couple Will to Live;

P o e t r y C o n n e ct i o n Wave

Dale Wisely

National Geographic

informational article.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

221

2004 Tsunami Killed Their Son, Two Daughters Shaikh Azizur Rahman newspaper article. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

poem.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

230

novella . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

232

The Birds Daphne du Maurier

P o e t r y C o n n e ct i o n “Hope” is the thing with feathers Emily Dickinson

poem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

270

Wr it e r s on Wr iti n g Knee-Deep in Its Absence David Petersen

essay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


vi

272

Nature Poetry.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280


Other Worlds

UNIT FOUR

A Sound of Thunder Ray Bradbury

short story .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286

Nolan Bushnell David E. Brown

article .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

P o e t r y C o n n e ct i o n All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace

Richard Brautigan

poem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

310

Nethergrave Gloria Skurzynski

short story.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty James Thurber

short story.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

326

The Mystery of China’s Celtic Mummies Clifford Coonan

article.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

334

The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World Gabriel García Márquez

short story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344

Th e W o r l d o f P o e t r y Beware: Do Not Read This Poem Ishmael Reed

poem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

355

The Republic of Poetry Martin Espada

poem.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

357

poem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

359

The Secret Denise Levertov


Critical Essay: Science Fiction. . . . . . . .

362

vii


Crossing Borders

UNIT FIVE

Bridge of the Gods Anonymous

myth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

368

short story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

376

Borders Thomas King

Delfino II: Diez in the Desert Sam Quinones

biography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

390

P o e t r y C o n n e ct i o n Mexicans Begin Jogging Gary Soto

poem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404

P o e m s A c r o ss

the

Mending Wall poem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I Am the Land. I Wait

Your World

Robert Frost

Marina de Bellagente

Divide 407

poem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409

Georgia Douglas Johnson

poem.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

410

article.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

412

Hip-Hop Planet James McBride

P o e t r y C o n n e ct i o n Ka’Ba Amiri Baraka

poem.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

423

Harlem II Langston Hughes

poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

424

Blues Ain’t No Mockin Bird Toni Cade Bambera

short story .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

426

Rules of the Game Amy Tan Wr ite r s

short story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . on

436

Wr iti ng

In the Canon, for All the Wrong Reasons Amy Tan

essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


viii

452

Informational Essay. . . . . . . . . . . . . 460


Echoes from the Past

UNIT SIX

from the Odyssey, Part I Homer

epic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466

P o e t r y C o n n e ct i o n Ithaka C.P. Cavafy

poem. 485

from the Odyssey, Part II Homer

epic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488

P o e t r y C o n n e ct i o n Siren Song Margaret Atwood

poem.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

501

from the Odyssey, Part III Homer

epic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504

P o e t r y C o n n e ct i o n An Ancient Gesture Edna St. Vincent Millay

poem.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

520

novel excerpt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

522

from The Penelopiad Margaret Atwood

Orpheus and Eurydice Betty Bonham Lies

myth.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

530

drama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

538

Eurydice Sarah Ruhl

Wr it e r s on Wr iti n g Introduction to We Goddesses: Athena, Aphrodite, Hera Donna Orgel

book preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 584

A W r i t e r´s Wo r k s h o p

Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

592

ix


UNIT SEVEN

The Dark Side

The Most Dangerous Game Richard Connell

short story.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

598

Variations on the Death of Trotsky David Ives

drama.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

622

The Cask of Amontillado Edgar Allan Poe

Poems

of

short story.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

634

D a r k n e ss

The Bells

Annabel Lee

The Raven

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe

poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 646 poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

650

poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

652

drama.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

658

Dozens of Roses Virginia Euwer Wolff

The Lottery Shirley Jackson Wr ite r s

on

short story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 664

Wr iti ng

The Morning of June 28, 1948, and “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson

reflective essay.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


x

676

Persuasive Critical Essay. . . . . . . . . . . 684


UNIT EIGHT

What Has Value?

The Gift of the Magi O. Henry

short story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

690

Everyday Use Alice Walker

short story.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700

Fabric of Their Lives Amei Wallach

Poems

of

magazine article.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 712

Wo r k i n g P e o p l e

To be of use

I Hear America Singing

Walt Whitman

Marge Piercy

poem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 722 poem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

724

short story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

726

The Necklace Guy de Maupassant

The Man to Send Rain Clouds Leslie Marmon Silko

short story.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

738

short story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

746

Marigolds Eugenia Collier Wr ite r s

on

Wr iti ng

Polaroids Anne Lamott

essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A Wr i t e r ’s Wo r k s h o p G l o ss a r y

of

Reflective Essay.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

758 764

L i t e r a r y T e r m s .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 768

I m a g e C r e d i ts .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 777 A c k n o w l e d g m e n ts .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 779

xi


U n d e r sta n d i n g F i c t i o n Short Stories and Novels The two main types of fiction are short stories and novels. How do they differ? Short stories can usually be read in one sitting, have fewer characters, and take place in a limited setting. They generally have just one theme, unlike a novel, which is multi-themed. Both types of fiction contain the following basic elements.

Plot

The plot is the action of a story—what happens in it. As one old saying has it, the writer gets the hero up a tree and then gets him back down again. A good plot shows how one event leads to another, which causes another, and so on until the story ends. A problem or conflict is needed to move the story forward. No “trouble” equals “no story”! But fictional conflict doesn’t necessarily mean things blowing up. In fiction, a conflict means that the main character wants something, and someone or something is in the way of getting it. The “opponent” can be anything from a raging hurricane to a picky math teacher. And some conflicts occur from within. Perhaps the main character wants to be popular, but his or her basic nature—shy and awkward—makes that goal difficult. Inner conflicts can be the worst kind. In a well-made story, the conflict builds until there is a climax, or high point of the action. Here the bully is confronted, or the inner demon is conquered. In the story’s resolution, the conflict sorts itself out.

Character

As a reader, you keep turning the pages of stories mainly because you are interested in what happens to the characters. Writers create believable characters by describing their actions, speech, thoughts, feelings, and interactions with others. There are round characters—characters who are drawn realistically and seem capable of change—and flat characters, who are undeveloped.

Setting A story’s setting includes the time period and location in which the events of the plot occur. A setting can actually influence the plot and characters, sometimes even becoming a character itself. When nature is given human characteristics—an angry sea, a forbidding forest—setting is being used as a character.

Theme The theme is the underlying meaning or message of a story. A story is about a particular character and what happens to him or her. The theme of the story is more universal. Usually, the theme is not directly stated. The reader must interpret what the author is saying through careful reading and analysis.

xiv

Pathways


U n d e r sta n d i n g N o n f i c t i o n Nonfiction sounds like it might be the opposite of fiction, or that it might be anything other than fiction. In fact, much nonfiction uses many of the tools of fiction—vivid storytelling, characters, and settings—to write about true things. Like fiction, it relies on specific details, colorful images, and sometimes dialogue to make the writing come to life. Although it often reads like fiction, everything in it is expected to be true. Nonfiction includes writing about the sciences, arts and culture, sports, adventure, travel, family, and personal life. Memoirs, biographies, and even literary book reviews fall under the heading of nonfiction. It comes in the shape of essays, diaries, and excerpts from longer works and can be either formal or informal. The most common kinds of nonfiction are listed below. Autobiography An autobiography is the story of someone’s life, written by the person him- or herself. Events in the writing are true, but they are colored by the author’s memory as well as by the writer’s wish to look “good” to readers. Autobiographers can emphasize incidents or leave them out entirely depending on the impression they want to create. Biography This is also a true story about a person’s life, but it is written by someone else. Usually, biographers do a great deal of research on their subject before they begin to write. Essay An essay is a short, multi-paragraph piece of writing that focuses on one topic or idea. Much of the writing you do for school will be essay writing. Essays differ depending on the writer’s purpose. Some are persuasive and try to convince others to change their mind about an issue and accept the writer’s point of view. Personal essays are informal pieces that present the writer’s thoughts and feelings. An expository essay is more formal in tone and structure. The purpose of this type of essay is to present information and ideas. Articles Articles may be long, short, humorous, serious, formal, or informal. Their purpose is to provide factual information to the reader. Examples include newspaper and magazine articles and entries in encyclopedias. Nonfiction writing is a product of the writers’ unique voices and the choices they make when presenting their subjects. If two people write an essay about the same topic, the results will probably be very different. Imagine two essayists describing a chili cook-off. One writer thinks the event is absurd; the other takes it to heart. The first writer focuses on chili’s weirdest ingredients—such as chocolate—and pokes fun at how seriously the competitors take themselves. The second writer depicts the event as a cooking Olympics of creativity. Pathways

xv


U n d e r sta n d i n g D r a m a While plays are written to be performed, and this is certainly the best way to enjoy them, you can still experience drama by reading it. This is a great way to practice your visualizing skills. As you read a play, try to see the characters moving through the scenery and imagine how they sound. In a good play, nothing is left to chance. Each character, change of scene, and line of dialogue is chosen carefully. Plays are more narrowly focused than novels and movies, with fewer characters, less action, and usually one dominant theme. Here are the main elements of drama. Cast of Characters The list of a play’s characters is found at the beginning of a play. The playwright might add the briefest description; for example: Lord Capulet, Juliet’s father. When you are reading the play, refer back to the cast of characters as often as necessary until you are familiar with everyone. Acts and Scenes An act is a large division of a full-length play, sometimes separated from the other act or acts by an intermission. A scene is a section of the play that occurs in one time and place. Each act may have one or several scenes. As you read a scene, try to visualize the set as well as the characters on the stage. Dialogue Dialogue refers to the words that characters speak to each other. In drama, great characters are defined by the quality of their dialogue—the juicier, the better. In a script, a character’s words directly follow his or her name. This manuscript style helps the actors learn and keep their lines straight. When you are reading a character’s lines, try to imagine what that person looks like and how he or she might speak. Stage Directions Stage directions are exactly that—instructions for the people who are putting on the play. The directions are usually printed in italic type. They describe the setting and tell actors where and how to move or say their lines. Some playwrights like to provide detailed descriptions of the scenery, lighting, costumes, and sound. Others leave such decisions for the play’s director, actors, and production crew. Don’t skip the stage directions when you are reading a play—they provide valuable information about the playwright’s intent.

xvi

Pathways


U n d e r sta n d i n g P o e t ry A poem expresses ideas and feelings in a compact form. To get to the heart of a poem’s meaning, ask yourself questions like these: • Who is writing this, and to whom? What does the title mean, and what is the subject? What is the setting? • What word choices does the poet make? Might some words be symbols? • What imagery, or word pictures, does the poem contain? • What theme does it all suggest—what central idea? • What sound devices occur? When you first look at a poem, notice its shape. Unlike prose, a poem’s lines don’t always stop or start at the margins of a standard page. Where each line ends is a clue to how it is supposed to sound. A poem is often made up of stanzas: rhythmical units of lines. The stanzas in a poem generally have lines with a similar rhyme pattern. Rhyme refers to identical or similar sounds that are repeated (hat/cat/rat). Rhymes are the music of poetry, a source of play for the poet and delight for the reader. And while rhyme is an important feature of older verse, many modern poems do not have any rhyme at all. Rhythm means a repeated pattern of beats or accents (“SHE sells SEA shells, DOWN by the SEA shore”). Comparisons are important to poetry, especially personification, metaphors, and similes. This figurative language allows words to mean something other than their literal definition. A rose is almost never just a rose in poetry. When in bloom, it may be compared to a sweetheart’s beauty. And when it is withered, poetically speaking, it may refer to death. After considering the words and meaning of any poem, you need to look at its “mechanics.” Sound devices are techniques used to create rhythm and emphasize certain sounds in a poem. Some of the most common include: • Alliteration The repetition of similar letters or sounds at the beginning of close words. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. Warm, wet, walks are wonderful. • Assonance The repetition of vowel sounds in stressed syllables. The time is ripe for this assignment. • Consonance The repetition of consonant sounds in stressed syllables. Brad had a hard head. Stir the batter, mother. • Onomatopoeia A word that imitates the sound it represents. Buzz, whiz, shush, kerplunk. • Repetition The technique of using repeated elements in a poem to give it rhythm. A refrain is a repeated line or a stanza. Pathways

xvii

UNIT ONE

Rites of Passage He looked down into the blue well of water. He knew he must find his way through that cave, or hole, or tunnel, and out the other side. Doris Lessing, from “Through the Tunnel”

xviii

Towards

the

Hill, Ken Danby, 1967

1


B e fo r e Yo u R e a d

The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant Oranges Meet the Authors W. D. Wetherell Wetherell was born in 1948. He lives with his family in Lyme, New Hampshire, near the banks of the Connecticut River—the river that forms the border between New Hampshire and Vermont, the river in the story “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant.” He has written several books—novels, collections of short stories, nonfiction—as well as travel articles that have appeared in The New York Times. His lifelong fondness for the Connecticut River inspired him to create the anthology This American River: Five Centuries of Writing About the Connecticut River. He is also active in local and regional efforts to protect the river. Gary Soto Mexican American writer and poet Gary Soto (born 1952) grew up in a poor neighborhood in Fresno, California. He turned to writing when he was a freshman at Fresno State University, where he discovered the power of contemporary writers and poets. He has never stopped writing. One of his most recent projects is a collection of love poems for adolescents called Partly Cloudy: Poems of Love and Longing. For more on Gary Soto, see page 390.

Build Background: Coming-of-Age Stories In a coming-of-age story, the main character undergoes an adventure or some inner struggle that is part of the character’s growth and development. Sometimes the adventures are violent and teach cruel lessons about how the world works. Sometimes the struggles are internal, involving only the character, the choices he or she makes, and lessons learned as a result of the choices. The story you are about to read is a coming-of-age story. In it, a fourteen-year-old boy experiences a dramatic but hidden struggle between something he cares about and something he thinks he wants. • A t what times have you hidden your own feelings or interests because you were afraid of what others might think? • T hink of times you have been torn between something you always enjoyed as a child and some new interest.

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Unit One Rites of Passage


The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant W. D. W E T H E R E L L

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Th e Bass , Th e R i v e r , a n d S h e i l a M a nt W. D. We t h e r e l l

There denizens inhabitants

pensive dreamily thoughtful

scull row

jaded made dull or cynical by experience epitome ideal example

was a summer in my life when the only creature that seemed lovelier to me than a largemouth bass was Sheila Mant. I was fourteen. The Mants had rented the cottage next to ours on the river; with their parties, their frantic games of softball, their constant comings and goings, they appeared to me denizens of a brilliant existence.

“Too noisy by half,” my mother quickly decided, but I would have given anything to be invited to one of their parties, and when my parents went to bed I would sneak through the woods to their hedge and stare enchanted at the candlelit swirl of white dresses and bright, paisley skirts. Sheila was the middle daughter—at seventeen, all but out of reach. She would spend her days sunbathing on a float my Uncle Sierbert had moored in their cove, and before July was over I had learned all her moods. If she lay flat on the diving board with her hand trailing idly in the water, she was pensive, not to be disturbed. On her side, her head propped up by her arm, she was observant, considering those around her with a look that seemed queenly and severe. Sitting up, arms tucked around her long, suntanned legs, she was approachable, but barely, and it was only in those glorious moments when she stretched herself prior to entering the water that her various suitors found the courage to come near. These were many. The Dartmouth heavyweight crew1 would scull by her house on their way upriver, and I think all eight of them must have been in love with her at various times during the summer; the coxswain2 would curse at them though his megaphone, but without effect—there was always a pause in their pace when they passed Sheila’s float. I suppose to these jaded twentyyear-olds, she seemed the incarnation of innocence and youth, while to me she appeared unutterably suave, the epitome of sophistication. I was on the swim team at school, and to win her attention would do endless laps between my house and the Vermont shore, hoping she would notice the beauty of my 1 Dartmouth heavyweight crew: one of the rowing teams at Dartmouth College 2 coxswain: team captain

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flutter kick, the power of my crawl. Finishing, I would boost myself up onto our dock and glance casually over toward her, but she was never watching, and the miraculous day she was, I immediately climbed the diving board and did my best tuck and a half for her and continued diving until she had left and the sun went down, and my longing was like a madness and I couldn’t stop. It was late August by the time I got up the nerve to ask her out. The tortured will-I’s, won’t-I’s, the agonized indecision over what to say, the false starts toward her house and embarrassed retreats—the details of these have been seared from my memory, and the only part I remember clearly is emerging from the woods toward dusk while they were playing softball on their lawn, as bashful and frightened as a unicorn. Sheila was stationed halfway between first and second, well outside the infield. She heila was stationed halfway didn’t seem surprised to see me—as a matter between first and second, well of fact, she didn’t seem to see me at all. “If you’re playing second base, you should outside the infield. She didn’t seem move closer,” I said. surprised to see me—as a matter of She turned—I took the full brunt of her fact, she didn’t seem to see me at all. long red hair and well-spaced freckles. “I’m playing outfield,” she said, “I don’t like the responsibility of having a base.” “Yeah, I can understand that,” I said, though I couldn’t. ”There’s a band in Dixford tomorrow night at nine. Want to go?” One of her brothers sent the ball sailing over the left fielder’s head; she stood and watched it disappear toward the river. “You have a car?” she said, without looking up. I played my master stroke. “We’ll go by canoe.” I spent all of the following day polishing it. I turned it upside down on our lawn and rubbed it with chamois until it gleamed as bright as aluminum ever gleamed. About five, I slid it in the water, arranging cushions near the bow so Sheila could lean on them if she was in one of her pensive moods, propping 3 up my father’s transistor radio by the middle thwart so we could have music when we came back. Automatically, without thinking about it, I mounted my Mitchell reel on my Pfleuger spinning rod and stuck it in the stern.

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3 thwart: seat in a canoe

The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant

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P o e try co n n ecti o n

Oranges

G ary S oto

The first time I walked With a girl, I was twelve, Cold, and weighted down With two oranges in my jacket. December. Frost cracking Beneath my steps, my breath Before me, then gone, As I walked toward Her house, the one whose Porch light burned yellow Night and day, in any weather. A dog barked at me, until She came out pulling At her gloves, face bright With rouge. I smiled, Touched her shoulder, and led Her down the street, across A used car lot and a line Of newly planted trees, Until we were breathing Before a drugstore. We Entered, the tiny bell Bringing a saleslady Down a narrow aisle of goods. I turned to the candies Tiered like bleachers, And asked what she wanted— Light in her eyes, a smile Starting at the corners

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Oranges

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A f te r Yo u R e a d

The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant / Oranges Think and Discuss 1. Wetherell wrote, “A story isn’t about a moment in time, a story is about the moment in time.” Which moment in time is this story about? 2 . The passage from childhood to adulthood involves learning many lessons—about yourself, about others, and about the world. What lesson does the main character learn in “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant”? 3. Think about the two characters in the story: the narrator and Sheila Mant. In your Writer’s Notebook, create a character map similar to the one below for each character. You may find you need to add more traits for the narrator’s map and fewer for Sheila’s map. Character Map Trait 1

Trait 2

Trait 3

Evidence

Evidence

Evidence

Evidence

Evidence

Evidence

4. “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant” is a first-person narrative. What are the advantages of having the main character tell his own story? 5. Think about times you have you faced a choice between two appealing options. What and how did you choose? 6. What “rite of passage” do both “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant” and “Oranges” represent?

Write to Understand: Character Sketch Use your character map for the narrator to write a character sketch. Your sketch should tell the most important traits of the narrator and how these traits are revealed through his thoughts and actions. When you’ve finished your character sketch, exchange your work with a partner. Discuss any differences in the traits you and your partner identified.

The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant / Oranges

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Writers on Writing B e fo r e Yo u R e a d

Introduction to Shelf Life Meet the Author: Gary Paulsen Gary Paulsen (born 1939) is one of the best-known authors of books for young people. He lived for many years in the woods of northern Minnesota. A love of outdoor adventure led Paulsen to compete in two Iditarod dog sled races. He learned firsthand how to survive in the wilderness, a theme that plays out in many of his works. In his 175 books and more than 200 articles and short stories, Paulsen draws on a wide range of life experience for his material. He was at different times a carnival worker, an engineer, a ranch hand, and a sailor. But no work has meant more to him than his work as a writer, to which he often gives 18 to 20 hours a day.

Build Background: A “Write” of Passage Gary Paulsen credits books with saving his life, of getting him through the passage from his difficult childhood into the world beyond his family. He is so grateful for the salvation he found in both reading and writing books that he has committed himself to promoting a love of the written word among adolescents. As part of that effort, Paulsen asked well-known authors to write a story for a new collection of short stories, with only one rule: the story had to include mention of a book. The selection that follows is the introduction to that collection, which is called Shelf Life: Stories by the Book. • W hat books or stories have transported you from your everyday life into a world that you could lose yourself in as you read? • How do you feel about yourself as a writer? Give examples.

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Gary Paulsen and his dogs

Introduction

to

Shelf Life

G ary Paulsen

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A Writer’s Wo r k s h o p Autobiographical N arrative In this unit you have read about young people and their feelings as they approach adulthood. In the autobiographical narratives, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings; page 15, “Vegetarian Enough,” page 51; My Forbiden Face, page 63; and Shelf Life, page 83) you have had a chance to get to know about who the writer is deep inside. Now you have a chance to share a little of yourself with readers as you write your own autobiographical narrative.

Prewriting R eviewing I deas The writing you’ve done so far in your Writer’s Notebook includes possible ideas for an autobiographical narrative. Review what you have written to see which idea grabs you the most. A good subject for an autobiographical narrative is an incident: • w ith a clear beginning, middle, and ending that shows how you made a passage of some kind and grew as a person or learned an important lesson • that will allow readers to get a good sense of who you are. If you don’t find an incident in your Writer’s Notebook that you want to write about, brainstorm other incidents from your life that might work well as the subject of an autobiographical narrative.

F reewriting

to

D evelop D etails

Once you have chosen an incident for your narrative, write down everything you can remember about what happened. Include all of the people involved, the place, the time, and every other detail you can think of. Write freely without worrying about form or mistakes.

Sample Freewriting I’m going to write about the time my sister and I went to the Bellwood Avenue shopping area by ourselves for the first time. It must have been spring because I remember my father’s muddy boots when he came to pick us up. We went to the dimestore—I remember I bought a pencil case with my allowance money. I don’t remember what Marsha bought. Marsha felt very grown up being in charge of me. I was wearing my favorite blue . . .

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O rganizing I deas Look over your freewriting. Circle each event in the story. Then copy and complete the framework below in your Writer’s Notebook. The passage you made or lesson learned Setting

Event that begins narrative Next important event in narrative Next important event in narrative Event that ends the narrative What narrative shows about you

Drafting Use your chart to write a first draft. Also look back over the notes you made about other details you remember from this incident. Add these to your narrative to make it come alive and to show its importance to you. Use dialogue to reveal character.

C ooper ative L earning : P eer R eview Pair up with a partner and exchange drafts. Discuss the strengths of your partner’s draft as well as ways it can be improved. Be open to your partner’s suggestions for improving your work. A Writer’s Workshop

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Revising and Editing Use your partner’s comments to help you evaluate and revise your narrative. Keep revising until you are happy with your draft. Then check your work for errors in grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

U sing Word P rocessing The most fundamental strategies for revising are adding, deleting, substituting, and rearranging. With a word processor, you can easily add, delete, substitute, or rearrange your ideas while revising by using the Cut and Paste functions. Highlight what you want to change. Then choose Cut (or Copy) from the Edit menu. If you choose Copy, position your cursor where you want to insert your highlighted text and choose Paste from the Edit menu. Save different versions of your work under different file names, such as autobiography1 and autobiography2. You can then compare them side by side as you continue to think of ways to improve your writing.

R eading with an editor ’ s eye In narrative writing, transitional words and phrases help readers follow the passing of time. Here are some of the words and phrases Gary Paulsen uses as he recounts his early experience with books and reading (see page 85). • A fter a time, it could have been ten minutes or an hour or my whole life, she asked me . . . • A few years later, when I was thirteen . . . • Later that night back at home . . . As you are revising your autobiographical narrative, check to make sure you have clearly signaled to readers when time is passing so that they can follow the story easily. Use such words and phrases as later, the next day, when I was eleven, and by the time I got home.

U sing

a checklist

The Six-Trait checklist on the next page will help you evaluate and polish your narrative.

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Six Traits of Writing : Autobiographical Narratives Content and Ideas • subject focuses on passage or lesson learned • narrative reveals something about writer’s personality or character • vivid supporting details bring the experience to life Organization • narrative has clear beginning, middle, and ending • events are presented in a clear time order

Voice or Style • narrative uses first-person point of view • writer’s voice sounds natural, not forced • dialogue is realistic and reveals character Word Choice • lively verbs and specific nouns give the writing energy • such comparisons as similes and metaphors create memorable images

Sentence Fluency • transitional words help the writing flow smoothly • sentence length and sentence beginnings are varied and purposeful

Conventions • sentences are complete and begin with a capital letter and end with a period • grammar and usage are correct • spelling and punctuation are correct

C ooper ative L earning : P eer E diting Exchange papers with your partner and check each other’s editing. Fix any errors your partner points out. Make a neat final copy of your narrative.

A Writer’s Workshop

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