DESCRIPTIVE WRITING DESCRIPTIVE WRITING Mode of writing that

DESCRIPTIVE WRITING

DESCRIPTIVE WRITING Mode of writing that appeals most directly to the senses by showing us the physical characteristics of a subject—what it looks like, or how it sounds, smells, feels or tastes. Can have an objective or subjective tone.

TONE Tone describes the author’s attitude toward his material, the audience, or both. Tone is easier to determine in spoken language than in written language. Considering how a work would sound if it were read aloud can help in identifying an author’s tone. Some words describing tone are: playful, serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, ornate, sardonic, and somber.

TONE Objective: not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased (as in a lab report) Subjective: places emphasis on one's own moods, attitudes, opinions, etc (as in a personal essay about your grandmother’s cooking)

OBJECTIVE OF SUBJECTIVE? “Six inches of snow blanket the rolling Virginia hillside as mourners gather at a fresh burial site in Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington, D. C. Rows of simple markers identify the more than 250, 000 graves that make up the military portion of the cemetery. Visited annually by more than four million people, the cemetery conducts nearly 100 funerals each week. ” “The stones are marble, modernly glossy and simple, though I suppose that time will eventually reveal them as another fashion, dated and quaint. Now, the sod is still raw, the sutures of turf are unhealed, the earth still humped, the wreaths scarcely withered…. I remember my grandfather’s funeral, the hurried cross of sand the minister drew on the coffin lid, the whine of the lowering straps, the lengthening, cleanly cut sides of clay, the

CHRONICLE OF AN AMERICAN EXECUTION Is Barry’s tone objective or subjective? Find words and phrases that support your answer.

CHRONICLE OF AN AMERICAN EXECUTION Write down one sentence that you believe exemplifies good writing. Explain what makes this sentence stand out to you.

CHRONICLE OF AN AMERICAN EXECUTION 1) Is Barry’s tone objective or subjective? Find words and phrases that support your answer. 2) Barry describes “an American execution” but does not argue directly for or against capital punishment. Should he have? Why or why not? 3) Why do you think Barry begins his description of Holton by saying that the condemned man looks like a “child buckled into a car seat”? 4) Why does he wait so long to give the names and ages of Holton’s four victims? 5) What difference, if any, would it make in Barry’s description if he did not give the name of the condemned man—or of the warden, or of Holton’s lawyer? Explain.

YOUR TURN After rereading the paragraph that begins with “It is 1: 17” in Barry’s description, write a well-developed paragraph of your own that describes a person who is anxiously passing the time by chewing something, playing with a pencil, adjusting his or her clothes, or engaging in some other unconscious behavior. Write a brief, one-page-written essay describing a solemn event that you have witnessed. Be sure to describe the physical scene in enough detail that the reader can see and hear it clearly, but focus on the people—the central figure, or figures, in the scene— and what they do and say.

WRITER’S NOTEBOOK “It is 1: 17. Procedures require a five-minute pause at this point. A prison official off to the side watches a digital clock on the wall while chewing something, perhaps gum, perhaps to calm his nerves. Two minutes, three, four, the only things moving in the room are his eyes and his jaw, five. The window blinds drop, and a physician begins a private examination. ” Write a paragraph that describes a person who is anxiously passing the time by chewing something, playing with a pencil, adjusting his or her clothes, or engaging in some other unconscious nervous behavior.

A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE 1) Which of the five senses does Mc. Donald appeal to in his description of the tarpon in the paragraph that begins “Okay. He has all these big scales”? In this essay as a whole? 2)What is the attitude of the jogger toward the “kid” before he realizes the boy is blind? As one reader, what is your attitude toward the jogger? Why? 3) How does meticulously describing a small piece of the world help the grumpy jogger to see the world anew? 4) Mc. Donald serves as eyes for the boy (and us). Which details in this description of the scene at the bridge do you find to be visually most effective? Why? 5) “No, my friend, ” says the jogger, “thank you for letting me see that fish. ” So who is helping whom to see in this essay? How? Cite examples.

A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE Suppose you had to describe a flower, bird, snake, butterfly, or other plant or animal to a blind person. In a paragraph, describe the object—its colors, smell, texture, movement, how the light strikes it—in sufficient physical detail so that the person could form an accurate mental picture of what you are describing.

JOYAS VOLARDORES 1) “It’s expensive to fly. ” Anyone who have been on an airplane lately can appreciate this observation, but what, exactly, doe Doyle mean by the phrase? 2) “Consider the hummingbird for a long moment. ” How and how well might such a statement serve to introduce a detailed description of almost any subject? 3) What is Doyle’s point in comparing the hearts of humming birds with those of all other living creatures? Where does he state it most clearly and directly?

JOYAS VOLARDORES Write a paragraph or two describing a bird or other living creature in flight or some other characteristic act. Concentrate on the observable, physical aspects of your subject.

Pick ONE of the following prompts and write 250+ word hand-written response. After reading "Chronicle of an American Execution, " write an essay describing a solemn event that you have witnessed. Be sure to describe the physical scene in enough detail that the reader can see and hear it clearly, but focus on the people--the central figure, or figures, in the scene--and what they do and say. After reading "A View from the Bridge, " write an extended description of a scene in which you see a familiar object, person, or place in a new light because of someone else who brings a fresh viewpoint to the picture. For example, you might describe the scene at the dinner table when you bring home a new girlfriend or boyfriend. Or you might describe taking a tour of you school, hometown, neighborhood, or workplace with a friend or relative who has never seen it before. After reading "Joyas Volardore, " in a descriptive essay, bring together two or more different species of animals or plants (humans and dolphins, for example) and show what they have in common by focusing on more or two similar features (such as lungs and language). Write a profile—a description of a person that not only tells but shows a piece of that person’s life story—of one of your favorite (or most despised) teachers or coaches. Try to give your reader a clear sense of what that person looks like; of what he or she wears, says, and does; and of the dominant impression he or she makes on others. Be sure to show your interact with that person and what he or she has (or has not) taught you.