These are some of the possible [[assignments for fiction]] you can choose. #### 1. “[[howd they do that|How’d they do that?]]” type stuff, where you learn by writing how writers write Find a story that features something interesting having to do with POV, and write your own story that also incoporates that feature. For example, in “[Blues Ain’t No Mockin Bird](https://drive.google.com/file/d/13o7S_o-Pfc9TiGYjeqvRsL9coyBkTdGe/view?usp=share_link)” by Toni Cade Bambara, the “narrator” voice of the story is, in a way, *not the main character.* She characterizes, both directly and indirectly, *other* characters as having wisdom, experience, and emotional depth that seem beyond her own comprehension. This is a technique you can find in lots of stories, where the POV voice is more subdued or neutral or less “interesting” than other characters that the story is in some way “about.” Other examples include Nick vs Jay Gatsby in *The Great Gatsby* and Jack Kerouack vs Neal Cassady in *On the Road.* ---- #### 2. Traditional “English-class” type stuff… Here’s an example of some “T2: Reading” learning target questions you could respond to (but you can come up with your own, as well, for any text): - What is your anlaysis of Tom, the protagonist of “[Told in the Drooling Ward](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-N9rkTezSAiqe5a9k4SW8JqQqIao7zYP/view?usp=sharing)”? Is he compassionate, deluded, careless, noble, or what? Explain your thought process; provide two actions from the story that support your opinion of Tom and his character traits. For example, you could start with something like this: > In \[paragraph #], Tom \[does something], showing that he \[is such and such kind of person], because \[explain a bit about how you made that inference or came to that conclusion]. - There is some outright dialog in the story, and a lot of Tom’s first-person thoughts and recollections of conversations as well. What does Tom say, think, or recall saying that reveals the limitations of his [[point of view]]? Provide two quotations from the story that show what Tom can show us about how writers can play with [[point of view]], perhaps starting like this: > “When Tom says “\[quotation]” in \[paragraph #], he reveals that he \[identify his limitation or distortion or just different point of view than the other characters]. Then explain what effect the author’s use of [[point of view]] has on the story overall, or on your experience as a reader. - What technique or element of storytelling in “Told in the Drooling Ward” might you experiment with in your own writing? Explain the element and what you find interesting about it. - Respond to any of the questions above, but with reference to Charlie Gordon from [“Flowers for Algernon”](https://www.sdfo.org/gj/stories/flowersforalgernon.pdf) instead. - Come up with your own thematic question or set of questions to answer, involving comparison between or synthesis of “Told in the Drooling Ward” and “Flowers for Algernon” or one or more other stories of your choice that provide a compelling example of ambiguity in the narrator’s [[point of view]]. (Want guidance on coming up with a good question idea? Ask about it in a live class, or [email me](mailto:[email protected])!) ---- #### 3.