analyzing Mengestu’s “Home at Last”
Sedaris “Me Talk Pretty One Day”
Lahiri’s “My Two Lives”
Voice: How do word choice and language style reflect the writer’s theme?
· Actions: What do the main character’s actions say about him/her?
· Insight: Where in the text did a character become aware of something or gain a new way of seeing the world? Describe the writer’s technique for getting this information across.
· Telling Details: . A telling detail or fact is one that advances the characterization of someone without the writer having to state an obvious opinion.
·Setting: Experiences happen in some place at some time, and good essays describe these settings. How did the writer re-create on paper the sights, sounds, smells, and physical sensations of this essay? The telling details of a setting can reveal something essential about the essay without the writer explicitly explaining them.
· Sequence of Events: How did the writer sequence his/her events. What phrases or sentences were used to show the sequence of events?
