At School work for w/e 12-18:

This week we'll have an abbreviated week due to FAF, but I'd still like to help you understand Nonfiction by reading some of it. Today, in thinking about what's important for the holidays, I'd like to clump two odd-sounding essays together for you to consider: "Ambush," by Tim O'Brien, and "Total Eclipse," by Annie Dillard. Odd because one, being about the Vietnam War, and the other about, obviously, an eclipse, these seem to have nothing to do with a break! However, both are about powerful memories that shape us, and upon thinking about them, they grant us the gift of insight. There's a discussion board in Canvas, and I want you to read them in order: Ambush, then Total Eclipse, and after each, add to a single reply before posting and seeing what others think.

To consider: as Nonfiction, how relatable are these? In what specific ways does the art of the author invite you in to consider your life and the world around you? In what ways do the authors elaborate on the theme of the essay (and what is the theme/lesson for each?), or anything else you could think of!

We'll also workshop some Nonfiction in-class this week, as well as fiction and poetry with a final Give and Get before the break. As always, I'm glad to share my writing if you're unsure about your own essays.

As always, don't forget to get in any missing work: short stories from Thanksgiving, The Untold Story, and your first Nonfiction Essay. Your portfolio of revised work (See the Assignments tab at left) is due shortly after we return, in January!