Transcript Document

A composition workshop designed for by
Sue Stindt
How to complete this workshop…
Thank you for participating in “Finding Meaning.” This workshop is intended
to help you find meaning in your stories and writing topics and to convey that
meaning to readers. This workshop is a tutorial and requires your
participation.
To receive full credit for this two-hour workshop:
Scroll through the slides one by one. Read the information
thoroughly; give each point thought and consideration. Almost
immediately, you will come upon an “Activity” slide. The workshop
contains 10 Activities, brief assignments for you to do or write,
usually after reading a few discussion slides.
You must complete all 10 Activities. Many activities do not have
specific right or wrong answers. Some ask for your thoughts, ideas,
or experiences.
Your work may be handwritten or typed (unless your teacher
specifies typed).
You do not have to complete this workshop in one sitting. You can
work through it at your own pace as time allows.
When finished, turn your work in to your instructor for credit.
As you will discover, there’s no single method of
conveying meaning in writing. There’s no prescription
that will help all writers. The beautiful thing about
writing is that it’s very individual and there are many
interesting and creative devices to help you weave
meaning into your work and to make both your
personal and informative writing more interesting to
more readers.
If you have any questions about the content, please
feel free to email me at [email protected] and I
will do my best to answer your questions and help you
in any way I can. Good luck!
ACTIVITY 1…
Familiarizing yourself with the formal definition of several important
words used throughout this workshop will aid in your ability to add
deeper meaning to your written work, both in personal and
informative essays.
Go to the link to the right or
use another online or inprint dictionary.
http://www.m-w.com/
In your own words, write the definitions for the following words:
1.
Introspection
2.
Analyze
3.
Insight
4.
Reveal
5.
Reflect
6.
Perspective
7.
Vicariously
When given more than one meaning to choose
from, choose the one that best applies to
writing essays.
Many of us go through our lives with little introspection – we don’t
often take the time or make the effort to think about why things
happen to us and what they mean or why we and others behave in
certain ways. But essay writers must reflect, analyze and make
meaning of the stories they tell and the information they present.
Think of stories as
the everyday
activities and
adventures you
describe to your
friends and family.
Why do you tell the stories you tell?
What do they mean?
MAKING MEANING OF OUR LIVES…
Telling stories helps us make meaning of our lives.
In our personal stories, we express emotions, such as fear,
happiness, frustration, anger, joy, pleasure. We talk about our
interests and values.
We compare stories with others. We measure people’s
reactions to our stories.
When we take the time to think about the stories we tell and
what they mean, we are examining ourselves and others, and we
learn from that examination.
Through stories, we make personal connections with others.
We reveal ourselves. We define ourselves.
LOOK BELOW THE SURFACE…
When writing a story, we recreate an experience for
the reader; when reading a story we may live
vicariously through the tales of others. But, as
writers and readers we must do more than that.
We must look below the surface to find meaning; we
must look deeper than the events or experiences
themselves.
MEANING IS….
“Meaning stems from the events of the story, but it is
larger than the story and has everything to do with the
writer’s perspective, how he or she sees the story,” say
authors Rebecca Rule and Susan Wheeler in their
book about writing, True Stories: Guides for Writing
from Your Life (Rule, Wheeler 129).
MEANING IS THE REWARD…
Readers WANT something when they read.
The payback readers want is to learn, to grow,
to gain insight, to understand the writer’s
thinking, to identify or connect with what the
writer has to say.
MEANING IS your perspective of the stories you tell.
MEANING IS your purpose for choosing a particular
story to tell.
MEANING IS the significance of the story.
MEANING IS knowledge, revealing insights, something
you learned or saw in a new way.
MEANING IS a connection of new knowledge to old
knowledge.
MEANING IS an acknowledgement of your readers.
A writer must reveal these truths
(perspective, purpose, significance, knowledge, connection)
in his or her essay.
The following slides and activities will focus
on…
Perspective
Purpose
Significance
Knowledge
Connection
Acknowledgement of Readers
and their relationship to theme and meaning.
PERSPECTIVE…
A writer’s perspective, point of view or
interpretation of an experience, is what
makes each writer’s story unique.
What you bring to your story is YOU.
A writer’s perspective is partially revealed in
the telling of a story because the writer
chooses exactly what he or she wants to
reveal to the reader by making decisions
about facts, details, and sequencing. A writer
develops characters and plot.
All the components of a story can and should
reveal the meaning. But, the writer should
also discuss meaning in the essay.
ACTIVITY 2…
The following slides make a point about PERSPECTIVE.
They contain pictures and instructions.
Follow the instructions on each slide. After viewing all
three:
• Write a paragraph describing what you saw on each slide.
• Were you able to change your perspective?
• Write a paragraph about how perspective and change of
perspective applies to writing an essay.
PERSPECTIVE…
Glance at the picture below. What’s the first thing you see?
Look again. Do you see something different the second time?
M.C. Escher
Google Images
What do you see first in the picture below?
At second glance?
Sky and Water I
1938Woodcut M.C.Escher
http://www.mcescher.com/
Is this a picture of
a young or old
woman?
Look again.
Try to see both.
Complete Activity
2 (slide 13).
www.coolopticalillusions.com/
How we see things in the black and white sketches is
dependent on whether or not we put the light up front or
the shadows up front, or on what we see first.
We make meaning based on our point of view and
perspective, how we see things.
Our reality in the stories we tell and the discoveries we
make comes from our point of view.
We can change how we see things.
Sometimes it takes an outside observer (or reader) to help
us see things differently.
NEW WAYS OF SEEING SOMETIMES COME FROM OTHERS…
Every time I have done this workshop in person, several
students only see the woman in the third drawing one
way. Either they see her as the young woman or the old
woman. And no matter what they do -- I tell them to
squint, because sometimes that helps them see the
second interpretation -- they can only see the drawing
one way.
Finally, another student or I point to the chin or the ear or
the hair and trace the outline of the form they can’t see
on their own. And, presto! They see the drawing in a
new way.
Experiences can be the same. We see them one way
– our perspective – until we talk to a friend or family
member about what happened.
Activity 3…
Respond to the following:
Describe an event or situation you
experienced that you didn’t understand or you
could only interpret in one way until you told
the story to a friend or family member and
that person helped you understand it or see it
differently.
Our views change with new
knowledge…
When we look at an abstract
painting, we try to find a
picture in it, a representation,
because we first learn that
artists paint images. Later we
learn more about art -- about
colors, lines, flatness, mood,
tone, and an artist’s vision or
way of seeing, and we “read”
the same painting differently.
SIMPLE TECHNIQUE ONE FOR INSERTING
MEANING INTO AN ESSAY…
In your essay, acknowledge and discuss
changes in your perspective. Insert
“thoughtshots” to reveal your thinking at the time
of the event. In the conclusion, reflect -- look
back on the event -- and show how your thoughts
or feelings changed or matured with time or new
knowledge. Or, explain how gaining more life
experience or further knowledge has change
your thinking.
SIMPLE TECHNIQUE TWO FOR INSERTING
MEANING INTO AN ESSAY….
Discuss the knowledge gained from the
experience you describe. In your essay, talk
about what you learned from an experience
or event. What new understanding do you
have? What insight did you gain? What do
you know now that you didn’t know before?
How has this new understanding or
knowledge changed what you do or think?
Activity 4…
The following activity is from Rule and Wheeler:
Think of a person you feel strongly about, someone about whom your
thoughts and feelings have changed over time. For instance, children
change their views of parents drastically from babyhood through
adolescence and maturity. No matter where you are on this child-lookingat-parent spectrum, you will see changes in your perceptions. If you have
a parent about whom you are or have been conflicted, write about your
relationship using this model: Once I thought x, later I thought Y, and now
looking back I think Z.
Analyze and discuss those changes in perspective. Try to speculate that
maybe the parent or child acts a certain way because… or perhaps it’s
because… try using words like maybe, I wonder if, it could be that, or
might be. You can also use phrases like “sometimes I think this way, other
times that way” (Rule & Wheeler 136).
Through writing, we can begin to understand or see our
own stories in a new way.
Activity 5…
Read and examine the first essay or story you wrote for
ENG 090 or ENG 131.
Did you use either of the two techniques discussed on slides
24 & 25 to include purpose or significance, the meaning of
the experience? If so, which one? If not, which would fit
best with your own story or piece and why?
Discuss what you have already done and explain what you
can or will do to clarify the meaning in your essay.
Remember, readers are looking for a reward. What are you
giving them?
NOW, LET’S DIG DOWN AND TAKE A
DEEPER LOOK AT HOW WRITERS
WEAVE MEANING THROUGHOUT
ESSAYS…
The following slides discuss the use of
theme and how to find and develop
theme in an essay.
The Personal Narrative (review)…
An essay is a focused piece of writing
It is mostly idea, often supported by story (True Stories 10).
A narrative is mostly story supported by an idea.
A personal narrative is about the author, or a story told from the author’s point of
view written in the first person (“I”).
A personal narrative essay combines all the above
elements, and you can think of it either way:
A first person story focused on an “idea”
OR
An “idea” supported by a story told in first person
Either way, all the elements must be included.
IN AN ESSAY…
“Meaning comes from a writer’s exploration
of theme,” what he or she makes of the
experience or event. The writer shows or
explains the effect of the experience on his
or her thinking, his or her life (Rule, Wheeler
130).
Ah, the idea is like a theme!
When writing an essay, the writer must have a PURPOSE
for choosing and telling a story and must reveal and
discuss the SIGNIFICANCE of the story.
In addition to the events of the story, purpose and
significance give the story meaning.
Often instructors and textbooks refer to these qualities as
THEME.
A theme is the main idea that the writer
explores or conveys. Theme reveals the
purpose and significance of the story.
Remember the reward readers WANT?
THEME…
Theme is dependent on the writer’s perspective –
his or her insights.
Insights are “glimpses of understanding,” says Denis
Ledoux in his book Turning Memories into Memoirs.
“Oh, now I understand what she meant!”
“Ah, that makes sense, she was trying to…”
Insights help us draw conclusions about our stories
and lives. By describing insights (glimpses of
understanding) in our essays, we reveal purpose and
significance of the experience or the event to our
readers. We make sense of our experiences,
showing how we learn and grow.
FINDING THEME…
Decisions about (and discovery of) theme come about in two ways:
Sometimes, as writers, we approach a story with the theme or
meaning in mind and construct the story around the theme. For
example, a writer might want to write a story that shows how he or
she learned that “life isn’t always fair.”
More often the theme unfolds as (or after) we tell the story, because
we don’t always know how to interpret loss, abandonment, our
heritage, or adolescence at the time. We must sometimes
experience events and then look back on them (reflection) with a
new perspective. This new perspective allows us to put the
experience and/or event in the context of our whole lives. In this
case, after writing the story, the writer might include a reflection
developing theme and meaning at the end of the story.
FINDING LIFE THEMES AND UNIVERSAL
EXPERIENCES…
Chances are that if you’ve had a particular experience,
some or many of your readers will have had similar
experiences.
Humans are social creatures and love to share and
compare experiences. We like to compare our
perspective to another person’s perspective. By
focusing on one of the experiences that many readers
have in common – a life theme or universal experience
-- you acknowledge your audience. You engage
them. You gain their attention and interest.
Making this connection is another way to create,
develop and discuss meaning.
MAKING CONNECTIONS from a
readers point of view… …
When we read another person’s story, our minds try
to connect that story with what we know. If we
read a story about the experience of divorce, we
may try to connect it to our own family situation or
other families we are familiar with.
We interpret the meaning based on what the author
says, our ability to empathize, and own
experiences. We are making meaning of life
experiences.
FINDING AND USING LIFE THEMES…
Peter Elbow, a writing teacher and author of A Community of Writers,
suggests that writers look for “powerful experiences or interests or
preoccupations that shaped [their] reactions” (291), life themes.
Some examples of life themes that many readers will
connect to are: relations between parents and children,
love, sex, divorce, nature or the outdoors, fighting,
loneliness, adventure, independence or breaking free of
obligations (Elbow 291).
A writer can develop any one of these topics into the
theme of an essay and support the theme or idea
with a personal story about the writer’s experience
with that topic.
Universal Experiences or Life Themes…
Coping with loss
Coping with change
Managing stress
Feeling rejected
Wanting to fit in
Fulfilling a dream
Working hard
Gaining respect
Losing respect
Forming friendships
Believing in justice
Riding a bike
Learning to read
Getting married
Going on first date
Learning to drive
Breaking family bonds
Having a baby
Falling in love
Forming belief system
Feeling insecure
Feeling sad
ACTIVITY 6…
Choose three of the life themes from the previous
slide – or others that you can think of not listed on
the slide.
Write a paragraph for each theme that briefly
describes the time and event(s) in your life that
taught you something about those themes or
universal experiences.
Make sure you include an explanation of exactly
what you learned or a reflection about how the
experience changed you or your thinking.
IDEAS and ABSTRACT WORDS…
Remember, an essay must discuss an idea,
not just tell a story.
Theme topics are often “ideas” or abstract
concepts, e.g. justice, stress, love, jealousy.
Abstract words do not mean the same thing to one
person as to another. For example, my brother-in-law,
a forest ranger and biologist, thinks that bugs are
beautiful (abstract word). Bugs are not my idea of
beautiful. He holds this view because of his
knowledge of the insect world (and because he’s a
little strange  -- another abstract word).
Activity 7…
1. List as many abstract ideas as you can think
of.
2. Circle the ones you could write an essay
about.
3. Choose four abstract words or ideas and write
one line stating what you KNOW (based on
your experience)
Examples for No. 1. ...
–
–
–
–
Peace
Love
Justice
Envy
Abstract Ideas…
loss win change
stress rejection
acceptance dreams
work respect
friendship injustice
justice love hate
jealousy anger fear
beliefs values humor
joy goals want disgust
karma
competition courage
failure embarrassment
inspiration greed
obsession excellence
hope discipline wish
revelation panic luck
enemy despair terror
envy goodness
kindness praise
success
Abstract (Ideas) vs. Concrete…
“Many of us feel more comfortable with
concrete things rather than abstract ideas,
yet we all have symbols (often concrete
things) in our lives that are attached to
emotions” (Pugh et al. 16).
For example, have you ever heard a song
on the radio that transported you instantly
to another time in your life because it
evoked a powerful memory? Or maybe
you own an object that reminds you of the
person who gave it to you or of a promise
you made. A wedding ring is an example.
Objects tend to store our
memories and emotions.
www.deni.net/trusts.html
Activity 8…
• Freewrite about an object
or song that represents
something other than
what it is. Maybe it brings
back a memory of a
person, an event or
incident.
• Describe the importance
of the the person or event.
• What life theme and/or
abstract idea can you
connect with this event or
time or person?
(http://www.robertopiecollection.com/Application/Images/Musg/MUS019lg.jpg)
REVISIT THEME AND MEANING THROUGHOUT…
On an earlier slide [28], I used the word
“weave,” implying that meaning is ideally
woven throughout an essay.
True. One statement of explanation of
meaning is not enough. Your theme, or idea
and the meaning, should appear
occasionally throughout your essay.
As a beginning writer, if you’re not sure how
to accomplish this, the following slides may
help. They explain how to incorporate your
theme into the introduction, the body and
the conclusion of your essay.
A SIMPLE TECHNIQUE FOR PUTTING IT ALL
TOGETHER…
Have you ever played a sport or
a musical instrument?*
*If your answer is “no,” see the note on the following page.
Sport or Music
Did you play alone or with a group?
Did you learn on your own or take lessons?
What did playing soccer or the trombone teach you
about life?
What values did you learn?
What universal experiences did you have?
Note: If you have never played or sport or musical instrument, apply the
questions to something you have experienced (video games, quilting,
working, etc.)
ACTIVITY 9…
1. Complete one of the sentences below . (This is your
theme. When using this technique, the introduction to your
essay should contain such a statement.)
Athletes who have played a competitive team sport (or an
individual sport) understand that…
OR
Young people who have learned a musical instrument
know that…
After trying this, go to the next slide. Revise your
answer if necessary.
Note: If you have never played or sport or musical instrument, apply
the idea to something you have experienced (video games, quilting,
working, etc.)
EXAMPLE ANSWERS for No. 1…
Sports
• not every call will go their
way.
• participating as a unit to
achieve a goal creates a
bond like no other
experience.
• like everything else, the
experience has its ups and
downs.
• it takes intense practice
and dedication to become
a skilled player.
Music
• performing is different than
playing for yourself.
• music stirs the emotions and
can fill your heart with joy.
• the competition for band
chairs can motivate
musicians to work harder
and play better.
• the competition for band
chairs can be cutthroat and
cause much disappointment.
ACTIVITY 9 CONTINUES ON NEXT SLIDE…
ACTIVITY 9 continued…
2. Support your point with a brief story or life
experience. (Using this technique, your story is the body
of your essay.) Remember, the details of your
story must support your theme or main
idea. For example, if I make a negative statement about chair
competition in band– that’s it’s competitive and cutthroat-- my story
cannot be about my successes; it must contain the details of my
negative competitive experience, about the unfair treatment I received
or about the aggressiveness or meanness of the competitors. And,
most importantly, it must contain my thoughts and feelings that
reinforce my theme.
3. Reflect on this life experience and discuss
how it changed the way you view things, or
how it changed your thinking. Or, further
discuss the lesson you learned and its
consequences. (Using this technique, this discussion
would be the conclusion to your essay.)
Congratulations! If you completed Activity
9, you have just outlined an essay that
contains an idea, a theme, and meaning.
It’s really that simple!
This is a formulaic (prescriptive) approach.
There are many techniques and ways of
weaving meaning into an essay. If you
understand the basics presented here,
you can experiment and create your own
ideas for sharing your experiences and
making meaning clear to your readers.
The more you develop the concepts, ideas
and meaning of the story, the stronger and
more interesting your essay will be.
SUMMARY OF TWO METHODS…
1.
2.
Write your story
Look for life themes or
universal experiences in your
story OR
Look for abstract ideas that are
directly connected to your story
3. Develop and discuss the theme
or ideas (life themes, universal
experiences, or abstract ideas)
in your essay
OR
1.
2.
3.
4.
Build your story around a lifetheme or abstract idea
Introduce your theme in the
opening paragraph.
Tell your story using details,
thoughtshots, and comments
to support the theme.
Comment, again, on the theme
in the closing paragraphs.
Activity 10…
Now that you have nearly completed this workshop, once
again look at the stories you have written so far and
examine them for theme.
What are your stories saying beyond the facts? Finish this
sentence for each of your stories: This story shows how it
is important for people to…. Continue with these thoughts,
writing a paragraph or two.
Are you gearing your theme (message) to an intended
audience? How has this influenced your plot
development, your characterization, and your use of
setting?
What have you discovered about your theme while
writing? Has the theme changed? (Ledoux 114-8)
WARNING!!
AVOID CLICHÉS
Beginning essay writers
often make the mistake of
using a cliché in their
introduction or conclusion to
explain or interpret meaning.
“Life is short…”
“I shouldn’t take people for
granted…”
“Practice makes perfect…”
Remember, readers WANT your individual
perspective stated in your authentic and
original voice, complete with specific
examples of how your thinking or behavior
changed.
Avoid clichés. If a cliché is appropriate to your
story, use your own words to describe the
lesson. Use your personal examples (“show,
don’t tell”) to describe your insights, what you
learned or how you changed.
Yes, we do have universal experiences, but the
writer’s interpretation, his or her perspective is
the unique and interesting aspect of any essay.
Students often think that their stories aren’t important,
that they have nothing interesting to say or nothing
exciting has ever happened in their lives. But,
meaningful stories can be found in everyday life, in our
daily interactions with people and in our interpretation
of these events.
“Trust that your way of
seeing and thinking and
feeling and knowing are
worth writing about.”
(Rule, Wheeler 19)
Works Cited
Elbow, Peter and Pat Belanoff. A Community of Writers Second Edition. New York:
McGraw Hill Inc., 1995.
Ledoux, Denis. Turning Memories into Memoirs: A Handbook for Writing Lifestories.
Lisbon Falls, Maine: Soleil Press, 1993.
Pugh, Sharon L., Jean Wolph Hicks and Maria Davis. Metaphorical Ways of Knowing:
The Imaginative Nature of Thought and Expression.
Urbana, IL: NCTE,
1997.
Rule, Rebecca and Susan Wheeler. True Stories: Guides for Writing from Your Life.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2000.
August 17, 2006