"Why couldn't I have been named Ashley" review
What are the types of lead in a narrative?
-reaction -dialogue -action
Over the course of the text, the narrator has two distinctly different reactions to her name. How are they different? Which details In the story tell you how the author feels?
As a fourth grader, the author feels embarrassed and haunted by a name that no one can pronounce and that will never be embossed on school supplies. Later, she learns to feel great pride in her name because it "is etched in the minds of people.
Find an example of visual sensory language used in paragraph 4. How does this language make the incident more vivid?
Examples of sensory language include the teacher's puzzled face as she stumbles over Imma's name, Imma's physical reaction to her embarrassment, the other kid's explosion of laughter, and the boy's red face. These details, which appeal to the senses of hearing and sight, help readers imagine the moment vividly.
Dialogue -type of lead
Some readers choose to show the reader a key event, using dialogue between the characters. Ex...."Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White -"Where's papa going with that ax?" Said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast. "Out to the hoghouse,"replied Mrs. Arable. "Some pigs were born last night." "I don't see why he needs an ax," continued Fern, who was only eight.
Reaction-type of lead
Some writers choose to open a narrative with a character thinking about or reflecting on the event. Ex...."The Jacket" by Gary Soto -My clothes have failed me. I remember the green coat that I wore in fifth and sixth grade when you either danced like a champ or pressed against a greasy wall, bitter as a penny toward the happy couples.
Action-type Of lead
Some writers choose to open a narrative with the main character doing something; this type Of lead puts the reader right in the middle of the action Ex...."Thank you, Ma'am" by Langston Hughes -She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but a hammer and nails. It has a long strap and she carried it sling across her shoulder. It was about 11:00 at night, and she was walking home alone, when a boy ran up behind her and tried to snatch her purse. The strap broke with the single tug the boy gave it from behind. But the boy's weight and the weight of the purse combined caused him to lose his balance, so instead of taking off full blast as he has hoped, the boy fell on his back on the sidewalk and his legs flew up. The large woman simply turned around and kicked him right square in his blue-jean sitter. Then, she reached down, picked up the boy by his shirt front, and shook him until his teeth rattled.
What kind of lead is used to hook the reader? Give textual evidence
The author's use of dialogue and humor encourages readers to read more abkut her dilemma. She also uses reaction and reflects back to the time when she first became embarrassed by her name .
