Mentor Text: The Color of Water by James McBride Memoir Writing Mentor Text: The Color of Water by James McBride

What is a Narrative? A narrative is a story A narrative essay is a story that has a specific point A narrative essay strives to teach a lesson or A narrative essay strives to make a specific point A narrative essay is not a diary entry – the story is linked to the purpose of the essay

Memoir A memoir is different from a personal narrative. Memoir combines the event with personal examination of the subject. Therefore, memoirists write to discover the meaning the event has for them and their vision of the world.

What Should Be Included in a Memoir? Often written in 1st person – I or we – because it is based on a personal story Has specific sensory details to get the reader hooked on the story Has verbs that help paint a picture and draw in the reader A thesis statement

Other Considerations Memoirists commit to writing and rewriting to dig deeper into moments in their lives that seem important to tell. Memoirists develop voice in their writing.

Other Considerations Memoirists determine how much truth is too much truth as well as what truth will be expressed. They identify the honest view, and then they decide what a reader needs to know to understand the larger point of the memoir, and what a reader does not need to know. Deciding what not to include is as important as what to include.

Other Considerations Memoirists determine the angle of the memoir/event(s) they want to tell. These decisions allow writers to flexibly control time, focus, and detail(s). 

Other Considerations Emotions take center stage as memoirists modulate the emotional territory of their memoirs. They explore the personal emotions of their own lived experiences as well as imagine the emotions they want to generate for a reader.

Other Considerations Memoirists explore the internal and external journey.  They revise to identify, explore deeper, connect, and enhance the relationship of these parallel journeys.  Memoirists revise for emblematic details, word choice, and stylistic decisions that portray the tone and emotional territory of the memoir.

Enduring Understandings Memorists create inquiries into their lives to identify insights about the human condition. They develop a persisitance to question and examine the evidence that emerges after many explorational writes and drafts. They develop a repetoire of strategies to make decisions that will craft these insights throughout the writing process to show a reader their joys, sorrows, successes and failures.  

Focus Questions What technical decisions do memoirists use to support their insightful claims about the world they live in? What ways can I observe my life and my world and push beyond telling a good story and move deeper into an insight that will resonate with a reader? How can I use personal experiences to touch or influence readers?

Assessment What engages readers in the public and/or private lives of individuals? After reading memoirs and memoir excerpts and experimenting with the habits, strategies and attitudes of memoirists, write a memoir that demonstrates use of the techniques used by memoirists. Through self-exploratory writing, identify an emblematic moment or series of moments that define an aspect of your public and/or private life.

Mentor Text: The Color of Water First published in 1995 The chapters alternate between James McBride's descriptions of his early life and first-person accounts of his mother Ruth's life, mostly taking place before her son was born.

Mentor Text: The Color of Water McBride depicts the conflicting emotions that he endured as he struggled to discover who he truly was, as his mother narrates the hardships that she had to overcome as a white, Jewish woman who chose to marry a black man in 1942.

James McBride http://www.jamesmcbride.com/

Red Hook Summer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRDtzlI-myE

Ruth McBride

Red Hook Housing Project