What is nonfiction writing? Intro to Nonfiction What is nonfiction writing?

Nonfiction Prose writing Presents and explains ideas or tells about real people Examples: Essays Newspaper and magazine articles Journals Travelogues Biographies Autobiographies

Autobiography A form of nonfiction in which a person relates his or her own life story May tell about the person’s whole life, or just a specific part of it The author’s purpose may be: To explain his/her values To teach lessons about life To entertain or amuse readers Any combination of these

Example: Rosa Parks “As I sat there, I tried not to think about what might happen. I knew that anything was possible. I could be manhandled, or beaten. I could be arrested. People have asked me if it occurred to me that then I could be the test case that the NAACP had been looking for. I did not think about that at all. In fact if I had let myself think too deeply about what might happen to me, I might have gotten off the bus. But I chose to remain.”

With the person next to you… What does this passage from Rosa Parks’ autobiography suggest about her purpose for writing?

Biography A form of nonfiction in which a writer tells the life story of another person Biographies have been written about famous people, historical and contemporary Can also be written about “ordinary” people Like autobiography, biographies are factual Usually emphasizes the causes and effects of a person’s actions May be written in order to: Express a person’s values Teach lessons about life Entertain or inspire readers

Example: Arthur Ashe “He once described his life as ‘a succession of fortunate circumstances.’ He was in his twenties then. More than half of his life was behind him. His memory of his mother was confined to a single image; in a blue corduroy bathrobe she stood in a doorway looking out at the courts and playing fields surrounding their house, which stood in the center of a Richmond playground. Weakened by illness, she was taken to a hospital that day, and died the age of twenty-seven. He was six”

With a partner… What differences do you see between this example and the Rosa Parks example? What are the similarities? Why do you think the author may have included this information in a biography of Arthur Ashe?

Essay A short, nonfiction work about a particular subject Presents a main idea and supports it with examples, facts, statistics, or anecdotes. A narrative essay tells a true story An expository essay gives information, discusses ideas, or explains a process A persuasive essay tries to convince readers to do something or to accept the writers point of view A reflective essay presents the writer’s reflections or thoughts on a topic of personal importance

Example: “On Summer” Lorraine Hansberry “It has taken me a good number of years to come to any measure of respect for summer. I was, being May- born, literally an ‘infant of the spring’ and during the later childhood years, tended, for some reason or other, to rather worship the cold aloofness of winter….For the longest kind of time I simply thought summer was a mistake.”

With a partner…. What kind of essay do you think this might be? Why? What does this opening from the essay suggest about its main idea?

Informational Text Writing that provides the knowledge to guide and educate you Includes: Magazines and newspaper articles on current topics Instruction manuals Textbooks

Example: “Caucasian Mummies Mystify Chinese” Keay Davidson “San Francisco- In dim light they appear to be sleeping, but they’ve been dead up to 4,000 years: more than 100 astoundingly well-preserved mummies unearthed in a Chinese desert, whose inexplicably blond hair and white skin could topple dogmas about early human history.”

With a partner… Based on this lead paragraph from a newspaper article, how might you expect the text to educate or enlighten you?