“Who am I? Where am I going and Where have I been?”

Plot, Setting and Character

English 2

Meghanne Long

Fall 2011

(Core Concepts = orange)

(Strategies = green)

The Overview:

1. The Rationale:

Many high school students go through their years of secondary education dragging both

feet. Assignments are meaningless and pointless in their eyes and teachers are people

who merely impart a set of obstacles to keep them occupied for a matter of four years.

While plot, setting and character are important fundamental elements in any literature

course and are crucial for students to comprehend, high school students may see these

concepts as more irrelevant jargon to keep them busy. However, in Ms. Long’s English 2

class, this will not be so.

During this unit, my students will learn what plot, setting and character are and how they

apply to the short stories we will be reading. In addition to this, students will take a look

at plot, setting and character and see how it relates to their own lives. What is the plot and

setting of an important part of their lives they have been waiting to scribe on paper? What

is their character and how has it affected or influenced the world (or, more importantly,

HOW WILL it)? Who or what is important to them? What is the character of a person

who has influenced them? This is the first unit of the semester and of the year, and a

crucial one at that. It is my way of getting to know the young adults that will be

encompassing my classroom (community). My students will gain an understanding of the

basic important elements of literature while they gain an understanding of the basic

important elements of themselves (connection).

2. The Summary:

During this unit, students will be engaged in a number of different tasks. Students will

read four short stories (“Contents of a Dead Man’s Pocket,” “The Pedestrian,” “Everyday

Use,” and “By Any Other Name”) to further help them understand plot, setting and

character as they apply to literature. Students will write two narratives (an

autobiographical and biographical) and will be engaged in other smaller writing

assignments such as journaling and quick writes (process writing). A series of discussions

will be led by the teacher as well as the students (conversation).

3. Objectives:

W1A- Follow a writing process to independently create appropriate graphic organizers as

needed, apply writing process to write effectively in various forms and types of writing.

W2E- In writing, use dictionary, spell-check and other resources to spell correctly.

W3E- Compose text for various audiences and purposes, selecting and applying

appropriate format, style, tone and point of view.

W2B- Use conventions of capitalization in written text

W2C- In composing text, use correct formatting (e.g., quotation marks, italics and

underlining) in citations hyphens for Compound adjectives.

W2C- Use parts of speech correctly in written text.

L1A- Listen for enjoyment for information for directions critically to summarize and

evaluate communications that inform, persuade and entertain to evaluate own and others’

effectiveness in presentations and group discussions, using provided criteria.

R1D- Read grade-level instructional text with fluency, accuracy and appropriate

expression adjusting reading rate to difficulty and type of text.

R1E- Develop vocabulary through text, using roots and affixes, context clues glossary,

dictionary and thesaurus.

R1G- During reading, utilize strategies to self-question and correct, infer, and visualize

4. Length:

This unit will take approximately 6 weeks to complete.

5. Materials:

The school: computers, printer, projector, literature books

Teacher: composition notebooks

Students: Paper, writing utensils

6. Means of Assessment:

Formative- Check marks, participations points, oral feedback, written comments, and

peer evaluation, reading comprehension quizzes. Students will have daily journals. One

journal will be read from the week, the rest will receive participation points for being

done. Before journals are turned in, students will be given time to exchange their journals

with another student. They must read and respond to at least 2 journals Students will

choose which one of their journals they would like me to read and respond to

(negotiation).

Summative- Students will be writing two essays: an autobiographical and a biographical

narrative. At the end of the unit, students will create a display that encompasses the

important aspects of both their narratives. This display will be put up on our last day of

the unit for a Writer’s Gallery. Other students, teachers, staff and administration will be

invited to come and view the students’ work. Students will get a chance to explain and

present their work to everyone during the gallery walk (occupation, community).+

Teacher Calendar

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Week 1 Welcome!

Getting to

know you…

*Give Paper

Topics

Introduce

Plot, setting

and character

“Contents of a

Dead Man’s

Pockets”

Plot and

plotlines

Journals Due

Week 2 1st Draft Due

“The

Pedestrian”

Setting

The Future

Debate

Journals Due

Week 3 2nd

Draft Due

Drawing

Setting

PQP Autobiographic

al Narratives

Due

Journals Due

Week 4 “Everyday

Use”

Character

Portraits

*Give Paper

Topics

Library

Research

Journals Due

Week 5 1st Draft Due

Library

Research

“By Any

Other Name”

Renaming

ourselves/

Vincent

Video

Journals Due

Week 6 2nd

Draft Due

Displays

Due

Biographical

Narratives

Due

Writer’s

Gallery

My Calendar

“Who am I? Where am I going and where have I been?”

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Week 1 Welcome one,

Welcome All!

Some basics in

literature…

“Contents of a Dead

Man’s Pockets”

Emptying out our own

pockets.

PLOT

Week 2

1st Draft Due

“The Pedestrian”

SETTING

Journals Due!

How are your

papers coming

along???

Week 3 2nd

Draft Due

Picture this….

Please bring these:

Autobiographical

Narratives

Due!!!

Week 4

“Everyday Use”

CHARACTER

Portraits

Please Meet in the

LIBRARY!

Journals Due!

Week 5 1st Draft Due

Please Meet in the

LIBRARY!

“By any Other Name”

What’s in a Name? A

rose by any other name

would still smell as

sweet.

Journals Due!

Week 6

2nd

Draft and

Displays Due

(No PQP this time!

Make sure you get an

outside source to edit

your papers!)

Biographical

Narratives

Due!

Writer’s Gallery!

Friends, fellow

students, teachers

and staff will be

coming to view your

work!

Heading Class: English 2 Ms. Long

Name of Lesson: Plot, Setting and Character Day _2_

Objective Students will analyze and discuss the different aspects of plot, setting and

characterization as it takes place in literature.

Instructional

Framework

Initiating, Constructing

Lesson Plan

Format _Teacher Centered

Direct Instruction

Grouping Whole Class x Pairs x Individuals x

Materials &

Resources

School – computer, projector Student – Journals, pencils, paper

Teacher- Picture of a “situation”

Strategies 1. Journaling 2. Mysterious Possibilities 3. Think-Pair-Share

Review

Previous

Lessons

Today is the second day of class and the official start of our unit. In the previous

class, students wrote a journal about a significant memory of their past of their

choosing.

New Material 1. Journal of the day: Think of a time when you or someone you know felt almost

paralyzed by fear. Where were you or the other person, and what happened?

How did it start? How did it begin? Did this situation change you as a person?

(15 min)

After students finish their journaling, tell them they probably touched on some

key points of the basic elements of literature: setting, plot and character.

Literature cannot survive without these basic fundamentals!

Plot: The basic sequence of related events that make a story hang together-it’s

what happens between “once upon a time” and “happily ever after.”

Setting: Where and when the story takes place.

Character: The story’s “actors.”

Guided

Practice

2. Put students into groups of two or three. On the projector, put up the black and

white picture of the man and woman. (In the picture there seems to be a focus on the

two people’s hands. You can only see the man’s back and the woman is wearing a

leather jacket. The woman appears to have handed the man a small object and there

are large rocks in the background). In their groups, have the students write a short

story. The story must have a beginning, middle and end with some sort of rising

action. Students must explain the setting and who these characters are. Walk around

and listen in on the students’ discussions. Prompt students by questioning them on

their stories plot, setting and characters. (30 min)

Group the class back together and have students share their stories.

On the board, have students draw out a plot diagram to their stories.

Closure to

Lesson

3. After everyone has shared their stories, ask students to share whose story or stories

they thought made the most sense and why. Whose was the most interesting? Did

these people create a more interesting plotline? Was the plot clearer than others? Tell

students they will be analyzing plot more closely. Assign homework.

Assignment Students will create a plot diagram of their favorite fairy tale.

Heading Class: English 2 Ms. Long

Name of Lesson: The Future Debate Day _5_

Objective Students will define their given vocabulary words and differentiate between the

connotations of words. Students will share and predict what they think the world will

be like in the year 2053.

Instructional

Framework

Constructing

Lesson Plan

Format

Student_Centered Discussion and Cooperative Learning

Grouping Whole Class x Pairs Individuals x

Materials &

Resources

School – computer, projector Student – Journals, pencils, paper

Teacher- Journal and discussion topics, vocabulary terms

Strategies 1. Journaling 2. What’s in a word? 3. Take a Stand

Review

Previous

Lessons

In our last class, students read the short story “The Pedestrian.” Using this story,

students delved further into analyzing setting. Students journaled about what they

thought it would be like to walk down the street in the year 2053. They will be using

this journal along with today’s for their debate.

New Material 1. Journal of the day: Let’s discuss technology. What are the different types of

modern day technology? Which do you enjoy or perhaps even rely on?

Facebook? Twitter? Cell phones? Smart phones? Write about the affect of

technology on your life. Does it help or hinder you?(15 min)

Students will keep their journals in mind for today’s discussion.

Vocabulary: Connotations, denotations, manifest, intermittent, ebbing,

antiseptic, regressive.

Tell students that certain words have emotional overtones, or connotations, that

go beyond their literal meaning. Have students consider the difference between a

set of words. Would they use words to describe themselves or someone else?

(unusual/odd, young/immature, proud/smug, assertive/pushy, frugal/stingy).

Guided

Practice

2. Give students a few passages from the short story “The Pedestrian.” Have them

write down what they think is the strongest word or phrase in teach of the

passages. Then, have them describe briefly what the word of phrase suggests

to them or how it makes them feel. Have students then rewrite each passage

with words that have more positive connotations. Students will turn in their

passages for a participation grade.

3. Have students revisit their journals from today and last class. Arrange students’

desks in a circle so everyone is facing each other. Give students the topic of

their discussion: What do you think life will be like in the year 2053? What

will the world look like? Will technology isolate us from one another, as “The

Pedestrian” suggests, or will technology be a force for good? Will individuals

be more or less free?

Teacher will sit out of the discussion and give checkmarks each time a student

participates and monitor. When discussion is finished, have the students

prepare a summary of the panel’s views and an evaluation of the participants’

performances.

Closure to

Lesson

Students will turn in journals to be graded. Let students know that they have analyzed

the setting of what the world will be like in the year 2053. Ask them to further think

on the setting of their world today. Do they like it? If yes, then why? If no, then what

would they change? How do they portray the setting of their world in their narratives?

Assignment Continue work on autobiographical narratives. 2nd

drafts due next class.

Heading Class: English 2 Ms. Long

Name of Lesson: By Any Other Name Day 12_

Objective Students will synthesize and discuss video and make a list of new vocabulary terms.

Students will also discuss “By Any Other Name.”

Instructional

Framework

Initiating, Constructing

Lesson Plan

Format

Student and Teacher_Centered Discussion and Direct Instruction

Grouping Whole Class x Pairs Individuals x

Materials &

Resources

School – computer, projector Student – Journals, pencils, paper, Lit books

Teacher- Vincent video, bag of names

Strategies 1. Journaling 2. Word Chains 3. By Any Other Name

Review

Previous

Lessons

Students have been recently going further in learning how to analyze character in

order to aide them in writing their biographical narratives. Students spent the past two

days in the library researching the people they want to discuss in their narratives or

typing up their papers.

New Material 1. Journal of the day: How important is a person’s name? How would you react

if someone took your name away and then referred to you only by number?

Write your response. (15 min)

Show students Tim Burton’s “Vincent” clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD8uQzu0IL0

Ask students to describe Vincent’s character. How does he act as Vincent Malloy

versus Vincent Price? Is it the name that changes his character?

Vocabulary: Precarious, intimidated, insular, valid, palpitating, wizened,

sedately, tepid, peevishness.

2. Students will choose 5-7 of their new vocabulary terms and organize them in

way that the words will relate to one another. (For instance, insular and wizened

will probably not go by each other, but precarious could go next to intimidated).

Students will need to write a short blurb about their chains.

Read: “By Any Other Name,” by Santha Rama Rau in class. Have students

alternate reading (Popcorn).

Guided

Practice

Discuss story as a class. Questions for discussion: Describe the two main characters’

(Santha and Premila) and the two subordinate characters’ (the mother and

headmistress) traits. Point out details in story to back up. How does Santha resolve

her conflict with the headmistress? How do you think Santha Rama Rau would

answer Juliet’s question “What’s in a name?” How important do you think a person’s

name is to his sense of identity?

2. By Any other Name: Create a list of generic and original names. Cut them up and

put them in a bag. Group the students up and choose one student at a time and draw

them a new name. Have students experiment with their new names and introduce

themselves with that new name. Have students draw a character portrait of themselves

with their new names. (30 min)

Group the class back together and have students share their portraits.

Closure to

Lesson

Ask students how their portraits have changed or not changed since they were given a

new name. Does their name help define who they are or have they given a new

definition to their name?

Assignment Students will finish their character portraits if they did not finish in class. Continue

working on Biographical Narratives.

Heading Class: English 2

Ms. Long Name of

Lesson: Writer’s Gallery Day _15_

Objective Students will synthesize their narratives into display form and present their display to

class and guests.

Instructional

Framework

Utilizing

Lesson Plan

Format

Student_Centered Discussion and Cooperative Learning

Grouping Whole Class x Pairs Individuals

Materials &

Resources

School – hall space Student – displays

Teacher- tape and student displays

Strategies 1. Journaling 2. Talisman 3. Writer’s Gallery Walk

Review

Previous

Lessons

Today is the last day of the unit. Students have completely analyzed setting, plot and

characterization and have applied it to literature and to their own lives. These are also

key ideas they have utilized in their narratives. Students have been working on their

biographical narratives where they have discussed a person in history, media, or their

personal lives. Students have been extracting key ideas and quotes from their

autobiographical and biographical narratives and putting them in display form.

Students have already turned their display forms in to me.

New Material 1. Journal of the day: We are coming to the end of a unit. What have you

learned? What did you want to learn that you didn’t? What did you like about

this unit? What did you not like? Please speak freely. I really want to know what

you think! (15 min)

Before students come to class, teacher has displayed students’ work around the

classroom and surrounding hallways. Other teachers, staff, administration, and

fellow students have been invited to walk through and view the students’ work.

Students’ display forms should include important quotes from their narratives,

pictures, and a talisman that represents the person from their biographical

narratives. Drinks and finger food will be available to guests and students.

Guided

Practice

2. After students finish their journals, they will begin their gallery walk. Students will

be free to walk around and view their fellow classmates’ work. Students from other

class, teachers and staff are also invited to come and view the work.

After viewing the pieces of work in the gallery, students and guests will walk through

the gallery together. As we pass by each piece of work, that student will stand by their

work and give the viewers and explanation for their piece. Students need to give a

quick blurb about their narratives and about themselves and the changes in

themselves. Students should also explain anything that may be unclear for their

viewers.

Closure to

Lesson

Finish gallery walk. Thank guests for coming and group class back up. Ask students

to discuss what they saw and learned today. Did they learn something about someone

that they never knew or perhaps surprised them? Did they notice any plot, setting

and/or characterization in their fellow students’ work? Finally, ask students to think

on and share what they learned about themselves through this unit. Teacher should

also share what he or she learned about students.

Assignment No homework.

RAFT Organizer (strategy)

Name___________________________________________ Date______________

In order to better prepare you for writing your Autobiographical Narratives, we will be using this

form. RAFT stands for Role (role of the writer, what you are trying to accomplish by writing this

piece), Audience (who you are writing this for), Form (the type of writing – journal, essay,

narrative) and Topic (what you are writing about).

Fill in each part of the RAFT.

Role- _________________________________________________________

Audience- _____________________________________________________

Form- ________________________________________________________

Topic- ________________________________________________________

Use the organizer below to help you plan your writing.

Words I might use are… Important people to mention are…

My feelings about this topic might be…

Important dates to mention are…

Time To Get To Know You…

omewhere, sometime, you’ve picked up a writer’s account of a personal experience-something like, say, Sir Edmund Hillary’s account of climbing Mount Everest, your younger sister’s account of the first day of first grade, or Sue Shellenbarger’s account of her

attempts to balance her personal and professional lives in “Diary of a Mad Blender”- and thought, “I’ve felt that way, too.” People write autobiographical narratives to share their experiences and life lessons with others. What kind of experiences do you have to share?

Recall a defining moment of your life- the experiences that have shaped who you are. Brainstorm a list of experiences you remember vividly. Then, jot down some notes about each one. Finally, look over your notes and choose the experience that stirs up the most vivid memories or feelings. Be sure to choose an experience you feel comfortable sharing with an audience.

Your purpose is to describe an experience that had a significant effect on your life. Provide your readers with the background information they will need to understand the significance of your experience fully. For example, introduce yourself as you were before the experience. The details of your experience are like the brightly colored jigsaw puzzle. Put them together and they will create a vivid and coherent picture for your readers.

Here is an example from a piece of my autobiographical narrative:

I do not recall much of my dad from my early childhood. My one memory of him is actually a

happy one. One night a week, my mom would take my older sister to Girl Scouts. My brothers

were usually off doing something on their own. So, this gave me some alone time with my dad.

These nights always worked the same way. My dad

would place himself in our faded brown rocker. He

had an orange soda that he placed on the end table

next to his chair. I sat on the couch that was on the

side closest to my dad. Playing on the television

was some ridiculous ninety’s sitcom, of which I never

paid any attention to. My focus was on the orange

soda. I sat and watched it as my dad picked it up, took

a sip, and then set it back down. My mom only

allowed us to have sodas on the weekends and even

S

then we were limited to one per day. However, on these special nights when my mom and sister

left, and my brothers were off doing God-knows-what, I would get whatever was left of that soda

when the T.V. show was over. This is the one memory I have of my dad from when I was a child.

I think it is so fond to me because I remember my dad with a soda and not a beer.

Remember to have FUN!!!

Name: ________________________ English 2

Autobiographical Narrative

Rubric

Criteria Pts.

4 3 2 1

Opener

Narrative gives a creative opener that effectively grabs the reader’s attention.

Opener is clearly stated and grabs reader’s attention.

Opener is generic and is not effective of grabbing reader’s attention.

Narrative does not have an opener.

____

Details

Writer gives plenty of details to help control the overall impression/ mood of the narrative.

Writer gives some details to help control the overall mood of the narrative.

Writer gives very few details.

No details are given.

____

Events

Events effectively contribute to the writer’s overall plotline and change in the writer.

Events give an overall plotline and contribute to the change in the writer.

Events are irrelevant and do not relate to the writer’s overall change.

No events are provided.

____

Setting

Writer uses vivid and descriptive language to describe their setting.

Writer gives some details about the setting.

Setting is mentioned, but not described.

Writer does not describe or mention setting.

____

Sentence Structure

Sentence structure is correct.

Sentence structure is generally correct. Some awkward sentences do appear.

Work contains structural weaknesses and grammatical errors.

Work pays little attention to proper sentence structure.

Punctuation & Capitalization

Punctuation and capitalization are correct.

There is one error in punctuation and/or capitalization.

There are two or three errors in punctuation and/or capitalization.

There are four or more errors in punctuation and/or capitalization.

Total----> ____

Culture Essay

Shades of Gray

Meghanne Long

Final

February 22, 2011

“Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes,”

- Walt Whitman

I have been formed by the people and experiences of my life, and there is not a single thing that I would

change. I am the same as you, and I am different. Take a black and white photo of me. You may see it as devoid of

color; it’s just a simple portrait of black and white. However, when I look at the picture, I do not see black and

white. I see it come to life with all different shades of gray. Though some may disagree, there is not just a simple

black and white way of looking at the world. All of the people in it have been shaped by their own experiences.

They are different shade of gray from you, but they are still gray. My experiences in life have bestowed upon me

an open mind and an open heart. I like to march to the beat of my own drummer and whistle my own melody,

because “a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds” (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

My large family defines most of myself. I have four brothers and two sisters, and I love every single one of

them. I couldn’t imagine a life without them. All seven of us lived in a small house with my mom, which would

make eight people to two bathrooms (two tiny bathrooms at that). In each bathroom there was one sink, one

toilet, and one shower/bathtub combo. What is even stranger is that I don’t ever remember this being an issue.

Privacy was, however. I believe I was about fifteen years old when I finally got my own room. I think each of us

had our phases when we absolutely could not stand one another, but now we are all best friends. There isn’t a

thing we wouldn’t do for one another. My parents divorced when I was six years old, because my dad is an

alcoholic. My mom raised all seven of us on her own. She put herself back through college and earned her

bachelor’s degree all while raising my brothers, sisters, and me. At the time, I resented her for being gone so

much. Now, however, I see how she made our lives better in doing so.

My mom instilled the importance of having an education in all of her children. Not going to school was never

an option and college was always in the game plan. My mom pushed us towards obtaining an education, but

never without reason or help. I can remember the countless nights my mom sat with me helping with my

homework. While she was never the best teacher, she did her best to help. This is another belief my mom

imparted on us: try your best. Regardless of the outcome, as long as we were trying our best, my mom was

always proud. She knew that not all of my brothers and sisters were as equally gifted in the classroom, so hard

work was always very important. She just wanted us to try.

All of my success in school has stemmed from my hard work. I have never considered myself a naturally

smart person. I can’t just look at a math problem and know how to solve it. I am terrible with geography, and I

rely heavily on spellcheck. Yet, all throughout school I kept a straight-A average. I was never a social butterfly. My

evenings were usually spent doing homework and studying. I worked extremely hard to do well in school. While

some of this extended from the encouragement of my mom, I think a lot of my desire to succeed in school was

just in my disposition. I can be a perfectionist sometimes. If I do something, I want to do it well. Since I could not

just go to class and retain everything my teachers spouted out to me, I had to do extra work.

My mom has always been the solid rock of the family: the glue that holds everyone together. My dad has

never really been in the picture much. He drank a lot and was abusive towards my mom, brothers, and sister. My

mom would never let my older brothers and sister have friends over, because she never knew how drunk my dad

was going to get. He was an angry drunk. I do not recall much of him from my early childhood. My one memory of

him is actually a happy one. One night a week, my mom would take my older sister to Girl Scouts. My brothers

were usually off doing something on their own. So, this gave me some alone time with my dad. These nights

always worked the same way. My dad would place himself in our faded brown rocker. He had an orange soda that

he placed on the end table next to his chair. I sat on the couch that was on the side closest to my dad. Playing on

the television was some ridiculous ninety’s sitcom, of which I never paid any attention to. My focus was on the

orange soda. I sat and watched it as my dad picked it up, took a sip, and then set it back down. My mom only

allowed us to have sodas on the weekends and even then we were limited to one per day. However, on these

special nights when my mom and sister left, and my brothers were off doing God-knows-what, I would get

whatever was left of that soda when the T.V. show was over. This is the one memory I have of my dad from when

I was a child. I think it is so fond to me because I remember my dad with a soda and not a beer.

When my dad and mom divorced, my dad cleaned up his act for a short while, but soon he went back to

drinking. We saw him less and less, until not at all. I went five years without seeing or speaking to my dad. He

came back into our lives with his act cleaned up once again. I spent as much time as I could with my dad, but he

began to slowly slip back into the abysmal pits of drinking again. Spending time with him became disheartening,

because his view of the world was brought down with his drinking. I don’t want to paint a horrible portrait of my

dad; he is a good man. Like my mom, he works hard for what he has. He never graduated high school, so his job

opportunities are limited. However, he works every day at the job he currently holds and doesn’t let alcohol

interfere with it. I only wish he would do the same for the time he spent with his children.

Meghanne Long: just the typical girly-girl of the nineties. I loved playing with Barbies, and I always wore

dresses. However, this began to change when I got a little older. I still loved being girly, but I loved playing video

games with my brothers, and occasionally my brother would play Barbies with me. He always did it secretly of

course. If he heard the slightest footsteps in the hall, he’d launch that Barbie clear across the room and act as if he

was doing something else. So, I suppose some gender roles came into play there at some point. However, I think

any typical gender roles we were ingrained with was because of society and school, not the way we were raised.

We were raised to “march to the beat of our own drummer” as my mom would always say. She encouraged us to

do what we wanted to do, as long as it made us happy.

I basically grew up without a dad. I had my older brothers as male figures to look up to, but they never

quite took the place of a father. I only know what it is like to see a woman run a household. My mom was the

perfect woman for this. She is strong willed, determined, and passionate. So, I wouldn’t say that I was raised with

the typical set of gender roles. In watching my mom, I saw that women can be just as capable and strong as men. I

think this has made me the independent woman I am today. I don’t feel like I need anyone to rely on to get

through my day. I know I can rely on myself. My mom has always been a positive female figure in my life. The

males I had to look up to were not always so positive. My brothers were usually in some sort of trouble, and my

dad was either not there or an extremely negative influence. My brother Corey, however, did inspire in me a true

love for reading.

Out of my six brothers and sisters, I always had this special bond with my older brother Corey. This bond was

the joy of reading. I always really enjoyed reading when I was younger, but I never really loved it until Corey.

Corey was into science fiction and fantasy. I was mainly just into fantasy. I remember the first book he lent to me:

The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. It was love at first page, and my love only grew with the next two books

of the trilogy. What was next? I needed more. I can remember sitting cross-legged in front of my brother’s old

brown book shelf. I would run my fingers over the books' bindings. I admired them.

He lent me many more books, until he finally let me borrow R.A. Salvatore's The Icewindale Trilogy. Needless

to say, I was hooked. I found myself lost in this other world, adventuring with the characters of the book. I

couldn't wait until I would see Corey next to talk about the latest action in the books. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe

what happened to Drizzt!" He would smile and let a low chuckle roll out of his chest. Then we would talk about

the characters, the plot, the action. I would make my predictions to him and he would let that low chuckle roll

once again, "Well, I guess you are just going to have to read to find out..."

As I grew up, my taste in books began to change, and my special little moments with my brother began to

die off. Though I moved on from Salvatore to Whitman, I will always think of my big bro as someone who fostered

my love for reading. This past Christmas, Corey drew my name and had to get me a gift. I wasn't disappointed. He

gave me two books. One was a graphic novel interpretation of some of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories. The other

was a fantasy novel by Charlaine Harris. "I was looking through your books and you seemed to have a lot of books

by her, but I didn't see this one. I hope you like it," he said. Of course I did. I loved it. Our special little bond never

died. It was the best Christmas gift I received. I will forever have a special place in my heart for what Corey

instilled in me. I don’t think I would be the same person I am today if it wasn’t for him. The time spent with him

was unlike the time I’ve spent with anyone else.

The time spent with my dad has always been very strained because of our opposing outlooks of the world.

My dad sees everything in black and white. He constantly refers to the Bible and believes that homosexuals are

going to hell and if you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ into your heart you are on the same path as the

homosexuals. He likes to listen to conservative talk radio and preaches about how the world is going to come to

some horrible, fiery end. “Lest one good custom should corrupt the world,” as Alfred Tennyson puts. I believe in

God and Heaven, but my views have all sorts of shades of gray compared to my dad’s. I believe that there is more

than one way to look at the Bible as Tennyson says in his poem, just as I believe there is more than one way to

look at the world and the people in it. I think this comes more from my mom who has raised me to have an open

heart and an open mind.

I have always considered myself more of a spiritual person rather than a religious person. My dad never

brought us up in a specific type of church. He carted us around to various different Baptist churches, but that was

about the extent of church life for me. Perhaps this is why I do not like to associate with any one particular

religion. I believe that all religions have the same goals and purposes. They all give people a reason to live, an

ultimate goal (if you will) to aspire towards. They give everyone something to believe in. So, I have a hard time

supposing that any one religion is wrong. If it was up to me, religion wouldn’t even be an issue to discuss.

Everyone would have their own beliefs whether it was God, murti, enlightenment, or nothing at all. Everyone

would just live in harmony. However, that is if it was up to me. Walt Whitman once wrote, “But I do not talk of the

beginning or the end. There was never any more inception then there is now, Nor any more youth or age than

there is now, And will never be any more perfection than there is now.” I see every day as a new beginning. Each

moment is precious. We can do nothing to change the past, nor to control the future. We only have this moment

right now. This is why I enjoy Whitman, Emerson, and Thoreau so much. They emphasize the beauty of the day

and of the moment. Nothing gets better than what you have right now. So, you better enjoy it.

I believe my religious views help to give me an upbeat look at the world. I know that there is some divine

purpose for me, that there is something I am really meant to be doing. Perhaps this is why I feel such a passion for

teaching. I want to do for my students what Corey did for me. Whether it is to write the next Pulitzer Prize winner

or just to simply pick up a book, I want to inspire my students. I hope I can create a passion for reading in my

students the way Corey did for me. I know I will have a diverse group of students, and I will be able to accept

them with open arms when not everyone in their lives will. I want to show my students that they can march to the

beat of their own drummer and live in the moment. I want to impart my open-mindedness onto my students.

What better way to do this than with literature? I don’t want my students to see the world as black and white, but

to see it in all the different shades of gray as I do. Most of all, I want my students to at least try, just as my mom

wanted from me. And I will be a strong, steadfast support for my students, just as my mom was for me. Each

classroom will be my family and, just like my mom, I will be the solid rock, the glue that holds them together.

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson