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BELL WORK: In your journal… • Have you ever wanted to try something that might be dangerous or very difficult, such mountain climbing or skydiving? Think about a challenging activity you would like to do. Make a list of reasons for and against taking the physical, mental and/or emotional risks.
Elements of Nonfiction English II Mrs. McLeod
Characteristics of Nonfiction • Purpose: author’s reason for writing or speaking. Common examples: • Inform • Entertain • Persuade • Perspective: viewpoint or opinion an author expresses. • Bias occurs when viewpoint is one-sided and writer distorts facts or uses emotional language to manipulate audience
Characteristics of Nonfiction • Tone: author’s attitude towards the subject; conveyed through word choice and details. For example: • Formal • Amused • Angry • Style: Distinctive way author uses language—level of formality, use of figurative language, sentence patterns, etc.
Voice and Persona: the personality the writer shows in his/her work • Diction: word choices the writer makes
Types of Nonfiction • Essays: examines/discusses a topic, often presenting writer’s personal viewpoints and opinions • Expository: provides information, explores ideas, or explains a process • Persuasive: attempts to convince reader to take action or adopt writer’s position on an issue • Narrative: tells story of real events • Descriptive: creates an impression about a person, an object, or idea • Reflective: conveys writers thoughts or feeling about a personal experience or idea
“Everest”—Erik Weihenmayer, p. 448 • Mt. Everest, highest point on Earth at almost 30,000 ft. • About 4000 people have made the attempt to climb since 1953; takes on average 2-3 months • Many fall sick and die from reduced oxygen complications or are injured/killed by falls, avalanches, extreme weather conditions, frostbite and dehydration • In 2001, Eric Weihenmayer successfully reaches the top • Eric is blind • This is the story of the final 24 hours of his adventure
Vocabulary • Apprehension: anxiety • Sparse: thinly spread, not plentiful • Ambient: surrounding on all sides • Arduously: with great difficulty or labor • Detractors: those who discredit someone’s accomplishments • Parameters: boundaries or limits
About “Everest” From “Farther than the Eye Can See”