5-1 Discussion: Writing Style and Voice in Fiction
Humanities
I need a 3 paragraph post written over the folowing topic:
Read “Sonny’s Blues” in 100 Years of The Best American Short Stories or here.
Think about Baldwin’s conversational writing style for peppering the paragraphs with the narrator’s emotive reactions to bad news. An example is found on page 181: “A block of ice got settled in my belly…” While you are reading, examine added flashbacks that show regret and mature insight into past events.
In your initial post, consider the following elements of style:
- How is character voice used to show anecdotes from different characters, such as Sonny’s letter on page 186 and the anecdote from Sonny’s mom on page 191 that starts with “Your daddy once had a brother…”?
- What did you learn from this story about character voice as well as about nonchronological presentation of scenes?
- How can you apply these principles to your own story?
Please be sure to cite sections of the story to support the post. Cite all sources in MLA and address the rubric for other questions regarding this assisgnment.
Then you will need to make personalized replies to my peers. I have attached a copy of two posts from my classmates and each should be at least a paragraph long. Below is what will need to be covered in each peer response:
When responding to the posts of your classmates, consider how well the story elements of this flashback were handled. How is the emotive element revealed in the use of details?
