Identity and Belonging
Step 1: Generating Ideas * Read Destiny by Shalini Akhil * Answer the following questions:
The text
a) Who are the characters?
b) What is a lungi, and what are rotis?
c) What do you think is the message of this piece?
Yourself
d) What did you want to be “when you grew up”? Try to remember a really idealistic dream from when you were quite young. Go back to that memory and write a paragraph describing all the details of that dream: why you wanted it, how you imagined yourself to look, feel and what you would do.
e) Where do you think you got this idea from? Who was the role model for this dream (real or fictional)?
f) What qualities did this character possess? Why do you think this was important to you? Do you actually possess any of these qualities?
g) What was the moment you realised this wasn’t possible or realistic? What caused this realisation? How did it make you feel? Perhaps that dream was simply replaced by another one! What was the next? Why do you think this dream superseded the former?
h) What is destiny? Do you believe such a thing exists? To what extent? Why/why not?
Step 2: Considering Structure and Style
Go back to Destiny and answer the following questions:
The text
a) Find three examples of attention to detail in Akhil’s writing which help to create that ‘in the moment’ feeling.
b) Though a short piece, there is in fact narrative structure to this piece. How does Akhil manage to create:
‐ An introduction
- A problem
‐ A solution
‐ A moral lesson
Yourself
c) To turn your memory into a similar piece you will also need to develop structure. Plan how you will do this.
d) Who will be the characters in your memoire? (For a short piece it is usually better to limit the number of characters.)
e) What is the setting?
Step 3: Writing
Write a 500+ word memories of your childhood ambition.
Have you introduced your characters, setting, ambition and problem(even if only simply)?
Step 4: Redrafting and editing
To improve
The text
a) Who are the characters?
b) What is a lungi, and what are rotis?
c) What do you think is the message of this piece?
Yourself
d) What did you want to be “when you grew up”? Try to remember a really idealistic dream from when you were quite young. Go back to that memory and write a paragraph describing all the details of that dream: why you wanted it, how you imagined yourself to look, feel and what you would do.
e) Where do you think you got this idea from? Who was the role model for this dream (real or fictional)?
f) What qualities did this character possess? Why do you think this was important to you? Do you actually possess any of these qualities?
g) What was the moment you realised this wasn’t possible or realistic? What caused this realisation? How did it make you feel? Perhaps that dream was simply replaced by another one! What was the next? Why do you think this dream superseded the former?
h) What is destiny? Do you believe such a thing exists? To what extent? Why/why not?
Step 2: Considering Structure and Style
Go back to Destiny and answer the following questions:
The text
a) Find three examples of attention to detail in Akhil’s writing which help to create that ‘in the moment’ feeling.
b) Though a short piece, there is in fact narrative structure to this piece. How does Akhil manage to create:
‐ An introduction
- A problem
‐ A solution
‐ A moral lesson
Yourself
c) To turn your memory into a similar piece you will also need to develop structure. Plan how you will do this.
d) Who will be the characters in your memoire? (For a short piece it is usually better to limit the number of characters.)
e) What is the setting?
Step 3: Writing
Write a 500+ word memories of your childhood ambition.
Have you introduced your characters, setting, ambition and problem(even if only simply)?
Step 4: Redrafting and editing
To improve