Reading Questions - Personal Sports Narrative Essay
Have reading notes for questions below in your notebook.  Bring to class. Note key passages to support your ideas (page numbers and paragraphs. Add your own ideas and thoughts too.

Refer to pages in TSGW, Ch 2 as you respond to the questions below.

Be sure to read the author headnotes.  You can also look at the questions at the end of the reading.
"Finding Myself"
  1. What is the writer's strategy in the first three paragraphs? What is the focus of this personal narrative?
  2. Analyze the organization of this narrative. How is it structured? What information and details are significant? How are they ordered in the narrative?
  3. What is the main point of this narrative? Express this point in your own words, but also find a sentence or sentences that express it as well.
  4. How does the conclusion resolve Ryan's conflict?
"The Four-Minute Mile"
  1. Analyze the race portion of the narrative (pp. 43-45). How is this handled by Bannister? How does it keep the reader's attention? What ideas emerge from this section?
  2. Analyze the training sessions of the narrative. What do these sessions reveal about sport and the athlete?
  3. Analyze the organization and use of transitions. How do these support the main purpose of the narrative?
"In the Swim"

    1.  How is this narrative organized?  What is the purpose of the middle section (flashback)?
   2.  What is the effect of using present tense? 
   3.  What is Collins's conflict?  How is the conflict captured in the mantra she repeats throughout her narrative?
   4.  How does the resolution resolve the conflict? 

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"Why I Play the Game"
  1. Why does the writer play the game?
  2. How could this essay be expanded? What details would you add? Where? Why?
  3. Is there a stated "thesis" in this essay? Where is it located? Or is the thesis implied?
"Take the Plunge"

Analyze the characteristics of a narrative using this essay. Point out specific features. Refer to SP, Ch. 5.

"The Passer" (a poem) and "Raymond's Run" (a short story)

What can you learn about narratives from them? Come up with specific examples/ideas.
For example, consider the "thesis," organization, development of ideas, and point of view.  As you consider development, find examples that show feelings, attitudes, and thoughts.  For the poem, think about description: how can you describe the act of passing?  Also, consider the structure, tone, and rhythm (meter).