IV Complete the following stories to make them interesting: 1. Roger Vane was turning the corner of Main Street on to State Street, when he saw two rough-looking men come running from the passage which led from his father's barn to the street. Almost at the same moment Roger obtained a view 2. One day when Helen was walking in the woods she heard a strange rattling sound, and looked up to see a huge snake coiled in the path ahead of her. Her first impulse . V Write an imaginary story, suggested by the picture called To the Rescue, given on the opposite page. VI Write the following imaginary autobiographies, or lifehistories told in the first person: 1. The autobiography of a pencil. 2. The autobiography of a homeless kitten. 3. The autobiography of a penny. (From the mint to my pocket.) 4. The autobiography of a Filipino. 5. The autobiography of a tramp. VII Write stories on the following subjects: 1. The Story of a Sewing-Machine. 2. The Last Meeting of our Club. 3. How I Earned my First Dollar. 4. How I Came to Lose the Train. 5. An Attempt that Failed. 7. My First Experience with a Telephone. 8. The Biography of our Hired Man. 9. Maud's Adventure with the Wishing-Stone. 10. The Romance of a Lost Letter. 11. How the Race was Won. 12. A Visit to the Menagerie. 15. A Trip in a Canoe. SUMMARY 124. Imagination aids in narration by suggesting the underlying causes of action, by furnishing details that give to a simple event vital human interest, and by creating an ideal story more fascinating and often more instructive than a mere literal record of occurrences. Imagination should be used in such a way as not to deceive by a pretense of giving literal truth, but rather to create an impression of strong probability under the given circumstances. In writing imaginary stories, the student should picture the supposed events as vividly as possible. He should decide carefully upon the setting, the intended impression, and the climax of his story. All digressions that are likely to distract the reader's attention and weaken the climax should be avoided. The descriptive words and comparisons chosen should call up clear and vivid pictures to the mind. When the action hastens and the mind is in suspense, the sentences should be rather short and rapid. Conversation is often useful in giving variety to the writing, and in emphasizing the personalities of the actors in the story. CHAPTER VIII COLLECTION OF MATERIAL FOR A THEME When found, make a note of. - CHARLES DICKENS. 125. What a theme is. While the student has been gaining skill in expressing his thought, his composition exercises have gradually lengthened, until it has become convenient to give them a definite name. By theme, we shall mean in this book a composition exercise of considerable length, demanding for its proper preparation more study of material, arrangement, and form of expression than has hitherto been demanded. Five steps are 1. Choice and 3. Mak 126. Steps in the preparation of a theme. necessary in the preparation of a theme. limitation of subject. 2. Collection of material. ing of outline. 4. Development of outline. 5. Revision. These steps are neither arbitrary nor unnatural, but are so inevitable in any logical thinking or writing that each usually leads rapidly and naturally to the next. 127. Choice and limitation of the subject. If the writing of themes is to prove a pleasant rather than a distasteful task, the pupil must be careful not to choose subjects "Eternity," "Spring," ") piness," and similar vague subjects, should not be selected by the pupils or assigned by the teacher. entirely unsuited to him. "Hap The first requirement of a good subject is that it shall be one in which the writer is personally interested, and about which he knows something already, and can find out more. The second requirement is that it shall not be too broad a subject-like "The Recent War with Spain," or "Outdoor Sports" for then it is almost impossible to confine the paper to any reasonable length. Some phase of these broad general subjects like "Some Causes of our Recent Trouble with Spain," or "My Favorite Outdoor Sport -may, however, be entirely suitable. This need of definite attention to the appropriate limitation of the subject cannot be emphasized too much. Indeed, a large part of the trouble which students have in writing themes is due to vagueness of subject. The subject should also have enough value in itself to justify the time spent in thinking and writing about it. 128. Choice of the title. Although the subject may be definite, the title, or the exact words in which the subject is to be expressed, is often a matter of perplexity. If the real subject is kept clearly in mind during the writing, it is often convenient and even desirable to reserve the final wording of the title until the theme is finished. As a rule, the title should be short. It should sometimes be so exact as to suggest in a single phrase the central idea of the writer. On the other hand, if the theme is humorous or highly imaginative, or for any reason intended to keep the mind of the reader in suspense, the title may be such as to pique the reader's curiosity. In the latter case the title must be one that will prove to be really appropriate, and one that is not sensational. |