Yesterday you began to plan your own short story. Today, to help you, we will look at a very short piece by Alice Walker and compare the elements of that text with the things you are looking for in your own fiction. When writers read good fiction they often read it more than once. Be prepared to read this story several times.
The Flowers by Alice Walker
Questions to consider:
Can you picture Myop in your head as a real little girl? Why or why not?
What do the details of the story tell you about her at the beginning?
What has Myop found in the woods?
What does Myop learn in the story. How do you know she learned this?
What is the setting? How does it change? What makes it seem real?
What do you think will change about Myop after this?
What elements in this text will you try to include in your own story?
1 comment:
Love Hurts
By Stephanie Thompson
It was another day at high school, Becca was standing by the three hundred building, after fifth period. Her blond hair blew in the wind, away from her porcelain skin. She watched as people walked up from the bungalows, and then she saw him. Her pouty light pink lips curved upward, giving more definition to the apples of her rosy cheeks. He looked over at her with his light green eyes, he smiled, and raised his eyebrows. His short light brown hair complimented his pale complexion. He wore a baby blue t-shirt with a Star Wars video game logo on it, light blue jeans, and athletic white Nike shoes. He was skinny, and nerdy, but he was more good looking then not. Becca waited for him everyday at that same time, after fifth period. Demetrius was his name, and Becca had never fallen for any other guy harder. She really liked him, he knew it too. They had no classes together. Becca met Demetrius during p.e. sophomore year. They didn't even have classes together back then. One of Becca's friends introduced them one day. Becca had invited him twice to the movies, and they had gone together along with a couple of Becca's friends on a double date. The word date was not mentioned but it was clearly a boy girl type of thing. Becca had liked him for almost a year now, and she had a good feeling inside that they would become a couple. They walked together, at first there was an awkward silence. Becca then remembered what she was going to say to him. She had not seen him for a while at lunch, and remembered that he said that he was in a classroom getting help with work.
"So what classroom are you in during lunch?" She asked him.
"I'm not in a classroom, I'm in three different places....I don't know." He said with no expression on his face and quickly walked away.
Becca felt a strange numbing sensation all over her body. She felt weak. She walked into her art class and sat in her seat.
"What's wrong?" Becca's friend Carly asked. She looked concerned.
"I'll tell you later." Becca said in a quiet voice.
"No really tell me, I want to know now."
"I'll tell you later, alright?" Becca looked really sad. "I'm going to go."
"Ok."
Becca put her backpack on and walked right out of the door. She didn't care about class. It was an easy class to leave without the teacher noticing. She walked paced around for a while and walked around the entire school. She then walked towards the restroom, amazed that she had not yet shed a tear. She walked into the restroom and then that is when she started sobbing. It was a combination of horrible events that happened to her that year, that made her react the way that she did. She was already sad to begin with and that felt like the last straw. A girl walked in that Becca didn't know. She hugged Becca.
"Thank you your kind." Becca said.
"Your welcome, do you want someone to talk to?" The girl said.
"It's just dumb, it's boy problems, I just feel rejected."
"Oh, I have been there so many times. He's not worth it. You're beautiful" She said, then left.
Becca walked out of the restroom, eyes red, and tears streaming down her face. Her case manager walked by, reminding her that she had a parent teacher meeting.
"What's wrong?" He said with a worried face.
"Boy problems, it's just stupid, don't tell my mom, though. I don't want her worrying about me."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I won't tell her, you can just take your time, alright?"
"Okay, thanks."
Becca walked back into the restroom and cried for a while. She tried to keep her composure, and dry her eyes. Her eyes looked red and watery, it was obvious that she was crying earlier. She walked out of the restroom into the room where the meeting was. She knew that she would have to get it over with. When she walked in everyone looked concerned.
"What's wrong?" Becca's mom asked.
"I had a really bad headache."
The entire time Becca was holding back her tears. Finally it was time to leave, and school was over. She walked out with her mom towards the car, but she was stopped by something. She saw Demetrius walking towards the one hundred building.
"Hey Demetrius!" She shouted.
Demetrius turned around and stopped in his tracks.
"I thought that you were in a classroom, and I feel so rejected! What you don't want to hang out with me!?
"No, sorry, we have nothing in common, and your friends make me feel uncomfortable...."
"What it's me?! It's me?"
"No"
"It's not me?"
"No, it's not you"
"My heart is broken! I was crying because I felt rejected....I really like you, I've never liked anyone as much..you didn't know that I liked you that much. huh?"
"No. It's just I don't really think about stuff....I mean I know I'm smart n' all, but I don't really know what I want. I have friends that are mostly women, I mean..I have a lot of guy friends too, but if one of my friends likes me and if you were my girlfriend then they would hate you and then they would hate me! I don't understand why guys have to have a girl..."
"I don't have to be your girlfriend!"
Demetrius was silent. He looked at his watch.
"I'm wasting your time, huh?"
"Kinda."
"Well my mom is waiting for me, want to talk about this on the phone?"
"No, I don't want to."
Becca's mom walked over. Becca walked towards her mom.
"That was so rude, I waited twenty minutes! Are you two having problems?"
"I'm sorry, mom, I'm sorry, yes we are. Boys suck ass they should burn in Hell."
"I told you that they were nothing but trouble."
The next day at school Becca was sitting with seven girls that were her closest friends. Becca took food out of her purple lunch box and gave some to her friends that did not bring a lunch. All of her friends already knew about the Demetrius situation. After about ten minutes Demetrius came walking over holding his cafeteria food in his right hand. He had a sad look in his eyes. Knowing that Becca's friends made him feel uncomfortable, Becca got up and walked towards him. Demetrius sat down on a concrete bench. Becca sat beside him, but not close, like they use to sit.
"So what do you want to do?" Becca asked. She was confused, because he really didn't make sense yesterday.
"About what?" He said quietly.
"About the situation?" Becca thought that he really didn't know the obvious.
"I don't know." He was looking down.
"I'm sorry, I made you feel horrible huh?" Becca realized that she said sorry, and she had nothing to be sorry about. He was the rude one.
"Yeah." Demetrius said quietly still looking down."
Demetrius took a bite of his mini bean burrito from the cafeteria.
"Where's your lunch?" He said with a smile trying to brighten up the situation.
"I don't have much of an appetite." She said quietly, feeling rejected. "So what do you want to do? If you don't want anything to do with me just say it, be honest, it will hurt but I want the truth."
"We can be friends."
"I thought that you didn't want anything to do with me, and I feel rejected."
"I came over here sometimes to sit with you, and there was like only two people sitting at the table. You were in the bathroom doing your makeup."
"Well I didn't know that."
"Yeah."
"Well you know what you don't want to be here go ahead and sit with your friends."
"Alright. You know your too, shy. That's the whole base of it all. I mean, my friends are outgoing and say random things all the time. You need to be a little crazy once in a while."
"I know I need to break out of my shell." She said quietly.
Demetrius walked away. Becca then realized what she had just said. It confused her, because she talked more then him. She was the one that would make the conversations, while Demetrius was the quiet one. In the moment she didn't know what to say, and thought of what she should have said.
The next day at school, Becca was walking to her classroom, and then he walked by, looking at her with a big smile on his face. She didn't smile back. She could not just forgive him, for hurting her like that. She walked up to him.
"You know, I don't get why you said that I'm too shy, 'cause you hardly even talk."
"I don't know what to say." He had a blank expression on his face."
"You don't know much about girls, because girls usually act sort of shy around the guy that they like." Becca sounded slightly angry.
Demetrius didn't deny that, he just stayed quiet.
"I mean what....were you just angry?" She asked.
"Sort of, because you kept me after school and kept asking the same questions."
"Well I don't want to make you late to class. Talk to you later." She said sort of annoyed.
Demetrius didn't want to run into her again to avoid conflict so he avoided her for two school days. Becca figured that out. She had a friend that had a class with him, and she said that he had been there. She now knew the reason that she had not seen him walking the usual ways that he did at school. She knew the other places that he sat. One day at lunchtime, Becca didn't sit at her usual table. She looked from afar at where he was. There he was standing, on a grassy area at school near some leafless trees. He was standing with his backpack on, along with two other guys. On the grass sat six girls in a circle. The girls looked like clones. It was so strange, they all had the same mousy brown curly hair, tan skin color, they were all small, short, and basically wearing the same type of clothes. They were all looking at the ground. While the guys were just standing. Becca thought it was funny how lifeless and boring they looked. She was hesitant, but built up the courage to walk up to him. She touched his shoulder, and he turned around. She expected that the other two guys, and the six girls would react to her walking over there. No one reacted at all. No one even noticed that Demetrius turned around to talk to someone, they hardly even budged. Becca's friends were full of life, they were unique, and laughed a lot. She then thought that he probably just said those things because he got mad that she got upset at him, and he tried to think of insults, and those were the best he could come up with, because Demetrius was quiet and his friends seemed really dull.
"I forgive you." Becca said trying to make peace.
"Okay."
She hugged him, and he hugged her back, then they both stepped back. They were standing so close that Becca could see the little freckles on his nose clearly. He always talked to her standing really close.
"So what's the deal, You don't want a girlfriend?"
"No." He smiled trying to seem friendly.
"Why not?" She stayed calm, but it upset her on the inside.
"I just like being single."
"Why?"
"I just do."
"Well....I wanted you to be my boyfriend."
Becca's mouth trembled slightly as she forced a slight smile. Demetrius did the same, his mouth shaking slightly. Becca could see the sadness in his eyes, and she knew that he could see her disappointment in her eyes. It was a very awkward moment.
The bell rang. She followed him to his class questioning him why he doesn't want a girlfriend. Though she was polite about it, he acted annoyed the entire time. Becca wanted to prove that she wasn't shy.
"You would make a good boyfriend with some tips. Am I making you feel uncomfortable?"
"Kinda. I thought you were done telling me how you felt. Now, your following me to class." He said rudely.
Demetrius began walking towards the door of his classroom. Becca figured she might as well say anything.
"What if I kissed you right now, would you like that?" She asked.
"No."
Becca felt so angry inside that he would act so rude. She always thought that he was so sweet. She went to class, and her good friend Carly asked what was wrong.
"It's Demetrius, he was acting so rude...."
"He's just such a nerd. He's more into video games and Star Wars more then girls, he might as well be gay."
"Yeah, he is like a twelve year old." Becca agreed.
Demetrius and Becca eventually acted nicely towards each other. Many months passed, and she figured that it would take Demetrius a long time to mature and want a girlfriend. It was true Demetrius was in to video games and Star Wars more then girls. He was a very immature teenager and she figured that out the hard way.
Another school day, and Demetrius was walking his usual way after third period. He saw Becca walking looking pretty like usual, in her trendy outfit. He then noticed a guy walking with her. He was a good looking guy, from where Demetrius was he could see that he had dark skin, shaved hair, and he was dressed fashionably. He then noticed that they were holding hands. Demetrius then felt jealous. He realized what a kind, unique, and beautiful girl that he let go.
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