EmpoWord - A Student-Centered Anthology & Handbook for College Writers, 2018a

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Table of Contents – Readings (continued)
Chapter Two
“Under the Knife”
by Joey Butler
The doctors informed me beforehand of the potential
complications that could arise from surgery. Partial paralysis,
infection, death, these words echoed throughout the chasms of
my mind. Anxiety overwhelmed me; I was a dying animal
surrounded by ravenous vultures, drool dripping awaiting their
next meal. My palms were a disgusting swamp of sweat that
gripped hard onto the white sheets that covered me.
Skills or Rhetorical
Modes Showcased
Description
Figurative language
Imagery
Narration
Narrative scope
Narrative pacing
Reflection
Wrap-up
Page
#
103
“Breathing Easy”
by an anonymous student author
Even though my parents had never been blatantly homophobic
in front of me, I grew up in a conservative religious community
that was fiercely cisheteronormative. My eighth-grade health
teacher kicked off our unit on sex education with a
contemptuous, “We aren’t going to bother learning about safe
sex for homosexuals. We’re only going to talk about normal
relationships.”
“Visions”
by an anonymous student author
We decide to hold a pipe ceremony in order to establish
connectedness and unite with one heart and mind. To pray and
get to know each other. We went down to the beach and lit a
the clear night sky. I took my shoes off and felt the cool soft
sand beneath my feet and between my toes.
Chapter Three
“Slowing Down”
by Beth Harding
He could still drive—he just needed help starting the ignition.
But now, once we’d get to where we were going, I’d try not to
walk too fast. It had begun to occur to me that maybe walking
ahead of him was kind of disrespectful or insensitive. In a way, I
think that I just didn’t want him to know that my legs worked
better than his.
Description
Thick description
Narration
Dialogue
Reflection
Wrap-up
Diegetic gap
Description
Imagery
Narration
Characterization
Narrative scope
Narrative sequence
Reflection
Description
Narration
Tone
Characterization
Reflection
Diegetic gap
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