l Central Idea and Tone in About Russell

l Central Idea and Tone in About Russell Central Idea and Tone in “About Russell” 1. Be sure you have read “About Russell” by Rita Williams Garcia (Lesson 7.2). 2. Use textual evidence to support the central idea ...

l Central Idea and Tone in About Russell Central Idea and Tone in “About Russell” 1. Be sure you have read “About Russell” by Rita Williams Garcia (Lesson 7.2). 2. Use textual evidence to support the central ideas and analyze the author’s tone in this narrative nonfiction text. 3. Write your responses in the charts and spaces provided. Question 1: One central idea in About Russell is: mental illness can take a toll, but it does not always sever the bonds that connect people. How does the anecdote from the text help to show this central idea? Find a piece of textual evidence from the passage below. Write the evidence in the first column. Then in the second column, explain how the textual evidence helps to show this central idea. Text: From page 129: I was out one day with my daughters shopping for groceries. It wasn’t any day. It was my fortieth birthday. We turned the corner to walk down our block when Stephanie, my youngest daughter, said, “There’s Uncle Russell!” He was at the garbage dump of a nearby apartment building rummaging for bottles. He looked up in time as we crossed toward him and said, “Happy birthday little sister.” List specific textual evidence from the above paragraph here. Explain how the textual evidence in the paragraph on the left supports the central idea stated in the question. It was my fortieth birthday. My youngest daughter, said, It stated it because, Russell is becoming pretty old, and with children it makes it quit harder There’s Uncle Russell!” for him to be well. I can see he might try to become better and pretend to be better for his little girl but Russell cannot handle as much stuff as he used to. Question 2: The tone of a passage is the author’s attitude towards the subject he or she is writing about. The author will express tone by choosing words carefully. What is the tone of the passage below? What specific words and phrases has the author used to lead you to the conclusion of her tone? From page 124: Before our eyes, Russell became a different person. His teammates nicknamed him Cobra because his head weaved from side to side as he climbed uphill in his cross-country runs. A nickname! Actual friends! Rosalind and I thought. We were thrilled that Russell had come out of his shell. Every night following practice, he’d entertain us with hilarious stories of Rico, Francois, E-Train, and Vernon, imitating their put-downs, gestures, and running styles. List specific words or phrases the author used in the passage above. Identify the author’s tone. Cobra Nickname! Actual friends! The Authors tone seemed as if she did not have much friends growing up and she made seem as if that’s what her and he somewhat friends did. She seemed as if she did the joking around like Russell did with his friends. Contrast the tone of each passage. How has the author’s tone changed in the story? Write your response in the form of a paragraph contrasting the tone of each passage. Use the ACE writing strategy to help you plan and construct your paragraph. Be sure to clearly identify the tone of each passage in your response. Passage A Page 123 Envisioning paths where Russell’s discovery could lead him, Rosalind and I began grooming him for interviews with the local news and math journals. In our minds, Russell’s future was bright and without limitation, starting with a full scholarship to MIT or Northwestern. Passage B Page 128 All of Russell’s prospects were far from his grasp, physically and mentally. He stopped running. Ideas did not occur to him as far as we knew. Reading was replaced by watching sci-fi TV shows. Further and further Russell slipped away, unable to make eye contact or hold a conversation. When he did speak, it was in a monotone, his eyes fixed elsewhere. Some ten years later when he came to my home for a visit, I realized he was talking to himself. Response: COMPARE: CONTRAST: Russell in both passages seems On page 123 Russell seems to be a To have something wrong with him More perked and a little happy. He doesn’t seem to be as happy and he But on page 128 Russell can’t do Seems to not want to be around people as Anything for Central-Idea-and-Tone-in-About-Russelldocx/himself, he can’t look Much as he used to he won’t look anybody Anyone in the eyes, he talks to In the eyes he don’t really like to Himself now and everyone is worried Talk to people. He doesn’t seem to be the Russell Everyone knew at one point in time.