Lesson 3 - Non Fiction

Unit 1:  Theory

LESSON 3:  NON FICTION (1 DAY)

"Life is too short for a long story." - Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762), British society figure, letter writer

INTRODUCTION

"Within your lifetime, there have been phenomenal changes in the amount and accessibility of information. Only a couple of decades ago, most published information came from books, magazines, and newspapers. Today more and more of it comes through electronic sources. What, then, is the role of non-fiction in this information age? Quite simply, understanding non-fiction helps you deal effectively and creatively with an increasingly complex world. Non-fiction can inform, persuade, provoke, surprise, amuse and enrich. It has several major forms - memoir, essay, profile, photograph, eyewitness report, debate, media text." - Viewpoints 11

Prior to entering high school, most students read fiction with ease and enjoyment. They are familiar with how fiction works, and they can write their own stories. However, during post-secondary learning, students will be required to read and write mainly in the mode of non-fiction, or exposition. It is to develop and master the skills of reading and writing exposition that we study non-fiction.

 RESOURCES

non-fiction NOTES
Context NOTES

 "Thanks for Not Killing My Son"

Unit 1:  Theory

LESSON 3:  NON FICTION (1 DAY)

LESSON

Read and study notes on NON-FICTION and CONTEXT.

• Read the letter "Thanks for Not Killing My Son", by Rita Schindler.

ASSIGNMENT 

Answer the following questions on "Thanks For Not Killing My Son". 
Be sure to include enough detail to answer all parts of the question and support your answer. 

1. Schindler's argument is cast as a letter. For what audience is it meant? The youths who attacked her son? All the readers of The Toronto Star? 

2. After all her ironic "thanking," Schindler ends more literally: "I wouldn't wish on your child what you did to mine." Is her closing weak because it drops the IRONY, or strong because it caps the point? 

3. How FORMAL or INFORMAL is Schindler's TONE? Give examples. Does the tone fit the content? Why or why not? 

4 . "You could have kicked him to death, but you only left him to die, thank you," writes the victim's mother in paragraph 11. 
Explain the IRONY of Schindler's "thanking" her son's attackers. 

5. The author might have called her son's attackers "thugs," "goons" or worse. Would this openly persuasive mode be more effective than the "thanks" she gives? Defend your answer with reasons. 

6. Does Schindler attempt only to heap shame on her son's attackers, or do you also detect, for example in the closing, a desire for reconciliation? Explain.

Unit 1:  Theory

LESSON 3:  NON FICTION (1 DAY)

CONCLUSION

You have reviewed various concepts and terms relating to non-fiction, as well as being introduced to new ones. Store this information in a binder for quick reference as you work through this course.