Short Writing Assignment #1
1. “Ducks on a Pond” (CR 254-261)
2. The main point in this short story is that one man, Carl Mixson affected those around him through his success in baseball and his act of heroism outside of baseball.
3. The passage I am analyzing is the 4th paragraph from the bottom of page 259.
4. The author uses imagery in the passage describing the accident as the kid dreamed it happened. The image of Carl Mixson “careening of the curb,” symbolizes the accident that happened in the mill. The words graceful and surefooted refer to Baxter’s father’s ability to play short stop in his years of playing baseball in the mill league.
5. No, this passage does not have any rhyme, rhythm or alliteration.
6. The accident described in this passage contributes to the main point in this story because it shows the effect that Carl Mixson’s heroic action in the mill has had on Baxter. The image of Carl Mixson careening of the curb also contributes to the main point because it reflects the accident. The words graceful and surefooted contribute to the main point somewhat because they tie the message between what happened in the mill to the baseball field.
Thesis: The details and message in this passage of “Ducks of a Pond” clearly reflects the main point of the short story. This paper will reflect the important elements of the passage and how they contribute to the entire story.
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Brad,
You have picked a good passage, but you need to make more explicit connections between the elements you mention in point 6.
What exactly do you mean by “the effect that Carl Mixson’s heroic action in the mill has had on Baxter”?
“The image of Carl Mixson careening of the curb” – What is interesting about the word “careening”? How is it normally used? What about here? What makes the image of an old man who is about to fall on the road similar to the accident in which one young man saved another young man from being torn into pieces by a giant machine?
How exactly are “graceful” and “surefooted” related to the mill and baseball? Be more explicit.
Your thesis should state WHAT the main point of the story is AND explain HOW and WHICH “details” of the passage reflect that main point. You should substitute my WHAT, HOW, and WHICH with specific claims about the text.
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