Transcript 6. Image Grammar_2016

Image Grammar and
AP English Language
All examples taken from Harry Noden’s
Image Grammar
By Patricia Cain, Pasadena ISD
AP English Language and Composition
Course Description – AP Central
• Expectations for Writing Ability:
“Experiences with nonfiction are integral in
understanding that writing has a purposeful,
interactive value and transcends the skills
that are assessed on the AP English
Language and Composition Exam.
Composing responses to exam prompts is
not the primary writing skill students are
expected to develop in the course (10).
AP Course Audit and
Curricular Requirements:
The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’
writing assignments, both before and after students revise their work,
to help students develop the following skills:
• Control of a wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and
effectively
• Mastery of a variety of sentence structures, including appropriate
use of subordination and coordination
• Logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase
coherence, such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis
• A balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail
• Effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing
and maintaining voice, and achieving appropriate emphasis
through diction and sentence structure (14)
Sistine
Chapel
1508-1512
Writing is
a form of
art.
Good
writers use
techniques
just like
good
painters
do.
Just as the
Sistine
Chapel was
not
completed in
a day, good
writing also
takes time
and effort.
“Paint. That’s the magic word.
Paint pictures with words. That’s the
greatest advice I can give anybody.
Paint the pictures with words. The
pictures will appear in the
imagination so the person reading it
can say, ‘I can see that.’” Brian
Jacques (O’Neill, 1995, p. 36)
Image Grammar teaches
students to use
“brushstrokes” to learn
command of the language
and understand how to
manipulate it. When students
make choices as writers, they
start to understand the
choices professional writers
make as well.
Images
of Content
Images
of Style
Images
of Form
Images
of
Convention
Images of Style – “Show not
Tell”
• “Don't say the old lady screamed. Bring her
on and let her scream.” Mark Twain
• Image Grammar breaks down the structure
of language into building blocks that reveal
HOW students go about creating images
that show, rather than tell.
• Simplicity and modeling are the keys to
students’ understanding of grammar.
Gradual Release
• Simplified definition of the grammatical
form
• Simple models
• Students write single sentences using the
“brushstrokes.”
• Students write paragraphs with a single
brushstroke.
• Students graduate to paragraphs mixing the
various brushstrokes and creating passages
that have a flow of sentences.
Brushstrokes:
Painting with
Appositives
Characteristics of the Appositive/
Simplified Definitions
• Must contain a noun or pronoun
• Must describe or provide further
information about ANOTHER
noun or pronoun in the sentence
• Can be used as sentence openers,
closers, or in the middle of
sentences
Examples come
from professional
writers. Students
learn to imitate the
best.
Identifying Appositives/ Examples
from Professional Writers
• It went away slowly, the feeling of
disappointment that came sharply after the
thrill that made his shoulders ache. Ernest
Hemingway, “Big Two-Hearted River”
• One of eleven brothers and sisters, Hamlet was
a moody willful child. Langston Hughes, “Road to Freedom”
• Poppa, a good quiet man, spent the last hours
before our parting moving aimlessly about the
yard, keeping to himself and avoiding me.
Gordon Parks, “My Mother’s Dream for Me”
The
strange
bird
bobbed
his head
and
stared.
An escapee
from the
local zoo,
the strange
bird
bobbed his
head and
stared.
Picasso’s Carafe, Jug, and
Fruit Bowl
Model:
The small table sits covered with a
crumpled white cloth. In the middle
of these peaks of cloth rests an oddly
shaped bowl filled with three green
pears. A slender gray carafe stands to
the bowl’s left, and a small brown jug
is to the right. Every element of the
painting reflects Picasso’s fascination
with cubic forms. The viewer’s curiosity
is piqued.
Model:
The small table sits covered with a
crumpled white cloth. In the middle of
these peaks of cloth rests an oddly shaped
bowl filled with three green pears. A
slender gray carafe stands to the bowl’s
left, and a small brown jug is to the right.
The painting, a masterpiece, leaves the
viewer with his curiosity piqued.
Write a short paragraph which
includes an appositive.
Student Samples
• Our future volleyball career remained in our
hands to continue by finding a new team, a
social suicide that held a heart breaking
opportunity for humiliation and failure.
• War movies exist as a tribute to the brave
and the bold, the soldiers, men and women
willing to lay down their lives for a cause
they believe in.
Painting with
Participles
Characteristics of Participles
• Always a verb used as an adjective
• Describe nouns or pronouns
• Present participles always end in
ING
• Past participles usually end in ED
Identifying
Participles
• We could
see the lake
and the
mountains
across the
lake on the
French side.
Sitting up in bed eating breakfast, we could
see the lake and the mountains across the lake
on the French side.
Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms
Identifying
Participles
• The sun rose clear and bright.
• The sun rose clear and bright,
tinging the foamy crests of the
waves with a reddish purple.
Alexander Dumas, Count of Monte Cristo
An escapee
from the
local zoo,
the strange
bird
bobbed his
head and
stared.
An escapee
from the local
zoo, the
strange bird,
staring
intently,
bobbed his
head.
Picasso’s Carafe, Jug, and
Fruit Bowl
Model:
The small table sits covered with a
crumpled white cloth. In the middle of
these peaks of cloth rests an oddly shaped
bowl filled with three green pears. A
slender gray carafe stands to the bowl’s
left, and a small brown jug is to the right.
The painting, a masterpiece reflecting
Picasso’s fascination with cubic forms,
leaves the viewer with his curiosity piqued.
Model:
The small table sits covered with a
crumpled white cloth. Resting in the
middle of these peaks of cloth, an oddly
shaped bowl snuggles filled with three
green pears. A carafe stands to the bowl’s
left, and a small brown jug is to the right.
The painting, a masterpiece reflecting
Picasso’s fascination with cubic forms,
leaves the viewer with his curiosity piqued.
Add a participle to your
paragraph.
Writing Poetry with Phrases
• Independent clause with an appositive
phrase in it
• Participle
• Participle
• Participle
• Participle
• Participle.
Model:
Abandoned
The dogs, abandoned mutts, alone by the highway
Scratching through the garbage
Fighting each other for survival
Sipping rain water from a ditch
Hiding from the stones boys throw
Learning the truth of man’s betrayal
Waiting for death to come.
Try it out!
• Independent clause with an appositive
phrase in it
• Participle
• Participle
• Participle
• Participle
• Participle.
Student Samples
• Perplexed and confused, I walked into my
superiors’ office…
• The tragic evil, forming a dark veil of
despair between what once had been peace
between two lovers, was all that awaited us.
Painting with
Noun Absolutes –
the Brushstroke
that sets writers
apart from the
rest…
Noun Absolute is
defined simply as
a…
noun combined with
an –ing verb.
Characteristics of the Absolute
Phrase
• Describes the rest of the sentence
• Almost complete sentences
• Can be made into a sentence by adding
was or were as a test
• Many begin with the words my, his, her,
its, our, their (possessive pronouns)
• Can be sentence openers, closers, or in
the middle of the sentence
Examples of the Absolute Phrase
• Miss Hearne, her face burning, hardly listened
to these words. Brian Moore, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne
• Each child carrying his little bag of crackling,
we trod the long road home in the cold winter
afternoon. Peter Abrahams, Tell Freedom
• He walked with a prim strut, swinging out his
legs in a half-circle with each step, his heels
biting smartly into the red velvet carpet on the
floor. Carson McCullers, “The Jockey”
Identifying the Absolute Phrase
• She returned to
her bench, her
face showing all
the unhappiness
that had suddenly
overtaken her.
Theodore Dreiser,
An American
Identifying the Absolute Phrase
• The boy
watched, his
eyes bulging in
the dark.
Edmund Ware,
“An Underground Episode”
The rhapis palm sat in a large,
white container.
The rhapis palm sat in a
large, white container, the
branches stretching into the
air.
The mummy’s right arm
was outstretched as the
being stepped out of its
gilded box.
The mummy’s
right arm was
outstretched,
the torn wrappings
hanging from it,
as the being stepped
out of its gilded box.
Anne Rice
The kitten yawned tiredly.
The kitten yawned tiredly.
Jaws cracking, tongue curling, the kitten yawned
tiredly.
The mountain climber edged
along the cliff.
The mountain climber edged along the cliff.
The mountain climber edged along the cliff, hands
shaking, feet trembling.
Hands shaking, feet trembling, the climber edged along
the cliff.
An escapee
from the local
zoo, the
strange bird,
staring
intently, hair
standing up
wildly, bobbed
his head and
stared.
Picasso’s Carafe, Jug, and
Fruit Bowl
Model:
The small table dominating the image sits
covered with a crumpled white cloth. Resting
in the middle of these peaks of cloth, an
oddly shaped bowl snuggles filled with three
green pears. A carafe stands to the bowl’s
left, and a small brown jug is to the right. The
painting, a masterpiece reflecting Picasso’s
fascination with cubic forms, leaves the
viewer with his curiosity piqued.
Add a noun absolute to your
paragraph.
The Snake
Model
Eyes darting,
lips parting,
the snake flicked its tongue.
__________________________________
__________________________________
its rattle beat like a drum.
__________________________________
__________________________________
the snake attacked its prey.
__________________________________
__________________________________
the mouse could not get away.
Noden, pg. 12
The Snake
Sample
Eyes darting,
lips parting,
the snake flicked its tongue.
Body slithering,
scales quivering,
its rattle beat like a drum.
Cold blood boiling,
body coiling,
the snake attacked its prey.
Feet scurrying,
paws hurrying,
the mouse could not get away.
Noden, pg. 12
Writing Poetry with Phrases
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Absolute phrase
Absolute phrase
Absolute phrase
Independent clause split by an appositve
Participle
Particle
Particle
Model:
Queen of the
Jungle
Claws digging into the cool earth,
Nose sniffing the hot breeze,
Eyes darting in search of prey,
The lioness, queen of the hunt, stalks her prey,
Hiding in the brush of the savannah,
Waiting patiently by the waterhole,
Pouncing at last upon the unsuspecting zebra foal.
Try it out!
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Absolute phrase
Absolute phrase
Absolute phrase
Independent clause split by an appositve
Participle
Particle
Particle
Student Sample: Horror Story
•
•
•
•
Furry legs rambling across the floor,
Eyes trained on the human,
Petite heart racing,
The spider, a frightened creature, trespasses
the house,
• Exposed to the human,
• Horrified to linger any longer
• Sprinting at last to avoid the force of the
shoe!
Artic Hunt
•
•
•
•
Webbed feet shuffling across the arctic ice,
Belly sliding over the snow,
Flippers gliding through the icy waters,
The penguin, flightless bird of the Arctic,
searches for fish,
• Hunting in the dangerous waters,
• Darting back and forth,
• Catching at last the jetting fish.
Grave Digger
•
•
•
•
Lungs inhaling the bone-dry desert air,
Talons piercing the wooden bark of a dead tree
Eyes scanning in search of a leftover carcass,
The vulture, scavenger of the wastelands, feasts on
the remains of the once living,
• Soaring through the open sky of the wilderness,
• Locking onto the scent of a forgotten corpse
• Lunging at an extreme speed towards its next
meal.
Images of Content:
Adding Details
Painting with
Adjectives
Shifted Out of
Order
An Adjective is
defined simply as
a…
word which
describes a noun or
pronoun.
Characteristics of the Adjectives
• Describes a noun or pronoun
• Answers the questions: what kind and
which
• Can be used anywhere in the sentence,
usually in front of the noun it modifies
• Placing an adjective BEHIND the noun it
modifies creates an emphasis on that
adjective
Examples of Adjectives out
of Order
• The large, red-eyed, angry bull moose
charged the intruder.
VS
• The large bull moose, red-eyed and angry,
charged the intruder.
“And then,
suddenly, in the very
dead of the night,
there came a sound to
my ears, clear,
resonant, and
unmistakable.” Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle
“I could smell Mama, crisp
and starched, plumping my
pillow, and the cool muslin
pillowcase touched both my
ears as the back of my head
sank into all those feathers.”
Robert Newton Peck
Practice:
1. The woman, __ and
___, smiled upon her
newborn great-grandson
with pride.
2. The boxer, __ and __, felt
no compassion for his rival.
3. The cheetah,__ and __,
stared at the gazelle, which
would soon become his
dinner.
Model:
An escapee
from the
local zoo, the
strange bird,
curious and
intrusive,
hair
standing up
wildly,
bobbed his
head and
stared.
Picasso’s Carafe, Jug, and
Fruit Bowl
Model:
The small table dominating the image sits
covered with a crumpled white cloth. In
the middle of these peaks of cloth rests an
oddly shaped bowl filled with three green
pears. A carafe, slender and gray, stands to
the bowl’s left, and a small brown jug is to
the right. The painting, a masterpiece
reflecting Picasso’s fascination with cubic
forms, leaves the viewer with his curiosity
piqued.
Continue working on your
paragraph by selecting 5-8
adjectives to describe the picture.
Take one of your
sentences that you
wish to EMPHASIZE
and shift the
adjectives out of
order.
Student Samples:
• My mind, however, remembered a
particular face, so delicate and warm,
among a crowd of people.
• Our parents, strict and demanding, expected
a lot out of us and wanted us to mature and
become successful in life.
Painting with Nouns
and Verbs
Writing is not a butterfly
collection of adverbs and
adjectives. Good fiction is a
head-on crash of nouns and
verbs.
Passive voice
verbs are
FROZEN.
The gravel road was on the
left side of the barn. – passive
voice
The gravel road curled around
the left side of the barn. –
active voice
Rockwell was a beautiful
lake. Canadian geese could
be heard across the water
bugling like tuneless
trumpets.
Rockwell Lake
echoed with the
sounds of Canadian
geese honking and
bugling across the
water like tuneless
trumpets.
Nouns flash slide
shows of still
images, but verbs
project motion
pictures.
Professional
writers choose
verbs to DRIVE
their images.
“Gant snapped his eyes…”
(Thomas)
“My fingers whispered over
his cheek”
“Wiglaf dodged, danced,
flitted out of range”
(Hesse)
(Nye)
Expanding Your VERB
Vision
• Lilacs
• Dinosaur
• Seed
• Violin
• Broil
• Boil
• Slice
• Marinate
New VERB Creations
• Dinosaurs marinated the earth in
blood.
• The fiddles boiled emotion into the
crowd.
• Lilacs sliced the sky with purple
streamers.
• Seeds broiled in the African
savannah.
Your Turn: Create 4 interesting
verb images.
• 4 verbs about
• 4 nouns
a
particular
• Noun
topic
• Noun
• Verb
• Noun
• Verb
• Verb
Student Samples:
• … she scrawls out poetry…
• ….she burns her problems and reduces them
to ashes
• I trekked downstairs and journeyed to my
truck…
• Hard-headed Kay persistently barged right
back into my life.
Painting with
Similes and
Metaphors
A simile is a
figure of speech
that uses the
words "like" or
"as" to compare
two unlike
objects.
A metaphor is a
figure of speech
that compares
two unlike
objects without
using “like” or
“as.”
Characteristics of the Similes and
Metaphors
• The purpose of a simile/metaphor is to give
information about one object that is unknown by
the reader by comparing it to something with
which the reader is familiar.
• Metaphor makes an implied or hidden comparison
between two things or objects that have some
characteristics common between them.
• Both simile and metaphor may be anywhere in the
sentence.
Professional Examples
• “. . . she tried to get rid of the kitten which had scrambled up her back
and stuck like a burr just out of reach.” — Little Women, by Louisa
May Alcott
• “Time has not stood still. It has washed over me, washed me away, as
if I’m nothing more than a woman of sand, left by a careless child too
near the water.” — The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
• “In the eastern sky there was a yellow patch like a rug laid for the feet
of the coming sun . . .” — The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen
Crane
A pure white mist crept over the
water like…
His eyes
skewed round
to meet yours
and then
cannoned off
again like…
An escapee
from the local
zoo, the
strange bird,
his hair
standing up
wildly like an
odd cartoon
character,
curious and
intrusive,
bobbed his
head and
stared.
Picasso’s Carafe, Jug, and
Fruit Bowl
Model:
The small table dominating the image sits
covered with a crumpled white cloth of
peaks and valleys arranged like oddly
shaped icebergs. In the middle of these
peaks of cloth rests an oddly shaped bowl
filled with three green pears. A carafe,
slender and gray, stands to the bowl’s left,
and a small brown jug is to the right. The
painting, a masterpiece reflecting Picasso’s
fascination with cubic forms, leaves the
viewer with his curiosity piqued.
Add a simile or metaphor to
your paragraph.
Student Samples:
• She rushed into my life like a tornado,
sudden and unwanted.
• Soraya was a lighthouse guiding me in the
right direction away from danger.
• What could have possibly happened to
make him look like a bull ready to attack?
Images of Form
Images
of Content
• Select a
passage
• Extract the
pattern
• Have students
imitate it
Images
of Style
Images
of Form
Images
of
Convention
Sample Passage
• “I’ve finally figured out the difference
between neat and sloppy people. The
distinction, is as always, moral. Neat people
are lazier and meaner than sloppy people.”
-Suzanne Britt, “Neat People vs. Sloppy
People”
Pattern Extracted
• I’ve finally figured out the difference
between ______________ and
_____________ people. The distinction, is
always, _____________________.
_________________ people are
__________________ and
______________________ than
______________ people.
Passage: The Twilight Zone
• “There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is
known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space
and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle
ground between light and shadow, between
science and superstition, and it lies between the
pit of man’s fears, and the summit of his
knowledge. This is the dimension of
imagination. It is an area which we call … The
Twilight Zone.” (Zicree, 1989, 31).
Painting with Parallel
Structure
Between the past and
the future, between
sanity and madness,
between dreams and
reality, lies the mystery
of the 12 Monkeys.
(Universal Studios)
Between what can be
seen and what must be
feared, between what
lives and what never dies,
between the light of truth
and the darkness of evil,
lies the future of terror.
(United Artists)
Between _____
and ____, between
_____ and ____,
between ____ and
____, lies the truth
about high school.
Between _____ and
____, between
_____ and ____,
between ____ and
____, lies the hope
for tomorrow’s
children.
Student Samples
• Between better education and racism, between social
freedom and terrorism, between new technology and
threats of WWIII, lies the hope for tomorrow’s children.
• Between memorable experiences and stress of classes,
between technological advances and perishing wildlife,
between striving for greatness and giving into fear, lies the
hope for tomorrow’s children.
• Between health advances and detrimental illnesses,
between hard work and desperation, between kind-hearted
and malicious people, lies the hope for tomorrow’s
children.
Literal Repetition
Repeating the Same Words
Anthony Cheng
Where thou goest, I will
go; and where thou
lodgest, I will lodge; thy
people shall be my people,
and thy God, my God.
(Ruth 1.16)
…only the best make it to
the NFL. Only the best of
the best make it to the Hall
of Fame. And running backs
are a breed apart, lone
warriors facing minefields of
destruction, and in the dogeat-dog league, only the
best survive.
David Haile
Your turn:
Create 3-4 sentences with repetition to describe
the scene below.
Student Samples:
• The particles of water, so essential to our
being, gather together to make a stream of
flowing liquid. The particles of water
radiate as they dance and jump, hitting
rocks with the sun shining overhead.
Enclosed in the protection of the jungle, the
particles of water emit the sounds of life
throughout the earth.
Student Samples:
• What lies behind the waterfall is asleep, deep in
the throes of hibernation; what lies behind the
trees quietly walks along with the river; what lies
below the river is a creature we’ve never even
heard of, calmly thriving in the tranquility of the
forest.
• The sound of the whistling breeze of the
rainforest, the sound of the rustling in the
abundance of the greenery, the sound of the coos
and caws of birds, the sound of water pouring on
the rocks come together to perform the song of the
rainforest.
Student Samples:
• Cascading onto the rocks is the blood of the
forest, the crystal clear liquid that keeps the
forest thriving. Cascading onto the branches
is the skeleton of the forest, the chlorophyllfilled substances that the forest structure.
Cascading up, under, and through is the
breath of the forest, the graceful breeze that
endows the forest with character.
Use grammatical repetition
to describe the scene below
in 3-4 sentences.
Student Samples:
• The orchestra displays the concentration
and togetherness of music, the
determination and harmony of music, the
seriousness and family in music.
Write 3-4 sentences with literal
repetition to describe the picture.
Student Samples:
• Freedom isn’t distance. Freedom isn’t
isolation. Freedom isn’t a circus performance.
Freedom is happiness; it’s satisfaction in
doing what you love or enjoy. Freedom is an
elephant submerging its huge mass in the cool
liquid, weightless, and that moment where the
mammal feels pure enjoyment…the moment
where freedom soaks its leathery skin.
Student Samples:
• Everybody is replaceable. Even ballerinas
with their majestic grace have backups ready
to replace them. As pure as they may look in
a white dress, other understudies are in the
back in the same white dress, looking just as
pure. The understudies are always eager to
replace. You cannot think for a second you
are irreplaceable, even in the delicate art of
ballet. Everybody, including ballerinas, can
be replaced.
Samples with Brushstrokes
Combined or Used in an Original
Essay
Student Samples:
• Beaten by the powerful hits, Mack, the
finalist of Houston’s boxing tournament,
untouched and drowsy, swaying like a boat
in a storm, endured the finishing punch,
giving up on the championship title.
• Struck by his opponent’s fast blows, Jose,
the best boxer in history, collapsed and
passed out like a father witnessing his
child’s birth, his arms stretching wide,
accepting his first defeat.
Student Samples:
• Maria, the beautiful woman, focused and
determined, danced with confidence, hips
swaying firm and strong, dress flowing like a
delicate flower, gripped her partner’s hands,
impressing her peers.
• Excited to gain a point for her team, Jasmine,
the Olympic volleyball player, smashed the
ball over the net, as her opponent tried in
vain to block the sphere that flew across the
court like an eagle determined to get its prey.
Student Sample Used in
Original Essays:
• Ears rung from the bombings of cafes,
restaurants, and a concert hall, all because of
inhumane, uncontrolled shooting of innocent
people. Debris decorated Saint-Denis, and corpses
lay in pools of their own blood. On the evening of
November 13, 2015, a series of coordinated
Islamic terrorist attacks rocked Paris. This act led
to a serious discussion that took place in my U.S.
history class regarding whether immigrants should
or should not be allowed into the U. S.
Student Samples Used in
Original Essays:
• The image stayed in my head like a television with no
off button, just how stupid it was to litter the sea with
something so small that ended up making a huge
difference.
• I felt as bright as a sun shining down on a hot summer
day. Through the rough patches, I am a renewed woman.
I learned that my happiness does not depend on someone
else. I gained confidence and strength that I didn’t know I
had. I felt strong, like the highest mountain; like the
tallest tree; like the brightest star.
Student Samples Used in
Original Essays:
• I had to take an early step into adulthood but that did not
stop me from having a successful year. I thought to myself,
“If you cannot fly, then run. If you cannot run, then
walk. If you cannot walk, then crawl. But whatever you
do, you have to keep moving forward.”
• Nervousness rushed through my body as I began to
reconsider this. Could I really be normal after taking this
deer’s life? Harmlessly, the buck stood there. Harmlessly,
he munched on the deer corn. Harmlessly, he looked
dazed and bewildered without having committed any
crime.
Images of Convention
Images
of Content
Images
of Style
Images
of Form
Images
of
Convention
Analyzing Paired Passages for
Brushstrokes
• Annie Dillard
• Rachel Carson
• Chief Seattle