Our class has been talking about internal and external stories - and how great personal narratives have a bit of both. In this excerpt from Sandra Cisneros' story, Papa Who Wakes Up Tired In The Dark, which parts of the story are internal, and which are external?
Your abuelito is dead, Papa says early one morning in my room. Esta muerto, and then as if he just heard the news himself, crumples like a coat and cries, my brave papa cries. I have never seen my Papa cry and don't know what to do.
I know he will have to go away, that he will take a plane to Mexico, all the uncles and aunts will be there, and they will have a black and white photo taken in front of the tomb with flowers shaped like spears in a white vase because this is how they send the dead away in that country.
Because I am the oldest, my father has told me first, and now it is my turn to tell the others. I will have to explain why we can't play. I will have to tell them to be quiet today.
My Papa, his thick hands and thick shoes, who wakes up tired in the dark, who combs his hair with water, drinks his coffee, and is gone before we wake, today is sitting on my bed.
And I think if my own Papa died what would I do. I hold my Papa in my arms. I hold and hold and hold him.
Again, I ask: What parts of the story are internal, and what parts of the story are external? Please comment with your answers. Make sure to explain your thinking and use more than one sentence. Thanks!
~ Mr. Moore
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
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6 comments:
Mr. Moore one part of the story that is internal is were the dad is crying and the little girl is worried about her father. The external part is when she tells her brothers and sisters why they can't play.
Crystal
I think the part "I know he will have to go away, that he will take a plane to Mexico" because it hasn't happened yet and it is a prediction. The external part is "Your Abuelito is dead, Papa says early on day in my room. I think it is external because it just happened and it wasn't in her mind.
From,
Sophia
Dear Mr. Moore,
The part that is internal is "And I think if my own papa died what will I do." The part that is external is "I have never seen my papa cry and don't know what to do."
Anna Karen
Dear Mr. Moore,
A part in the story that I thought was internal was the part when she sees her father cry and thinks to herself," My brave papa is crying," this is the part that I think is internal. The part that I think is external, is the part where it says, " My papa, his thick hands and thick shoes, who wakes up in the dark, who combs his hair with water, drinks his coffee, and is gone before we wake, today is sitting on my bed." This is the part that I think is external. Personally, I think that all of this story is internal, because it's mostly her thoughts, what she's thinking.
Admira
Dear Mr.Moore
In the story Who Wakes Up Tired in the Dark I thought when the author wrote "And I think if my own papa died what would I do." would be a internal. And a external part would be when papa crumples his coat and cries.
Dear Mr. Moore,
I think an example of an internal coversation is when he says, "I have never seen my Papa cry and don't know what to do". I felt like I could have heard him saying that.
From Cesar
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