Page 27 - SpringBoard_Writing_Workshop_Grade8_Flipbook

Writing Workshop 3 (continued)
My Notes
During Reading
3. The following expository essay compares and contrasts characters from two short stories. Read the essay in order to identify the writer’s purpose or main idea and make inferences about the writer’s intended audience.
4. As you read, evaluate the writer’s use of evidence to develop the topic. Evidence includes relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. Underline or highlight the most relevant or effective examples.
Sample Text
Like Hearts from
Different Places
What could a teenage boy living in the mountains of Switzerland have in common with a boy growing up in tropical Trinidad? Rudi in James Ramsey Ullman’s “A Boy and a Man” and Santo in Sam Selvon’s “The Mouth Organ” do come from very different places and have different interests and abilities. However, they both are faithful to their dreams.
The contrasts between the two characters are obvious. Rudi is a rugged boy from the mountains of Switzerland. He shows courage and resourcefulness when
he rescues Captain Winter from the crevasse into which he has fallen. This rescue
is not completely surprising because Rudi has been brought up in a tradition of mountaineering. His father, killed in a climbing accident, was one of the greatest mountain guides in Switzerland. Unlike Rudi, Santo comes from a Caribbean island and has never seen snow. Also, in contrast with Rudi, Santo seems uninterested in athletics. He helps his father work in the fields, but he does not seem to be especially fond of exercise.
On a deeper level, however, the two boys are very similar. Rudi’s most important traits are his curiosity about mountaineering and his faithfulness to his dream of climbing the Citadel. Although his mother and uncle try to keep him from climbing, he disobeys their rules and still hopes to conquer the mountain on which his father died. Like Rudi, Santo is alert and curious. When he hears about Father Christmas, he wants to know more. He learns more and begins to dream about receiving a gift from this magical man. Just as Rudi resists his family’s commands, Santo holds on to his dream and ignores the discouraging words of his sister and mother.
Despite obvious differences, both boys share an important quality—faith. Rudi believes he can climb a mountain that has never been conquered. In the same way, Santo believes that Father Christmas will bring him a gift. This underlying similarity of two very different boys shows that we are all more alike than we know.
2 SpringBoard® Writing Workshop with Grammar Activities Grade 8
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