Date: Fri, 26 May 1995 12:05:02 EDT From: dunce caps Subject: EXERCISE: Foolish Narratives Comments: To: square eyes! Narrative, in case you've forgotten, "tells a story by presenting a sequence of events." Or, as advised now and then, begin at the beginning and go on until you reach the end... So, with die in hand, let us begin! Roll once. That's your quote (a theme by any other name would smell as philosophic?:-) 1. A prosperous fool is a grievous burden 2. Fine clothes may disguise, but foolish words will disclose a fool 3. Weep for the dead, for he lacks the light; and weep for the fool, for he lacks intelligence; weep less bitterly for the dead, for he has attained rest; but the life of the fool is worse than death. 4. Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise. 5. There is no need to fasten a bell to a fool 6. A wise man may be duped as well as a fool; but the fool publishes the triumph of the deceiver. [fool quotes from "The International Thesaurus of Quotations" Rhoda Thomas Tripp] And roll once more, selecting the narrative which you are going to write... 1. Following a path to a goal 2. Encounter with a famous person 3. Travel (a trip of your very own!) 4. Historical narrative 5. A first (date, argument, violence, time away from home...) 6. An encounter with a larger social group forcing one person to cooperate [narrative tasks from "Patterns for College Writing" by Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell] Roll again! Here is your fruit! 1. avocado 2. breadfruit 3. coconut 4. guava 5. kumquat 6. papaya So, for example, perhaps you are going to write a narrative about an encounter with a famous person, illustrating the theme that "there is no need to hang a bell on a fool." Somewhere in the tale you will include the humble kumquat in one form or another... [And in the battle of the keyboards, the E is well out in the middle finger lead, closely followed by T on the forefinger, but A is creeping up on the outside pinkie, and the space key just keeps on thumbing along...] write soon! tink