Read the excerpt from Martine’s personal narrative about receiving a birthday gift. I ripped carelessly through the wrapping paper to reveal a plain, brown box. My eyebrows raised in anticipation. What could be inside? My fingers worked more slowly now, pulling back the tape that held the box shut. As soon as the flaps sprung open, I peered inside. But I inwardly shuddered when I discovered three pairs of bright neon-green socks. Oh no, I thought. These look hideous. I would never wear something like these, but I also don’t want to hurt my aunt’s feelings. What should I do? I furrowed my brow and bit my lip, uncertain what to do next.

What could Martine include in this excerpt to engage her readers?

descriptive details that paint a picture for readers
personal pronouns that establish the point of view
language that explains what the writer was feeling
dialogue that shows how the people in the story interact

Ask yourself all of the following questions before you even consider submitting your essay for grading. if your answer to even one of these questions is no, then you still have some work to do. does my introduction attempt to “hook” the reader? does my essay have a clear and specific thesis statement? does my essay accurately tell my story? does my essay indicate why i’m telling my story? have i described only my own experiences? have i used the first-person point of view (the pronoun “i”) throughout the essay? have i clearly indicated where paragraphs begin and end? does each of my paragraphs support my thesis statement? does my conclusion summarize and give closure to my essay? have i effectively proofread my essay? have i met the length requirement? is my essay formatted according to the instructions?

"the children's hour" by henry wadsworth longfellow between the dark and the daylight, when the night is beginning to lower, comes a pause in the day's occupations, that is known as the children's hour. i hear in the chamber above me the patter of little feet, the sound of a door that is opened, and voices soft and sweet. from my study i see in the lamplight, descending the broad hall stair, grave alice, and laughing allegra, and edith with golden hair. a whisper, and then a silence: yet i know by their merry eyes they are plotting and planning together to take me by surprise. a sudden rush from the stairway, a sudden raid from the hall! by three doors left unguarded they enter my castle wall! they climb up into my turret o'er the arms and back of my chair; if i try to escape, they surround me; they seem to be everywhere. they almost devour me with kisses, their arms about me entwine, till i think of the bishop of bingen in his mouse-tower on the rhine! do you think, o blue-eyed banditti, because you have scaled the wall, such an old mustache as i am is not a match for you all! i have you fast in my fortress, and will not let you depart, but put you down into the dungeon in the round-tower of my heart. and there will i keep you forever, yes, forever and a day, till the walls shall crumble to ruin, and moulder in dust away! which literary device does longfellow use most frequently in the poem? a. simile b. metaphor c. repetition d. personification

Study the editorial cartoon mars probe by mike keefe. how does the alien with the baseball bat contribute to the effectiveness of the political cartoon? it suggests that aliens are like people because they play baseball, a human sport. it uses humor to show that unknown factors keep damaging the probes humans send. it shows how to cope with the surface of mars, which is rocky and full of craters. it exaggerates the size of the bat in relation to the mars probe in the cartoon.