Friday, January 31...passive and active voice

ELA scores and final grades in. While you are working on the assignment below, I will review these with you.

In class: we are reviewing passive and active voice. Class handout/ copy below. The sentences must be rewritten. DUE: Monday, February 3 

Assessment on Tuesday, February 4

ACTIVE / PASSIVE VOICE

Active voice

In most English sentences with an action verb, the subject performs the action denoted by the verb.

These examples show that the subject is doing the verb's action.

Because the subject does or "acts upon" the verb in such sentences, the sentences are said to be in the active voice.

Passive voice

One can change the normal word order of many active sentences (those with a direct object) so that the subject is no longer active, but is, instead, being acted upon by the verb - or passive.

Note in these examples how the subject-verb relationship has changed.

Because the subject is being "acted upon" (or is passive), such sentences are said to be in the passive voice.

NOTE: Colorful parrots live in the rainforests cannot be changed to passive voice because the sentence does not have a direct object.

To change a sentence from active to passive voice, do the following:

1. Move the active sentence's direct object into the sentence's subject slot

2. Place the active sentence's subject into a phrase beginning with the preposition by

Because the subject is being "acted upon" (or is passive), such sentences are said to be in the passive voice.

3. Add a form of the auxiliary verb be to the main verb and change the main verb's form

Because passive voice sentences necessarily add words and change the normal doer-action-receiver of action direction, they may make the reader work harder to understand the intended meaning.

The active voice flows more smoothly and is easier to understand than the same sentence in passive voice.

It is generally preferable to use the ACTIVE voice.

Active - Passive Voice   Name ______________________

Note: there is a quiz on this material on Tuesday, February 3

Rewrite each of the following sentences, changing each passive voice sentence into the active voice.

1.   A piece of plastic had been swallowed by the child.

2.   Two separate people were given rides in the new models by the designer.

3. Our dog is frightened by loud thunderstorms.

4.  The store was kept open until 11:00 p.m. by the overtired workers.

       5.  The ball is hit straight into the bleachers by the batter.

      6.  New insecticides are produced each year by chemical companies.

         7.  The old shed was painted bright blue by the man's son.

         8.   Resources for the project were not included in the budget by the legislature.

       9. The vibrant colors in the painting are immediately noticed by museum goers.

        10.  The story is presented in a dispassionate way by the author.

         11. The winning novel was chosen by a panel of famous fiction writers.

        12.   Four motorists were killed by automobile accidents over the Memorial Day weekend.

    

        13.  The book on glaciers was never sent  to the bookstore by the publishers.

        14.     A ball traveling at incredible speed was thrown by the veteran pitcher.

           15.  The dishes were cleared from the table by the impatient server.

        16.   English sheepdogs are bred and raised by the kennel on 3rd Avenue.

         17.  We were amazed by some of the performances.

       18.   Adequate medical benefits should be insisted on by every employee.

        19. A motion was made to table the matter by three committee members.

       20.   A note was written on the brown paper bag by the grocery clerk.

3. Add a form of the auxiliary verb be to the main verb and change the main verb's form

Because passive voice sentences necessarily add words and change the normal doer-action-receiver of action direction, they may make the reader work harder to understand the intended meaning.

As the examples below illustrate, a sentence in active voice flows more smoothly and is easier to understand than the same sentence in passive voice.

It is generally preferable to use the ACTIVE voice.

To change a passive voice sentence into an active voice sentence, simply reverse the steps shown above.

1. Move the passive sentence's subject into the active sentence's direct object slot

2. Remove the auxiliary verb be from the main verb and change main verb's form if needed

3. Place the passive sentence's object of the preposition by into the subject slot.

Because it is more direct, most writers prefer to use the active voice whenever possible.

The passive voice may be a better choice, however, when

• the doer of the action is unknown, unwanted, or unneeded in the sentence 

Examples

• the writer wishes to emphasize the action of the sentence rather than the doer of the action 

Examples

• the writer wishes to use passive voice for sentence variety. 

Active - Passive Voice   Name ______________________

Note: there is a quiz on this material on Tuesday, February 3

Rewrite each of the following sentences, changing each passive voice sentence into the active voice. 

1. A piece of plastic had been swallowed by the child.

2.   Two separate people were given rides in the new models by the designer.

3. Our dog is frightened by loud thunderstorms.

4.  The store was kept open until 11:00 p.m. by the overtired workers.

       5.  The ball is hit straight into the bleachers by the batter.

      6.  New insecticides are produced each year by chemical companies.

         7.  The old shed was painted bright blue by the man's son.

         8.   Resources for the project were not included in the budget by the legislature.

       9. The vibrant colors in the painting are immediately noticed by museum goers.

        10.  The story is presented in a dispassionate way by the author.

         11. The winning novel was chosen by a panel of famous fiction writers.

        12.   Four motorists were killed by automobile accidents over the Memorial Day weekend.

     

        13.  The book on glaciers was never sent  to the bookstore by the publishers.

        14.     A ball traveling at incredible speed was thrown by the veteran pitcher.

           15.  The dishes were cleared from the table by the impatient server.

        16.   English sheepdogs are bred and raised by the kennel on 3rd Avenue.

         17.  We were amazed by some of the performances.

       18.   Adequate medical benefits should be insisted on by every employee.

        19. A motion was made to table the matter by three committee members.

       20.   A note was written on the brown paper bag by the grocery clerk.

Friday, January 24 update

Again, your ELA Regents exam, which you need to graduate, is this upcoming Monday, January 27 at 12:15. Please bring 2 pens with you.  Be on time, or you will not be admitted.

Your critical lens essay for section 4 of the ELA is due at the end of class today.

Tips: before paraphrasing the critical lens, look at each word and write a couple of synonyms. You do not want to use the same words in your paraphrase.

Once you have written the author / quote and the two pieces of literature you have chosen in the introduction, do not repeat this information in full in the next four paragraphs. Go right head and make your points, keeping always in mind that you are connecting to the quote. Refer to the author by his or her last name only. No need to repeat the title of the work.  

Remember those transition words: on the other hand, moreover, in addition, in contrast, however, for example, furthermore

Your conclusion is not a repeat of the introduction. Do not repeat the quote. This is similar to the your controlling idea statement. Can you make a statement that contrasts or compares how each author handed the idea reflected in the quote?  Then end with a universal, insightful, reflective statement that reflects the message expressed through the characters, setting , theme or plot within these selected works.

Grades close at 3 today.  See you next Friday.

Thursday and Friday, January 23 and 24---critical lens practice for the ELA Regents

Your exam is on Monday, January 27 at 12:15
Bring pens!

Anyone who did not turn in the questions for the story map graphic organizer, please do so now. I've checked in the ones turned in yesterday and will be returning them to you. There were 51 questions, approximately worth 2 points each.  Nice work; easy A.

If you were absent yesterday, I am handing out the story graphic organizer and the accompanying questions. You will need the organizer to write the essay we are working on in class today and tomorrow; however, do not work on the questions. That is to do on your time.

Anyone who did not take Tuesday's literary terms test, must do so by tomorrow.

Now the spanner in the works: I was just found out yesterday that I cannot count your ELA Regents exam, which you are taking on Monday, as part of your 3rd marking period grade. The grade will show up as a separate line item on your report card, after you take the June Common Core Regents. The higher of the two grades will appear. That's good. I will inform you of this Monday's score, so you know where you stand. (note that if you do not pass the Regents exam on Monday, you will retake it, along with the June Common Core exam.)

So, once again, how will this impact my 3rd period marking grade? As of tomorrow, all our graded work for this marking period is over. There is testing next week. Friday is a regular class day, but there is no new material, of course, being assigned. SO by tomorrow, you must turn in any missing work. This week has been review material: Task 3, question 26 paragraph, story map graphic organizer questions, literary terms test and, due tomorrow, the critical lens essay, which we are working on today and tomorrow in class.

There is ELA review today in room 247, Mr. Wilson's room, immediately after school. You may work on this material then. As well, you get 100 bonus points for making the effort to come after school.

MOVING ON.......................................

Your ELA Regents exam, which you must pass in order to graduate, is once again on Monday, January 27 at 12:15. Please make sure to bring two pens. If you are late, you can be refused admission. Note at this is a state exam; there is no time flexibility.

How exactly is the exam organized?
Four sections:
Part 1: listening passage. You listen twice. Take notes. Answer multiple choice questions.
Part 2: Two different reading passages. You read-CAREFULLY- and answer the multiple choice questions.
            READ THE MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS-  FIRST.
Part 3: Two paragraphs- controlling idea essay (we practiced; again follow the strategies we covered) and a paragraph showing how one of the passages the author uses a literary element or technique.  You have that information on the handout from Tuesday. YOU MUST HAVE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE AND AN ANALYSIS STATEMENT. Always ask yourself why something is significant.
Part 4: Critical lens. 

Your task is to write a critical essay in which you discuss two works of literature you have read from the particular perspective of the statement that is provided for you in the Critical Len, that is the quote.. In your essay, provide a valid interpretation of the statement, agree or disagree with the statement as you have interpreted it, and support your opinion using specific references to appropriate literary elements from the two works.

Class handout.
   Steps to Writing a Critical Lens Essay

Critical Lens: Introduction
1. Recopy the critical lens statement (the quote) word for word and leave it in quotation
marks. Be sure to state who said the quote or to note that it was stated by an anonymous speaker.
Examples:

•William Shakespeare once said, “All the world’s a stage.”
•An anonymous speaker once said, “Literature is the building block of life.”

2. Interpret the critical lens. In other words, put the quote in your own words. Use alternative words from the quote. If you need, write more than one sentence. 
Example:
In other words, stories deal with real life problems that real people deal with.
OR
These words may be interpreted as that those experiences one view in the theater parallel occurrences in life.  

3. State whether you agree or disagree with the statement and explain why. NEVER SAY THE WORDS ARE AGREEABLE!
Example:
•This is true in most works of literature because in literature, as in life, the protagonist
is faced with many conflicts against other characters, nature, society and him or
herself.

4. Finally, give the title, author and genre (TAG) of the books you are about to discuss
and the literary elements, and connect them to the quote. Be sure to include proper
punctuation around the title of the story.

Example:
•In the drama, Othello, by William Shakespeare, and the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird,
by Harper Lee, the main characters face many conflicts that individuals struggle
with today, as seen through their development as characters and through the treatment
of the themes.

Now take a look at the sample introduction in its entirety:
An anonymous speaker once said, “Literature is the building block of life.” In other words, stories deal with real life problems that real people deal with. This is true in most works of literature because in literature, as in life, the protagonist is faced with many conflicts against other characters, nature, society and him or herself. In the
drama, Othello, by William Shakespeare, and the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the protagonists face many conflicts that individuals struggle with today, as seen through their development as characters and through the author’s treatment of the themes.

Now you write 3 body paragraphs and a conclusion that is NOT a restatement of the introduction.

What's in the 3 body paragraphs?  Three items from each of the two works you selected that support the quote. You are making a connection between the critical lens and the text, using a literary element: plot, character, setting, theme, point of view

Possible template to use for any critical lens.  For a more sophisticate essay, begin with a hook sentence, a general statement relating to the subject in the quote.

_______________________________ once said, “_____________________. In other words, this means that ________________________________________.
This idea is developed in two works of literature: the _(give genre) (title) by (author) and the (give genre) (title) by (author) through the literary elements of (choose two: characterization, setting, theme, imagery, point-of –view (remember this is the perspective from which the story is told).

YOUR ASSIGNMENT. Due at the end of class tomorrow.
Part 4 Question 28
Your Task:
Write a critical essay in which you discuss two works of literature you have read from the particular perspective of the statement that is provided for you in the Critical Lens. In your essay, provide a valid interpretation of the statement, agree or disagree with the statement as you have interpreted it, and support your opinion using specific references to appropriate literary elements from the two works. 
Critical Lens:
“…although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.”
—Helen Keller   Optimism, 1903
Guidelines:
Be sure to
• Provide a valid interpretation of the critical lens that clearly establishes the criteria
for analysis
• Indicate whether you agree or disagree with the statement as you have interpreted it
• Choose two works you have read that you believe best support your opinion
• Use the criteria suggested by the critical lens to analyze the works you have chosen
• Avoid plot summary. Instead, use specific references to appropriate literary elements
(for example: theme, characterization, setting, point of view) to develop your analysis
• Organize your ideas in a unified and coherent manner
• Specify the titles and authors of the literature you choose
• Follow the conventions of standard written English

            

Wednesday, January 22 story maps- review of material read this fall

                                                       "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" Samuel Taylor Coleridge
I
"In Another Country" Ernest Hemingway  "On the Rainy River"  Tim O'Brien

"The Story of an Hour" Kate Chopin
Anyone not here yesterday must make up the literary elements test given on Monday. As Friday is our last class day, please make arrangements today. You may come in any time but during your own class period, including before or after school.

REGENTS EXAM NEXT MONDAY, JANUARY 27 at 12:15
Look at the following schedule and tell me if you have a conflict on Monday afternoon.

MONDAY January 27	TUESDAY January 28	WEDNESDAY January 29	THURSDAY January 30
8:15AM	8:15AM	8:15AM	8:15AM
Living Environment RCT in Global SOTA Living Environment Midterm	Regents in Global History & Geography RCT in Writing SOTA AP World Midterm SOTA Global II Midterm	Regents in US History & Government Geometry RCT in Science SOTA US Midterm SOTA AP Gov. Midterm SOTA AP US Midterm	Integrated Algebra RCT in US History & Government SOTA Algebra I Midterm
12:15PM	12:15PM	12:15PM
Comprehensive English Physical Setting/Physics SOTA ELA ENG II Midterm SOTA AP Lit. Midterm	Algebra 2/Trigonometry RCT in Mathematics SOTA AP Physics Midterm SOTA AP Chem Midterm SOTA AP Bio Midterm	Physical Setting/Earth Science Physical Setting/Chemistry RCT in Reading SOTA AP Art Midterm SOTA AP Calc Midterm

In class:  review of some of the readings from this past fall. I have completed a graphic organizer for the above stories. You have the OPTION of using these to write your critical lens essay, which is the 4th task in your Regent's exam on Monday. You may, as well, use other works of literature that you have read either this year or in the past. Make sure, however, you review them carefully for genre, title, author, plot details, figurative language usage, setting (time and place), point of view from which the work is written, themes and characters. Below is a copy of the class handout. You have class time today to complete this, using the graphic organizers.

Tomorrow and Friday we will be practicing a critical lens' essay.

Story Map Review                                       name _______________________________________________________

Using the story map graphic organizers, answer the following questions.

From “The Red Convertible”

1.       author _____________________________________________________________________

2.       genre______________________________________________________________________

3.       identify Lyman ________________________________________________________________________

4.        

5.       identify Henry_________________________________________________________________________

6.       setting: place ______________________________________   time_______________________________

7.       How were the brothers able to buy the red convertible? _________________________________________

8.       What happened to Henry in Vietnam? __________________________________________________________

9.       How did Henry behave when he returned from Vietnam? _____________________________________________

10.   Why does Lyman smash up the convertible? _______________________________________________________

11.   What is the conflict in the story? _______________________________________________________________

12.   From what point of view is the story told? _________________________________________________________

13.   What is the climax of the story? _________________________________________________________________

14.    Name three themes expressed in the story: _______________________________________________________

From “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”

15.    What is the genre of this work? ________________________________________________________________

16.   What is the setting of this work? Location ________________________________ time _____________________

17.   Who is the protagonist? _____________________________________________________________________

18.   What did he kill and how? ____________________________________________________________________

19.   What happens after the ship is freed from the ice? ________________________________________________

20.   Who plays a game of dice for the crew members? ________________________________________________

21.   Who wins the Mariner? ____________________________________________________________________

22.   What happens when the Mariner blesses the water snakes? ___________________________________________________________________________________________

23.   What is the term for dividing up poetry that is comparable to a paragraph in prose writing?

______________________________________________________________________________

24.   Who is the author of “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner?”________________________________________

25.   What are some of the themes of this poem? __________________________________________________

26.   What is the purpose of the imagination in this Romantic poem?

________________________________________________________________________________________

From “In Another Country”

27.   Who is the author?__________________________________________________

28.   What is the setting?  time?   ____________________      place _________________________________

29.   From what point of view is the story told? ___________________________________________________

30.   How do the wounded soldiers spend their day?

   __________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

31.   What role does technology play in this short story? _______________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

32.   List 6 of the themes that are addressed in this short story:

_________________________________________________________________________________________

From “On the Rainy River”

33.   What is the genre? ____________________________________________________________________________

34.   Name the author ______________________________________________________________________________

35.   What is the setting of the story? time? ____________________________ place? _______________________

36.   In what way is this work defined as post-modernist?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

37.   Who is the protagonist? ______________________________________________________

38.   From what point of view is the story told? __________________________________________

39.   What does O’ Brien do once he graduates from college?________________________________

40.   What do think is the point of his describing with such powerful imagery the process of slaughtering an animal?

________________________________________________________________________________________

41.   What is the conflict that is expressed through man against himself?

___________________________________________________________________________________________-

42.   Why does O’Brien head up to the Rainy River? ___________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

43.   Who is Elroy and what does he provide for O’Brien?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

44.   What is the catharsis that O’Brien experiences?

___________________________________________________________________________________________

45.   What are the themes expressed in “On the Rainy River?”

__________________________________________________________________________________________

46.   What is the resolution of the story?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

From “The Story of an Hour”

47.   Name the author. ___________________________________________________________________________

48.   Give the setting of the story.  Time? _______________________________ Place? _______________________

49.   Who is the protagonist? _____________________________________________________________________

50.   How is imagery used to convey the reaction that Louise has upon hearing of Mr. Mallard’s death in the train crash?

______________________________________________________________________________________________

50     What is the climax of the story? __________________________________________________________________

51.What are some expressed in the story? _________________________________

Tuesday, January 21 literary terms test ELA practice

I
YOUR REGENTS EXAM IS ON MONDAY, JANUARY 27 AT 12:15.  The physics exam is at the same time. Is there anyone taking the physics' exam?
If you were absent on Friday, you are responsible for completing part 3, question 26 of the practice exam.  The last day to turn this in is this Friday.
In class: literary elements quiz - this material was handed out on Monday, January 13. 

Tomorrow: I have put together 5 story organizers. We'll review these tomorrow in preparation to writing a critical lens essay on Thursday and Friday. This will be your last graded, writing assignment for this marking period. If you are absent, make sure it gets put in my mailbox, which is behind the main office. If you have a question, ask at the main desk.

I am handing back your practice tests from question 26 that you took last Friday. You will see a grade and sometimes notes on the front. Those who were most successful
1. followed the strategies: read the multiple choice questions AND the directions for question 26
 THEN read the two passages, underlining words / phrases that support the controlling idea.
THEN answered the multiple choice questions
THEN wrote the paragraph, using ideas from the multiple choice questions and the underlined, relevant information from the two passages.
So what were some of the difficulties?
1. Not following the suggested strategies. It is obvious by looking at the passages, who underlined or who derived information from the multiple choice questions.
2. Time management: immediately getting to work. These tests are timed. Your dallying caused you to take short cuts; hence the grade.
3. Proof reading. Read aloud in your head. Spelling.  If the word is used in the text, it should most definitely not be misspelled.
Not incorporating textual evidence. We have been doing that in every assignment since the first day. You MUST, MUST, MUST have textual evidence.
4. Reading carefully. This material cannot be skimmed. 

 TYPES of POETRY
Quite a few students has difficulty identifying the type of poem.  Here is a review of the types you might encounter.
Ballad- a typical ballad is a plot-driven song, with one or more characters hurriedly unfurling events leading to a dramatic conclusion.  "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Haiku- a Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in three lines of five, seven and five, traditionally evoking images of the natural world.
Lyric- a poem that expresses the thoughts and feelings of a poet or narrator. Lyric poetry does not tell a story. The lyric poet addresses the reader directly, portraying his or her own feeling, state of mine or perceptions.
Sonnet-a poem of fourteen lines, usually in iambic pentameter. 

When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes (Sonnet 29)

  by William Shakespeare

When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man's art, and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee--and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings,
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

Friday, January 17 ELA practice

REMINDER: On Tuesday, January 21 you have a test on the literary terms. This is matching and will involve only 20 of the 32 you were assigned.

REGENTS EXAM: afternoon session on Monday, January 27

In class: we are reviewing task 3 of the ELA REGENTS.
This involves reading two passages, in this case an excerpt from a short story and a poem, but it could be two pieces of prose or two poems. You have already analyzed the poem yesterday. You will answer some multiple choice questions and write a paragraph using specific examples from both passages, discussing the controlling idea, also known as the theme.
This is a class handout with a copy below.  This is a graded, writing assignment.

Part 3 (Questions 21–27)
Directions:On the following pages read Passage I (an excerpt from a short story) and Passage II (a poem) about
growing old. You may use the margins to take notes as you read. Answer the multiple-choice questions on the
answer sheet provided for you. Then write your response for question 26 on page 1 of your essay booklet 

Passage I
I’m old, they say. The calendar says so, too. But consider me not a humble man, if you
wish, the mirror does not say so, and sometimes in my veins I feel youth like a streak of
forked lightning. It travels fast, this old youth, and strikes as it never did at twenty or even
forty, a little fisted heart of springtime distilled out of all time and no time. Then I feel shot
through with a sudden psalm,1 and a tiger pursues the field mouse of my pastured old age.
All the pictures that once unloosed themselves on my fire-eating brain stop, still as 
mountains with morning drawn up in their valleys. I walk back across my own history.
I do not say it is all pleasant. There is a saying that what you lose in one place you make
up in another, which with the proper forbearance can, I suppose, become a truth. But no
one escapes life, and no one beats it, and every loss is a tear in the heart’s tender flesh.
“Give me rain and I will make flowers,” my mother said, and she did. But I am a man,
an old and impatient one, no doubt, and I resent not being a god, expect too much, 
weaken with the perfidy2 of friends and the trickery of the flesh, lost frontiers, blind alleys,
the death of dreams, solitude, pain, the heroes climbing up the stairs and flinging back dust
into the eyes.
I was thinking about all this the other evening. It was the hour that belongs to me. You
see I have my little bag of tricks too, like any old peddler. It is a foolishness what I do, the
last thing, I believe, that anyone would suspect.
The lights have been turned out in my shop (it is really a gallery of pictures) and my
people have gone out into the dusk, and the blind spots of the rooms are washed in 
a curious game of hide-and-seek before the total darkness. In the blue and lilac the pictures
die. I can wander through these rooms alone as a ghost or an actor saying his lines to an
empty house. Up the stairs I roam in the scent of turpentine and old fires and dust, through
the gilder’s3 room with the laid aside tools and droppings of gold, and down again crossing
the holes of light that once were doors.
It pleases me to do this on certain evenings in the spring when the light spreads out so
softly over the town, and I can see a mile outward from my uppermost room. Most of the
time, though, I would rather stand, well hidden by the draperies, at an enormous window
which fronts the sidewalks and the street. At this hour no one goes by. The traffic has
become a flutter, the pigeons assemble on the cornices, and the tight clang of the daytime
bells tolling the hour becomes suddenly as spun of dreams as the party-day sashes of girls
adrift in the wind. It is six o’clock. I have become a poet.
1 psalm — sacred song or poem
2 perfidy — disloyalty
3 gilder — one who works with layered gold

Passage II
On Our Dog’s Birthday

Throughout the day,
he’ll press his wet nose
against the floor to ceiling
window and watch anything
that passes by, now and
then falling asleep. When
the cats come in, they’ll
nuzzle their cold faces
against the soft warmth
of his forehead. We’ll
also look into the day,
watch the thick gray
beech trees’ branches
sway in the coming
winter storm. Today
our dog is ten. When
we go to another room,
he’ll follow. When later 
we take our walk, he will
wander off after smells
he finds along the way.
After we return, if I toss
his ragged stuffed lion,
he’ll look at me, seem
to want to say, “You
don’t have to play with me.
I’m fine,” then mosey
over, and take the toy
back to his spot. Tonight,
if he needs to go out, he
will sit by the side of the bed,
my wife and I sleeping deep
in our marriage, and woof
softly, clear his throat,
as if he doesn’t want to be a bother.
—Jack Ridl
Harpur Palate, Summer 2004


26  Write a well-developed paragraph in which you use ideas from both passages to 
establish a controlling idea about work. Develop your controlling idea using
specific examples and details from each passage.