SOAPSTone+Instructions+for+memoir+or+autobiography

Write a paragraph that identifies not only who the person is, but one which also gives the attributes of that speaker that influence his or her telling of the story. What information did you learn about the speaker’s background as you read the book? ** The time and the place for the piece: the context that prompted the writing. **   All writers are influenced by a larger occasion: their own environment, their attitudes, and their emotions. They are also influenced by the immediate occasion: an event or situation which prompts them to write the piece. Why did this writer write this particular book and a particular time in his/her life? To whom is the writer writing? Is he/she addressing a specific person or specific group. It is not enough to say: “Anyone who reads the book.” You want to address a certain type of audience by giving the characteristics of that audience. A good way to do that is to give textual references to support your ideas. Why did the writer write the book? Was it to soothe his/her guilt, to brag about his/her accomplishments, or to accomplish some other personal reason. It could be directed at the audience, however. If this is the case you have to decide what the message is and how the author wants the audience to respond. (In other words does he want to appeal to the audience’s emotions, their beliefs or their intellects. Again, it would be good to use textual clues to support your ideas.   You should be able to state the subject in a few words or phrases. Find the author’s exact thesis and then restate it in your words. This should be at least two complete sentences.    The spoken word can convey the speaker’s attitude through tone of voice. In writing, however, an author may convey tone with such things as diction (choice of words), syntax (sentence construction) and imagery (similes, metaphors, and other figurative language). Try to choose a description of tone of the overall work, but give specific words or phrases from the text and explain how they support your statement of what you think the author’s tone towards his/her subject is.
 * SOAPSTone strategy (Adapted from Pre-AP: Strategies in English—Writing Tactics Using SOAPSTone) **
 * Analyze the selection and evaluate it as a narrative by answering each of the following questions with one paragraph. Please type your answers (double spaced). Please type __one topic per page.__ **
 * Who is the __S__peaker? **
 * The voice that tells the story.  **
 * What is the __O__ccasion? **
 * What is the __A__udience? **
 * The group of readers to whom this piece is directed. **
 * What is the __P__urpose **
 * The reason behind the text. **
 * What is the __S__ubject? **
 * Writers should be able to state the subject in a few words or phrases. **
 * What is the __T__one?  **
 * The attitude of the author. **