Learning from Other Writers

On the following pages are two essays whose writers talked to someone and reported the conversations, using direct quotations and telling details to reveal engaging personalities. To help you begin to analyze the first reading, look at the notes in the margin. They identify features such as the main idea, or thesis, and the quotations providing support.

As You Read These Interview Essays

As you read these essays, ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Was the conversation reported from an informal talk or planned as an interview? Does the writer report the conversation directly or indirectly?
  2. What does the interview show about the character and personality of the speaker? What does it show about the author who is listening?
  3. Why do you think the writer draws on conversation?