Detailed Information About the Subject: Using Anecdotes

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 Analyze 
Use the basic features.

Including anecdotes—brief narratives about one-time events—can be a powerful way to convey detailed information about a subject. Coyne, for example, exposes the effects of separation on mothers and children through powerful anecdotes portraying what happened between Stephanie and her son, Ellie, during their visit.

ANALYZE & WRITE

Write a few paragraphs analyzing Coyne’s use of anecdotes to present information in “The Long Good-Bye: Mother’s Day in Federal Prison”:

  1. Reread paragraphs 13 and 26, underlining the words that Coyne uses to present Ellie’s actions and putting brackets around the words Coyne uses to present his mother’s reactions.
  2. What do you learn from these anecdotes about the effects on Stephanie and Ellie of enforced separation?

    Question