l,

e§rapter @ Narrating 31
§leudlunng

My Fau§t
by Hoang Vo
This essay was written by Hoang Vo when he was studying electrical
engineering at the U'niversity of New Orleans. He wrote this essay when
he was a student in an ESL class.

I remember vividly the day I made a big mistake regarding one of my

friends. I was eleven years old, in the fifth grade, and I went to a school
in the country. The school, which was very small and poor, had about
twenty classrooms.
I and my friend, who became acquainted with me about a year
before, studied in the same classroom. We quickly became familiar
and even more friendly than before. When either of us did not under-
stand something, we would ask each other to clear up our questions.
Our classroom had a shelf which was made of wood and painted
several different brown. The teacher used it to place miscellaneouso things on. Among
those things, she especially liked a pink flower vase which was made of
pottery. One time, she told the students that'her mother had given her
this flower vase a long time ago when she had gone to visit her mother
in town.
One day, when we were waiting for the teacher, my friend and I went
to the shelf to look at the objects on it. We saw a toy car on top of the
shelf and because it was too high to reach, my friend grabbed the edge
of the shelf with his right hand and started to climb up. Suddenly his left
hit, strucl< hand collided witho the flower vase. lt fell on the floor with a little dry
sound; the flower vase was broken into pieces.
Before we could think of what to do next, the teacher appeared in
the door. We ran back to our seats and we told nobody what had hap-
pened. The teacher quickly noticed the pieces of the broken vase on the
too upset to speal< floor. She was stunnedo for a moment. Then she slowly turned her face
to the class and asked in a trembling voice who had broken the vase.
Nobody answered her question. After a moment of silence, she said
in an angry voice that if anybody had seen someone break the flower
guilty person vase and did not willingly point out the culprit,o then when she found
out he would get the same punishment as the one who broke the vase.
When I heard those words, I became afraid of the punishment if I kept
silent. I stood up, pointed my finger at my friend, and said that he had
broken the vase. I slumped down in my chair as if I had just thrown a
! 32 Developíng eompiosition Skitts

I
I, I : _l
burden from my shoulder, but now, because of my egotism,o this burden
t was transferred to my friend. He was flogged with a ruler five times on
his palm.
:
Maybe my friend will forgive me for what I did to him, but I will never
forget my fault. All these years later; I always promise myself that I will
never do that to my friends again; I will never let my friends think of me
as a mean person.

Comprehension. Answer the following questions.

1. Where did the incident take place?

2. When did the incident happen?
3. Who were the people involved?
4. What happened in this incident?
5. How did the writer feel about it?
6. What effect did this incident have on the writer's life?
7. Write five or six sentences telling the story to someone who has not read it. Tell
the story in your own words.

Discussion. Discuss these questions with your classmates or teacher.

1. What do you think about the writer's action of telling the teacher who broke
the vase? Did he do the right thing? Was it a typical action for a schoolboy?
2. Was the writer able to reflect on and learn from this incident?
3. Have you ever done something because you were afraid and then regretted it
later? Tell about the incident.
4. Have you ever done something from which you learned a lesson?

NOTE: If you want to read about other memorable events, read the following:

Mary Kay Mackin's story of winning a contest on pages 4647

Orestes Lorenzo's story of his escape from Cuba on page 48-49

ii'reBariffig ts \&kite

;r;,:.:- ;j jUAi,iI il r:,¡;li

jiii:,.: i i' i. ;.1i, t.

To narrate is to tell a story or describe an incident. In academic writing, the

writer may use an incident to illustrate a point. For example, if you are writing a
paper about homelessness, you might tell the story of a homeless person. In the
world of work, a doctor, lawyer, or businessperson may write a narratiye as a
record of an interview or incident.

E-
I

Chapten @ Narrating 33
The topic sentence for a narrative paragraph should give the topic (the event
the writer is telling about) and the controlling idea (the writer's attitude or feeling
about the event). A strong controlling idea helps to focus the paragraph and helps
the reader understand the writer's purpose for writing the paragraph. Look at the
topic sentences below. Which one has a clearer controlling idea?

I spent my vacation at disney world.

My vacation at Disney world was a disappointment.

ACTIVITY 2-1 Read the following paragraphs written by students. For each one,
:
write a topic sentence with a clear controlling idea. The first one is done as an
l example.

l. rtVhen I was charged with a crime I didn't commit, I was very worried,

:
After coming home from school one day, I had to take my son
to the doctor because he had a high fever. Then I quickly drove to
the Superstore to buy medicine for him and came home. Only
fifteen minutes after I got home, a policeman with a serious face
and a gun in his holster appeared at my door to ask me some
questions about an accident I wasn't aware of. He carefully inspected
my car and beckoned me to get into his police car, which was parked
in front of the house. Looking back towards the house, I saw
my daughter, my niece, and my old parents anxiously watching
me through the window. I slowly got into the police car. By that
time, I felt nearly unconscious and thought maybe I was going
to be sent to jail. I wanted to know which accident I was sup-
posedly involved in, so I asked the policeman. He looked at me sus-
piciously and told me that I had hit the car next to mine while
I was backing out of the parking lot in front of the doctor's
office. Apparently, while I was driving away, the driver, who
said that I had hit his car, had copied my license plate number and
called the police. After collecting information about the event, the
policeman charged me with a hit and run accident, and told me to
appear in court the following month on the fifteenth, I worried
about this for the next month. When I went to court, I had strong
evidence that I was not guilty, so the judge ruled that I was inno-
cent and dropped the charge against me. As soon as I found out
that I wasn't convicted, I exhaled slowly and felt relieved because a
problem had been lifted from my mind. I thanked God a million
times.
-Bachvan Doan
 34 Dewelaping €*mpasitían S§<a§§s

One day my f riend Dax called me and talked for about an hour. I
had known Dax for about four years and thought he was a nice, hon-
est guy. He called again the next day and told me about his problem.
He had lent his car to his friend Paco, who had an accident with it and
then lied to Dax about what happened. When Dax tried to collect the
insurance, he lied to the insurance company, saying that he was driv-
ing the car. The insurance company refused to pay to fix the car and
decided to sue Dax for lying. Dax had to pay to fix the car himself and
he had to get a lawyer to help with the case. Within a month, Dax had
spent four thousand dollars. After I heard Dax's story, I felt sorry for
him. Even though I believe that money and friendship don't go to-
gether, I agreed to lend Dax two hundred dollars. He promised that he
would pay me at the end of the month. At the end of the month, he
called and said he didn't have the money. That situation continued for
six months. After that, I gave up and didn't ask him for the money.
Then, he had the nerve to call me and ask for another loan. I was
amazed. I refused and told him I didn't have any money left. He said I
was greedy. I told him he was a cheat and hung up the phone. Even
though I felt sad to lose a friend over money, I think it was better to
find out now than later.
Zea
-Jill
J

ln our religion, boys must not see girls when they become
adults. However, when a man wants to get married, he has the right
to see the girl he is going to marry. A particular girl moved to my
city when I was sixteen years old, so I hadn't seen her before. I told
my mother that I wanted to marry this girl and my mother agreed.
After two weeks, my mother talked to the girl's mother and she
G agreed. Three days lateri I went with my parents to visit the girl's
parents and see the girl. I wore my best clothes. lVly father and I sat
--
with her father and brother. We drank tea and we talked about
some business. Then they gave me permission to enter the room.
My heart started beating faster and faster; I started sweating. I went
to the mirror and made sure I looked okay. I started walking into
the room where she sat with her mother and my mother. I entered

G
=
 ehaapter @ Narrating 35

the door and saw my mother, who was waiting for me. She grasped
my hand and sat me beside the girl. I sat and looked out of the
corner of my eyes, trying to get a glimpse of her. Suddenly my
mother took a hold of my head and forced me to look at her. She
was very pretty. I didn't think she would be that pretty. I didn't talk
to her because she was shy. I stayed for ten minutes or more and
then I left.
Al-Ghamdi
-Ali
4.

It was a beautiful morning in Moscow, Monday, August 19,

1991. I woke up in a very good mood, looked out of the window and
determined that it was going to be a great day. I called my friend,
who was to be my future wife. Her roommate picked up the phone
and asked me if I knew what had happened last night. I said no. Then
she told me there had been a coup. I did not believe her, so I turned
on the TV. Since there was a symphony orchestra playing the same
music on all channels, I knew something had happened, I turned on
the radio and found a channel with a government announcement.
The radio said that Gorbachev was sick and the situation in the coun-
try dictated that strong people should take over the government. I

was so nervous that I almost cried. I didn't know what to do. By the
end of the day, in a metro station, I found a paper pasted to the wall.
The paper said that Boris Yeltzin had not been arrested as I thought,
and he was calling men to the parliament building to protect democ-
racy. I went there and stayed there for two nights at the barricades. I
knew that it was dangerous, but I also knew that I didn't want to live
in a country with a totalitarian regime anymore.
Hospital
-Ditmar
ACTIVITY 2-2 Following are several events you have probably experienced.
Think about a particular incident that you experienced during each event. Then
name the incident and tell your attitude or feeling about it.

Example: a vacation or trip

NAME OF THE INCIDENT ATTITUDE

the time our car broke down frightened

1. a vacation or trip
2. aparly
3. a test in a particular school subject
36 Deve§aping {omp*sition Skilts

4. a game you participated in

5. a family celebration

Supportieg the foIain F*int with an Incident

.f r: ;:-: s: : : g r¡* a *i,iel:t
P ar tir-;i:; i: X ¡i

In narrative writing, the writer focuses on a particular incident to support the

main point. The incident consists of events that are linked in time. All of the events
given should support the controlling idea. The writer also includes words and de-
tails that support the controlling idea. Look at this analysis of the first paragraph
in Activity 2- l.

FOCUSING ON AN INC]DENT
Controlling ldea: Worried

EVENTS DETAILS

I came home from school

I took my son to the doctor he had a high fever

I went to the Superstore for medicine I drove quickly

I came home

a policeman came to my door with a serious face and gun

he inspected my car

he beckoned me to get into the police car

I looked at my family anxiously watching me

I got into the police car slowly

I felt nearly unconscious

I thought I might go to jail

I asked the policeman about the accident he looked at me suspiciously

he told me I had hit a car at the doctor's

office

the policeman charged me with a hit and

run accident I worried about this for the next
month

I went to court and presented evidence

I was found not guilty I exhaled slowly and felt relieved

a problem had been lifted from my
mind
I thanked God a million times
 ehapter S Narrating 37

ACTIVITY 2-3 Look again at the paragraphs in Activity 2-1. Choose paragraph 2,
3, or 4 and, analyze it on a separate sheet of paper. Use the analysis in Activity 2-2
as an example.

t. Write the controlling idea at the top of the paper.

2. On the left side of the paper, make a list of the events.
3. On the right side, make a list of the words and details that support the con-
trolling idea.

ACTIVITY 2-4 Choose oné of the incidents you listed in Activity 2-2 and wrire
the following on a piece of paper.

1. Write the controlling idea at the top.

2. On the left side of the paper, make a list of the events in the incident.
3. On the right side, make a list of words and details you could use to support
the controlling idea.

Givin g Eaekground f mfor¡nation

Sometimes it is necessary for the writer to give background information. The
background information provides a context for the incident. It helps the reader to
ünderstand the incident. In the following paragraph, the background information
is in bold print.

When I Refused To Listen to My Parents

Once felt sorry that I didn't listen to my parents' advice. ln my
I
country, Saudi Arabia, I used to go out with my brother
friends, or re¡at¡ves to popular places on the weekends. I used
to study from Saturday to Wednesday. Then the weekend ¡s
from Wednesday night to Friday. One Wednesday, after working
hard at school, I had to do something. ln the evening, I washed my fa-
ther's car and called some of my friends to go out that night to King
Fahad Park. At nine o'clock, I told my parents but they didn't want me
to go. They said it was too late, but I didn't listen to them. I just went
out and drove to my friends' house to pick them up. While we were
driving on the main road in the park, there was another car in the
middle lane" Suddenly, the driver of that car turned into my lane with-
out giving a signal. I switched on the bright lights, pounded on the
horn, and stepped on the brakes, but nothing worked. The other car
forced me to hit the wall on the side of the main road. When the car
stopped, my friends and I got out, lt was a miracle that nobody was
hurt. My father's car was in bad condition; it was like a sandwich. At
that moment, I remembered my parents' words when they didn't
want me to go out. Later, the police came, and I arranged with a
 38 üeve§aping e*rmpasitian Ski§§s

garage to fix my father's car. After three days, I told my father about
everything. First, he wanted to know if anyone was hurt. Then, he
told me to be careful next time and scolded me. Nexttime, lwilltake
my parents' advice. so that I will not feel sorry again. lf they say some-
thing to me. it is for my advantage.
Al-Qahtani
-Hussein

Explaining the Main Point

Sometimes, the writer expiains or analyzes the story. The writer may tell the
significance or meaning of the story or make a comment about it. Often he or she
explains the story from the present perspective. In the paragraph above, the
writer's comment on the story is underlined.

ACTMIY 2-5 Look at the lists you made in Activity 2-4.For the same incident,
do the following.

1. List the necessary background information.

2. Write several sentences explaining the main point.

ürgamizímg hy CÉaromoiogieal &a"der

In telling a narrative, a writer organizes the events in the story according to

time. This organizational pattern is called chronological order. The writer gives
the topic sentence, necessary background informátion, the story itself, and an ex-
planation of the point. Often, these parts are arranged as follows:

Topic Sentence
Background Information
Story
.: i r

...::!: Explanation or Comment

it jii
Topic Sentence

Background lnformation

Explanation or comment

:
 CErapter S Narrating 39

ACTIVITY 2-6 Write the paragraph you worked on in Activity 2-5.

ACTIVITY 2-7
The following paragraph has sóme problems. What suggestions
can you make to help the writer improve the paragraph? Read the paragraph and
answer the questions that follow.

Two months ago my family and I went to Slidell to celebrate

my nephew's birthday. My two daughters were so happy. They like
to go to my nephew's house because he has a lot of toys. That Sun-
day it was raining. My husband was driving the car. He hadn't slept
very well the night before because he had to study very hard for a
test on Monday. There was a brown car in front of us, and I was
talking with my husband when this car stopped suddenly. The pave-
ment was very slippery because of the rain, so we couldn't stop and
the car crashed. Everybody in the car was scared. My two daugh-
ters, who were sitting in the back seat, were crying. The first thing
that came to my mind was them. Fortunately none of us had any
injuries. When I looked at my husband, his face was white. I think
he was really scared for the children too. Two hours after the acci-
dent happened, a policeman came and took information about the
accident. He asked my husband and the other driver, who wasn't
hurt, for their driver's licenses and insurance cards. The policeman
was very nice. He said that my husband was guilty because he was
supposed to stop. The insurance company paid everything for both
cars. lt wasn't a big accident but we decided to come back home
and rest. Two days later we went to the doctor's office and he told
us that our children were fine.
Maldonado
-Nora

l. Write out the topic sentence and circle the controlling idea.
2. List any background information.
3. Briefly summarize the incident. That is, write several sentences telling rvhat
happened in your own words.
4. Briefly summarize the writer's explanation of her main point.
5. Does the paragraph have a clear topic sentence and controliing idea?
6. Is the paragraph unified? Do all of the sentences support the controlling
idea?
7. in chronological order?
Are the events in the incident
B. What part of the paragraph did you enjoy the most?
9. What part would you like to know more about?
I

L Organize your paragraph using chronological order.

2. WRITE THE PARAGRAPH.

Remember your audience. Make your story interesting for the reader.

3. REVTSE THE PARAGRAIH.

A. Ask a partner to evaluate your paragraph using the Paragraph Guidelines,
or do it yourself using the Revising Checklist.
B. Revise your paragraph.

Faraga'aph Gt:¡deni¡-res

1. Write out the topic sentence and circle the controlling idea.
2. List any background information.
3. Briefly summarize the incident. That is, write several sentences telling what
happened in your own words.
4. Briefly summarize the explanation.
5. Does the writer have a clear topic sentence and controlling idea?
6. Do all of the sentences support the controlling idea?
7. l¡e the events in the incident in chronological order?
8. What part of the paragraph did you enjoy the most?
9. What part would you like to know more about?

lRer/i -qlÍ1fi rili¡,:cJ¡ ir: i

1. Do you tell a story or incident?

2. Do you have a clear topic sentence?
3. Does the topic sentence have a clear, focused controlling idea?
4. Do all of the sentences support the controlling idea?
5. Are the events in the incident in chronological order?
6. Is the paragraph interesting?

.i,i,¡..., ,::.'i;,,,,' .ij,.,,,:'l'i. .

In narration, the writer needs to show the relationship of events in time. The
writer can make the time clear by using either key words that are prepositional
phrases telling when or subordinators in adverbial clauses of time,*

* Ifyou need to review adverbial clauses

oftime, see the Grantmar Revierv, pages 225-216.
42 &evc{aprrag eawapositian Skí§§s
'l,=

WORDS TO INDICATE TIME RELATIONSHIPS rl

KEYWORDS SUBORDINATORS

after (a moment) while

at (ten o'clock) when

at noon as

by (ten o'clock) whenever

by that time before

by then after

during (the morning) until

during that time as soon as

from (six o'clock) to (ten o'clock) the moment that

from then on once

in (May)
in (199a)
on (Saturday)
one (da¡ time)
(three days) later

until (six o'clock)

until then

Examples Examples

Saturdayto
I used to study from While I was driving away, the dri-
Wednesday. ver copied my license plate number.

After a moment of silence, she asked When we got to school, I changed

who had broken the vase. my mind.

*';J'"§,':#i='I:ilI:il*::l"
the door.

*ffi:*:11H1l;:',u"'
As soon as I found out I wasn't
convicted, I exhaled sloruly.

The moment that I saw her I

thought she was pretty.
In addition to time relationships, the reader must also know the sequence of
events-what happened first, second, and so forth.
 ehapter $ túarratíng 43

woRDS TO tNDICATE SEQUENCE

TRANSITIONAL WORDS

first, second, etc.

next

later

suddenly

then
!
!
last

finally

now
l

Examples

First I called my friend. Then I turned on the radio.

First he wanted to know if anyone was hurt. Then he scolded me

If the writer tells the events of the story in chronological order, the writer
might not use many transitional words because the sequence of events is clear. In
this case, the writer may use key words and subordinators to set the scene or to
improve the flow of the sentences.

ACTMIY 2-8 Read the following narrative and underline the connecting
words.

When I started to work here in New Orleans, something really funny

happened to me. My mother got me a job at the Marriott Hotel as a cock-
tail waitress. I was really nervous because I had never worked before. I

trained for two days, but I didn't speak English at all except for one or two
expressions. I tried to memorize the keys of the cash register but that was
the only thing I could do. When my training was over, I was supposed to
start on my own. From that moment it was a terrible start. Finally, I had
my first customer. lwent to the table.and lsaid, "Hello, how you doing?
Can lget you something?" The lady said, "Yes, lwould like a glass of
a l<ind of clrink water and a grasshopper."o I went to the bar, but I was afraid to pro-
nounce the word "grasshopper," so ljust got the glass of water. Then, I
went to the table, and saíd, "Sorry, we don't have it." That lady started
talking wildly. lrealized something was wrong, so lsaid, "l'm sorry," l
went back to the bal asked the bartender for a grasshopper, and she
fixed it for me. Now I laugh when I think about my fear.
Rodriguez
-5aira
 M Detre§apimE Cawapasít§an S§«i§§s

Grammar R.eview
The following grammar points will help you write narration. If you want to
review them, turn to the pages listed below.

Verb Tenses Page22l

Past Tenses for Narrating Page 221
Present Tense for Explaining P age 223
UsedTo andWould Page225
Adverbial Clauses of Time Page 225

using the Internet

INTERNET ACTIVITY Many Web sites give information about famous

people. Use a search engine such as Google, Yahoo!, or Excite to find in-
formation about a famous person. Look for a particular incident in that
person's life and do the following.

1. On a separate sheet of pape¡ write some notes about the incident.

a. Write out the main point of the incident.
b. Make.a list of the events in the incident.
c. Write an explanation or comment about the incident. I

2. Using your notes, explain the incident to a partner or your classmates and
teacher. In speaking, use the past tense, connecting words to indicate time
relationships and sequence, and adverbial clauses of time.

3. Your teacher may ask you to write a paragraph about the incident.

Preparnr?g t0 Write
Claoosíng a Foint of View
The writer must choose a point of view. The point of view is the eye the writer
looks through to see the events of the story. The writer can tell the story from his
or her point of view or from the point of view of another person.
Reread the paragraph "When I Refused To Listen to My Parents" on pages
37-38. Notice that the writer tells the story from his own point of view. Can you
imagine the story from the point of view of one of the other people? How did the
writer's mother or father see this incident? How did it appear to one of his friends,
the driver of the other car, the policeman, or the car mechanic? Since you were not
part of the stor¡ you cannot be sure, but you can imagine what happened. Perhaps
this is how the writer's father saw the incident.

I will never forget the time my son, Hussein, learned a valuable.

lesson. One Wednesday night around nine o'clock I was eating dinner

Lr
f

when he came in the room to talk to me. He seemed happy and ex-
cited. He wanted to go out with his friends to King Fahad Park and
wanted to use my car. I told him that it was too late and that he
should wait until the next day. Then he could go with my permission.
He didn't say anything but just turned and left the room. I could tell
that he was angry. I worried about this incident until I went to bed,
but didn't think about it again until several days later. Then, again at
dinnertime, Hussein came to see me. He looked scared and concerned.
He told me that on the previous Wednesday night he had taken my
car and had had an accident with it. He apologized and said that he
was very sorry. My heart stopped. I was afraid someone had been hurt
oL even worse, killed. He assured me that everyone was fine, and I
was relieved. Then, however, I realized that he had disobeyed me and
done something really foolish. I wanted him to learn a lesson from
this. I became angry and scolded him. ltold him he needed to be care-
ful and not put himself or other people in danger. He looked very se-
rious and sorry for what he had done. I think he understood what I
said and became a more mature person that night.

ACTIVITY 2-9 Choose a paragraph from Activity 2-l or 2-7 or choose Hoang
Vo's essa¡ "My Fault," on pages 3l-32, and do the following.

1. Reread the paragraph and decide whose point of view the story is from.
2. Choose one of the other people in the story and imagine the story from that
person's point of view. Decide on a controlling idea and make some notes. You
may need to add details that are not in the paragraph.
3. Tell the story from that person's point of üew to a partner.

&ffrátáaag

tt,r¡:i,'¡l.]t,t:.' . ,1 ¡1:,. , , . t,. :.1. 1,,;1.-; ;1; ,. ,'l:i'.

Now you are going to rewrite one of your paragraphs from a different point
of view.

1. Prepare to write.

A. Use the paragraph you wrote in Writing Assignment 1 or Activity 2-6.

B. Choose one of the other people in the incident and imagine the story'
from that person's point of view.

C. To help you imagine, freewrite. (See Appendix B, page 206, for an erpla-
natiorr and example of freewriting.)

D. Decide on a controlling idea.

 f

M Deve§aping Carnpositian Skíl§s

E. Write a topic sentence.

F. Look at your freewriting and make notes. Include only those parts that
are relevant to your main idea.
G. Decide what background information you will need to give.
H. Organize your paragraph by chronological order.

2. Write your paragraph.

3. Revise your paragraph.

A. Use the Revising Checklist to evaluate your paper, or ask a partner to do
it.
B. Revise your paragraph.

Revising Checklist
1. Do you tell a story or incident from a different point of view?
2. is the point of view consistent? Do you see everl,thing from the chosen point
of view?
3. fue the events in the incident in chronological order?
4. Do you have a clear topic sentence and controlling idea?
5. Do all of the sentences support the controlling idea?
6. Do you use key words and sentence connectors to show time relationships?
7. Is the paragraph interesting and imaginative?

fufiore Remdixag amd lffratimg

EBemdümg

The Great Surpruse

by Mary Kay Mackin

This essay was written by Mary Kay Mackin, who teaches ESL at the
5
University of New Orleans.

I will never forget the time I surprised everyone, even myself. When I -
was a sophomore in college in 5t. Paul, Minnesota, I was a member of the
speech/debate team. My area of performance was oral interpretation, a
category in which each contestant would memorize several short pieces
of literature and deliver them with appropriate intonation and emotion
in front of two or three judges. The person who gave the best interpre-
tation won. One time our team, which consisted of about ten people,
decided to participate in a city-wide contest. Each person on the team
f

Chaptea'@ Narrating 47

prepared his or her specialty; I chose two poems and memorized them.
Another girl on our team, Barbara, entered the same category, memoríz-
ing a part of a short story. Everyone on our team, including me and the
coach, thought that Barbara had the best chance of winning first place,
cultured, aware of She impressed everyone as more experienced, more sophisticated,o
ihe ,¿vorld
more capable than l. Everyone thought that placing second or third was
the best I could hope for. I vividly remember the day of the contest, which
was held at a university across town. When my scheduled time came, I
went into the assigned room and delivered my poems in front of the
judges. Even though I was nervous, I did my best. The judges, of course,
gave no hint about what they thought, so I left the room really worried.
After all the contestants had finished, we went into a large auditorium to
find out the results. Our team sat togethen all of us nervous and excited.
When the judges announced the winners for oral interpretation, every-
one on the team gasped. I had won first place and Barbara had ñot
confused, placed at all! ln a daze," I went down to the stage, accepted the trophy,
dreaming
and went back to my seat. I felt excited and happy but also a little em-
barrassed because I didn't know what I was going to say to Barbara. ln
the car on the way back to the campus, everyone was quiet; nobody knew
what to say. At one point, I turned to Barbara to say something, but she
cut me off and looked out the window at the snowy street. We never
talked about the incident.
uncomfortable Even though I was sorry for the awkwardnesso between Barbara and
feeling me, I was proud of myself for winning. lt gave me confidence in myself
and motivated me to work harder. I also learned a valuable lesson from
this incident. lt taught me not to depend so much on other people's as-
sessment of myself or others, that sometimes the people who seem un-
likely to do something can and will do it, We can surprise everyone, even
ourselves.

Comprehension. Answer the following questions.

1. Where did this incident take place?

2. Who were the people involved?
3. What happened in this incident?
4. How did the writer feel about it?
5. What effect did this incident have on the writer's life?
6. Write five or six sentences telling the story to someone who has not read it, Tell
the story in your own words.

Discussion. Discuss these questions with your classmates or teacher.

1. After winning the contest, the writer found herself in an awkrvard situatitr;t
with Barbara. What did she do? Did she do the right thing?
48 Fevefopung Aarmpasit§an $kí§§s

2. Imagine yourself in her situation. What would you do?

3. Was the writer able to reflect on and learn from this incident?
4. Have you ever done something that surprised everyone? Tell about the
incident.

Reedímg

Frarn Wlngs 0f the [VTonnEmE

by Orestes Lorenzo
This reading was written by Orestes Lorenzo, who was born in Cuba
in 1955.

When he was a young man, Lorenzo believed in commun¡sm. He

trained as a fighter pilot and became a major in the Cuban air force. As
he grew olden he became disillusioned with communism and decided to
escape to the United States. ln December 1992, he flew a MiG-23 from
Santa Clara; Cuba, to a naval air station nea.r Key West, Florida. ln the fol-
lowing paragraphs, Lorenzo describes the events that happened just after
he landed his plane at the naval air base.

I felt my trembling. I couldn't figure out the stillness around me.

legs
part of a truck Eventually, a light truck with a yellow blinking light above the cabo
where people sit pulled up in front of the aircraft, signaling me to follow. Slowly, I man-
(verb) drive an air- aged to taxi' behind him, crossing the length of the airfield under a
plane on the
bright sun: the driver and his truck, me and my MiG-23, as if we were all
ground
that was left on earth. When we reached a small ramp at the far end of
tr:rn off the engine the field, the driver got out of his truck, indicating that I should cut the
steady loud noise engine.o Seconds lateL after the shrill droneo of the turbine had ceased,
a red automobile drove up to my plane. At the wheel was an officer who
turned out to be the base commander, accompanied by a sergeant who
Span ish-speal<ing seemed to be Hispanic.o Both stepped out of the car as soon as they saw
top part; rcof the MiG's canopyo slide open, revealing the frightened face of a Cuban
pilot unable to conceal his emotion.
protective head I took off my helmet,o dropped it into the cockpit,o and sprang onto
covering the pavement, presenting myself at military attention to the senior offi-
place where air- cer. Then I proceeded to declare in Spanish with a trembling voice, "Mi
plane pilot sits nombre es Orestes Lorenzo."

"Soy mayor de la Fuerza Aérea Cubana ."

"He says he's a major in the Cuban air force."
 I

Chapter @ Narrating 49

". y pido protección a las autoridades de este ." país

"He's asking for protection by the authorities."
". por razones políticas."
"Political asylum."
high-level officer The colonel' kept nodding to the sergeanto as he listened; then he
low-level officer fixed his eyes on me. Suddenly he broke into a smile, stepped forward,
and extended a hand, saying, "Welcome to the United States."

Comprehension. Answer the following questions.

1. How did Lorenzo feel during this incident? What makes you think so? Find
words and phrases in the reading to show how he felt.
2. \{hy was the sergeant accompanying the senior officer?
3. How did Lorenzo act toward the senior officer?
4. How did the colonel act while Lorenzo was asking for political asylum? What
might the colonel have been thinking?
5. What was the colonel's final decision? How did he show it?

Reading Notes
After he arrived in the United States, Lorenzo tried for two years to get per-
mission from the Cuban government for his wife and two children to leave Cuba.
But the government would not grant permission. Then, Lorenzo made a daring
rescue. He successfully flew a small old airplane to a beach near Havana, Cuba. He
landed on a road and picked up his wife and children, who had secretly been told
to wait for him there. Toda¡ he and his farnily live in Miami, Florida.