Journey into The Unknown-Early 20th Century Immigration to the United States

Creative Writing
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The following example will show you what creative writing is.

Process

Copyright ã by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

MODEL 4

CREATIVE WRITING

CREATIVE WRITING EXERCISE: Imagine that you are one of the Minutemen during the

Revolutionary War. Write an account of the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

MODEL:

Ill always remember April 19, 1775, as the most tiring and frightening day of my lifeand

as the most important. You see, that was the day I fought with the Minutemen at Lexington

and Concord, the battles that started the American Revolution.

Before I go on, allow me to introduce myself. My name is James Hall, and Im a blacksmith

here in Lexington, Massachusetts, where I live with my wife, Elizabeth. I joined the Minutemen

because the British Parliament was taxing the colonies without the consent of our elected

colonial assemblies. The right to govern yourself and make your own choices is a right worth

fighting for!

It was just past midnight on that fateful day when I was suddenly awakened by an alarming

cry from outside my window. "The British are coming! The British are coming!"

I couldnt believe my ears. Could it be true? I quickly dressed, grabbed my musket, and ran

to the town square just in time to see at least 300 British soldiers lining up across from our

forces. Only about half of our 130 Minutemen had arrived when I heard a terrifying sound

that of a single gunshot. That shot was later called "the shot heard round the world" because

it was the first one of the Revolution. Before I knew what was happening, the sounds of

many more shots filled the air, and the British forces charged us. Moments later, just as

quickly as the fighting had started, it stopped. I saw about 10 of my fellow Minutemen lying

dead or injured on the ground.

Shocked and scared, I hurried on to Concord to help the local militia there. The size of the

British forces had grown since the fighting in Lexington, but the number of Minutemen had

grown as well. Several hundred of us charged three British companies as soon as we saw

them, and the firing began immediately. After some hard fighting, we saw the British begin

to retreat. Victorious, we yelled with joy!

The rest of the Redcoats got in formation and started marching along the road back to

Boston. We Minutemen followed through the woods beside them, firing our guns whenever

we could get a clear shot. Some of our men fell to British gunfire, but we shot far more of

them than they did of us. We frustrated and stalled the Redcoats so much by the time they

finally reached Boston on the night of April 19, 1775, that they knew without a doubt they

had been in a fight.

ANALYSIS OF MODEL: The author begins this piece by introducing a narrator who wants

to describe the most memorable and meaningful day of his life. The first two paragraphs

provide the characters historical background so the audience knows who he was and how he

came to be involved in the Revolution. The author engages the audience throughout the piece

by including a variety of sensory details. The story revolves around a central conflict, and the

author describes the events in chronological order so the audience can follow along clearly.

Finally, the conclusion echoes the storys overall themes and provides a sense of closure.