11/9 DO NOW

" I'm an illegal immigrant."

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INSTRUCTIONS

• Use Composition Notebook.
• Look at each picture for at least 30 seconds.
• Describe each picture as detailed as possible.
• Do not use the words Happy, Sad, or Mad.

Objectives:

• To develop a character through narrative.
• To analyze character development.

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DESCRIBE WHAT YOU SEE?

“I was a maintenance man for fifteen years. But then my mother got cancer and she needed somebody with her all the time. I had to cook for her, clean her, help with her medicine— everything. I ended up losing my job because I’d missed so many days of work. But by that time, I started to realize that I was really good at taking care of people. So now I’m studying to be a registered nurse.”

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

“Every month we had to go to Baghdad to get my son’s eyes treated. When we went for his last appointment, the hospital was very crowded so we decided to go back to the hotel and wait. We walked out into the street and waited for a taxi. A car pulled up and stopped. We thought it was the police. Two men with guns jumped out and asked for our ID cards, then they pushed us into the car. After a few hundred meters, my wife and I were tossed into the street. But they kept my son.” (Hegyeshalom, Hungary)

WHAT DO YOU SEE NOW?

“After they took our son, my wife was so weak that she couldn’t get out of bed. For days I walked around Baghdad like a crazy man. I could not sleep. I walked from early in the morning to late at night. I thought maybe I’d recognize the car if I saw it again. Every day I picked a new neighborhood. I kept my phone in my hand hoping that someone would call. Every few seconds I’d check the screen. Soon I lost hope. I was sure that I’d lost my son. Then after one week an envelope came to the house with a phone number inside. I called the number and a man told me that he had my son. He said he wanted a large amount of money. He said if I called the police, my son would die. It took me twenty days to get the money together. I sold the house. I borrowed money from relatives. Days would pass between phone calls. I kept begging for more time. They ke…

“They told me to meet them at a certain address with the money. It was an old abandoned house. They told me to wait for a silver car to come, and to throw the money inside. After a few minutes a car came. I threw the money inside and it drove off. Soon another car pulled up, the door opened, and my son was thrown out. I didn’t believe it was my son. It was like I was born again. I picked him up and I started running and I didn’t stop until I reached a place full of people. Both of us cried as I ran.” (Hegyeshalom, Hungary)

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“After I finish my shift at the bakery, I start my shift at Starbucks. I work 95 hours per week at three different jobs. One of my sons graduated from Yale, and I have two more children in college. And when they finish, I want to go to college too. I want to be a Big Boss. I’m a boss at the bakery right now, but just a little boss. I want to be a Big Boss.”

WHAT'S HIS STORY?

WHAT'S THEIR STORY?

Create a Character

• Describe their appearance.
• Give them a name.
• Create 3 details about your character's life.