“New Directions”
Nick Sandusky
August 17, 2012
New Directions!!!
• The main character is Annie Johnson and
she is at her house with her husband and her
kids.
• Both she and her husband are unhappy with
their marriage.
By: Maya Angelou
• “In 1903 the late Mrs.
Annie Johnson of
Arkansas found
herself with two
toddling sons, very
little money, a slight
ability to read and add
simple numbers.”
• This quote tells us the
time period and where
she is located. It also
tells us she has two
sons, has very little
money and is not very
smart.
Language Arts
• Speech; She told herself that she wasn’t a fancy cook but
that she could “mix groceries well enough to scare hungry
away and from starving a man.”
• Actions; “One early evening to see if she was ready, she
placed stone in two five-gallon pails and carried them three
mile to the cotton gin.”
• Inner Thoughts; “I looked up the road I was going and
back the way I come, and since I wasn’t satisfied, I
decided to step off and cut me a new path.”
• Others’ opinions; “When she felt certain that the workers
had become dependent on her, she built a stall between the
two hives of industry and let the men run to her for their
• Physical Appearance; “Annie, over six feet
tall, big-boned, decided that she would not
go to work as a domestic and leave her
“precious babes” to anyone else's care.”
English!!
• Determined; Annie was determined to
survive and feed her kids.
• Strong; Annie was determined to never give
up.
• Helpful; Annie fed the workers for lunch
and it helped them stay healthy while she
makes money.
Reading!
• Most people were domestic and she did not want to be. It
states, “Annie, over six feet tall, big-boned, decided that
she would not go to work as a domestic and leave her
“precious babes” to anyone else's care.”
• She was not happy with her marriage. It says, “ When she
told her husband, Mr. William Johnson, of her
dissatisfaction with their marriage, he conceded that he too
found it to be less than he expected, and had been secretly
hoping to leave and study religion.”
Writing!!
• An event in the beginning of the story that
changed Annie was when her husband left
to study religion. This changed her because
she realized that she needed to cut a new
path of her life and she did and succeeded.