SETTING PROMPT
“Why don’t you go to bed, Pop? I will, son.” Jerome Weidman’s short story
“My Father Sits in the dark” uses this interchange between father and
son multiple times. It tells a very simple tale of a son who is fixated on
discovering the reason his father sits in the dark each night. In the
beginning, the story has the son mildly questioning his father’s nightly
routine, but as the story progresses, the son’s curiosity turns to
obsession. This obsession with his father’s nightly habit suggests the
author’s wish to convey the message that children will always find some
aspects of their parents a mystery. The message is aided by the tone
and customs displayed within three specific descriptions of setting.
QUOTE STATEMENT/TAG STATMENT
“Why don’t you go to bed, Pop? I will,
son.” Jerome Weidman’s short story
“My Father Sits in the dark” uses this
interchange between father and son
multiple times.
SUMMARY STATEMENT
It tells a very simple tale of a
son who is fixated on
discovering the reason his
father sits in the dark each
night.
CHARACTER CHANGE STATEMENT
In the beginning, the story has
the son mildly questioning his
father’s nightly routine, but as
the story progresses, the son’s
curiosity turns to obsession.
THEME STATEMENT
The story conveys the truth
that children will always find
some aspects of their
parents a mystery.
THESIS
Include ALL aspects of the prompt.
Be clear.
Be specific.
SETTING PROMPT
“Why don’t you go to bed, Pop? I will, son.” Jerome Weidman’s short story
“My Father Sits in the dark” uses this interchange between father and
son multiple times. It tells a very simple tale of a son who is fixated on
discovering the reason his father sits in the dark each night. In the
beginning, the story has the son mildly questioning his father’s nightly
routine, but as the story progresses, the son’s curiosity turns to
obsession. This obsession with his father’s nightly habit suggests the
author’s wish to convey the message that children will always find some
aspects of their parents a mystery. The message is aided by the tone
and customs displayed within three specific descriptions of setting.
CHARACTER CHANGE PROMPT
“Why don’t you go to bed, Pop? I will, son.” Jerome
Weidman’s short story “My Father Sits in the dark” uses
this interchange between father and son multiple times.
It tells a very simple tale of a son who is fixated on
discovering the reason his father sits in the dark each
night. The story conveys the truth that children will
always find some aspects of their parents a mystery. The
poignancy of this message emerges within the son’s
change from mild curiosity to obsession.
BODY PARAGRAPHS USE POWER OUTLINES!
TS: introduces the first topic from the thesis
At the beginning of the book, Weidman establishes the son within the house.
RDF: Contextualizes the quote (make clear son’s surprise)
E: where and when, what’s happening, etc. (paraphrase…how the first
paragraphs)
RDF: Quote (Sometimes I come home very late…)
RDF: why the quote is important (Establishment of tone..”dark”)
E: how does this quote help explain the thesis (when author uses dark, he
means “not light”
Conc.: Transition to the next paragraph (After establishing this tone, the author continues
to support it and also adds specific customs within the setting.)
THEN, WRITE THE PARAGRAPH
The story begins with the son introducing the father’s “peculiar
habit,” and the setting is established shortly thereafter. The
author gives us a picture of an older son who seems to have a
life of his own coming into the house. The third sentence in the
story tells the reader, “Sometimes I come home very late. The
house is dark.” (p. 167) Even though these sentences are quite
simple, they establish the fact that the story takes place late into
the night. Also, the word “dark,” used throughout the story,
connotes something also quite simple, the absence of light which
gives the story a mysterious yet calming tone. From these first
words, the author then continues to establish this tone as well as
various customs within the world of the story.