from 102 Minutes
Nonfiction
And of Clay Are We Created
Short Story
Feature Menu
Introducing the Story
Literary Skills Focus: The
Aesthetic Approach—Comparing
Across Genres
Reading Skills Focus: Making
Generalizations
Writing Skills Focus: Think as a
Reader/Writer
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
In the event
of a disaster,
what makes
people willing
to help
strangers?
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Introducing the Story
Click on the title to start the video.
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Introducing the Story
What happens when the sky crashes down . . .
and buries you alive?
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Introducing the Story
Who will risk his or her life . . .
to save yours?
[End of Section]
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Literary Skills Focus:
The Aesthetic Approach—Comparing Across Genres
What’s your favorite genre of movie?
Action?
Comedy?
Animé?
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Literary Skills Focus:
The Aesthetic Approach—Comparing Across Genres
The works of writers belong to different genres,
or types of literature, too.
Authors write all kinds of
literature—short stories, novels,
plays, poems, and nonfiction.
Different genres call for
different writing styles.
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Literary Skills Focus:
The Aesthetic Approach—Comparing Across Genres
Works from different genres can also have
similarities.
In the selections, you’ll see how two writers
explore similar subjects in very different genres.
FICTION
(short story)
NONFICTION
(book excerpt)
And of Clay . . .
from 102 Minutes
A reporter struggles
to save a girl buried
in mud.
An ex-paramedic
tries to save a father
buried in rubble.
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Literary Skills Focus:
The Aesthetic Approach—Comparing Across Genres
As you read the selections, think about how the
styles of the two genres differ, as well as about
how they are alike.
details
tone
images
mood
word choice
irony
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Literary Skills Focus:
The Aesthetic Approach—Comparing Across Genres
Here are some important differences in style that
you may notice:
A fiction writer is more
likely to use
A journalist is more
likely to stick to
• symbolism
• concrete details
• figurative language
• objective statements
However, that doesn’t mean that all
news features are boring.
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Literary Skills Focus:
The Aesthetic Approach—Comparing Across Genres
Just like fiction writers, journalists often keep their
readers engaged by
• creating suspense
• bringing characters to life
• choosing words carefully
• crafting vivid images
• setting a tone and mood
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Literary Skills Focus:
The Aesthetic Approach—Comparing Across Genres
What elements of style do you see in this passage?
Sereika could hear 4 World Trade Center groaning to its
bones. To shift large pieces off Jimeno risked starting a
new slide. There was room in the hole only for one person
at a time, and Sereika was basically on top of him. It was
not unlike working under the dashboard of a car, except
the engine was on fire and the car was speeding and
about to crash. The space was filled with smoke.
From "Epilogue" from 102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive inside the Twin Towers by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn. Copyright ©
2005 by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn. Reproduced by permission of Henry Holt and Company, LLC and electronic format by permission of
SLL/Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc.
[End of Section]
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Reading Skills Focus: Making Generalizations
A generalization is a broad statement that is
based on details from the text.
Different genres require
you to make different
kinds of generalizations
about the writer’s work.
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Reading Skills Focus: Making Generalizations
With nonfiction writing, we try to discover the
author’s purpose, or reason, for writing.
Does the author want
to inform?
to persuade?
to entertain?
Why is the author so
fascinated with the
subject?
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Reading Skills Focus: Making Generalizations
A writer may have many purposes for writing, but
one purpose usually becomes the focus.
newspaper
editorial about
environmental
issue
informs readers about the issue
entertains readers with humor
persuades readers to support a
particular position on the issue
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Reading Skills Focus: Making Generalizations
To figure out an author’s purpose, ask yourself,
• What is the author
trying to say?
• Is this a new concept or
point of view?
• What effect does reading
this have on me?
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Reading Skills Focus: Making Generalizations
A fiction writer also has a purpose, but usually we
try to make generalizations about the work’s
theme, or message about life.
WHAT . . .
message or lessons about
life does the writer want to
convey?
WHY . . .
did the writer choose to tell
the story in this way?
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Reading Skills Focus: Making Generalizations
Into Action: As you read, complete a chart like the
one below for each selection. Note how the writers
explore similar subjects in different genres.
from 102 Minutes
Details
Images
Figures of
Speech
Key Statements
[End of Section]
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Writing Skills Focus: Think as a Reader/Writer
Find It in Your Reading
As you read, look for imagery (language that
appeals to our senses) that you find powerful.
Record these images in a notebook.
[End of Section]
Vocabulary
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Vocabulary
from 102 Minutes
extricate v.: set free; release.
And of Clay Are We Created
tenacity n.: stubborn persistence and
determination.
equanimity n.: calmness; composure.
resignation n.: passive acceptance;
submission.
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Vocabulary
The word extricate means “to remove, disentangle,
or free with difficulty.”
A team of
rescuers
attempted to
extricate my
aunt from her
pickup truck
after it slid off
the icy road.
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Vocabulary
It was a challenge to extricate ourselves from the
weekend choir practice because _____
. . . Mrs. Kwon, our choir
director, is very strict.
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Vocabulary
Tenacity is another word for stubbornness,
obstinacy, and persistence.
The long-distance
runner’s tenacity
compelled her to
finish the race.
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Vocabulary
Which face do you think displays
more tenacity?
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Vocabulary
Equanimity is used to describe a person who
shows calmness or composure.
Jorge displayed a cool
equanimity during
the heated exchanges
of the debate.
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Vocabulary
Equanimity is another way to say
poise
self-control
tranquility
composure
serenity
calmness
level-headedness
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Vocabulary
Resignation is another word for submission,
acquiescence, or passive acceptance.
The trauma nurse
showed no signs of
resignation as she
worked to save the
injured young girl.
from 102 Minutes/And of Clay Are We Created
Vocabulary
Which of the following words is
the opposite of resignation?
a. surrender
b. credence
c. defiance
[End of Section]
The End