Morgan_spiehs - Experiment 3 lyrics

Exercise 1 My favorite story beginning is O'Brien's opening to “On the Rainy River.” It begins, “This is one story I've never told before. Not to anyone. Not to my parents, not to my brother or sister, not even to my wife” (287). I prefer this type of opening over the others because I feel like the narrator is letting me in on a secret that only I'm being told. I imagine the entire story is engrossing because the reader feels like their reading someone's confession from a diary only they have access to. Kardos writes, “Confessions, as we know, tend to be juicy and worth sticking around for” (31). While flipping through my book reading each opening, O'Brien's story is the only one I really wanted to keep reading, even though I know it will be a**igned in a couple weeks. This opening also eases me into reading the story instead of dropping me into a scene setter which sometimes I find hard to understand without reading a few times. My attempt at a similar opening: Whoever finds this will surely question my morals. Though I think I have reasonable requests, others will disagree. “Others” meaning my family. I think of what my mother will do if it's her responsibly to read them and my throat tightens. I hope she understands my reasons. She always said to write down our final wishes. Where we want to be buried, where we want the funeral to be. I wish I could defend myself but I'll already be dead. Exercise 2 1. “I'll put it in the filing cabinet but you can't read it, mom,” I said. “Not until I'm dead.” 2. It all depends on who's burying me, I thought. 3. The tree under which I'll be buried will surely be looked upon in disdain by my loved ones. 4. The decisions of my burial will surely divide my family, creating a bruise that will ache and throb every year around the anniversary of my d**h. 5. How does one decide their own burial arrangements? 6. I can't help but remind myself constantly I'm planning a party I won't be invited to. 7. For good reason, I've never told anyone my burial requests. 8. Though I've planned my funeral in great detail, I wonder if anyone will respect my wishes. 9. Planning my burial seems pointless. I mean, I won't be around for it. 10. I've been given the power to offend my parents after I'm dead. I like #4 the best because it will entice the reader to wonder what could be so bad about burial decisions that it could divide a family. And not only will it divide them, but they'll be haunted every year by it. I hope it will provoke a reader to wonder what their burial requests would be and if their family would disapprove. My second favorite was #6 because it's humorous but it doesn't set the tone I liked from O'Brien's opening.