Summary

In Mary Pipher's introduction she speaks about the problems that occurred back when technology
wasnt around. She said that we were more aware of the situations that occurred. People were
more helpful and tried to help one another. In todays world we are filled with millions of
problems.Mary Pipher starts out by explaining her writing influences, one of them was Anne
Frank. She explains how she first knew about Anne and studied her. She was fifty-five when she
went to the Holocaust Museum. Mary liked the fact that Anne allways wanted to know the real
truth about what was going on even if it was harsh. Although Anne was murdered, Mary
symbolized hope and truth. In the second half of the chapter Mary talks about how writing
changes the world.Mary Pipher touches on the topic of identity. She made refugees write poems
based on their lives. Mostly all of them start it off with the phrase I am from. This is a great
way to remember your past and make your writing better.

Vocabulary:

equanimity: Mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult
situation:

autobiography: An account of a persons life written by that person.

experiences: Encounter or undergo (an event or occurrence).


Discussion Questions:
1) How will creating a timeline of your life help you develop and become a better writer?

2)Why is it a good idea to have an equanimity attitude while youre writing?

3)Why do you think Mary feels writing about your life is the best way to write a lot?

Analysis/Reflection

As I was reading the second chapter Mary talked a lot about her life and other peoples lives. She
talked about peoples pasts and how important it is to write about. She suggested that people write
timelines and add on to them as they grow. That way they can see how much progress they have
made throughout the years. This chapter made me think of the TED talk video we had to watch
this week. The mandarin women and indian man spoke about identity and how one comes to
know themselves as a person. This is exactly what Mary Pipher is talking about in this chapter.
Chapter 1
Formal Outline:

I. Mary Pipher discovers Anne Franks past during the Holocaust.
A. Anne Frank was hid throughout her whole life but, always wanted to know the real truth
about things whether they were bad or good.
B. Mary believes that Anne symbolized hope and truth and that she was an inspiration to
many people
II. Writing is designed to change the world.
A. Peoples emotions change based on what they read whether it makes them feel
happy,sad,mad it has an affect on us
B. Writing is used to help promote things like for example Mary Oliver wrote about
environmental issues to help people see the real truth about what is going on.
III. Artful Propaganda/Art.
A. Art is another form of expressing yourself in order to prove a point.
B. A painting can also change a persons feelings it just depends on the art piece.
IV. Moral Writing.
A. Moral Writing is based more on human behavior and what we do in our everyday lives.
B. Mary pipher uses various examples of moral writing she has done by things she has
witnessed in her life.
Chapter 2
Formal Outline:

I. I Am from
A. Mary makes refugees write about their life stories in form of a poem and they all
begin with the same phrase.
B. Writing about your life is always a great way to dig into your past.
II. Mary Pipher and her family.
A. Mary talks about her childhood and all her siblings when she was growing up.
B. She encourages writers to write short autobiographies of themselves to see how
they have grown up throughout the years.
III. Creating your own path.
A. Creating a timeline of your life and adding as your life develops.
B. All of us have stories to tell and it could be about anything that we want.