Part 17 (2/2)

I. Introduction

For most of his material a reporter must rely upon his success as an interviewer. This, it has already been pointed out, requires courage, tact, persistence, and some knowledge of human nature. Its performance is beyond the powers of most boys and girls, and besides, if they tried it, they would annoy people. As a subst.i.tute, the exercises that follow have been devised. They involve interviews, it is true, but only with the members of a pupil's own family.

There are two ways to manage an interview. One may go directly at it, which is sometimes the best method, or one may approach the subject cautiously. It depends on the disposition of the person interviewed. The direct method will probably work well with mother, who is never out of sorts, but as to father--well, the case may be different; while sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts, and uncles present endless problems and opportunities.

Before interviewing anybody, it is a good plan always to write down the questions you wish to ask. But do not read them to the person interviewed. Get them so thoroughly into your own mind that you will forget none of them. As an exercise, make a set of questions such as you would need to ask in order to learn the facts contained in the following paragraphs from Franklin's _Autobiography_.

II. a.s.signments

Write the opening paragraphs of your own biography, covering the topics suggested below:

Week 1--My Ancestors.

Week 2--My Uncles.

Week 3--My Parents.

III. Model I

MY ANCESTORS

One of my uncles furnished me with several particulars relating to our ancestors. From his notes I learned that the family had lived in the same village, Ecton, in Northamptons.h.i.+re, for three hundred years, and how much longer he knew not (perhaps from the time when the name of Franklin, that before was the name of an order of people, was a.s.sumed by them as a surname when others took surnames all over the kingdom), on a freehold of about thirty acres, aided by the smith's business, which had continued in the family until his time, the eldest son being always bred to that business, a custom which he and my father followed as to their eldest sons. When I searched the records of Ecton, I found an account of their births, marriages, and burials from the year 1555 only, there being no registers kept in that parish at any time preceding. By that register I perceived that I was the youngest son of the youngest son for five generations back. My grandfather Thomas, who was born in 1598, lived at Ecton till he grew too old to follow business longer, when he went to live with his son John, a dyer at Banbury, in Oxfords.h.i.+re, with whom my father served an apprentices.h.i.+p. There my grandfather died and lies buried. We saw his gravestone in 1758. His eldest son Thomas lived in the house at Ecton, and left it with the land to his only child, a daughter. My grandfather had four sons that grew up, viz: Thomas, John, Benjamin, and Josiah. I will give you what account I can of them.

IV. Queries

1. Who was Benjamin Franklin? Answer in a five-minute speech.

2. What is the difference between a biography and an autobiography?

3. Locate Ecton, Northamptons.h.i.+re, Banbury, and Oxfords.h.i.+re.

4. Point out all of the adjective phrases.

5. Does Franklin use simple, compound, or complex sentences, and in what proportion?

6. Make a list of the topics he discusses. Can you improve his order?

7. Are his sentences long or short?

8. Do they lack unity?

9. Can you find any metaphors or ant.i.theses in the model?

10. Discuss the origin of the name Franklin. What is a surname?

When did the English a.s.sume surnames?

V. Composition

Write an account of your own ancestors, choosing either your father's or your mother's family. Let the length be about the same as that of the model. The topics discussed should include the following:

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