Songs play an important part to how so many of us understand the world. I want you to listen to this song by Tom Petty, "Wildflowers." (Click on the song title. It is the link.) This song paints a picture of a person simply by the lyrics. By using the word "you," he makes it personal to the listener. I have always felt like this was about me, knowing full well it is not. However, I do relate to the idea of wanting to throw all matters of conformity out the window while embracing all of the wildness of nature that is pure and good, so I could find myself sitting to bask in the sunlight while feeling the wind against my face without any cares or worries. The boat out at sea paints the picture of freedom in all directions. The idea of complete freedom. By implying that the listener needs these, the lyrics implicitly--indirectly--tells us the listener feels restricted, held captive, unable to be who they want or do what they want.
I want you to write about a person without telling us who they are directly--explicitly. You will show instead of tell. You will help us to see the person for who they are by using indirect characterization. I would type this in Word so that you can paste your answer. I will want you to bring this to class. Be creative and school appropriate.
