Critical Analyses

Jacey Bruns

Critical Analysis Entry #1

“The Miss Dennis School of Writing” in the Norton Sampler

Alice Steinbach

1.    In Alice Steinbach’s essay, “The Miss Dennis School of Writing”, she discusses her ninth grade writing teacher. Specifically how the two of them shared a special relationship.  Steinbach talks about Miss Dennis would give exercises that attuned the students’ observation skills.  She also taught them how to use their observations and express them with writing.  

2. Steinbach’s intended audience is anyone who has ever had an inspirational teacher or anyone. She uses her memories of her’s and her teacher’s “special relationship” to connect to any readers that also had ‘special’ relationships with their teachers.  In one paragraph, she talks directly to her audience and asks them a question, “Can you see her?”.  Throughout the essay, Steinbach uses descriptive language similar to that which her teacher taught her.   Her tone is one of nostalgia.  She refers to Miss Dennis fondly through the essay and makes her respect and admiration of the old teacher apparent.  She uses sentences such as, “the image of her makes me smile.”  and “Miss Dennis gave me...a book of poems...I have it still.” to give her reader an idea of the way that she remembers their close relationship.  

3. a)     “Miss Dennis was a small, compact woman, about albatross height--or so it seemed to her students--with short, straight hair the color of apricots and huge eyeglasses that were always slipping down her face.”  This sentence provides the reader with a good idea of Miss Dennis’s appearance.  It helps them to visualize her better.

b)     “Miss Dennis chasing Dorothy Singer around the classroom, threatening her with a yardstick because Dorothy hadn’t paid attention and her writing showed it.”  Gives the reader an idea of the daily classroom experience in Miss Dennis’s class.

c)     “Pot of red geraniums sitting in the sunlight on a white stucco porch” This give an example of the kinds of writing that Miss Dennis taught the students.

d)     “But soon the stories started just started bubbling up from some inner wellspring.”  Is a metaphor used to demonstrate to the reader how easy writing became once Miss Dennis opened the eyes of her students.

e)     “The spine is cracked and the front cover almost gone, but the inscription still remains.”  Shows how worn the book is but the fact that she has kept it still instead of throwing it away shows how much this gift still means to her.

4.   I enjoyed the essay.  I was able to relate the author’s experience with her ninth grade writing teacher to my experience with my eighth grade writing teacher.   I agree with her points on how to put all of the senses into your descriptive writing and the difference that teachers can make in their students’ lives.  There are several points throughout the essay that provide ways for the reader to connect, be it to the experience of an influential teacher, the difficulty of being one’s self in one’s writing, or struggling to deal with the death of a loved one.  Steinbach used all of these points to not only tell her story, but also provide a few good pointers to others who may be struggling with their writing as well.