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Literature

Web Quest


Introduction
Whether it's over the phone, in an e-mail, or during a face-to-face conversation, people constantly share their stories. Telling stories is a way to connect with a friend or family member. Some people tell stories to get a laugh or share a concern. Why do you tell stories?

Destination Title
This American Life (http://www.kcrw.com/cgi-bin/db/kcrw.pl?show_code=ta&air_date=12/31/05&tmplt_type=Show)

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Directions
Go to the link above and click on “Listen” under the words “What You Lookin' At?” Save the program to your desktop, and then click on the icon to open the program. Listen to the short commercial before the program begins. Then, drag the slider on the audio player until the timer reads “22:18.” This is where your section of this radio show starts. Listen to Lucia Lopez's story. The story ends at “36:20” minutes on the timer.

After you have listened to Lucia's story, write a short response. How did listening to Lucia's story make you feel? Why do you think Lucia decided to share her story? How did telling her story change Lucia's life?

Sample Response:




1.

     After listening to Lucia Lopez's story, I think her telling about it affected her in several ways. First of all, I think that by telling her story, Lucia was able to more easily put the events of her past behind her. Instead of having to live with the pain of her life every day, she was able to see it for what it was: something in her past. By writing the story down and sharing it with audiences, she was able to let go of what had happened to her and move forward.

     Second, I think performing her story for an audience had a huge effect on Lucia's self-esteem. Before sharing her story, Lucia was very defensive and angry. Whenever anyone looked at her, she wanted to attack them. On stage Lucia discovers that being looked at isn't so bad. Performing her story helps Lucia realize her talents and accomplishments. Lucia writes, performs, and interacts with her audience. She probably didn't know she had these talents when she was in the gang.

     Finally, telling her story introduced Lucia to people who had positive influences on her. For the first time in her life, people told Lucia that she could succeed without the help of a gang. While listening to Lucia's story, I thought about how joining a gang can change people's personality. I also decided that the next time I face a struggle, maybe I should write it down.

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