Sara Dailey week #002: Character and pathos

          In “The Memory Train,” Sara Dailey begins by describing a man,

Phineas Gage, a railroad worker who survived after a large iron rod punctured his left frontal lobe. The bleached bone shows a jagged U above the empty hollow of the left eye’s socket, bone that never again seamlessly met other bone.

          It was a random accident, but one with very real and tragic consequences, as you may imagine. In a sentence or two, Dailey creates pathos–readers care about the person she describes. If we care about the person, about the character, then we’ll care about what happens to that person. Let’s read a bit more:

The rod…was driven through his skull with such force that upon exiting, it landed yards away. While Gage was still able to speak and physically function, the accident left him radically changed. He had trouble holding a job; he was “fitful,” restless–never fully recovered from his wounding.

          So ends the first paragraph. We encounter tragic circumstances for an average Joe, but because of the pathos created, we’ll be sure to read more.

Try this:

Write a descriptive opening paragraph (using strong, connotative language) that gives a snapshot of a person who has experienced some event that will change him or her forever.

Coming tomorrow: Day 3 of Dailey (our daily Dailey?). A knockout idea using theme!