Courtney Spradlin Historical Fiction 12/9/2010 Three Literary Tools Chosen Setting Point of View Imagery

I: Introduction Out of the Dust is a compelling story of a young strong willed girl who is made up of everyone and everything that has ever influenced her. In this novel the use of a factual setting, unbelievable imagery, and unwavering first person point of view explaining how Billie Jo comes to realize that all the time I was trying to get out of the dust, the fact is, what I am, I am because of the dust. (pg 222) Billie Jo has resolution and acceptance of her life and all that it entails for her. Karen Hesses use of these three literary tools ties this made up story and accurate historical events so closely together that together they suspend the fact that this is a work of fiction. II. Point of View 1. Billie Jo tells her own story, no one knows their story better that themselves.

2. Pg 30 when Mama tells Billie Jo she knew she could make the top of the class. Billie Jo wanted more than that she wanted her mother to be overjoyed. 3. Pg 46 Billie Jo talking about how little remained of her fathers hard work. When a child explains loss it makes it more heart wrenching and painful. This first person point of view from a youth going thru this hard time made me as the reader believe that this was a true factual novel not a work of fiction III. Setting 1. The fact that this novel takes place in an actual county in Oklahoma during the actual Dust Bowl, that alone makes this novel seem like excerpt from a historical journal. 2. Pg 23 talks about how there was no rain for 70 days, only dust for 70. This was a true manmade disaster that took place in American history. When the reader finds factual events in a novel, those facts help to suspend disbelief. 3. pg 48 tells about how the farmers only harvested eight bushels from a twenty bushel acre. That percentage of lose was very accurate to how bad the depression got in that region of the United States.

IV. Imagery 1. pg 22 can you imagine eating not drinking your milk? 2. pg 21 How about thinking you had pepper on your food and all it was, was dust?

3. One image that sticks out in my mind is when they have to go to the nearest house of someone that they didnt even know to find shelter because they got caught out in the dust storm coming home from town.

V. Conclusion paragraph Out of the dust is a simple journal like novel about a young girl and her simple story of growing up in a not so simple era in American history. Karen Hesse created this almost real life historical fiction novel with the use of a believable first person point of view, an actual setting, and detailed imagery. This novel explains a piece of this countrys history in such details unknown to this generation or to those who did not live thru the Dust Bowl Era. Out of the Dust may be a work of fiction but with the authors use of these three literary tools she has suspended the fact that this is not an actual account of how history was made.

Thesis Statement Out of the Dust may be a work of fiction but with the authors use of these three literary tools she has suspended the fact that this is not an actual account of how history was made.

Out of the Dust is a compelling story of a young strong willed girl who is made up of everyone and everything that has ever influenced her. In this novel the use of a factual setting, unbelievable imagery, and unwavering first person point of view explaining how Billie Jo comes to realize that all the time I was trying to get out of the dust, the fact is, what I am, I am because of the dust. (pg 222) Billie Jo has resolution and acceptance of her life and all that it entails for her. Karen Hesses use of these three literary tools ties this made up story and accurate historical events so closely together that together they suspend the fact that this is a work of fiction. This novel may be fiction but with a first person point of view, Out of the Dust allows the reader a glimpse into History. Billie Jo the main character is so regular and just like everyone else in that town and time period. Karen Hesse chose the narrator to be the young Billie Jo, which was the perfect choice for this novel for the sheer fact that no one knows your inner thoughts better than yourself. The author allows the reader to truly get to know Billie Jos true feelings about her everyday life. On page 30 Billie Jo comes home and tells of scoring top of the eighth grade, all she wanted was for her mother to be proud of her. In her narration the reader can feel how let down Billie Jo is when her mother response is I knew you could. That was clearly not the response expected. By allowing the novel to be told in a first person point of view this Historical fiction comes to life and is no longer a work of fiction. This reader is further compelled to believe that this is an actual account of this era in history by how much pain is felt in reading all of Billie Jos thoughts. Now little remains if Daddys hard work. And the only choice he has is to give up or start all over again. (pr46) This single line speaks volumes to how hard and agonizing it was for Billie Jo. The thought of a young girl who has to feel this much sorrow at such a young age is heart breaking. Pain is one of the most convincing feelings that Hesse uses to give this work of fiction life.

Out of the Dust takes place in Oklahoma during the Great Dust Bowl of the 1930s and if that wasnt an awful enough time, it was also the Great Depression of the United States. The dust bowl was a manmade disaster which causes many people to lose their homes, lose their lives, and most often lose their faith in anything. The setting had such an impact on the credibility of this story. This natural disaster was caused because the people of this area over farmed the land and did not rotate their crops therefore the land eroded away. The wind blew the top soil away, preventing the land to be fertile for anything. This disaster made everyday life a hardship for all who lived in this region. After seventy days of wind and sun, of wind and clouds, of wind and sand, after seventy days of wind and dust, a little rain came.(pg 23) Can you imagine seventy days of dust blowing and NO RAIN? For a farmer rain makes your crops grow, which makes you money, which inevitably makes your life easier. For the farmers of Oklahoma they went thru about two years of no crops and no money. Daddy asked Mr. Harverstick how things looked and Mr. Harverstick said he figures he took eight bushels off a twenty bushel acre.(pg48) This line describes how scarce the crops were and from Billie Jos journal entry, this dialog between two farmers describes how depressed and angry the people of the dust bowl were. The community had to struggle beside their neighbors and work together to make the best of a devastating situation. By using this time period and economic busted Oklahoma as the setting we as the reader, even if just for a moment, forgets that this is a historical fiction novel, and believes that this is a true biography by a young survivor of the dust bowl. This hard pressed town was a great setting choice to further link fiction and reality, along with suspending the fact that this novel is a fiction piece. The novel Out of the dust has wonderful examples of imagery. Daddy says, that the potatoes are peppered plenty tonight, Polly, and Chocolate milk for dinner, arent we in clover!

When really all our pepper and chocolate its nothing but dust. (pg21) Can you imagine the taste of roasted potatoes covered in dust, what an image? While reading this entry my mouth got dry and my heart hurt for Billie Jo. At least weve got milk. Even if we have to chew it. (pg22) I sat there reading this over in my head, this image was so vivid, and I could only equate this to the look of curdled milk. I felt Billie Jos disdain for having to drink solid milk. Karen Hesses use of descriptive words and such colorful imagery describes the life of those living in the Dust Bowl as overwhelming and heartbreaking. This may be a work of fiction but I would beg to say that if a survivor of this era read this book they would say that this was an accurate description of the reality of life in the dust. Out of the dust is a simple journal like novel about a young girl and her simple story of growing up in a not so simple era in American history. Karen Hesse created this almost real life historical fiction novel with the use of a believable first person point of view, an actual setting, and detailed imagery. This novel explains a piece of this countrys history in such details unknown to this generation or to those who did not live thru the Dust Bowl Era. Out of the Dust may be a work of fiction but with the authors use of these three literary tools she has suspended the fact that this is not an actual account of how history was made.