Task 6 - Historical Fiction

Historical Fiction

Finally, using your knowledge of slavery and the Underground Railroad, create a piece of historical fiction using what you have learned.

Imagine that you are a runaway slave in pre-Civil War times. You have heard whispers of this "Underground Railroad" that helps slaves escape to freedom. You can't take one more day in slavery, so you decide to take your chances and escape to the North.

What happens next is up to you.

Things to Include

Some information about the slave. Type of work they did, etc. Describe them. Give us a visual. That way, your reader has something to picture as they read.

Their thoughts on slavery. Why do they wish to escape? What are they leaving behind? Anything? Nothing? This can give a reader great insight into your characters thoughts and mindset. It can help your reader grow an attachment to your character.

Dialogue. People talk in real life, so they should talk in your story too. Again, this makes your character more realistic.

Historical information (at least 8 historical facts). The point is to create some Historical Fiction. These facts, however, should be cleverly woven into your story.

Plot. It is a story after all. I've given you your beginning. You can't take one more day in slavery. What happens next is up to you. You must have a middle of the story and an end. What those entail is completely up to you.

Creativity. Nobody wants to read a boring story. A story can be creative in so many ways. Steinbeck (Grapes of Wrath, and others) used enormous amounts of description to immerse his readers in his stories. Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club, and others) on the other hand used creative plot twists to draw his readers deeper into the story. How you keep your reader engaged is up to you, but there should be something unique about your story.

If you are working with a partner, both partners must write a piece of Historical Fiction. For this section, partners will be graded separately.