Group Member Names:

Kasper Lee

Flipper Lee
Mary Pipher: Writing to Change the World
Chapter 2 Know Thyself
Part 1: SUMMARY
In Mary Piphers book Writing to Change the World Chapter 2: Know
Thyself, her idea is know thyself. She emphasizes how understanding
yourself is important in order to write effectively. She offers ways to know
yourself which is looking back deeply into your past. She gives all kinds of
information about her background. First, she starts talking about her parents.
Then, she talks about her uncles, aunts and grandparents. Finally, she
explains herself. She said she has been interested in books ever since she
was a child. Further, Choose your books as carefully as you choose your
friends. from her grandmother influenced her. She also gives a lot of
examples on what she has read and why she likes to read. She discovered
and learn about the world by writing, not only from her parents. At the end of
the chapter, she analyzes questions to lead you to know about yourself which
is important.
Part 2: OUTLINE
I. Writing belongs to know thyself
1. Writing can teach us who we are.
2. Your past colors your writing
3. Our writing comer from oiur being.
II.
Background of her whole family
1. She does not understand why her parents, who have opposite
characteristics, got together.
2. Her mother is a docter and her father is a lab technician.
3. Her mother and father like to help other people by sending money to
her school for weekly readers.
III.
She wondered how she grew up in a strange family.
1. This lead her to ask a lot of questions about her family members.
2. However, she feels lucky to have grown up in her family because they
are passionate and expressive.
3. She feels lucky that in her family, money is not very important.
IV. She likes the stories told by her family, especially ones told by her
grandmother.
IV. She explains the past in a pre-television world.
1. Her whole family is interesting and vivid.
VI. She liked reading when she was a child.
1. The stories from her mother and father helped her to sleep when she
was afraid of the dark.
VII.
What her grandmother said influenced her greatly.
1. Choose your books as carefully as you choose your friends.
VIII.
She gives examples of what she read.
1. Her favorite novel was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
IX. People can choose good or bad from reading.
1. She was free to read almost anything when she was a child.
2. She learned about the world by reading when she was a child.

X.

Reading is a relationship help to understand the world by using

language.
X. A trail of your past
1. Questioning
XII. Our stories can shed light on our moral assignments.
Part 3: Key Terminology with definitions
archetypal bluestocking nerd - a person who only cares about a certain
activity
sense of calling - follow and do what you think
essence of Zeke or essence of Sara - an essence/trait that people seem to
possess
equanimity - state of psychological stability and composure
paradoxical - self-contradictory
Part 4: Discussion Questions
Why is it important to know yourself in order to write?
Why does the author give so many examples about herself?
The authors grandmother said, Choose your books as carefully as you
choose your friends. What does it mean?
Part 5: Analysis
Mary Pipher wants readers to understand the concept of knowing yourself
which is important to write. She uses her experiences to explain and prove to
this concept to readers. She revealed that she liked to read throughout her
childhood.In addition, her grandmother's words, as well as other family
members stories, inspired her. She realized that choosing books was the
perfect fit for her. She found ways to know who she is and provided many
examples in her life to show how effective reflection on the self can produce
inspirational work.
Part 6: External Sources
Penn, Joanna. "Know Thyself. 7 Truths About Writers." Write to Done. N.p., 03
Feb. 2012. Web. 03 June 2015.
This source is about knowing who we are as individuals because it is
important for writing. Penn explains that claiming the self as a writer is a big
step to knowing the self. This website also includes seven truths about
writers, which states that we are always improving as writers and readers. We
learn through other writers words and improve writing in our own way.