Write the essay’s introduction paragraph. Remember, your introduction should include a hook, background information, the topic, and the thesis statement you wrote in part A. The introduction paragraph should include five sentences.

In a short summary, describe the progression of roderick usher’s mental and physical deterioration over the course of the story. in your opinion, what brought on his illness?

Read this excerpt from tim o’brien‘s “ambush” “i had already pulled the pin on a grenade. i had come to a crouch” which literary device is most clearly shown in this excerpt?

Read the excerpt from the poem "growing up italian" by maria mazziotti gillan and answer the question that follows. when i was a little girl, i thought everyone was italian, and that was good. we visted our aunts and uncles, and they visted us. the italian language smooth and sweet in my mouth. in kindergarten, english words fell on me, thick and sharp as hail. i grew silent, the italian word balanced on the edge of my tongue and the english word, lost during the first moment of every question. source: gillan, maria mazziotti. "growing up italian." poetrymagazine. com. poetry magazine, n. d. web. 30 mar. 2011. what is the tone of this poem? what does the tone reveal about the speaker of the poem and the conflict she faces? based on this excerpt, what can you predict about the theme of the poem?