Consider: The truck lurched down the goat path, over the bridge, and swung south toward El Puerto.
I watched carefully all that we left behind. We passed Rosie’s house and at the clothesline, right
at the edge of the cliff, there was a young girl hanging out brightly colored garments. She was
soon lost in the furrow of dust the truck raised.
— Rudolfo Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima

Discuss:

1. Circle the words that provide specific detail and contribute to the power of the passage.

2. Contrast the third sentence with: We passed Rosie’s house and saw a girl hanging out the clothes. Explain the difference in impact.

Apply:

Rewrite the passage eliminating the specific detail. Read your rewrite aloud to the class. How does the elimination of detail change the meaning of the passage? Discuss this with a partner.