Hello! Anyone ready for an easy imitatio from Ben Hur, A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace? Who will accept the challenge? This section is extracted out of a chapter beginning. If the whole section is a bit daunting, focus on imitating only the last portion of the reading. Fun settings to consider describing range from an antique mall, a favorite botanical garden, Whole Foods Market , ebay, or grandma's attic. Note and imitate the alliterative description, "melon or a man".

IN an aperture of the western wall of Jerusalem hang the "oaken valves" called the Bethlehem or Joppa Gate. The area outside of them is one of the notable places of the city. Long before David coveted Zion, there was a citadel there. When at last the son of Jesse ousted the Jebusite, and began to build, the site of the citadel became the northwest corner of his new wall, defended by a tower much more imposing than the old one. The location of the gate, however, was not disturbed, for the reasons, most likely, that the roads which met and merged in front of it could not well be transferred to any other point, while the area outside had become a recognized market-place. In Solomon's day there was great traffic at the locality, shared in by traders from Egypt, and the rich dealers from Tyre and Sidon. Nearly three thousand years have passed, and yet a kind of commerce clings to the spot.
A pilgrim wanting a pin or a pistol, a cucumber or a camel, a house or a horse, a loan or a lentil, a date or a dragoman, a melon or a man, a dove or a donkey, has only to inquire for the article at the Joppa Gate. Sometimes the scene is quite animated, and then it suggests, What a place the old market must have been in the days of Herod the Builder! And to that period and that market the reader is now to be transferred.

Go ahead, try your hand and post it for us all to enjoy!

What better way to develop strong young writers but by having them carefully imitate the writing style of great authors from the past? Imitatio was a method employed from the Ancient World onward with young Greek and Roman children copying essays from the great Isocrates or Demosthenes.
In America, our history lessons show us that Benjamin Franklin and Jack London (and many more) learned to write by painstakingly copying the prose of others. To use with young students today, choose sentences from good writers like C.S. Lewis or E.B. White to imitate. First have small children copy word for word a short paragraph from The Chronicles of Narnia, Charlotte's Web or another favorite book.

Fern came slowly down the stairs. Her eyes were red from crying. As she approached her chair, the carton wobbled, and there was a scratching noise. Fern looked at her father. Then she lifted the lid of the carton. There, inside, looking up at her, was the newborn pig. It was a white one. The morning light shone through its ears, turning them pink. E.B. White, Charlotte's Web

When the student copies the author's paragraph, he's learning spelling, punctuation, proper grammar and vocabulary. He's copying clear writing; these are all skills he'll use in his own original writing. Next, have the young writer change the characters or setting and using the author's original style, rewrite the paragraph.

Student Imitation: Jeremy came reluctantly out the front door. His eyes were still crusty from sleeping. As he approached the red scrubby bush, the leaves quaked, there was a rustling noise. Jeremy looked closer. Then he parted the branches. There, underneath, fearfully looking up at him was the baby armadillo, white and awkward looking. The fear of being discovered seemed to leave the baby animal frozen like a statue.

Student ability to imitate develops as they mature. Examples to imitate are endless and can strengthen adult writing as well. Possible adult imitatios include John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath turtle crossing the road or Lew Wallace's Joppa Gate description in Ben Hur. By imitating the writing of outstanding authors, eyes, hands, and minds are shaped and developed.

The idealistic, hapless Spanish knight lives on in the hearts and minds of readers generations after his conception. Critics often hail the story as "the novel of Europe".

This year boasts commemorative tours to Spain, special edition books, musical, art and dramatic programs to celebrate the quixotic knight's birthday.

Several such exhibits and displays grabbed our attention here in the Metroplex.
For a wonderful glance into Cervantes' hero, visit the Meadows Museum located on the SMU campus to see 18th century Spanish royal tapestries. The exhibit extends to November 15 and is open Thursday evening (5-8 PM) admission free. Check their website for companion drama and art exhibit programs. http://www.meadowsmuseumdallas.org/exh_Quijote_programs.htm

The tapestries on loan from the King's palace in Spain are beautifully constructed and impeccably preserved. Get a kick out of the intricate design and detailing of the townspeople. Anyone find the young boy with the blackened eye?
Here lies a cavalier of fame,
Whose dauntless courage soar'd so high,
That death, which can the boldest tame,
He scorned to flatter or to fly.
A constant bugbear to the bad,
His might the world in arms defied,
And in his life though counted mad,
He in his perfect senses died. II,iv.22 DQ II 74