All Over but the Shoutin'

Rick Bragg spends the first part of All Over but the Shoutin’ explaining how Poverty affected his upbringing. In what ways did poverty also affect his writing? Consider the following:

• How might his life have been different if he had been born into an affluent family?
• How has poverty affected his attitude toward education? In what ways might this attitude change under different circumstances?
• Would his father’s influence have been as strong if Bragg had been more affluent?
• How might poverty have inspired him to write about certain people and places? Would a different upbringing have changed his work?
• How does Bragg’s experience with poverty manifest in his journalism? How has it influenced his style? 

Teaching Suggestion: You might first encourage students to think about the topics that Bragg chose to pursue in his writing—victims of crime in Haiti, the poorest people of Mississippi—and ask students whether they think he would have written about these topics if he had been born wealthy. You might also consider his early departure from undergraduate university and his reluctance to apply for—and be accepted to—Harvard University as a Neiman Fellow.   

Differentiation Suggestion: You may wish to have a short list of predetermined topics and ideas to offer students who would benefit from assistance in initially identifying a targeted response.