A Glory over Everything

Introducing the Biography

Literary Focus: Biography and Third-Person Point of View

Reading Skills: Following the Sequence

Feature Menu

A Glory over Everythingby Ann Petry

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She left her family and friends behind and headed out into the dark night.

She risked everything to get to the North.

She risked everything for freedom . . .

over and over again.

A Glory over Everythingby Ann Petry

A Glory over EverythingLiterary Focus: Biography and Third-Person Point of View

• the true story of a person’s life

• written by another person

• told from the standpoint of someone outside the story

A biography is

In an autobiography, a person tells the story of his or her own life. The writer is the main character in the story.

In a biography, the writer imagines and describes the characters’ thoughts and feelings.

“They had not gone more than a mile when she became aware that they had stopped.”

We had not gone more than a mile when I became aware that we had stopped.

Third-person pronouns First-person pronouns

A Glory over EverythingLiterary Focus: Biography and Third-Person Point of View

AuthorCharacter

Character

CharacterCharacter

Character

A biography is told from the third-person point of view. The author is outside the story.

An autobiography is told from the first-person point of view. The story is about the author. The author is inside the story.

Author

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A Glory over EverythingLiterary Focus: Biography and Third-Person Point of View

A Glory over EverythingReading Skills: Following the Sequence

As you read “A Glory over Everything,” practice following the sequence.

Sequence is the order of events in a story.

• Writers use words like first, then, and when to show the order of events.

• Some words and phrases show the amount of time that has passed between events: the next day, the following week, later that night.

A Glory over EverythingReading Skills: Following the Sequence

Here is the beginning of a sequence chart that tracks Harriet Tubman’s journey to freedom.

Complete a chart like this one as you read “A Glory over Everything.” Include at least six events and using time-order words that show the sequence of events.

Sequence Chart

1. That night, Harriet prepared to leave.

2. As she worked, she heard John stir in his sleep.

3. When she was done, she headed for the woods.

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A Glory over Everything

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