Writing Exercises
#8: point of view

Prompt: In this scene from Timothy Hutton's Digging to China (1998), an adult male with a moderate developmental disability helps his new, 10-year-old friend realize one of her fantasies. Harriet has long hoped to escape life with her emotionally distant sister, Gwen, the legal guardian who now turns (sexual) tricks for a living. Ricky, who currently lives with his mother, responds to Harriet's quest to make it to the other side of the world by helping her build a flying craft made out of a small cart and a few hundred balloons filled with helium. They construct this craft out in the woods, away from the prying eyes of their primary caregivers.

Imagine that you come upon this scene by accident, while walking through the woods. Writing in your journal later that same evening, describe what you saw as if you were one of the following:

• a social worker assigned to check up on Harriet and her older sister Gwen to insure Harriet is receiving proper care (Group 1)
• a scientist--perhaps a physicist or aeronautical engineer--who designs new, innovative modes of transportation for a living (Group 2)
• a psychiatrist who has recently treated Ricky and recommended that his mother place him, without delay, in a group home for those with similar intellectual disabilities (Group 3)
• Harriet's over-protective sister, who feels guilty about not spending more time with her her younger sister (Group 4)